Art exists, for better or worse, in the time in which it’s made. But when societal attitudes and values change, movies once seen as acceptable—or even good—can start to seem downright cringey. Chalk f...
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2022-08-07T17:00:00Z
These films could never be made today... and it’s for the best, Art exists, for better or worse, in the time in which it’s made. But when societal attitudes and values change, movies once seen as acceptable—or even good—can start to seem downright cringey. Chalk full of stereotypes, offensive...
Blazing Saddles, With jokes targeting the KKK, Nazis, women, and members of the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ community, this 1974 comedy about a corrupt politician who appoints a Black sheriff in the Old West was always meant to push the envelope and people’s buttons. In 2017, the film’s writer and director...
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, Two New York firefighters (Adam Sandler and Kevin James) pretend to be a gay couple so that they can receive domestic partner benefits in this 2007 comedy. It’s hard to believe that something with such a silly, and frankly homophobic, premise was even made then,...
Soul Man, While revisiting this hit 1986 film in 2019, writer Micah Mertes called it a “blackface comedy that now feels like a collective fever dream.” C. Thomas Howell stars as Mark, a spoiled teen who poses as a Black man, complete with a fake afro wig and skin-tanning pills, so that he can...
Manhattan, This 1979 movie about a 17-year-old high school student (Mariel Hemingway) dating a 42-year-old man (Woody Allen) was so well received when it came out that Hemingway actually earned a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award nomination for her role. In the age of #MeToo, and when Allen...
The Toy, It’s probably safe to assume that this 1982 film starring Richard Pryor as an underemployed journalist who is literally purchased by a wealthy father (Jackie Gleason) to amuse and appease his bratty son (Scott Schwartz) was meant to be a humorous vehicle for comedy legends Pryor and...
In the wake of the #MeToo movement, Sixteen Candles star Molly Ringwald and other cast members helped bring attention to the fact that this beloved 1984 comedy from writer/director John Hughes includes a problematic scene where Caroline (Haviland Morris) is used as nothing more than a plaything...
Tropic Thunder, This 2008 comedy that starred Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr. and Jack Black as washed-up actors who unwittingly find themselves in actual danger when they believe they’re just making an action movie, was meant to be a satire of all things Hollywood. Downey Jr.’s character, Kirk...
Revenge of the Nerds, A staple of ’80s college flicks, the 1984 comedy follows a group of bullied geeks as they fight back to earn respect. Nerds aren’t really vilified now like they once were, but what really makes this movie cringe-worthy today is the gay stereotypes, promotion of revenge porn,...
Basic Instinct, The 1992 thriller starring Michael Douglas as a detective investigating a brutal murder that might involve a dangerously sexy novelist is known for its famed, and often parodied, leg-crossing scene. Unfortunately, it also contains offensive stereotypes of its queer characters,...
Partners, Promoted as a kind of “gay Odd Couple” and parody of the buddy cop genre, this 1982 comedy stars Ryan O’Neal as a heterosexual cop who is uncomfortable when he has to move in with an openly gay officer (John Hurt) in an attempt to solve a series of murders. Directed by James Burrows,...
The Love Guru, Film writer Kuzhali Manickavel called this 2008 comedy starring and co-written by Mike Myers “a truly horrific feat of cinematic putrescence.” The movie follows Guru Pitka (Mike Myers), an American raised in an Indian ashram who returns to the U.S. in order to break into the self-...
Weird Science, Anthony Michael Hall and Ilan Mitchell-Smith star as high school nerds who use their computer skills to build the perfect woman, Lisa (Kelly LeBrock), in this 1985 comedy from writer/director John Hughes. On the surface that might not sound too reprehensible by today’s standards,...
When Knocked Up star Katherine Heigl said the hit 2007 comedy about a pregnancy resulting from an unlikely one-night stand between her character and a schlub named Ben (Seth Rogen) was sexist, it caused a fair bit of controversy, even as she qualified her statement by saying it was a lot of fun...
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, It might be the movie that made Jim Carrey a star, but it’s also unabashedly transphobic. Released in 1994, the goofy comedy follows an eccentric pet detective as he tries to track down the people responsible for abducting the Miami Dolphins mascot. The twi