Movies have always been a form of entertainment that push boundaries and explore new territory. However, there are some movies that would never be made in this era due to the changing social political and cultural landscape. Different aspects of these movies like insensitive plotlines, the use of violence, child abuse, racial slurs, anti-LGBTQ comments and many other things that might have been acceptable in the yesteryear but would definitely not fly today. In this blog post, we will discuss 40 movies that might have been a hit in their day but would never pass the initial stages in the present world.
Pocahontas
Pocahontas is the only Disney princess that is based on a real person. The film was a hit in 1995. However, her story about falling in love with an English settler has made many people uncomfortable considering that in real life she was still an underage girl when she got married to John Smith. The Disney movie may not have shown Pocahontas as an underage girl but it just feels weird knowing the true story. If it was released today, the movie would be panned by fans and critics alike.
Glitter
At least once in our life, we’ve all sung the lyrics to “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey, and no doubt she’s an incredible singer. However, the movie she starred in was definitely not one of her good decisions. Glitter focuses on a woman who has to give up on either her rising career or relationship. Why can’t a woman have the best of both worlds? We wouldn’t blame you if you start yawning and want to close the movie midway. Glitter received only a 6% rating on the Tomatometer and a 2.3/10 rating on IMDb.
Disney’s Aladdin
We’re sure almost everyone in the world is familiar with one of the most famous Disney movie, Aladdin. The animated movie came out in 1992 and quickly became a hit and is now considered as one of the classics; it even had a live-action adaptation made in 2019. However, if you watch the movie again, you’ll notice how racist it is, and the overall storyline is pretty useless, too, with no good take-home message. Apart from that, it shows subtle racism towards Middle Easterners as they’re portrayed to be savages and unsophisticated. To think that it’s a movie made for children definitely makes us uncomfortable.
Forrest Gump
There are movies that you might have considered amazing at one point in your life but once re-watching them, you realize their pointlessness; Forrest Gump is a huge example of this. Even though it’s known to be one of the greatest movies, there’s no denying there are a lot of problematic scenes in it. The director’s attempt to show American history in a way to make the U.S look better was a bit weird. Movies are a work of fiction, but this one takes it to another level; how can a mentally disabled person run so many miles, meet various famous personalities and also end up with millions of dollars?
Back To The Future
Back To The Future is actually one of the classic movies that have been a favorite for a lot of people since it came out on 3rd July 1985. It became one of the well-known movies quickly, and youngsters of this time loved it just the same. On IMDb, users have given this movie a rating of 8.5/10, which is pretty solid. That being said, some people consider this movie super problematic in some scenes. According to them, the movie is filled with incestual advances, bullying, and the use of racial slurs! However, compared to the rest of the films on the list, it’s still rated way better comparatively, so watch it on your own and decide!
Batman Forever
Batman Forever is considered as one of the worst batman movies ever made. In this era of franchise fatigue, it’s hard to imagine a movie like Batman Forever getting made. This 1995 entry in the Batman franchise was notoriously overstuffed, with too many characters and subplots crammed into its two hours running time. It’s also a pretty dark and downbeat film, which likely wouldn’t fly with today’s audiences. It has a weak plot and the female characters wear revealing clothes which would not be tolerated now.
Manhattan
There’s no way that a movie like Manhattan could be made today let alone achieve the success that it did in 1979. The movie follows a plot where a 40+ year old man and a teenage woman fall in love. The concept itself seems a bit too weird as the girl is still underage. Over the years there have been sexual allegations against woody Allen involving teens and underage children. That has further tarnished the image of the movie and woody Allen himself. he has obviously denied the accusations. Even if someone tried to make a movie like this in the modern world, there will be a big uproar to get the movie out of all cinemas.
Mac and Me
Mac and Me was released on 12th August 1988, and even though everyone loves movies that have aliens in them, this one was not well received. The plot idea might have been inspired by the movie E.T. but clearly didn’t live up to the hype of it. It starts with a family of aliens searching for a new planet, but only one of them arrives on earth and befriends a wheel-chair bound kid, Eric. The alien family, in the end, being revived by drinking coke will certainly make you raise your eyebrow and question why you’re watching the movie. So, we’re not surprised it got a rating of only 3.4/10 on IMDb.
Monty Python: Life of Brian
In an era where people are more accepting of the good things and offended by the bad traditions from the past, it’s hard to imagine a movie like Monty Python: Life of Brian ever getting made. The film is rife with religious satire, and even features a scene where the main character is crucified. It’s safe to say that this movie would never get past today ‘s censors. Even if it does, it is going to be panned by billions of Catholics from all over the world. That means a large chunk of the movie goers wouldn’t even think about watching it.
