10 Sexless Sexy Movies You Can Actually Enjoy On A Plane

If staring longingly through curls of cigarette smoke across dark alleys is sexy to you, you are obviously not alone. And you’re really going to love the 2000 beloved Chinese classic In the Mood for Love. The film, set in Hong Kong in 1962, follows a man (Tony Leung Chiu-wai) and a woman (Maggie Cheung) living in adjacent apartments who discover their spouses are having an affair. While these two decide they will not have an affair themselves, they opt to reenact the beginning of that affair to understand how it happened. As you may have guessed, this reenactment brings out their own attraction to each other, making things steamy as they continue to fall for each other over time.

It isn’t just the chemistry between the two stars that makes this hot; it’s the way everything is filmed. Expect lots of finger grazing, skirts twirling, and sitting on either side of their apartment wall, looking desirable and fashionable.

Rent In the Mood for Love on AppleTV+.

Jane Austen. There really is no one better at restrained romance and the sexiness of accidentally brushing fingers with the object of your affection. Really, you could choose any number of the film adaptations of her books, and I’ll admit to you that Emma Thompson’s 1995 adaptation of Sense and Sensibility was an incredibly close second. Those Dashwood sisters could get it.

But the chemistry between Keira Knightley’s Elizabeth Bennet and Matthew Macfadyen’s Mr. Darcy in 2005’s Pride & Prejudice is unmatched. These two don’t just want to marry so they can live in his big, gorgeous house together and show off to the neighbors. It’s evident in every scene — whether Darcy is flexing his hand after helping Miss Bennet into her carriage or they’re arguing in the rain — that these two want to get it on. And we co-sign this for them.

Stream Pride & Prejudice on Amazon Prime Video.

Frankly, I hope you've never seen or heard of Six Days, Seven Nights because I think you're in for a real treat. Yes, it's old. (From 1998.) Yes, it stars Harrison Ford and Anne Heche, two actors you might never expect to see together in a movie. You might not quite remember the late actress Heche from her kicky short haircut heydays. This movie really has it all, though.

Harrison Ford is a shockingly sexy, cantankerous pilot living in the South Pacific. Anne Heche is an uptight magazine editor on holiday with her equally uptight boyfriend, none other than Ross from Friends (David Schwimmer). Heche needs Ford to get her to a photo shoot even though she can't stand him. They crash. Cut to these two verbally sparring as they find their way back to civilization with lots of husky-voiced flirting and one good kiss along the way. Totally worth it.

Stream Six Days, Seven Nights on Disney+.

America met the powerhouse that is Catherine Zeta-Jones in 1998, and what an introduction it was. She played Elena, the secret daughter of Zorro (Anthony Hopkins), who meets his protege Alejandro (Antonio Banderas) at the height of his sexy powers. Elena initially doesn’t know who Alejandro is because of his mask and all-black outfits, but she’s intrigued. And please never forget that their chemistry is amazing.

They dance in masks. They flirt. They fight. They eventually kiss. Elena is sassy and fiery, and Alejandro is all about it. There’s no sex, but ~my goodness.~ These two really heat it up under the Mexican sun.

Stream The Mask of Zorro on Netflix.

War is not sexy, guys. Let's just get that out of the way right now. *But* Jude Law as quiet, thoughtful soldier Inman who falls in love with "spinster" (lololol) preacher's daughter Ada Monroe (Nicole Kidman) before heading off to fight in the war is pretty sexy. And talk about a restrained romance in 2003's Cold Mountain, based on Charles Frazier's very fine book of the same name! Inman and Ada share exactly one kiss before being separated by miles and years and the awful ravages of war. Otherwise, it's just longing looks and stilted conversation.

Yet, it's enough. Enough to send Inman on his own odyssey to return to his beloved as a deserter when she asks him to come home. Be warned: There's one sex scene near the end — and, although it's very brief, you definitely see a butt cheek.

