"This one time, at Band Camp..."

Since teen-sex comedies are the topic of choice this week, I thought I would focus on the first American Pie. The movie that ruined apple pies for me forever, coined the term MILF, and compares on an infamous level with Porky’s shower scene (with peeping-tom teenage boys spying on a girls’ locker room), this film makes you cringe with jaw-dropping embarrassing moments (most of which could have been avoided by simply locking a door).

The last scenes of the movie contained four separate and very interesting sex scenes in it’s climax, of the four main guys trying desperately to lose their virginity at the Armageddon of high-school sex opportunities, prom.

The first couple that I find the most interesting is Vicky and Kevin. Vicky, a “normal” teenage girl with romantic notions of the perfect time and place to have sex for the first time, is told by her sexually advanced friend that sex isn’t a rocket launch, and she should just do it already.

She wants to hear Kevin tell her he loves her, and convincers herself by the counter argument that she would probably just go to college and do it with some random guy in a dorm room. Kevin doesn’t know if he loves her, and tells his friends five minutes before prom party that he’s scared. Yet, they end up going through with it. It is awkward to watch because… it’s just plain awkward. I mean, starting sex off with “how should we do it?” isn’t exactly hot. Kevin tells her what she wants to hear (those three little words) and after an uncomfortable and clumsy passion-less night, they BREAK UP IN THE MORNING. Like they couldn’t have realized that they wouldn’t work after high school BEFORE they had sex. Their happy-break-up-present was a terrible first time...congratulations. Geez, even Finch and Stifler’s mom had more exciting sex (which made pool tables even hotter)

Next, Heather (choir girl) turned Oz (rugby jock) into Mr. Sensitive, only to fall in love and spend the night in an actual beautiful “perfect” setting, because they didn’t try so hard to make it “perfect”. And, after his terrible anti-Casa Nova line, “Suck Me, Beautiful” I never would have thought he could just spend a night with a girl.



This brings us to Jim. After he raped a pastry and came too times too soon with Nadia, he ends up at prom with Michelle, ultimate band geek who turns out to get freaky with him in a children’s bedroom (how ironic). Instead of Vicky’s “tell me you love me,” Michelle just wants Jim to say her name, Bitch!

Through sex scenes, this film actually teaches teenagers a few important lessons in sex. First off, the film very explicitly promotes the use of condoms. Also, “perfect moments” don’t exist when they try to be planned. On top of that, a passion-filled night can happen with someone you don’t expect, and falling in love is possible without sex. All in all, the movie’s raunchy nature gives teens what they want by making them feel like their doing something wrong. What more could you want in a teen-sex comedy?

Teen Sex Comedies

Okay, now that we have the historical stuff out of the way, we can dive into a genre of film that we are all familiar with…the ever –famous teen sex comedies. "Usually structured around a crude story about a group of high school or college students who want sex, and featuring plenty of nude or near-nude female bodies but no close-ups of genitals, sex comedies are like the nonalcoholic beer of porn.” There is nothing like half-naked teenagers seeing who can get drunk, get high or get laid more than their friends.


From Animal House (1978) and The Last American Virgin (1982) to Road Trip (2000), Mean Girls (2004) and The American Pie (1999-03) holy trinity of teen sex comedies, teen viewers flock to this genre like strippers to a pole because it’s an acceptable way to surrender to visually stimulating hormonal urges. American pop culture has bred sex-seeking generations, and by adding comedy into the mix, these films give teenagers (and adults) the stimulation and sexual gratification they crave, without crossing the line into full-blown porn. “And it’s hard to appeal to the groin and the funny bone at the same time; the movies are, with a few exceptions, witless.” These films are popular because of their sexual content, not their great acting, tender moments, or clever plotlines (because there aren’t any).
My next post will dive into some of the most popular sex scenes within these comedies, and reveal what makes these scenes so dynamic, entertaining, and unforgettable.

