By Amanda Bell
Sex sells. A lot. And since Hollywood loves cash money, you better believe there are tons of movies coming out these days with sweet whoopee-makin’ as an essential ingredient to the mix, with a taste of that cinematic spice sprinkled right there into their promo packages. Talk about your potent media relations (badum-tshhhh) …
Take “Fifty Shades of Grey,” for example. Now here’s a film that’s poised to be pretty unapologetically provocative, and its latest pic plays right into that expectation.
Behold young Ana Steele (Dakota Johnson) with a Grey Industries pencil placed strategically upon her lip. It doesn’t take a media genius – or a super sexy bazillionaire business magnate for that matter – to read the subliminal message here. No need for all the whip-wielding and blindfolding business we saw in the trailer (OK, but yeah, that stuff too); this picture is plenty teaser enough. Well played.
When it comes to putting eyebrow-raising pictorials out there to get the job done, this so-called “mommy porn” adaptation is in pretty naughty good company. Let’s check out some of the other super suggestive movie images from Hollywood history, shall we?
26. “The Graduate” (1967)
MGM
This is pretty much the O.G. of suggestive cinematic promo pic fare. As any good cinephile knows, this is the iconic moment when Dustin Hoffman’s strapping young Ben Braddock discovers Anne Bancroft’s Mrs. Robinson is indeed, coo coo ca-choo, trying to seduce the lad. Here’s to you. (Fun fact: It’s actually not Bancroft’s leg in the shot.)
25. “Original Sin” (2001)
MGM
Dakota Johnson may very well have taken a page from the Angelina Jolie playbook, since she was something of a master at the sultry object-in-mouth game nearly a decade and a half before “50″ made bondage a household term.
24. “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” (2008)
Weinstein Co.
Considering the subject matter involved with this raunchy Kevin Smith comedy featuring Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks as the titular (see what we did there?) pair who make a sex tape to make rent, it shouldn’t be too surprising that there were actually a lot of photo options for this list. (Consider this. Or this. This guy, too.) But when the MPAA gives an image the red light for taking it one step too far that earns it a one-way ticket to direct mention here. Although we aren’t exactly sure what all the fuss was about.
23. “Good Luck Chuck” (2007)
Lionsgate
While Zack and Miri were told to put it back in their pants, Dane Cook was totally given the all-clear with his down-and-dirty poster game. Jessica Alba’s poster was even more risqué than this one.
22. “Shame” (2011)
Fox Searchlight
Hungary apparently lost its appetite for seduction when it came to one shockingly saucy poster for Steve McQueen’s NC-17 picture about a man (Michael Fassbender) who suffers with a sex addiction. And while this one that made it into marquee was artfully naughty enough, the French were also treated to a pretty NSFW display for this film.
21. “Nymphomaniac: Vol. 1″ (2013)
Magnolia Pictures
There’s an entire series of imagery devoted exclusively to the O-Face for Lars Von Trier’s unabashedly unrated “Nymphomaniac: Vol. I” – as if the title doesn’t already say it all. But we find that this one, with simple use of a pair of apostrophes, is done with a little more cleverness than the others, while still embracing the raunchy theme of things.
20. “Showgirls” (1995)
MGM
Elizabeth Berkley must’ve really wanted to shed that “Saved By the Bell” sweetheart rep when she signed on for this racy role. Let’s just hope that pole was sterilized before the shoot.
19. “Wild Things” (1998)
Columbia Pictures
There’s innuendo galore to be found within this poster for the juicy crime thriller which featured scream queen Neve Campbell alongside Denise Richards as a pair of ne’er-do-well high schoolers looking for trouble. Take a look at their strategically placed jaw-lines and come hither stares. It’s not hard, so to speak, to figure out the underlying message here.
