Screenwriting : Comic sex scene by Cherie Grant

I would suggest nothing too graphic. There are some sites that give examples (I googled it some time ago myself). So better to say "bodies intertwined" vs "sticks it in" (bad example but hope you get the jist). If it's a comedy...Also, consider what Rating you are going for e.g. PG-13 or R? Might mean something in terms of getting bigger audience appeal. Then too I read that it might be fine if too edgy...the execs would tone it down.

This is an opportunity to break the third wall, if you will, with a conversational vague description that keeps the tone of your script. Something like: "Every seen two superheroes have sex? Forget about rumpled sheets. Between the two of them, they rumple the entire building. Columns smashed. Coffee tables shattered. When these guys get it on, the earth moves. Literally. The plate-glass window of the video store just shattered with the 2.5 of their passion." This approach lets the reader paint their own image (however chaste or graphic), without you having to worry about what line to cross. And then your script has flexibility to go to most any prodco without adjusting it.

Cherie: in one of my stage plays, a mother has to throw a visitor out of her house. My stage direction says that her action should be aggressive as well as very comical. The director does the rest. LESS IS MORE. (Save the graphic description for your novelization of the screenplay.)

The neon condom scene in "Skin Deep" - - you can only wonder what the script pages looked like!! LOL!!!

What Ron said.

Lisa that is not my script. I just wrote a quick example for this thread. I haven't written the scene yet. Alle, Ron, This scene is critical to the story as the female becomes pregnant from it. Which is what the story is about. I'm not thinking of writing anything that'll make issues for the rating. Thanks for your replies. I think I know what I'll do now.

Yep. What Alle said . . .

I agree with Ron... Because they are superheroes and they're having sex, it has the setting for a very funny scene... Think about Team America's sex scene, it was puppets and probably one of the most talked about scene in the movie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1Co-UsIsMU I say go for it, write it, see how it reads and then enhance or pull back depending on entire tone of the movie.

Cherie, perhaps take a look at the film "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. They had this great scene where they are fighting, kicking the crap out of each other -- it was funny, and obviously "foreplay" for the characters. The scene ends with them finally working out their "issues" in the throes of passion, yet no big sex scene. Not needed. If your love scene is comedic then DO write it. We do not need to "see" a graphic sex scene. Implied is enough. Besides, less is always more.

Is less ALWAYS more, even in comedy? Does anyone remember the sex scene between Jeff Goldblum and Emma Thompson in The Tall Guy? That came from the "more is more" school of comedy, and I recall laughing my ass off.

I thought the way you started as an example "He throws her against the wall….." sounded pretty good - why not describe the scene, doesn't have to be graphic detail, but fun and interesting - don't leave it to the reader's imagination, put the reader into the scene, not to mention into the mood, plant that scene into their mind, their imagination can always expand on it anyway, so set the scene, kid - your new work sounds interesting.

Kerry, yes, comedy is different. I was just making the point that this comedic scene doesn't need to be overly graphic to be successful. :) Anyway, it sounds like Cherie has a great scene that is both funny and enticing -- not really a "sex scene" per se. She has an opportunity here to write something unique and have a lot of fun with it! There's a Stage 32 post featuring an article about subtext, in it includes the subject of sex. It's a great little read with wonderful insights. Here's the article: https://www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting/Subtext-3

Thanks for all the replies guys. I should add that the superheroes are actually enemies at first hence that bit of violence I put in in the example. It's a case of fighting and insults translating to sexual tension. And she's drunk at the time after a break-up. I took a look at the links provided and I have already seen Mr and Mrs Smith so those are giving me pause for thought and i'm going to really try to find an angle with the scene. I think two superheroes in the throes of passion who don't entirely like each other could be funny if I didn't shy away from the sex scene. I'm reminded of that dry humping scene with Justin Timberlake and Cameron Diaz in Bad Teacher i think. More than you wanted to see, but quite shocking and funny. I'll have to think about how far i want to go.

With how today's comedies seem to be, I would say go as far and as raunchy as you can. As long as it stays within the realistic boundaries of the story. Meaning don't pull a Sex Tape and seem to go way overboard to the point that the comedy no longer works.