Private Lessons_
"When EMANUELLE's Sylvia Kristel is your teacher the bedroom is the classroom"
Phillip Filmore is a naive, 15-year-old, preoccupied with sex, who develops a crush on Nicole Mallow, the new 30-something, French housekeeper and sitter to look after him when Phillip's father is out of town for the summer on a "business" trip. But Mr. Filmore's unscrupulous chauffeur, Lester Lewis, takes advantage of Phillip's crush on Nicole to hire her to seduce the youth, then draws her into a plot to fake her own death in a blackmail scheme aimed to drain Phillip's trust fund.
Starring
Sylvia Kristel, Howard Hesseman, Eric Brown
Box Office
$26.3M
Updated Feb 16, 2026
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Box office
Private Lessons earned $26.3M worldwide on a $2.8M budget — a 839% return on investment.
Year context
Private Lessons was released 45 years ago in 1981.
Private Lessons is a Comedy, Romance film with a runtime of 1h 27m.
CAST (12)
Sylvia Kristel
Mallow
Howard Hesseman
Lester
Eric Brown
Philly
Patrick Piccininni
Sherman
Ed Begley Jr.
Jack Travis
Pamela Jean Bryant
Joyce
Meridith Baer
Miss Phipps
Ron Foster
Fillmore
Peter Elbling
Waiter
Beans Morocco
Green
DG
Dan Greenburg
Hotel Owner
MG
Marian Gibson
Florence
BOX OFFICE
$2.8M
Budget
$26.3M
Revenue
+839%
ROI
MASSIVE HIT
Verdict
DETAILS
Release
Status
Released
Runtime
87 min (1h 27m)
Country
Rating
5.7/10 (128 votes)
Budget
$2,800,000
Box Office
$26,279,000
Profit
+$23,479,000
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is Private Lessons about?
Phillip Filmore is a naive, 15-year-old, preoccupied with sex, who develops a crush on Nicole Mallow, the new 30-something, French housekeeper and sitter to look after him when Phillip's father is out of town for the summer on a "business" trip. But Mr. Filmore's unscrupulous chauffeur, Lester Lewis, takes advantage of Phillip's crush on Nicole to hire her to seduce the youth, then draws her into a plot to fake her own death in a blackmail scheme aimed to drain Phillip's trust fund.
How long is Private Lessons?
Private Lessons has a runtime of 87 minutes (1h 27m).
Who stars in Private Lessons?
The cast of Private Lessons includes Sylvia Kristel, Howard Hesseman, Eric Brown, Patrick Piccininni, Ed Begley Jr..
How much did Private Lessons make at the box office?
Private Lessons earned $26,279,000 worldwide at the box office. The production budget was $2,800,000.
What is the rating of Private Lessons?
Private Lessons has a rating of 5.7 out of 10 based on 128 votes on TMDB.
GENRES (2)
Comedy
Romance