The 15 Best Movies to Earn an NC-17 Rating (2023)

The 15 Best Movies to Earn an NC-17 Rating (1)

An NC-17 rating can pretty much kill a movie's chances of being seen. Acting as a more official version of the now-defunct X-rating, it carries with it a dirty branding that suggests pornographic material. Of course, many Nc-17 movies are, in fact, too sexy for young viewers, that doesn't mean they're all trash. Here are 15 NC-17-rated movies worth watching.

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1

Henry & June

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Henry & June

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The 15 Best Movies to Earn an NC-17 Rating (3)

Henry & June explores the relationship between Henry Miller and his wife as he wrote his infamous novel Tropic of Cancer—as well as his affair with the French writer Anaïs Nin. Practically tame by today's standards, this is the movie responsible for the creation of the NC-17 rating.

2

Shame

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SHAME: Official HD Trailer

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The 15 Best Movies to Earn an NC-17 Rating (4)

Steve McQueen's drama about two lonely siblings in New York—one a sex addict, the other a struggling lounge singer—is notorious for its sex scenes and full-frontal nudity. Don't let Michael Fassbender's performance overshadow Carey Mulligan's! Rent/buy on Amazon and iTunes.

3

Showgirls

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Showgirls - Trailer

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The 15 Best Movies to Earn an NC-17 Rating (5)

Elizabeth Berkley made a worthwhile attempt to shed her Saved by the Bell teen star persona—although she largely failed at acting. While Paul Verhoeven's drama was a critical and commercial bust, it has since become a camp classic.

4

Crash

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Crash (1996) - Trailer 1

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The 15 Best Movies to Earn an NC-17 Rating (6)

No, not the dubious Best Picture winner—this is the infamous Crash in which James Spader, Holly Hunter, and co. get their sexual kicks from car crashes in David Cronenberg's controversial adaptation of J.G. Ballard's novel.

5

Lust, Caution

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Lust, Caution (NC-17) - Trailer

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The 15 Best Movies to Earn an NC-17 Rating (7)

Ang Lee followed up his acclaimed romance Brokeback Mountain with another controversial film: an erotic espionage-themed drama in which a Chinese woman plans to seduce a Japanese official in an attempt to assassinate him. Rent/buy on Amazon and iTunes.

6

Blue Is the Warmest Color

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Blue Is The Warmest Color Official Trailer #1 (2013) - Romantic Drama HD

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The 15 Best Movies to Earn an NC-17 Rating (8)

This acclaimed romance finds two young French schoolgirls—Emma and Adèle—falling in and out of love. It's a devastating love story, but one that features some shockingly graphic sex scenes for which its leads wore prosthetic genitals. Rent/buy on Amazon and iTunes.

7

Bad Education

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Bad Education - Trailer

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The 15 Best Movies to Earn an NC-17 Rating (9)

Gael García Bernal stars in Pedro Almodóvar's stylized meta-noir thriller as a Spanish trans woman who exacts revenge on an abusive teacher from her youth, while also reconnecting with a childhood love. Rent/buy on Amazon and iTunes.

8

Bad Lieutenant

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Bad Lieutenant - Trailer - HQ

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The 15 Best Movies to Earn an NC-17 Rating (10)

While Abel Ferrara's neo-noir does feature an iconic full-frontal nude scene from its star, Harvey Keitel, Bad Lieutenant is one of the few films to earn the adult rating for its graphic violence and drug use. Rent/buy on Amazon and iTunes.

9

Killer Joe

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Long before he won a the Pulitzer Prize for writing the chaotic family drama August: Osage County, playwright and actor Tracy Letts wrote this Southern black comedy about a brutal killer-for-hire, played here by Matthew McConaughey. Rent/buy on Amazon and iTunes.

10

The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, & Her Lover

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The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (HD) Trailer

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The 15 Best Movies to Earn an NC-17 Rating (12)

As this film's unwieldy title suggests, mischief is afoot in a London restaurant owned by a notorious gangster—mischief like adultery, murder, revenge and cannibalism. Rent/buy on Amazon.

11

The Dreamers

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The 15 Best Movies to Earn an NC-17 Rating (13)

Matthew is an American studying in Paris during the tumultuous spring of 1968. There he meets a French brother and sister duo who share a love of cinema and debauchery. The three begin a complex friendship that borders on taboo when the three push the boundaries of desire.

12

Elles

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Elles Official Trailer #1 (2012) Juliette Binoche Movie HD

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The 15 Best Movies to Earn an NC-17 Rating (14)

A journalist (Juliette Binoche) interviews two sex workers as she works on a story about prostitution. Instead of hearing horror stories, she discovers them to be proud and empowered—and it forces her to re-examine her own view of sexuality. Rent/buy on Amazon.

13

In the Realm of Senses

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This film tells the infamous tale of Sada Abe, a geisha who murdered her lover by erotic asphyxiation. One of the most notorious films ever made—one that features unsimulated sex between its actors—the film was widely banned in countries across the world. Rent/buy on Amazon.

14

Pink Flamingos

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The 15 Best Movies to Earn an NC-17 Rating (16)

Promoted with the tagline "an exercise in poor taste," this cult classic from the infamous director John Waters stars the legendary drag performer Divine as herself, following her quest to claim the title of "The Filthiest Person Alive."

15

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls

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Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970) Trailer

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The 15 Best Movies to Earn an NC-17 Rating (17)

Although it's more of a spoof than a true sequel to the 1967 showbiz drama, this Russ Meyer comedy-drama-musical hybrid follows the rise and downfall of a girl-group trying to make it in the Hollywood fast lane—and it was written by film critic Roger Ebert. Rent/buy on Amazon and iTunes.

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