Naked Lunch (1991)
Kernel Score: 78% · 1,179 TMDB ratings · Rated R
Genres: Crime, Drama
Released: 1991-12-27
Runtime: 115 minutes
Overview
Blank-faced bug killer Bill Lee and his dead-eyed wife, Joan, like to get high on Bill's pest poisons while lounging with Beat poet pals. After meeting the devilish Dr. Benway, Bill gets a drug made from a centipede. Upon indulging, he accidentally kills Joan, takes orders from his typewriter-turned-cockroach, ends up in a constantly mutating Mediterranean city and learns that his hip friends have published his work -- which he doesn't remember writing.
Naked Lunch parents' guide: ages 15+
Parents need to know that Naked Lunch is an R-rated film centered on drug use, hallucination, and dark surreal content.
- Violence & scariness: Moderate — Includes an accidental killing and unsettling surreal violent imagery.
- Drinking, drugs & smoking: Intense — Central plot involves characters getting high on drugs and experiencing hallucinations.
Fresh Kernels AI-assessed from the official R rating, publicly documented content. A guide for families, not an official rating.
Movies like Naked Lunch
If you liked Naked Lunch, these are the movies we'd watch next.
- The Basketball Diaries (1995) — 84%
- I Can Quit Whenever I Want 2: Masterclass (2017) — 84%
- Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019) — 77%
- Requiem for a Dream (2000) — 89%
- Trainspotting (1996) — 88%
- The Green Mile (1999) — 92%
- Blue Velvet (1986) — 87%
- I Can Quit Whenever I Want 3: Ad Honorem (2017) — 82%
Director
Cast
- Peter Weller as Bill Lee
- Judy Davis as Joan Frost
- Ian Holm as Tom Frost
- Julian Sands as Yves Cloquet
- Roy Scheider as Dr. Benway
- Monique Mercure as Fadela
- Nicholas Campbell as Hank
- Michael Zelniker as Martin
- Robert A. Silverman as Hans
- Joseph Scoren as Kiki
Naked Lunch FAQ
Is Naked Lunch good?
Naked Lunch has a 78% Kernel Score on Fresh Kernels, our own critic-informed editorial score.
Is Naked Lunch OK for kids?
Naked Lunch is rated R. Fresh Kernels suggests ages 15+. Parents need to know that Naked Lunch is an R-rated film centered on drug use, hallucination, and dark surreal content.
What movies are like Naked Lunch?
If you liked Naked Lunch, try The Basketball Diaries, I Can Quit Whenever I Want 2: Masterclass, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile and Requiem for a Dream.