Cinematic History and "The Classics"

Film has always had the ability to anger, divide, shock, disgust and captivate us. Pushing the envelope with graphic, horrifying, obscene, “tasteful”, or just plain hot sex scenes has been an exciting way to provide controversy, shock value and ultimately insanely high-selling box offices.

Within the context of sexual revolutions that cinema has tried so hard to push, one must ask, “What makes a sex scene influential, ground-breaking, memorable or exciting?” Is it simply semi-naked celebrities, the build-up of sexual tension, unique or new uses of nudity, raw passion and emotion, or something else entirely?

The general depiction of sexuality in mainstream cinema was at one time restricted law and self-imposed industry standards. “Films showing explicit sexual activity were, with very rare exceptions, confined to privately distributed underground films”. The 1960’s, however, began to push the boundaries in terms of what was allowed on-screen. Although now-a-days, the vast majority of sexual situations depicted in mainstream cinema are simulated, on rare occasions filmmakers have produced motion pictures in which actors were allowed (or instructed) to engage in some level of genuine sexual activity, up to and including sexual intercourse!! That takes a sex "scene" to a whole other level!

Now, nudist films were mainly associated with the 1950s and 1960s, although the genre has roots dating back to the 1930s. Nudist films claim to depict the lifestyles of members of the nudism or naturist movement, and sent shock values through the roof for these time periods.

So, back to what makes a sex scene, you know, “sexy”. Here is a list I have compiled of truly captivating sex scenes (to help understand what makes a sex scenes note-worthy):

Nine ½ Weeks (1986)
Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke pushed the limites of sexuality in cinema for mainstream film with their notorious scenes, which lead film industries to be concerned regarding the R rating. The incorporation of blindfolds, ice, and food singlehandedly made new sex fetishes for many.


The Way We Were (1973)
Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford play a couple who fall for each other because of their differences, then break up because of them, too. The sex scene catches them at the height of their doomed romance, and every knows that what’s bad or wrong (or naughty), is sometimes what makes it sooo hot.

The Blue Lagoon (1980)
Don’t tell a guy, “I wouldn’t sleep with you if you were the last man on earth?” At least for Brook Shields, being stranded on a deserted island with Christopher Atkins—the last man around was hot.What is it about a deserted beach??

An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)
A handsome young Navy pilot-in-training (Richard Gere) picks up a local girl (Debra Winger) in a bar. Three easy steps to a hot sex scene; Step One: Get a motel. Step Two: Rip off her clothes. Step Three: Devour her. Doesn’t this set back women, like, 30 years? Not when it’s Richard Gere, right? Riiiight…



Risky Business (1983)
Tom Cruise played a regular teen seduced by a call girl (Rebecca De Mornay). Their steamiest liaison: on a train. And, no, he didn’t jump up and down on the seat afterward to proclaim his love for her, thank God.

Dirty Dancing (1987)
Ahh the innocent summer flirtation turned sweaty “dance” with me grope-fest. Patrick Swayze gave Jennifer Grey the time of her life, alright.

Ghost (1990)
Patrick Swayze seduces his wife, Demi Moore, while she’s sculpting pottery. I bet he showed her just how skilled his hands are. I wonder just how many women signed up for ceramics class after this aired…


Titanic (1997)
Awww…star-crossed lovers on that damn ill-fated ship. Kate Winslet and Leo DiCaprio made drawing a little more interesting with their sex scene, in which they make love after he sketches her nude portrait. And, who can forget that sweaty hand.. that kept our love for Leo afloat for the next 10 years (including that unfortunate pasty, bloated stage)

How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998)
On vacation in Jamaica, Angela Bassett has an affair with an islander (Taye Diggs). When they get into a fight, she follows him into the bathroom to apologize, and then steps into the shower with him, fully clothed. Five ultra-sexy minutes later, she does get her groove back — and so does the very pleased audience.








I will be taking a closer look at more modern, mainstream sex scenes but it is hard to look at the present (or future) without taking a quick glance at the cinematic past to see how far we have come (and its faarr). This list of “classics” help show how much sex scenes have evolved, and why they are what they are today.

