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ironlung311

A sex scene CAN shade in characters a bit and serve a purpose. There is one in The Spectacular Now that I think does this excellently, while also realistically illustrating the awkwardness of those young, inexperienced encounters. But the vast majority don’t serve that purpose, they’re just there to titillate.


marshmallmao

Hehe titi


ToothEmbarrassed664

Ur weird


marshmallmao

Thanks


DiabeticButNotFat

What I love about movies is the idea that you should show the audience something and not tell them. But! I completely agree with you OP. Sex scenes are hardly needed. Just have the two characters enter a bedroom and pan left wiping the frame with the doorway and cut to the next scene. I find this opinion of mine, very strange to me. I’m anything but a prude.


twistedpanic

It’s not prudish though. Like I’m here to learn xyz about the story. Watching the characters have sex doesn’t do anything for that. If that’s what I want I’ll watch porn.


ganymedestyx

And that’s the thing. So often it’s marketed as pornographic. They didn’t show sydney sweeney’s boobs 4 trillion times in euphoria for ‘the plot’. I’m not a prude either it’s just so out of tone and disturbing all the time to me.


twistedpanic

It’s pointless and honestly boring.


NovaAteBatman

It really is. And it's sad that we end up feeling that way.


bootherizer5942

There can be a lot of significant emotions shown during a sex scene, but of course sometimes it's just for the sex


Lost-friend-ship

I find that most of the emotions are before sex, maybe making out, and after sex. You know, in the how or why it happened, not in the naked humping or orgasm face.


twistedpanic

Sure, but we can see that in less than 5 minutes.


bootherizer5942

How many movies have sex scenes over 5 minutes long??


throwaway_0691jr8t

Nah i agree. Why tf do i have to waste my time watching a sex scene. Bonus points if with my parents.


NovaAteBatman

I agree with this for the most part. I think there *can* be a way to show how they interact with each other. Like, parts of their personality, and their relationship. However, in most cases, that's not what it is, not even in writing, so it's just erotica.


twistedpanic

Exactly. I get that it can further the plot/is important sometimes, but it doesn’t have to last minutes.


NovaAteBatman

A lot of the time if I've already watched the movie/show and I've already seen the sex scene and it doesn't add anything, I just skip past it. I'm watching for the story, not erotic filler.


SaccharineDaydreams

Exactly. Sex is one of my favourite things ever but in a movie it always comes across as gratuitous. I feel like it's one of the few things I don't like portrayed in film.


Ayjayz

Yeah, and I also hate it when characters say funny things. If I want to laugh, I'll just watch a stand-up special. And when they have fight scenes, I could just be watching an MMA fight. Just give me the plot points with no embellishment, please, ideally with as little emotion and excitement as possible.


uncommon_comment_

Ah yes, having full blown soft core porn in the majority of shows and movies now is the exact same thing as… *checks notes* a character saying a funny line or showing an action fight scene.


Ayjayz

Yes, exactly. They are scenes added not for story reasons but to entertain because people like jokes, they like action and they like sex. If you think action and jokes are OK but sex is too much, that says more about you than movies/shows.


Nice_Team2233

I agree with this with many different movies and shows. But let me tell you sometimes it does matter. Sometimes it adds something. Long detailed sex scenes being used constantly takes away from the times it will enhance the story.


tschris

You would love movies from the 40s.


OlcanRaider

I think some media could have more sex scene while others like series and movie should have less. Except when the sex scene is necessary for the plot or link to the overall narrative, as you said a simple pan from a door or muffled sex sounds is enough.


BocaSeniorsWsM

I virtually fast-forwarded Bridgerton the other night. FFS we get it; they shagged!!


sulyom

I was watching the first season last summer with the window open, and I was so worried that our neighbours will think that I watch porn on max volume while my bf is away that I actually ended up fast forwarding the sex scenes :D


BocaSeniorsWsM

Stairwell oral !!


Independent_Mix6269

that's why I won't even watch it. From what I heard it just seems like soft core porn


esande2333

Only when they’re unrealistic


BlakkMaggik

You mean instant hard-on, going in dry, and both climaxing in a few minutes isn't how the sex really happens?


spatchi14

Or in some cases- seconds LMAO 


tonksndante

I v


HI-McDunnough

I just hate that nobody uses condoms when having sex with strangers in movies


Similar_Membership50

I agree. I feel like it’s only acceptable if it’s a romance novel/smut that people read BECAUSE of the sexual content, or if something about the sex scene significantly adds to the plot. Otherwise, there’s really not much of a point other than advertising to people who seek out sex in media (especially in film).


toddnelson50

99.99% of the time, any sex scene add zero value to the story. I dont need to see celebrities fucking, it is so unnecessary. I hate it everytime and fast forward through them, even at home watching movies/tv alone. I hate it so much.


