# Good Sex
**Good Sex** is an upcoming American romantic comedy film written and directed by Lena Dunham for Netflix, starring [Natalie Portman](https://www.edgepedia.org/natalie-portman) as Ally, a couples' therapist turning 40 who re-enters the New York dating scene after a decade-long failed relationship and becomes involved with two very different men, one in his 20s and one in his 50s.[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/good-sex-casting-release-date-producers) The ensemble cast includes [Mark Ruffalo](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-ruffalo), Meg Ryan, Rashida Jones, Tramell Tillman, and the musician Tucker Pillsbury (known as Role Model) in his screen debut.[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/good-sex-casting-release-date-producers) The film completed production in April 2026 and awaits a release date on Netflix, expected in late 2026.[2](https://www.movieinsider.com/m23784/good-sex) • [3](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/coming-soon/netflix-comedy-rom-com-movies-slate-2026-2027/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director and writer | Lena Dunham (Tiny Furniture, [Girls](https://www.edgepedia.org/girls-tv-series), Catherine Called Birdy)[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/good-sex-casting-release-date-producers) • [2](https://www.movieinsider.com/m23784/good-sex) |
| Lead | Natalie Portman as Ally, a couples' therapist turning 40 re-entering the New York dating scene[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/good-sex-casting-release-date-producers) |
| Supporting cast | Mark Ruffalo, Meg Ryan, Rashida Jones, Tramell Tillman, Tucker Pillsbury (screen debut), Serene Jackson[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/good-sex-casting-release-date-producers) • [4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/good-sex) |
| Distributor | Netflix, which won bidding for the project on March 3, 2025[2](https://www.movieinsider.com/m23784/good-sex) |
| Production period | Filmed in New York and New Jersey from early July to mid-August 2025; completed April 2026[5](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/NEWS/WHAT-NEW-NETFLIX-MOVIES-AND-SERIES-ARE-FILMING-IN-SUMMER-2025/) • [2](https://www.movieinsider.com/m23784/good-sex) |
| Rating and runtime | R (MPA) for sexual content, language and brief drug use; runtime listed at 1h 50min by JustWatch and 1h 45m by Netflix Tudum[4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/good-sex) • [1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/good-sex-casting-release-date-producers) |
| Release | Date not announced; expected on Netflix in late 2026[2](https://www.movieinsider.com/m23784/good-sex) • [3](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/coming-soon/netflix-comedy-rom-com-movies-slate-2026-2027/) |
## Plot
Ally, a successful and pragmatic couples' therapist, has spent a decade in a failed relationship and, as she turns 40, is pushed by her best friend back into the New York dating scene.[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/good-sex-casting-release-date-producers) • [2](https://www.movieinsider.com/m23784/good-sex) Competing forces tug at her life after she launches a promising, more conventional romance with Alan, a successful 50-something in Manhattan, at the very moment she also drifts into a steamy fling with a hipster in his 20s from Brooklyn.[2](https://www.movieinsider.com/m23784/good-sex) Netflix's synopsis frames the premise as a lesson that there is no set formula for good sex.[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/good-sex-casting-release-date-producers) As the romantic crossroads becomes an identity crisis, Ally juggles keeping the two men separate and making sense of her own conflicting desires before she risks losing them both.[2](https://www.movieinsider.com/m23784/good-sex)
## Cast and production team
**Casting.** Natalie Portman leads as Ally. Mark Ruffalo plays Alan, the 50-something Manhattanite, and Tucker Pillsbury, the singer-songwriter who performs as Role Model, plays the younger love interest in his first screen role.[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/good-sex-casting-release-date-producers) • [3](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/coming-soon/netflix-comedy-rom-com-movies-slate-2026-2027/) The supporting cast includes [Meg Ryan](https://www.edgepedia.org/meg-ryan), Rashida Jones, Tramell Tillman (Severance, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning), and Serene Jackson.[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/good-sex-casting-release-date-producers) • [4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/good-sex) IMDb also lists Francis Jue as Kent and Christopher Livingston as Brent among the credits.[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt35680104/)
**Producers.** Portman and Sophie Mas produce through their company MountainA, and Dunham and Michael Cohen produce through Good Thing Going Productions.