Collider has published a ranked list of the best romance films to receive the NC-17 rating in the United States, exploring an unusual corner of American film classification. The article explains that NC-17 (which replaced the old X rating) marks films deemed unsuitable for anyone aged 17 or under, but notes that the rating has become somewhat redundant in recent decades since studios can release explicit films unrated instead, meaning genuinely NC-17-certified films are relatively rare.

The list opens with Philip Kaufman's 1990 drama Henry & June, based on Anaïs Nin's writing and notable as the first film officially given the NC-17 rating, following the director's earlier, R-rated The Unbearable Lightness of Being. It is followed by Paul Verhoeven's 1995 film Showgirls, which the piece notes has undergone significant critical reappraisal since its poorly received release, in the same way Verhoeven's Starship Troopers later gained fresh appreciation. The provided text is cut off before the remaining five entries on the list are detailed.