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The 10 Sexiest Movies About Adultery

Where to Stream:

Unfaithful (2002)

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Cheating is bad. Hooking up with someone else, other than your significant other, is wrong and immoral… and also SO hot sometimes. We’re not encouraging it! It’s rare that something good ever comes from stepping out on the person waiting for you at home. But then there are the movies that capture the sexiness of sneaking around and the passion of the sex and the excitement of someone new (and more often than not, their hot body).

So instead of making this very unwise decision in your own life, live vicariously through these movie characters that dared to stray. These movies are a reminder that Facebook’s smartest decision ever was to make “It’s Complicated” an option for relationship status. Every relationship is complicated! But just because someone from your past or a new hottie shows up in your life, that doesn’t mean you can’t politely mind your own business.

Let these films thrill you and turn you on — it’s ok! Just keep it in your pants and heed their warning. Because really, cheating is never as hot as it looks in the movies, even when it’s with Jude Law.

1

'Unfaithful'

Oh, Unfaithful. Oohwee the scenes in this one are as steamy as they get! Diane Lane stars as a woman whose marriage (to Richard Gere!) has been lacking in the sex department, but everything changes when she meets the handsome Paul (Oliver Martinez). Their tryst gets increasingly dangerous, which leads to an ending that will easily scare you out of ever cheating. But there’s no denying the hotness of that scene in the stairwell.

Where to watch 'Unfaithful'

2

'Cruel Intentions'

Cruel Intentions was the darkest and sexiest film during the teen flick boom of the late 90s. While Sebastian and Kathryn’s relationship was consistently inappropriate in nearly ever way, you can’t deny the sexiness of these characters. They’re capable of luring nearly anyone who crosses their paths into some form of a sexual exchange. Almost everything they do is wrong…but sometimes it feels just a little bit right.

Where to watch 'Cruel Intentions'

3

'American Beauty'

Don’t be so quick to bust out the rose petals just yet: American Beauty has a lot going on. Between Anette Bening’s affair with Peter Gallagher (which, you go girl, we get it) and Kevin Spacey’s obsession with “It girl” of the time, Mena Suvari, this film is a masterclass in building sexual tension…while also reminding viewers of adultery’s terrible consequences.

Where to watch 'American Beauty'

4

'Last Night'

Last Night comes packed with more tension than an action thriller. The story follows a married couple played by Keira Knightley and Sam Worthington, and wonders the entire time if either of them will pull the trigger and go for it: her with a handsome French ex and him with a co-worker played by Eva Mendes. Come on!

Where to watch 'Last Night'

5

'Closer'

What tangled webs these gorgeous people have weaved! Natalie Portman, Clive Owen, Julia Roberts, and Jude Law star in the 2004 film that is as sexy as it is complex. But look at this cast: why wouldn’t all these people be hooking up?!

Where to watch 'Closer'

6

'Indecent Proposal'

Is it really adultery if you’re simply sleeping with someone else for the sake of your partner? That is the question Indecent Proposal asks (and answers). Woody Harrelson and Demi Moore star as a married couple who are propositioned by wealthy hottie Robert Redford. Of course, cheating is never as easy as it seems, which this 1993 drama makes abundantly clear.

Where to watch 'Indecent Proposal'

7

'Fatal Attraction'

Is one night of sex worth a lifetime of stalking? Hell no! And if you’re not convinced, let Fatal Attraction explain why. Michael Douglas and Glenn Close star in the 1987 that goes from sexy to scary in record time.

Where to watch 'Fatal Attraction'

8

'The Graduate'

Long before there was Stifler’s mom, Anne Bancroft was the original MILF, seducing Dustin Hoffman in 1967’s The Graduate. Again, the lesson to choose your trysts wisely arrises here. Bonus: if you want a version of this story with a bit of an update, check out All Relative on Netflix.

Where to watch 'The Graduate'

Watch 'All Relative' on Netflix

9

'Eyes Wide Shut'

Stanley Kubrick’s final film was Eyes Wide Shut, starring Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise, and in a way, explores what happens when someone even admits to their partner that the thought of cheating has crossed their mind (or that it showed up in a dream, for that matter). Oh, and there’s a big orgy in this erotic thriller, too.

Where to watch 'Eyes Wide Shut'

10

'Gone Girl'

It’s not cool of Ben Affleck’s Nick to cheat on his wife Amy (Rosamund Pike) with Andie (Emily Ratajkowski)…but it’s kind of hot when they do. And in a very perverse way, it’s comforting knowing that Amy gets her own form of revenge on him, considering what she puts him through after she disappears. It should also be noted that she seduces her friend Desi (Neil Patrick Harris) and that would’ve been another form of adultery, but she had much different, messier plans in mind for him.

Where to watch 'Gone Girl'