9 1/2 Weeks

These and other ground-breaking scenes helped to push forward the sexual movement in Cinema.

Romantic vs. Slutty - The Evolution of Sex Scenes

Sex scenes, as we know them today, were very different (a.k.a. non-existent) only a few short decades ago. Us Weekly teamed up with Hershey’s Kisses and America’s top movie houses to identify the Top 10 All-Time Best Kisses in Film.
1. Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh in “Gone With the Wind”
2. Omar Sharif and Julie Christie in “Doctor Zhivago”
3. Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman at the end of “Casablanca”
4. Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn in “Sabrina”
5. Rock Hudson and Doris Day in “Pillow Talk”
6. Molly Ringwald and Michael Schoeffling in “Sixteen Candles”
7. Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift in “A Place in the Sun”
8. Molly Ringwald and Judd Nelson' in “The Breakfast Club”
9. Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds in “Singin’ in the Rain”
10. Winona Ryder and Ethan Hawke in “Reality Bites”

This list was unveiled atop the Empire State Building; the scene of many of the most memorable, romantic movies kisses ever. Most of these scenes were the most touching, passion, sexually charged scenes in film history, and if you notice, most of these kisses are in old-school movies from years past.

So why is it, that with all the movies out nowadays, all the best sexually passionate moments were set way-back-when. Today, a sexual moment in a film usually consists of, well, a sex scene.

Don’t lie. You all know the difference between a good sex scene, a hilariously funny-because-it-could-happen sex scene, and an incredibly uncomfortable sex scene that always seem to come on when you’re with a family member or on a first date. The purpose of the typical sex scene in movies today seems to be simply because if it doesn’t have one, the movie is seriously lacking and basically boring, yet, if it has too many, its trying too hard to be artistically dramatic and gets labeled a slutty soft-core porn.

It’s interesting to think about how sexual ideas in older blockbusters (think black and white) were so incredibly taboo or socially unacceptable, and now we can’t even turn on a toothbrush commercial without a sexualized version of a woman and a phallic object in her mouth.

We now live in a society where the romantic kisses are scoffed at, and the idea of “long walks on the beach” are only said in reference to a cheesy personal ad. Sex scenes have evolved from the climactic romantic kiss of soul mates at the end of the movie, to the climactic…well, climax of the we-just-met-through-the-internet College couple’s “first” time (with that particular person) or the adulterous husband’s fling with the copy girl. On top of that, (no pun intended-thanks Matt) actors/actresses are paid a ridiculously large sum of money depending on how naked they get on-screen (think Halle Berry in Swordfish).


This evolution of the way sex is portrayed from “then” to “now” has been so drastic, I’m almost afraid to think what my children will one day be watching on the “family” channel.

"Sex Sells"

Right now, we live in a society that is basically driven by the media. Whether it is spoon fed to us through the news on television or in newspapers, or crammed down our throats in movies, music, or magazines, most people in society thrive on the currents events going on around the world, be it wars, politics or which celebrity marriage is breaking up this week. Now, in this media-driven circus we call our everyday lives, sex, sexuality, and everything that it entails, is basically everywhere we turn, don't you agree?

I literally can't turn on the television without a sex scene in a soap opera, a shower scene in a prime-time drama, a teenage love/sex-triangle, or a couple TV doctors doing it in a broom closet. The ingenious idea that "sex sells" has worked it's way into everything we read, watch, listen to, or hear about almost every day. Now, exploring the reasons of why this is, is well, pointless. The reasoning behind why sex sells is not of interest because the innate sexual force is in all of us, and the media is only trying their best ways to exploit it.

What is interesting to me, is simply how sex is portrayed within the media, mostly narrowing in on movies and the film industry, and how it is has changed so drastically over the last twenty to thirty years. Also, how movie genre's have changed and how sex within each genre varies from each other and why (directors gender, viewer ratings, shock value, etc.) By exploring sexuality within movies, we might gain a better understanding of how the media has morphed sexuality into what it is today, and how the media (along with the film industry) has shaped societies moral standpoints, personal views, and overall opinions regarding sex.