The Polar Express
We can’t be the only ones who think The Polar Express has a lot of creepy vibes attached to it. Even though it’s a Christmas movie, the animation can easily make it feel like a horror movie. The story is about a boy going on a magical train to the north pole to meet Santa Claus, and during the ride, he meets a lot of people. The end message of the movie is that apparently, gifts are the true meaning of Christmas; pretty materialistic, we would say. Kids should understand the importance of family time during holidays instead of just receiving gifts.
Super Mario Bros.
If you are going to try to turn one of the most popular video games in to a movie then make sure you do the best job of your life. However, it seems like that wasn’t the priority of the movie makers when they were making super Mario bros. The plot is weak and non sensical. It doesn’t live up to the hype and the popularity of the game itself. If you don’t want to ruin your childhood memories playing the Super Mario Bros. then we would suggest you to stay away from this movie.
Baby Geniuses
Have you ever wondered what babies try to say when babbling random gibberish? Well, the director of the Baby geniuses probably wondered too and made a whole movie out of it, which sounds like a good idea but ended up as a failure. The movie was released on 12th March 1999, and once it hit the cinemas, the response from the audience was definitely not great, and the rating of only 24% on rotten tomatoes proved it. What else did they expect when they made a bizarre plot involving not only the babies talking but disco dancing, doing karate kicks, and scheming against adults?
Dogma
This Kevin Smith movie from 1999 would never be made in today’s era. It’s a religious satire that is blasphemous, crude, and just downright offensive. Even if it could get made, it would be so heavily censored that it wouldn’t be worth watching. When it was released in 1999, the actors, directors and the movie itself all received massive criticism from the catholic community. We are now living in a time where people are more accepting of each other and they prefer watching something that does not hurt the sentiments of billions of people all over the globe.
The Jerk
Who doesn’t like Steve Martin? He is one of the best comedians to have ever graced the big screen. The Jerk is considered as the one of the funniest movies ever, however we can’t be so sure if it would be able to duplicate its success in the modern world. The characters casually use derogatory words and don’t refrain from racial slurs either. Steve Martin seems to be proud of his work. He believes that the movie may not be a hit in the modern world but for its respective time period it was a great movie.
Battlefield Earth
This 2000 film was based on the novel by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard and starred John Travolta (who at that time was a very devoted member of the Church of Scientology). The film was a critical and commercial flop, and is generally considered one of the worst movies ever made. In this era of more sophisticated special effects and better storytelling, there’s no way a movie like Battlefield Earth would be made. Scientology itself is very controversial but people hated this movie because of the poor acting and even worse editing and camera angles.
The Toy
Brace yourself for this one. Kids asking their parents for toys isn’t something out of the ordinary. But what if that toy is an African American man. Yes, you read that right. The plot of this movie revolves around a wealthy and spoiled child who asks his dad for an African American man as a toy. It does seem a bit too odd even for 1980s standards. A movie like this would cause an uproar today. We don’t think anyone in Hollywood would even think about making a movie like this in today’s world.
The Police Academy Series
The Police Academy movies were a series of films released in the 1980s and early 1990s. The movies followed a group of characters as they attended a police academy and then went on to serve as police officers. While the movies were popular at the time, it is unlikely that they would be made today. The series has been criticized for its portrayal of police officers and its use of comedic elements. In addition, the movies have been accused of being racist and sexist. Such jokes might have been funny in the 1980s but this movie along with all of its cast would be cancelled if they tried anything like this in the 21st century.
Jack Frost
No one wants their loved one to ever pass away and no one would ever want their loved one to die and then get brought back as an evil looking snowman. That is the plot of this movie. Michael Keaton plays the character of the snowman. He dies in a car crash but with a magic harmonica he is brought back to life as a snowman. It may sound like a hearty movie but not only is the snowman a little scary but there are also some scenes that seem a bit weird especially for a children’s movie.
Sixteen Candles
Sixteen Candles was a very popular movie when it came out however times have changed and movies like Sixteen Candles are losing their popularity and fan base. There is an outright rape scene in the movie where two characters are on a date and the girl is drugged and then taken advantage of. This wouldn’t go well with moviegoers today. This is a highly sensitive topic. In addition to the rape scene, the movie also uses racial stereotypes against the Asian people. In a world where people are fighting to eradicate racism, movies like Sixteen Candles have no place.