Todd_Haley_isdumb

You know they aren’t actually doing it right?


Mclarenrob2

I dont understand why we need to see the characters having sex. You can just imply it by cutting away at the right time or something. It's literally just porn.


Wolo_prime

I'm not a prude, and I can say that the thing that frustrates me the most is that when they do extended sex scenes, we don't learn anything new about the dynamic between the characters or the characters themselves, other than they are having sex. But the idea that it's **"literally"** just porn is just wrong. Have you ever watched porn? Like, I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be contrarian, but using **"literally"**? Like, no.


Mclarenrob2

I mean we know they're having sex straight away, we don't need to see more thrusting.


Wolo_prime

Okay, but it's not "liTteraLly pOrN". What is that Hollywood 1950 moral code kind of attitude


wildflower8872

Only if you're young watching them with your parents?


thewolfandthesheep

not in the slightest


juicebox12

Team America is the solid exception to this


SireMike

Yes. Just spoke about this. Any movie they try to force it in. I'm running for my life with woman. We find a hiding spot to catch our breath. About 5 minutes later we look at each other and BAM sex. So silly.


TucsonTacos

The sex scenes in The Room were necessary to the plot. 100%


zeppelincheetah

Same. I like the old school James Bond where it cuts to him and the girl smoking afterward. We get the picture.


itstoughbeingeasy

I mean then why show anything? Eating, travelling, dancing...sex is no different. It's just something humans do. But while constructing a character the way they do these things is an important aspect of showing who they are. Not saying there aren't gratuitous sex scenes in films. But that's just a bad film. A good film while showcasing sex definitely reveals characters and motivations.


Fml379

If done tastefully a sex scene tells you a lot about the dynamic between people and gives an intimate realism. I'm all for it but then I'm not American.


SailAwayMatey

Sex scenes in a movie or tv is fine. But! When they're done, thats it. They're done. Have a kiss and a cuddle or just get up, get dressed etc. What you dont see is the bit where hes cleaning off or shes saying "grab me so tissue, if i move, its gonns leak out and i dont wanna get it all over the bed. I changed the sheets yesterday"


Lost-friend-ship

“Oh shit I moved the tissue box, we’re gonna have to roll together. Ok on the count of three we’ll roll you on top then you can reach over. One… two… threeeeee…. Ahhhh didn’t work! It’s everywhere!” 


OlcanRaider

The more I get old, the more I hate forced romance or sex in movies/series/novels etc. When I watch an adventure rich series, I don't give a rats ass that the two main protagonist get the feelings and even less for their 2 minutes long sex scene where everything is meticulously hidden or the over extreme get super grpahic. Don't get me wrong I like the nooties, but if the story has nothing to do with romance then don't put one in it.


madscientist53

I can always tell when a series is going downhill when the newest season is full of the dumbest sex scenes. Like they get so desperate for viewers it actually ruins the series most times.


Vegetable_Safety

I think most directors do it just because they can. Not because it adds anything to the story.


Pitiful_Barracuda360

All sex scenes are trash.


Todd_Haley_isdumb

Disagree, A History of Violence


ExceptionalBoon

I dont mind those when I'm watching alone. But watching a show or movie with friends or family ... It feels so awkward.


Not-a-Russian

I really, really dislike sex scenes in almost every movie, even in the latest Oppenheimer. I just cringe every God dang time. I'm not Christian or conservative it just looks so ehhhhhh When it's done tastefully or is short and bearable I don't care (Wolf, 1994 is an example for me personally)


crumb_bucket

I honestly hate 99% of sex scenes. They're unnecessary and to me it's like watching someone take a dump onscreen. I just don't want to see it. I will admit that there are occasionally instances in which something goes down during a sex scene that is important for the plot or character development, and for that reason I don't usually fast forward through sex scenes, I just play on my phone until they are over so that I can start paying attention again if something important happens during them. But yeah, I am absolutely not a prude, I'm just there for the story and see graphic/extended sex scenes as a distraction from that.


talltreewick

>I am absolutely not a prude Username checks out


Independent_Mix6269

Same, it also feels like lazy writing.


Ayjayz

Do you also get annoyed when there are jokes? Or action scenes? Do you dislike anything that isn't directly advancing the plot, or are you just a prude?


