Yes, sure, it’s a little weird to compare a very buttoned-up character in a PG-13-rated movie to a character in a very R-rated movie who is often topless, in bondage or lugging a sex object around as an accessory. But like Miranda, Erica, brought to vivid life by Olivia Wilde, has a withering glow, a commanding presence and killer timing. In fact, it’s hard to imagine anyone else in this role – nor would you want to.

This playfully provocative comedy about sex and the generational divide from New Queer Cinema pioneer Greg Araki really lives and dies on Erica Tracy’s credibility. She could have very easily become a fantastical cartoon. While “I Want Your Sex” doesn’t take anything too seriously, you have to believe the many outrageous things she says, and care a little bit about how and why she ends up floating in her pool naked, unconscious, face down, and possibly dead. If you’re going to reference “Sunset Boulevard” you might as well go big, right?

The noirish mystery that drives the narrative isn’t really even the point. Instead, Araki, who shares writing credit with Carly Sciortino, wants to talk about sex and the well-documented lack of it among the members. generation z. But, you know, in a sharp, humorous and quirky way.

In the spirit of going big, this is a movie that tackles Gen Z’s intimacy crisis in the wildest and most inappropriate of ways: a sex-only, dom-sub relationship between an employer and his younger employee Elliot, played by Cooper Hoffman. It was all consensual, he repeatedly emphasizes to the detectives interviewing him. But this also ruins his life, at least for a short period of time.

Elliot is quite strange, probably the least likely candidate to be hand-picked for this straightforward arrangement for someone like Erica. He lives with his best friend Apple and has a girlfriend, Minerva. .

But no one is seen having sex. When Elliot proposed having a little celebration after completing the work at Erica’s gallery, Minerva complained that they had done it 11 days earlier.

But his imagination is active and soon, with Erica, the fantasies become real. Of course, it’s only a matter of time before things get messy – there will be blood, tears, betrayal and maybe even murder. It’s also self-consciously cheesy, an over-the-top satire of the art world and the personalities involved, but the world is never less than hypnotic, with amusing supporting performances from artists like Daveed Diggs and Mason Gooding. Wonders is also terrifying, a ball of neurosis and repression, jealous of Elliot’s exploits.

I’m not sure it reaches any profound conclusions about its subject, nor is it really trying to.

“Sex is everything,” says Erica. “This is also nothing.”

Maybe it’s trying to remind everyone to lighten up.

But it’s a great platform for Wilde, who as a Hollywood actor never knew how to use it properly. Often, movies only wanted to make her look hot, ignoring her obvious intelligence and comedic skills. Araki’s film shows how to utilize all of its strengths in a highly entertaining way. It would be a natural double feature with her self-directed effort, “The Invite,” which engages the modern sex conversation but also shows another side of her talent and range. It turns out that Wilde is a world-class comedian, with a career spanning two decades.

Magnolia Pictures’ “I Want Your Sex,” released in theaters Friday, has been rated R by the Motion Picture Association for “graphic nudity, strong sexual content and pervasive language.” Running time: 90 minutes. Three out of four stars.

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