Action! Erotic Flicks

You'll Both Like

Your guide to the best erotic films and how to watch them.

Erotic images have made couples hot since before the people of Pompeii painted frescos of oral sex. But the concept of woman-friendly porn didn't hit the American market until the mid-'80s, after porn star Candida Royalle left the screen, feeling ambivalent about her experiences. "The films were not really sex-positive," she says. "They didn't give good information, and they didn't reflect female sexuality." She moved to New York and founded Femme Productions in 1984, to make ones that did. Sixteen movies later, Royalle's cameras are still rolling, and other filmmakers have followed her lead.

Because women prefer to watch adult films with their partners, rather than alone, the movies directed toward women are referred to as "couples' porn." And in order to lure the female half of the equation, they must have a plot more complex than the pizza guy ringing a doorbell and bending a silicone-breasted blonde over some diseased plaid couch.

"Guys fast-forward to the good parts," says Jill Sieracki, editor-in-chief of Playgirl magazine and script writer for Playgirl TV. "Women want to know the relationship. They want to see the foreplay." The male leads tend to be sexier, while the female stars are more likely to have natural breasts, softer thighs, and wider hips. Titles such as Honey, We Blew Up Your Pussy and Teen Cum Squad have been swapped for The Gift and Caribbean Heat, and the sets are carefully constructed. "Women notice the smallest details, like how her nails are painted or what her shoes look like," Sieracki says. Of one vignette that takes place in a beach house with gauzy white curtains, she notes, "You think, 'Who would notice the duvet?' But women really do."

Most important, these films focus on the woman's pleasure. Foreplay and afterplay are standard, and there's always time for ample oral sex. Directors minimize camera close-ups of genitals and penetration in favor of soap-opera-style face shots. Some films even use real couples, who have real orgasms. There is rarely a "money shot," or ejaculation scene, and many actors use condoms.

Aficionados of traditional porn complain that the attention to plot in couples' films makes for some embarrassing dialogue and slow pacing. "There's just too much talking," says a beauty-industry marketer in Hoboken, N.J., who has enjoyed watching erotic films with her fiance ever since a friend gave her a copy of Super Ate Motel for her birthday. The couple popped it into the VCR, giggled together, and then found themselves getting turned on.

But as anyone who watches porn knows, the remote is your friend. Fast-forward through pointless conversations, and mute the B-grade music, opting instead for your own sexy CD. Even in the couples' category, quality varies wildly, but Violet Blue's The Ultimate Guide to Adult Videos is one dependable resource. Or simply read on for Our picks.

THE SERIOUS STUFF

MARIE AND JACK: A HARDCORE LOVE STORY
Marie and Jack, porn stars married in real life, have the genuine chemistry and knowledge of each other's bodies to make this film sizzle. It starts slowly, with the couple discussing the intimate details of their love, before getting down and dirty. Xana and Dax: When Opposites Attract, offers a similar scenario.

URBAN FRICTION— A MODERN ROMANCE
The tattooed men and pierced women make this movie a must for those who are turned on by Suicide Girl mystique. The bodies are natural, and the plot revolves around one couple's sexual encounters and fantasies

EYES OF DESIRE 2
A woman embarks on a series of voyeuristic affairs after she discovers her neighbor watching her through his telescope. The stars of this Candida Royalle film were married when it was shot, and the passion between them is tangible.

MISTY BEETHOVEN: THE MUSICAL
No joke, it's a porn musical. This Veronica Hart film about the transformation of an unskilled hooker into a high- class sex goddess deserves kudos for its elaborate set, sly humor, and acting. There's an oversupply of fake boobs and blow jobs, but the film won an AVN Award, the porn equivalent of an Oscar.

ECSTASY IN BERLIN—1926
With a nod to noir, this softly lit, mostly black-and-white fetish film features two curvy women in sassy heels and ornate bustiers. One submissive and the other commanding, they slowly and sensually explore fetishes like spanking and bondage. There is no penetration.

THE DEVIL IN MISS JONES
Laugh with your lover over the bad hair and blue eyeshadow in this 1972 pre-silicone classic about a virgin who kills herself, then returns from the dead to a new life of lust.

NOT QUITE READY FOR PORN TIME?

"If a woman has low self-esteem, body image issues or is scared she's not hot in bed, [watching porn] could affect her jealousy and make her worry about comparison issues," says sexologist Dr. Carol Queen. Couples can start by watching racy late-night television, such as the Spice Channel, or reading erotic books together in bed. And films with exotic settings, talented actors, and electric sexual tension can often ignite bigger sparks than straight porn. While Hollywood has made its share of erotically charged hits, many of the hottest come from cultures that are more sexually liberal.

LAST TANGO IN PARIS
After his wife commits suicide, an unbalanced Marlon Brando enters into a forceful affair with a younger lover.

THE LOVER
A poor French school girl living in colonial Vietnam becomes the mistress of an older, wealthy Chinese man. The humidity is palpable, the settings lush.

9 1/2 WEEKS
The chronicle of a brief, sultry affair between an art dealer and an emotionally unavailable Mickey Rourke.

THE PILLOW BOOK
The story of a woman hunting for a lover to write gracefully across her body. Enter Ewan McGregor. This art film takes a dark twist toward the end.

WILD ORCHID
A young lawyer takes a business trip to Brazil, where she's thrown into a delicious web of masquerade and temptation. (Mickey Rourke again.)

BASIC INSTINCT
The sexy thriller that made Sharon Stone famous for uncrossing her legs.

SECRETARY
In this kinky, untraditional love story, a girl with a history of self-mutilation (Maggie Gyllenhaal) blossoms while employed by a domineering boss (James Spader).

THE STORY OF O
Just Jaecklin's 1974 take on the classic book. One woman is schooled in sadomasochism in a chateau near Paris.

IN THE REALM OF THE SENSES
A Japanese man and his mistress become destructively obsessed with sex and each other. Porn in all but name.

LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE
This sensual Latin love story, which revolves around the heroine's powerful cooking, has a touch of magical realism.