Amid the increasingly ridiculous comparisons between Barbie (fun, self-aware, extremely pink) and Oppenheimer (the most serious film ever made), Oppenheimer‘s PR team just dropped a bombshell.
Apparently, the film includes “prolonged full nudity” and sex scenes between J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) and his lover Jean Tatlock (Florence Pugh), sparking a rare wave of hilarity among pre-emptive fans of this grim biopic about nuclear physicists.
“Oppenheimer hangs dong,” one Twitter user quipped. “Will it be a FAT MAN or a LITTLE BOY.”
“Spending a lot of money to see Cillian Murphys juicer in an estimated 18k resolution at an imax 70mm screening,” read another deadpan reaction as the news spread to TikTok.
@blarkypoo cinema #oppenheimer #blarkypoo ♬ Homelander in Hallway – Christopher Lennertz
Given the popularity of Cillian Murphy and Florence Pugh outside of this movie, it’s not surprising to see people freak out at the prospect of them sharing a nude scene: “Christopher Nolan. Thank you for giving every man what he wants to see… Peaky Blinders penis.”
@bauzafilms shes not for yall. #florencepugh #oppenheimer ♬ non men only – Eli♥︎
Others poked fun at the unexpected nature of this news, with one viral TikTok comparing the idea of Oppenheimer sex scenes to an Always Sunny in Philadelphia clip satirizing the film industry. Here, the character Dennis tries to “improve” an action movie by adding “an incredibly hot but skeptical female lab partner” who has “outrageous sexual experiments” performed on her “supple young body” by a scientist colleague.
@blackfyre2020 When Studio Executives try to interfere #oppenheimer #oppenheimgroup #oppenheimermovie #oppenheimerfilm #oppenheimeredit #christophernolan #itsalwayssunny #itsalwayssunnyinphiladelphia #iasip #dennisreynolds #cillianmurphy #florencepugh ♬ original sound – Blackfyre2020
Meanwhile, on Twitter, the initial reactions quickly evolved into a rather absurd argument about age-gap relationships in cinema, as some people objected to the idea of Pugh (27) being cast opposite Murphy (47).
But while Hollywood has a well-documented problem of casting young women opposite older men, Oppenheimer isn’t an ideal example, prompting many on Film Twitter to poke fun at the complaints.
Pugh plays a real historical figure who dated Oppenheimer when she was 22, and died when she was 29. So this is a reasonable casting choice for a biopic that appears to focus on later periods of Oppenheimer’s life, where Murphy is paired with the age-appropriate Emily Blunt (40).
Honestly, the strong response to this news definitely overlaps with the recurring discourse over sex scenes in general. In the 1970s or ’80s, it was unremarkable for a “serious” drama to include nudity and sex. But in the current film climate, most high-profile movies are either PG-13 blockbusters or relatively sex-free, with popular R-rated releases focusing more on violence and horror. Mainstream audiences just aren’t used to seeing sex on the big screen—or seeing R-rated dramas in general.