Here's hoping your kids and/or your nosy seatmates have fallen asleep by that point. After all, it's pretty far into the movie... and maybe you won't want to miss it.

Stream Cold Mountain on Netflix.

Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves have some of the best onscreen chemistry in the business, despite sort of looking like brother and sister. And while their movie Speed might be considered their best-known film, my money will forever be on the 2006 movie The Lake House as one of their best. It’s a slow burn of a film with a weird plot. They both live in the same gorgeous lake house — two years apart. Somehow, through the magic of a time-traveling mailbox (just trust me), they manage to communicate even though they live in different time periods.

Without even seeing each other, they fall in love. Writing moony letters, sharing one dog... Keanu Reeves even plants a tree in front of her building, which she wakes up to find fully grown. It’s all very confusing, but the fact that these two are able to be hot for each other without ever being in the same room? I actually kind of get it.

Stream The Lake House on Max.

Queen Latifah is at her flirtiest in the 2010 rom-com Just Wright, where she plays a physical therapist, Leslie Wright, falling for her biggest client, basketball superstar Scott McKnight (Common). In a flip-the-script moment, Scott is oblivious to Leslie’s interests as he goes after her friend Morgan (Paula Patton). They marry, but it’s just not working out — because we all know Leslie and Scott are the real true loves here.

Queen Latifah and Common are so charming together in this movie, so you should prepare yourself for two hours of just really wanting to see them smooch. Don't worry; you can feel comforted in the knowledge that Scott will eventually get there, and everyone will breathe a sigh of relief.

Stream Just Wright on Disney+.

Out of Africa was released in 1985, and it is not without its problems. Based on the book by Danish writer Karen Blixen, there’s definitely a strong colonist theme that everyone could do without. Karen, played by Meryl Streep, is a wealthy Danish woman who comes to Africa to start a coffee farm with her new husband. He is a cad named Bror, played by Klaus Maria Brandauer, but theirs is not the real sexy romance here.

It’s the years of longing and flirting and staring that transpire between Karen and Denys (Robert Redford), an American hunter who loves verbally jousting with Karen in that way that means they are hot for each other.

These two definitely have some fade-to-black sex in this movie, but honestly, the sexiest scene is when he washes her hair on safari while reciting poetry. Yes, really.

Rent Out of Africa on Youtube.

There is pretty much zero sex in the 2000 movie Gladiator. And yet, you probably don't really need me to explain why this is one of the sexiest sexless movies on this list. His name is Russell Crowe or, as we prefer to know him for all eternity, Maximus Decimus Meridius. A husband, a father, a warrior. A man who "will have his revenge, in this life or the next." A general who gets betrayed, he's taken against his will to fight as a gladiator. And he does, indeed, seek his revenge.

Gladiator is sexy in its masculinity, and in the intensity with which Maximus loves his family. He's also dirty for most of the movie, and perhaps that is just a thing for me, but I suspect it is a thing for a lot of other people, too. Rewatch Gladiator before Gladiator II, starring Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal, comes out this year. I suspect it will be added to this very list.

Stream Gladiator on Paramount+.

Nothing about The Painted Veil, the 2006 film adaptation of Somerset Maugham’s book, should be sexy. Most of the movie takes place during China’s cholera epidemic in the ‘20s. There’s also the problematic issue of Kitty Fane (Naomi Watts) being basically forced into marriage to Walter Fane (Edward Norton), a scientist who bores her, by her well-heeled parents. She doesn’t love Walter and, in fact, he discovers her having an affair. As a result, he takes her to a small village as a sort of penance.

Still, this movie is slow and sexy in a way that is difficult to explain. Both Kitty and Walter are fallible and damaged and find their way to each other despite their difficult past. The backdrop of 1920s China in the middle of an epidemic is gorgeous but dangerous. And it all feels quite delicious in the most restrained of ways.

Rent The Painted Veil on YouTube.