10 Film Sex Scenes That Needed Intervention

      Movie sex scenes serve as a reflection of our changing standards regarding relationships and consent.

      However, these 10 instances crossed the line in troubling ways.

      Let's dive in.

      Last Tango in Paris (1972)

      United Artists

      A prime example of how not to direct sex scenes. Director Bernardo Bertolucci, then 30, and 48-year-old star Marlon Brando decided on the morning of the film’s most notorious sex scene to use butter, but failed to inform the 19-year-old lead actress Maria Schneider until they were filming.

      “I wanted her reaction as a girl, not as an actress,” Bertolucci, who passed away in 2018, later stated. “I wanted her to feel humiliated.” Schneider, who died in 2007, expressed that she felt violated by the scene.

      When scrutiny arose again in 2016, Bertolucci stated that Schneider was aware the scene would be violent and that it was scripted, but the addition of butter was the only unexpected element. He acknowledged that this offended Schneider, not the scripted violence. He also clarified that all sexual acts in the film were simulated.

      Pretty Baby (1978)

      Paramount Pictures

      The recent Hulu documentary Brooke Shields: Pretty Baby chronicles the numerous ways Hollywood men attempted to sexualize Shields from a young age. The film is named after Pretty Baby, the Louise Malle movie based on the true story of a 12-year-old girl raised in a brothel and exploited by her mother.

      While the film empathizes with Shields’ character, Violet, it sparked significant concern due to scenes where Shields is seen undressed. Even by 1978 standards, it was controversial, provoking debates on its decency and leading the British Board of Film Classification to discuss its legality.

      One particularly troubling moment features an on-screen kiss between Shields, who was 11, and 28-year-old co-star David Carradine. However, Shields recently stated on The Drew Barrymore Show that Carradine was “gracious” and “protective” during filming.

      Revenge of the Nerds (1984)

      20th Century Fox

      There are numerous articles highlighting the issues within Revenge of the Nerds, one major point being a scene where nerds use hidden cameras to voyeuristicly observe sorority women undressing.

      It’s a crime, nerds.

      Revenge of the Nerds, Again (1984)

      20th Century Fox

      The most concerning aspect of Revenge of the Nerds is a scene where the lead nerd, Lewis (Robert Carradine) wears a mask to deceive a fellow student into thinking he’s her boyfriend.

      After their sexual encounter, she expresses joy over how good it was, which serves as the film’s way of rationalizing the deceitful act. Terrible messages all around.

      Screenwriter Steve Zacharias has expressed regret over both the masked scene and the hidden camera incident, removing them while working on a musical adaptation of the film.

      Sixteen Candles (1984)

      Universal Pictures

      Sixteen Candles features a character whose unacceptable actions are amplified by the film's expectation that we admire him. Jake Ryan (Michael Schoeffling) is portrayed as the ideal partner for our heroine, Samantha (Molly Ringwald). Yet, at one point, Jake abandons his unconscious girlfriend, Caroline (Haviland Morris), to another guy, Ted (Anthony Michael Hall).

      Jake instructs Ted to “Have fun.” The following day, Caroline and Ted perceive that they had sex.

      When asked if she enjoyed it, she says, “You know, I have this weird feeling I did,” providing the film’s rationale for the men’s actions.

      Basic Instinct (1992)

      TriStar Pictures

      In her memoir, The Beauty of Living Twice, Sharon Stone recounted being misled into performing an explicit scene in Basic Instinct by a crew member who claimed she needed to remove her underwear due to lighting issues.

      She expressed shock at the final edit, leading her to slap director Paul Verhoeven and contact her lawyer; however, she later consented to the scene's release. Verhoeven later claimed that Stone was a willing participant who “knew exactly what we were doing,” a statement she disputes.

      Stone recently remarked on the Table for Two podcast that she lost custody of her child in a 2004 court case due to her role in the film.

      “I lost custody of my child,” she recounted. “When the judge asked my little boy, ‘Do you know your mother makes sex movies?’”

      She expressed regret over “this kind of abuse by the system… that I was judged as a parent because I made that film.”

      Poison Ivy (1992)

      New Line Cinema

      Depictions of bad behavior do not equate to endorsements, and Poison Ivy does not suggest that there’s anything acceptable about the relationship between Ivy (played by 16-year-old Drew Barrymore) and her friend’s father (58-year-old