Big
This Tom Hanks movie was released in 1988 and it was one of the funniest movies of its time. The movie is loved by fans and the acting is great as well. The plot is also good but the only problem is that the plot wasn’t executed properly. The plot of the movie revolves around a kids who grows up instantly with the help of a fortune telling machine. All this seems funny and creative until the romantic scenes come. You can’t help but imagine that Tom Hanks character is actually a child in an adult’s body. So, if you think about it; all the kissing scenes is just an older woman kissing a child.
Home Alone 3
This is another surprising entrance on our list. Even though it is a fun movie but there is something really wrong about having terrorists as main villains in a children’s movie. Not to mention some of the scenes are just too violent for young viewers. Kids might look at this movie and want to try some of things that the protagonist tries on the villains. It might end up causing harm to the kids or other people in their surroundings. Film makers might be able to make similar movies in today’s world but they will have to avoid putting in certain things that don’t seem appropriate for young viewers.
Tootsie
Tootsie features a man who dresses up as a woman to get ahead in his career. It’s a rather controversial subject in the modern world. There are many different things to see here. First the movie’s plot kind of signals that women tend to get more roles in movies as compared to men. In today’s world where women are fighting all over the world for equal pay, this aspect of the movie might not fly. Secondly it can also create a controversy with the LGBTQ community who might not see anything funny in it and to be honest we don’t either.
Crocodile Dundee
Crocodile Dundee was released in 1986 with a plot consisting of a female journalist traveling to the Australian outback to meet with a rare crocodile poacher to interview him. He saves her from a crocodile attack and ends up going to New York with her, and obviously, they fall in love. There were a lot of sexist scenes in the movie that can get super annoying. Plus, killing animals for money might have been considered cool during those times, but now it’s majorly frowned upon. The hero’s personality in the movie is unbearable as he reeks of arrogance and calling him a bully would be justifiable.
Heathers
Heathers came out in 1988, having a plot consisting of teenagers and their typical cliques, but in this, two people go on a spree to murder the popular kids and make it look like suicide. The intention of this movie was supposed to be satire, but they tried way too hard and became cringe-worthy material instead. Dark humor can be funny if done in the correct way, but this movie just made it seem tasteless. All the movie showed was bullying, killing people for absolutely no reason, and using vulgar words. If you haven’t watched the movie yet, let it stay that way.
Caddyshack
Many fans would be confused to see this movie on our list. And that is understandable as the movie has developed a strong cult following over the years. However, when the movie was released back in 1980, it wasn’t admired by the viewers. Most of it had to be because of the several changes to the script \at the last minute. This is why it sometimes feels like the movie does not follow a proper storyline and make its more confusing for the viewers.
48 Hours
If you want to see a movie about two men who spend an entire weekend racing against the clock to solve a crime, then you’ll have to go back in time to the 1980s. The “48 Hours” was popular in its day, but it’s hard to imagine a studio green-lighting such a project in today’s market. Don’t get us wrong; we love buddy cop movies as much as the next person but not if the movie is entirely focused on male characters and the female cast members don’t get a lot of screen time. This is what happened with 48 hours. Even though this movie pioneered the buddy cop genre, they still missed out of screen time equality.
Blazing Saddles
Blazing Saddles is known to be one of the funniest movies that came out in the seventies. The story of the movie is about a politician who wants to evict the whole town so he can make his railroads. In order for his plan to succeed, he manipulates the governor to hire a black sheriff so that the townspeople become hostile and leave on their own. And from this scene onwards, the racism can be seen dripping in almost every scene of the movie. Along with that, there are a lot of inappropriate derogatory terms thrown at many ethnicities. This film wouldn’t survive in today’s world.
Three Men and a Baby
Like many other movies, Three Men and a Baby’s plot revolves around how men don’t even know the basics of how to take care of a baby. In the movie, one of the three friends have a child, and all of them become the baby’s caretakers. Overall, the movie was pretty stereotypical and filled with lousy humor that wouldn’t even make you laugh internally. It’s baffling how three grown men have no idea how to care for one child, and the cherry on top was the addition of drugs in the plot. It’s an overrated comedy movie that you can skip on your watch list.