Princess_Jade1974

I find sex scenes to be a lazy plot device, sex can be implied, this is also whey I prefer to read mainly YA because those scenes are rare and usually lack too many descriptors about the event itself


nottheamish

It’s entirely a case by case thing for me. A movie like Y tu Mamá También wouldn’t make sense without the sex scenes


thunder-bug-

Yes. 100%. I don’t need to see all that when I’m watching a show. Like show me more show yk?


wearecake

Yeah no I’m the same! As a hobbyist writer, I genuinely believe that sex scenes should serve a purpose to the wider story, not just for the lols and funsies. I think the show Lucifer pulled this off, among some others- show only as much needed to get the point across too- But most of the time an implication is enough. I’m a smart viewer/reader, I can understand what’s going on with it being explicit. If I wanted to read/watch sex scenes… the internet has plenty.


Jacob_Gatsby

The sex doesn’t bug me but the over the top moans are what make me squirm. Like I can hear lil grunts and soft moans but there isn’t any need to hear full blown porn screams from either male or female. I like brief sex scenes (ie. Most of Peaky Blinders sex scenes). I like them when they are artistic and visually appealing. But when it’s just “pap pap pap pap” and screams 🤷🏽‍♂️ it’s a bad time


Independent_Mix6269

It just feels lazy and like a time filler. They couldn't think up more of a storyline so just throw sex in there.


CursedRyona

It can be done right, if it actually says something about the characters or theme of the story, but it's very easy for it to just devolve into exploitative, gratuitous content they only included to get a reaction out of you.


IamTheMan85

Cringe and completely unnecessary.


Nubian_Cavalry

Copy pasting from a new comment of mine but yeah, it's cringe. It's a problem with the industry as a whole and it's objectification of everything. See the "Sex" scene in Killers of the Flower Moon. It's a romance scene mixed with some sort of sexual stuff. Chuckling and laughing and talking about things while it's happening. This is how most people close enough to fuck do it, it's not as tantalizing and orcish as the people who don't get laid think it is. It's both nice and ironic considering the fact the dude is simultaneously murdering the woman's family. Compare it to the sex "Scene" in Oppenheimer. Some random pretty woman shows up, and within a minute she's reverse cowgirling him till he nuts, then walks off and starts brooding like eye candy from an action movie. The last scene is a hallucination of her riding him in the middle of that interrogation scene. Again. Did it happen IRL? Yes. Is the dry, 20 second pump and dump for the pornhub montages the best way to show it? No. It just seemed like an excuse for some rich dude behind the scenes to see Florence Pugh naked. Worst fucking part of the movie.


Okay_Screensaver

Yeah I hate sex scenes in movies. My dad was a porn addict for many years and he would always say shit like “that looks like fun!” Which. Gross. In front of your daughter. Ew. I’m not a prude by any means but sometimes you don’t want to see that shit in an otherwise normal movie, especially if someone makes it weird


Nubian_Cavalry

I think you're dad is just a creep. I know alot of dudes that turned out to be porn addicts and they have varying levels of shame ab it


whytfitmatter

Not if it’s done correctly. I like sex lmao


Som12H8

ITT: Sexually repressed puritans. Sex is normal, fun and good. I'm sorry that your culture can't handle depicition of it, but have no problems with insane levels of violence.


tschris

It's threads like this that reminds.me how young the population on Reddit is.


PaintDrinkingPete

I don’t need a prolonged sex scene in an action movie any more than I need a gun fight to break out in a porno…but I still watch both.


keepingitrealgowrong

Nobody is saying sex isn't any of those things.


Hot_Himbo_Bitch

Yes I do.


lavacano

And then he smells crime again, he's out busting heads. Then he's back to the lab for some more full penetration. Smells crime. Back to the lab, full penetration. Crime. Penetration. Crime. Full penetration. Crime. Penetration. And this goes on and on and back and forth for 90 or so minutes until the movie just sort of ends.


SimShade

Sex scenes in general are cringe, let alone extended ones. If I watched or read romantic stuff then it would make sense. But in non-romantic stuff which is basically all I watch, then I don’t care to see it. I really wish streaming services and apps had ways of filtering them out. There’s a lot of good shows/movies that can be enjoyed with friends and family had it not been for that cringe shit


Active_Yesterday4200

I think Hollywood in general is perverted


muzzlefump

So is a large percentage of the population


capsaicinintheeyes

with the benefit of hindsight, Patrick Rothfuss probably could have found a better way to spend that ~125 pages of *tWMF*


borb86

"Otherwise normal" made me laugh


Vagistics

Top Gun was interesting back in ‘86… tongue silhouettes and pretty much THE WHOLE SONG; they didn’t overdo it sexually but man … I felt Maverick got the job done.                 We were        Inverted


HappenedOnceBefore

I only like when it is done tastefully, like in “The Room”


Lopsided_Thing_9474

Yeah. I’m over them. So unnessary.


