'I Want Your Sex' Review: Cooper Hoffman and Olivia Wilde Shine in This Horny Tale That Gen Z Needs To See

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Olivia Wilde looks at a costar in a still from I Want Your Sex.

Published Jan 31, 2026, 12:23 PM EST

Ross Bonaime is the Senior Film Editor at Collider. He is a Virginia-based critic, writer, and editor who has written about all forms of entertainment for Paste Magazine, Brightest Young Things, Flickchart, The Free Lance-Star, and more. Ross graduated from George Mason University with a focus in communications and journalism and a minor in film and video studies.

Ross is a Tomatometer-approved critic, a member of the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association, and a member of the Critics Choice Association. He has loved movies ever since he saw Cinderella in the theater as a kid, he can quote 10 Things I Hate About You and Wet Hot American Summer from memory, and is fascinated by all things Georges Méliès and Charlie Chaplin.

It’s truly nuts that it’s been 12 years since indie pioneer Gregg Araki’s last film, 2014’s White Bird in a Blizzard. It’s even wilder that it’s been 16 years since Araki’s last bonkers, sex-filled comedy, Kaboom. Nearly two decades have passed without the unhinged nature of Araki speaking to the youth culture, and it’s about time that he returned to comment on how sexual mores and the lack of sexual freedom have messed with this current generation.

Even now, in his 60s, few people can absolutely nail how the listless, bored, and frustrated people in their 20s act in the present, and the ridiculousness of their lack of openness with each other. In other hands, Araki’s latest film, I Want Your Sex, could’ve become an exhausting commentary on both modern art and Generation Z, or what the film calls “arbitrary masturbation,” yet instead, I Want Your Sex proves that every generation needs its own Araki film.

What Is Gregg Araki's 'I Want Your Sex' About?

The I Want Your Sex team pose at the Sundance Film Festival 2026.

Cooper Hoffman stars as Elliot, a young man who is both desperate for a job and desperate for sex. His best friend, Apple (Chase Sui Wonders), is tired of paying Elliot’s part of the rent, and Elliot’s girlfriend, Minerva (Charli xcx), is more interested in studying than she is in sex with Elliot. Thankfully, Elliot gets a job as an assistant to a famous modern artist, Erika Tracy (Olivia Wilde), whom Elliot is a fan of — which seems like a mixture of genuine appreciation for the art, and just enjoying how sexually free she and her art are.

At first, Elliot’s job seems relegated to helping make strange art for Erika with his co-worker, Zap (Mason Gooding), as they chew gum nonstop for a project that is best described as a “gum vagina,” and trying not to frustrate Erika’s business manager, Vikktor (Daveed Diggs). But it doesn’t take long before Erika takes a liking to Elliot, and the two start an increasingly intense sexual relationship, with Erika holding all the power. As things get more heated and with Erika’s latest art show coming up, Elliot struggles not to get sucked in and spit out by the cyclone that is Erika Tracy.

Araki's Style Is Both Provocative and Filled With Plenty of Charm

As a somewhat aspiring artist himself (although his most concrete idea is starting a podcast), Elliot has a vivid, playful imagination. A drawing might come to life to give him moral support, or his attempts to get intimate with Minerva can get literally animated as his horniness increases. It’s a playful tool that Araki uses here and there, and if anything, he maybe should’ve embraced this opportunity a bit more. Except for some very broad criticism of modern art, such as that it’s something that an artist has to get away with, I Want Your Sex is surprisingly disinterested in commenting on the world it presents.

Ryan Gosling as Lars sitting next to Bianca, the doll, in Lars and the Real Girl.

That’s because, as the title implies, Araki and his co-writer, Karley Sciortino, are far more focused on sex, and that’s probably for the best. Over the course of the 9 1/2 weeks that Elliot and Erika spend together, we see, how Erika puts it, that “sex is everything and nothing.” On one hand, it gives Elliot a freedom and confidence that he didn’t have before, but on the other, we see how his overreliance and love for their sexual endeavors could bring down his entire life. Even though I Want Your Sex goes to delightfully absurd lengths, it seems like it’s trying to show that sexual liberation and freedom are good things that help you learn more about yourself, yet taking it too seriously can come with its own share of problems.

What makes I Want Your Sex truly work as more than just a sex-filled art comedy is that Araki and Sciortino clearly have a love for Elliot and Erika, even at their absolute worst. The film is inherently compassionate towards these two, and is genuinely interested in what makes them tick. Elliot, as he would probably tell you himself, is a bit of a loser, while Erika Tracy sees herself as a star of the art world, and yet, I Want Your Sex admires and loves these characters for who they are — flaws and all — and also deeply cares about the relationship they’re creating together. It’s a dynamic that certainly shouldn’t work, but through Araki and Sciortino’s story, it’s a bond that you’re almost rooting for. Even though we know there’s pretty much no way they could eventually end up together.

Cooper Hoffman and Olivia Wilde Are Delightful in 'I Want Your Sex'

The I Want Your Sex team pose for a photo at the Sundance Film Festival 2026.

But this core relationship works beautifully because of the performances by Hoffman and Wilde, who make this dynamic work incredibly well. Hoffman is just the right amount of awkward for Elliot, while Wilde knows exactly how to command a room — and Elliot — to do whatever she wants. But when they’re together, I Want Your Sex truly sings. What seems like it could simply be a ridiculous sex romp becomes far more, and Araki and Sciortino ensure that there’s plenty of heart at times when these two come together. At one point, Erika decides to take Elliot to dinner after several of their trysts. It’s a truly wonderful scene, as Erika shows that she is genuinely interested in Elliot, and we start to see the facades tear down. Without the status or power dynamics in play, we get to see these two as just people who have a passion for each other, and it’s lovely to see this play out in simple, stunning detail.

Hoffman is great as the everyman thrown into an unexpected situation, and even though his story does eventually get absurd, Hoffman is able to sell every choice he makes as Elliot as understandable, confused, and heartbroken. Wilde is excellent as Erika Tracy, and this may be her best performance yet, as she feels completely free to explore the wild passions and desires of Erika, a person who is free in ways that Elliot will almost never get to experience. Gooding, Diggs, and Charli xcx are all solid additions to this story that seem like they could become too much if handled poorly, but they’re added in just enough to make them work. However, the biggest disappointment in I Want Your Sex is that there isn’t enough of Chase Sui Wonders’ Apple. The few scenes she gets are standouts, and it’s clear Araki and Sciortino love this character deeply. Wonders absolutely steals the show when she’s on-screen, and maybe that’s why she isn’t in the story more consistently. But between this and The Studio, Wonders is becoming a powerhouse of a scene-stealer.

I Want Your Sex is an art world sex comedy from a provocative filmmaker, and that combination could’ve easily become too much for its own good. Yet I Want Your Sex not only feels like an essential sex comedy for this current generation, but also finds just the right blend of ideas and tones to make this story work, becoming both hilarious and shockingly touching in its approach to sex in the modern age. Here’s hoping another generation doesn’t have to go without Araki’s films anytime soon.

I Want Your Sex premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.