Henry & June (1990)

With the risqué biopic Henry & June (1990), bookworms get to read between the lines and the sheets! Author Henry Miller is a revered literary god among the pantheon of American iconoclast writers, but there is ample proof that he thought of himself primarily as a libido on the loose. Yes, Miller spent, and profligately so, much of his adult life among hookers and other easy-virtue ladies. Casual sex with a steady stream of willing, able prostitutes, recreational lesbianism, and pimping out one’s wife to a predatory femme may not be the culturally revolutionary activities that they were in Mr. Miller’s prime, but they still make for prime movie entertainment. Under the direction of Philip Kaufman, this NC17 movie takes viewers to Paris in 1931. Back then, Henry (Fred Ward) met erotic writer Anaïs Nin (Maria de Medeiros) and her banker husband Ian Hugo (Richard E. Grant). Although wed to June (Uma Thurman), Miller falls for Anaïs, who beds his wife. Needless to say, these uninhibited bohemians give new meaning to a love triangle. Based on Ms. Nin’s same-named book, this pic treats us to several sex scenes. In addition to getting a glimpse of Osborn (Kevin Spacey) enjoying a threesome from another room, Mr. Grant grants us a view of his nude blue bod as he pegs his woman in public. Not to be outdone, Mr. Ward bares his muscular back and ass during a thrusting sex scene. With so much pounding, we can see why Miller influenced the Beat Generation!