[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/good-sex-casting-release-date-producers) Michaela Celella executive produces for MountainA, and [Tim Bevan](https://www.edgepedia.org/tim-bevan), Eric Fellner, and Michael Sledd also executive produce.[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/good-sex-casting-release-date-producers) FilmNation is listed as a production company.[2](https://www.movieinsider.com/m23784/good-sex)
## Development and filming
Netflix acquired the project in early 2025: MovieInsider records that Netflix won bidding for it on March 3, 2025,[2](https://www.movieinsider.com/m23784/good-sex) and the trade-tracking site What's on Netflix reports that the streamer paid $55 million for the rights at the European Film Market in March 2025.[3](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/coming-soon/netflix-comedy-rom-com-movies-slate-2026-2027/) The film entered development status in February 2025.[2](https://www.movieinsider.com/m23784/good-sex)
Production began in New York City in early July 2025, returning Dunham to the city where she grew up and made her name with Girls.[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/good-sex-casting-release-date-producers) Filming ran across New York and New Jersey from early July to mid-August 2025.[5](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/NEWS/WHAT-NEW-NETFLIX-MOVIES-AND-SERIES-ARE-FILMING-IN-SUMMER-2025/) Vanity Fair photographed Portman and Dunham shooting on the city's streets during this period.[7](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/photos/lena-dunham-natalie-portman-filming-good-sex) The film entered post-production in January 2026 and reached Completed status in April 2026, awaiting release by the distributor.[2](https://www.movieinsider.com/m23784/good-sex)
## Release
The film will stream exclusively on Netflix, but no exact release date has been announced; What's on Netflix places it in a late 2026 release window, and IMDb lists a 2026 release.[2](https://www.movieinsider.com/m23784/good-sex) • [3](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/coming-soon/netflix-comedy-rom-com-movies-slate-2026-2027/) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt35680104/) The Motion Picture Association has rated it R for sexual content, language and brief drug use.[2](https://www.movieinsider.com/m23784/good-sex)
## Context in Dunham's career
Good Sex sits within a cluster of Dunham romantic-comedy projects at Netflix. She signed an exclusive first-look deal with the streamer, developing projects through Good Thing Going,[8](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/lena-dunham-netflix-news?inapp=trueOs) and her series Too Much, a London-set rom-com starring [Megan Stalter](https://www.edgepedia.org/megan-stalter) and [Will Sharpe](https://www.edgepedia.org/will-sharpe), premiered on Netflix on July 10, 2025, while Good Sex was in production.[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/good-sex-casting-release-date-producers) In a July 2025 Variety interview, Dunham described directing the Portman film in New York that summer alongside work on a 10 Things I Hate About You stage musical with [Carly Rae Jepsen](https://www.edgepedia.org/carly-rae-jepsen).[9](https://au.variety.com/2025/tv/features/lena-dunham-too-much-netflix-girls-revival-2-24754/)
## References
1. [Good Sex: Casting, Release Date, Producers, Everything to Know About the Lena Dunham Romcom, Netflix Tudum](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/good-sex-casting-release-date-producers)
2. [Everything You Need to Know About Good Sex Movie, MovieInsider](https://www.movieinsider.com/m23784/good-sex)
3. [Every Netflix Comedy & Rom-Com Movie Coming in 2026, 2027 & Beyond, What's on Netflix](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/coming-soon/netflix-comedy-rom-com-movies-slate-2026-2027/)
4. [Good Sex streaming: where to watch movie online?, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/good-sex)
5. [What New Netflix Movies And Series Are Set To Film in Summer 2025?, What's on Netflix](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/NEWS/WHAT-NEW-NETFLIX-MOVIES-AND-SERIES-ARE-FILMING-IN-SUMMER-2025/)
6. [Good Sex (2026), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt35680104/)
7. [Lena Dunham and Natalie Portman Are Having 'Good Sex' in New York, Vanity Fair](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/photos/lena-dunham-natalie-portman-filming-good-sex)
8. [Lena Dunham Will Develop Shows and Movies for Netflix, Netflix Tudum](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/lena-dunham-netflix-news?inapp=trueOs)
9. [Lena Dunham Rises Again: The 'Girls' Creator on Netflix's 'Too Much,' Variety](https://au.variety.com/2025/tv/features/lena-dunham-too-much-netflix-girls-revival-2-24754/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of 2026 and later › Titles symbols to J*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license