18. “40 Days 40 Nights” (2002)
In this movie, Josh Hartnett’s Matt Sullivan takes a temporary leave of absence from any and all forms of sexy time in order to get his head straight after a super rough break-up. But his resolve is tested when he pretty much meets the girl of his dreams (Shannyn Sossamon) right in the middle of his little celibacy session. So, uh, this poster.
17. “Eyes Wide Shut” (1999)
Warner Bros.
Stanley Kubrick kinked the place up quite a bit with this erotic thriller starring the then real-life lovers Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise, so they didn’t beat around the bush (pun clearly intended) with this promo image featuring the two in the throes with one wandering eye.
16. “Lolita” (1962)
MGM
Here’s an earlier instance of Kubrick and his cinematic exposition – an adaptation of the Vladimir Nabokov novel of the same name – featuring the far-too-young Lolita (Sue Lyon) making eyes at the camera as she enjoys a red candy sucker. Somebody call this girl’s mom.
15. “The To Do List” (2013)
CBS Films
Meanwhile, Aubrey Plaza’s Brandy Klark was also working hard to erase her own squeaky clean image with a strategically positioned lollipop.
14. “Sucker Punch” (2011)
Warner Bros.
Here we go again. Although to be fair, the word sucker is in the title of this movie.
13. “Barb Wire” (1996)
Gramercy
But of course Pamela Anderson would be clutching an oversized pistol right next to her face with her mouth open and her hair in disarray. This should surprise exactly zero people.
12. “There’s Something About Mary” (1998)
20th Century Fox
Once you know what this picture is about, there’s just no way to de-dirtify it. It’ll stick with you, har har.
11. “Movie 43″ (2013)
Relativity Media
Halle Berry + a phallic turkey baster = allllmost enough intrigue to get someone to sit through this critically-annihilated “comedy.” Almost.
10. “Nine 1/2 Weeks” (1986)
MGM
It … pretty much just doesn’t get any more straightforward than this. Lusty is as lusty does. Oh, and “Unfaithful” went this no fuss-no muss route too.
9. “Boogie Nights” (1997)
New Line
There’s no doubt about it that these ladies are positioned at just the right vantage point to see Dirk Diggler’s disco balls.
8. “Horrible Bosses” (2011)
New Line
Rubber gloves on a woman with any other facial expression might just be rubber gloves. But Jennifer Aniston is clearly a dirty dentist with a sticky agenda going on here.
7. “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1″ (2011)
Summit
Twas the season for teasin’ when director Bill Condon released this first look at the much-anticipated bedroom scene between the hunky vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and his new human bride Bella (Kristen Stewart) as an early holiday gift for his faithful coven of Twihards. To the outsider, this might seem like a mere hand and some feathers, but to the Stephenie Meyer faithful, this little image packed a lot of heat.
6. “Katy Perry: Part of Me” (2012)
Paramount
You could argue that the mic is not intended to represent anything phallic, but considering Katy Perry’s pin-up/sexpot motif and penchant for playing up her most enticing assets (hello cupcake bra), that seems unlikely.
5. “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me” (1999)
New Line
Annnd here we have what is pretty much the lodestar example of provocative posturing: Mike Myers as Austin Powers. Just look at all that mojo, baby.
4. “American Pie” (1999)
Universal
Photo: Universal
By now we all know the significance of the flute. How about that band camp, amiright?! Psst, FWIW Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) would “just call it boning.” For real.
3. “Secretary” (2002)
Lionsgate
They say that “50 Shades” was originally a bit of tawdry “Twilight” fan-fiction, but it could just as easily have been descendant from this flick which featured Maggie Gyllenhaal as a sexretary for James Spader’s Mr. E. Edward Grey (hello!), a boss who, by the way, just so happens to like doling out spankings for spelling errors.
2. “American Beauty” (1999)
DreamWorks
Would a rose by any other name be just as suggestive as it is here?
1. “American Gigolo” (1980)
Paramount
Notice the shadow. Let’s just suffice it to say there’s a reason that tie is sticking out juuuuust so. You get the idea.
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