Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- sensual
- provocative
- brooding
- late night viewing
- adult date night
What critics said
Critics broadly agreed that the film's convincing leads and famously steamy sex scenes were more compelling than its relatively standard romantic drama.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
John's sex games and Elizabeth's increasing involvement make control, submission, and emotional dependence central to the affair.
The film emphasizes art galleries, apartments, nighttime city spaces, and erotic tableaux as extensions of the couple's intimacy.
Elizabeth's affair forces her to confront desires and sexual practices beyond her established life as an art-gallery assistant.
Elizabeth barely knows John's life, while his enigmatic persona and private rituals drive the relationship's uncertainty.
Films like Nine 1/2 Weeks, and why
Last Tango in Paris
shares erotic romance, sexual obsession, psychological power dynamics, and an emotionally volatile relationship
The Lover
shares eroticism, fetishistic intimacy, adult romance, and a visually stylized treatment of sexual identity
Body Heat
shares erotic thriller elements, seductive danger, and a relationship shaped by secrecy and control
Secretary
shares psychological eroticism, sadomasochistic undertones, and an impersonal affair that becomes emotionally destabilizing
Movie Details
- Director
- Adrian Lyne
- Release Date
- 1986-02-09
- Runtime
- 117 min
- Rating
- 6.1 / 10 (1169)
Cast
- Mickey Rourke
- Kim Basinger
- Margaret Whitton
- David Margulies
- Christine Baranski
- Karen Young
- Dwight Weist
- Roderick Cook
- Victor Truro
- Justine Johnston
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Nine 1/2 Weeks about?
- An art-gallery assistant enters a seductive New York affair whose increasingly elaborate sex games blur desire, intimacy, and control.
- What is Nine 1/2 Weeks like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Nine 1/2 Weeks as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Nine 1/2 Weeks violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Nine 1/2 Weeks as mild.
- What did critics think of Nine 1/2 Weeks?
- Critics broadly agreed that the film's convincing leads and famously steamy sex scenes were more compelling than its relatively standard romantic drama.
- Which films are like Nine 1/2 Weeks?
- Films with a similar feel include Last Tango in Paris, The Lover, Body Heat, and Secretary.
- How long is Nine 1/2 Weeks?
- Nine 1/2 Weeks runs 117 minutes.
- Where can I watch Nine 1/2 Weeks?
- In United States, Nine 1/2 Weeks is available to rent or buy from Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video.