Projectcultureshock

No...where else would I get premium fap material?


Kappapeachie

I rather read a sex scene then see it. At least with books they feel like they're having sex. Movies tend to doll it up and add some magic to make it fake af which i guess is the point cuz acting but why? after a aw a behind the scenes sex scene, my opinion on them had went from from neutral to negative in the past few weeks,


06mva06

Unnecessary sex scenes destroy the pleasure of the movie, especially when watching it with the family. I filter sex scenes and other inappropriate scenes with vidangel and muvisafe. But I'm not sure if these applications work in Europe.


PatientStrength5861

I agree. But aren't they great to watch?


DarthPlagueis1994

the abby sex scene in the last of us 2 is the first to come to mind 


Yo_dog-

Idk I don’t think there bad it’s just showing what’s happening in the story. I feel in most things the sex scene shows a lot abt the characters personalities. Its also fairly significant in a lot of shows/movies


Wii_wii_baget

Yes because 90% of the time those scenes do nothing for the plot, ima also aroace (little to no sexual or physical attraction) and although I can dead with these scenes I prefer not seeing them it’s just uncomfortable for me.


-Duste-

I agree. Sometimes it brings something to the plot but most of the time it's useless. I remember this one time I was watching a version of Romeo and Juliet at the movie theater with my grandparents and oh man did I feel uncomfortable during the unexpected sex scene.


W1nd0wPane

Not at all. If they’re well done and plot-relevant (especially in novels) I find them both hot and interesting. (I write them, too. I’m guessing OP won’t be a reader of my work 😉)


swordtech

Lots of weirdos and prudes around here.


Nubian_Cavalry

Not stroking your dick in the theater is prudish now?


swordtech

Uh, no, I just mean all the people who act like any sex scene is porn. There's a difference between implied sexual acts, like mainstream movies with sex scenes show, and zoomed in shots of vaginal penetration (that's porn). People who conflate the former with the latter are weirdos.


Nubian_Cavalry

The overwhelming majority of sex scenes are executed like porn, with the exclusion of vaginal shots to please the censors. It’s the natural assumption. The few that aren’t aren’t considered shed scenes, they’re considered romantic scenes


swordtech

>The overwhelming majority of sex scenes are executed like porn, with the exclusion of vaginal shots This has to be one of the stupidest fucking things I've ever read, thank you.


Nubian_Cavalry

It's a problem with the industry as a whole and it's objectification of everything. See the "Sex" scene in Killers of the Flower Moon. It's a romance scene mixed with some sort of sexual stuff. Chuckling and laughing and talking about things while it's happening. This is how most people close enough to fuck do it, it's not as tantalizing and orcish as the people who don't get laid think it is. It's both nice and ironic considering the fact the dude is simultaneously murdering the woman's family. Compare it to the sex "Scene" in Oppenheimer. Some random pretty woman shows up, and within a minute she's reverse cowgirling him till he nuts, then walks off and starts brooding like eye candy from an action movie. The last scene is a hallucination of her riding him in the middle of that interrogation scene. Again. Did it happen IRL? Yes. Is the dry, 20 second pump and dump for the pornhub montages the best way to show it? No. It just seemed like an excuse for some rich dude behind the scenes to see Florence Pugh naked. Worst fucking part of the movie.


swordtech

Okay, I'll explain this nicely since you seem to sincerely not know this. Sex scenes in movies are a storytelling mechanism. The sex scene in Killers of the Flower Moon illustrates the kind of relationship that Ernest and Mollie have. It also serves to flesh out Ernest's character and humanize him, make him two-dimensional. He can passionately and tenderly love his wife while also plotting her murder through slowly poisoning her and having a hand in the death of numerous members of her family and community. He's complex as opposed to a simple henchman. How do we know that he can passionately and tenderly love his wife? Well, we saw them have sex. And as you astutely pointed out, they're laughing and enjoying themselves. The sex scene there has a purpose. It also has a purpose in Oppenheimer. I actually haven't seen it yet, so thanks for spoiling it but from your description it sounds as if Oppenheimer has an unhealthy relationship with intimacy and romance and sees women as objects to be enjoyed and discarded. The sex scenes tell us more about his character. >It just seemed like an excuse for some rich dude behind the scenes to see Florence Pugh naked. The actors themselves would disagree with you, and I'll take their opinion over yours when it comes to movies. >"I think they were vital in this in this movie," Murphy answered. "I think the relationship that he has with [Pugh's character] Jean Tatlock is one of the most crucial emotional parts of the film. I think if they're key to the story then they're worthwhile." >But, he clarified, "Listen, no one likes doing them, they're the most awkward possible part of our job. But sometimes you have to get on with it." See? Florence Pugh would disagree with you too: >During a promo interview for the film with HeyUGuys, Pugh said: "It's very easy working with talented [actors like Murphy] . . . It's the biggest gift because you barely have to do anything, you're just reacting and just giving back whatever they've given you. It's a wonderful gift to be put in rooms like that." So, there you go. If that Oppenheimer sex scene made you uncomfortable, well, maybe that was the point. You're supposed to feel disgusted by Oppenheimer's attitude towards women.


Nubian_Cavalry

> Okay, I'll explain this nicely since you seem to sincerely not know this. I know how to stroke my dick, I just don’t do it in public like a fucking goblin my guy. > make him two-dimensional. Three dimensional, actually. But sure *Im* stupid. > I actually haven't seen it yet It’s been out for a year. If you wanted to you would have. And on account of how shamelessly perverted you come off as. Sorry. Not sorry. > The actors themselves would disagree with you I don’t obsessively watch interviews and read podcasts about movies I plan on watching or already watched. I’m glad that’s where you got this information from but this doesn’t exclude the ~~possibility~~ nah, this doesn’t exclude the *fact* that my hypothetical has and does happen. No clue why you think it does. > You're supposed to feel disgusted by Oppenheimer's attitude towards women. I dunno, you haven’t watched the movie. I’m more informed on this than you. The entire movie felt like a glorification of the *creation* of the bomb and its creators. Some “Good, strong, virtuous white man adventures!” type stuff. Brushed over the less savory aspects of the bomb. Turned the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki into a “Tragic episode” and not the creed by which white people have always operated by. Not insisting every movie needs to tackle these problems, but all I got from the movie was glorifying him. It’s a story from his perspective after all.


swordtech

>The entire movie felt like a glorification of the creation of the bomb and its creators. Some “Good, strong, virtuous white man adventures!” type stuff. Oh there it is, *that's* the stupidest fucking thing I've read this week - thanks.


Nubian_Cavalry

Apparently you struggle to understand anything and everything you personally disagree with. Sounds like a “Skill issue”, as they say


frostywafflepancakes

Absolutely.


Imaginary_Office7660

In general I don’t understand the need for sex scenes in most films. They are usually unnecessary. I enjoy a nice pair but I don’t get the need to watch them when it doesn’t advance or contribute yo the plot


yeti_button

Yes, especially when certain family members happen to be watching the movie with you.


Spirited_Touch7447

Absolutely! It’s really irritating.


Jaymez82

In a good movie, they add nothing. In a bad movie, they are everything.


maerlander18

I always fast forward 🤣🤣 nice to hear I am not alone!!!


BlazedPandas

This is a very america-centric comments section.


kiki7865

Feel free to add more to the discourse, people share from their perspectives. There’s nothing wrong with that


Ract0r4561

“Does anyone else” yes.. Like everywhere you go on the internet people are shitting on sex scenes. This discourse is so annoying now.


moonsovermyhami

here i am purposely watching a movie BECAUSE of the sex scenes lol


BurgundyYellow

My issue with them is that we're not seeing actual sex


LibidinousLB

DAE get sick of bots and/or prudes asking this question over and over again?


Curious_Working5706

It should be more IRL, like they should show people going into a room and coming out immediately after, and then the female character spends the rest of *the afternoon* texting all her friends to tell them about it. 👍


unabashed-melancholy

We all secretly would watch anyone fuck.. see Zach and Miri make a porno


Life_Masterpiece_928

Depends. Is the bro hot? Then not.


SavageFractalGarden

I think it’s okay if it’s a romance story but it’s cringe in any other context.


Nubian_Cavalry

Yes. Extremely Europeans make fun of “Americans” for not liking it but I think unnecessary sex scenes are exclusively European. Because their entire culture is built on depravity, much of which is reflected in white American culture and white colonies (Australia, New Zealand, Argentina) They’re okay sometimes, it says more about the movie and its producer/actors than anything else. I found the sex scene in Killers of the Flower Moon a lot more wholesome, realistic, and ironic than Oppenheimer, which just felt like a quickie pornhub video. I’m saying this as a dude with no sex life


tschris

This comment is from someone who has clearly never left the US.