The Master of Disguise
Have you ever seen a movie and wondered, “what on earth did I just watch?” well then, you’ll understand our sentiments if you’ve unfortunately seen The Master of Disguise. The movie is about hidden powers in a family by which they can disguise themselves. In the start, the main character doesn’t know of his power but eventually finds out and saves his parents by mastering his power. The movie was supposed to be a comedy, but we and the majority of other people couldn’t find a drop of humor. It has flat jokes and is definitely not worth watching. So, save your time and watch something else.
Animal House
How do we begin to talk about the lousy writing of the movie Animal House? Its storyline and dialogues are filled with everything that any sane person would consider wrong. The plot revolves around a college fraternity house filled with troublemakers who make life hell for the Dean, who tries to stop them. There’s a combination of racist, sexist, homophobic, and misogynistic scenes that you’ll come across very often while watching this movie. Since it was released in 1978, it got away with all the inappropriate material and was actually considered funny back then. However, the majority of people who have re-watched it have realized how awful the movie is and the fact it would never be popular if it had been released in these times.
Ishtar
The Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman-starring Ishtar is the epitome of a movie that would never be made in this day and age. A massive box office bomb, the $55 million film only grossed around $14 million domestically. The story of two down-on-their-luck musicians who travel to Morocco in hopes of making it big, Ishtar was ripped apart by critics and is now considered one of the worst films ever made. It goes to show that even actors like Dustin Hoffman can’t save a movie if the story is bad. Another reason that the movie wouldn’t make it to cinemas today is the fact that the movie is considered misogynistic. Even James Bond has evolved in the recent years. This goes to show how important it is to make movies that are more relevant in the modern market.
Stripes
There would be no way that a movie like Stripes could be made in this day and age without an equal focus being given to the female characters. In the original film, the women are treated as objects for the male gaze. There is a scene where one of the main characters ogles a woman in a bikini and another where he and his friends go to a strip club. While the movie is set in the 1980s, these scenes would not be able to get past the censors in today’s climate. The Me-Too movement has led to a greater awareness of how women are portrayed on screen and there is now a greater demand for strong, complex female characters.
Mr. Mom
The aim for this movie might have been to look progressive, but just one look at the title itself will make you roll your eyes. Aren’t both the parents supposed to be there for their child? Because the name of the movie suggests as if it’s only normal if the mother takes care of the kids. If the dad, does it, then the same thing becomes something special even though he’s as responsible for the child as the mother. The movie was about a man who just lost his job and became a stay-at-home dad while his wife became the breadwinner.
Chasing Amy
In this 1997 movie, a straight guy falls in love with a lesbian. This film would be cancelled before it even made to the cinemas. Some parts of the movie make it seem like choosing your sexuality is a choice and not something natural. The movie got a lot of criticism from the LGBTQ community and with the LGBTQ community being stronger than ever before; such movies have become a thing of the past. We are sure that people who worked in the movie now remember it as one of their biggest career regrets.
The Love Guru
If you want to completely understand what cultural appropriation means, then watching The Love Guru will surely tell you. The director of this movie thought it would be a great idea to show India in a stereotypical manner that would just make you roll your eyes, especially when you look at the clothing. The plot centers on an American “guru” raised in India who travels back to the U.S to become the number one guru. He’s given the task of raising the spirits of a hockey team who have been on a losing streak. We love rom-coms, but this movie was definitely a no-no.
Soul Man
In today’s world we all know the very justified uproar against doing blackface. It is a “no-no” both in movies and in real life. However, in 1986 things were a little different. The plot of this movie would never be green-lit in today’s Hollywood. The main character of the movie is a white man who poses as a black man to get a college scholarship. This film was released in 1986 and is considered one of the most racist movies ever made. Even in 1986 there were certain criticisms against the movie. Another weird thing about the movie is that Ronald Reagan was president at that time and his son had a small role in this movie. We can’t even imagine a president’s son being part of such a project in present day.
Porky’s
In today’s climate of political correctness and sensitivity, it’s hard to imagine a movie like Porky’s ever being made. The film is full of crude humor and sexual innuendo, and would likely be considered offensive by many. One of the major reasons that this movie would be panned in the modern world is the amount of misogyny in it. Even young boys in today’s world wouldn’t condone the behavior of the boys we see in the movie. Movies like these may be loved by some portion of moviegoers but everyone can agree that such movies don’t send a good message to the younger generations.
The Crying Game
The Crying Game is a 1992 British thriller film that wasn’t hated by fans when it was released however some of the content in this movie wouldn’t be acceptable today. The film follows an IRA member who kidnaps and holds a British soldier captive in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, only to develop a bond with him. The movie was criticized for being racially insensitive and also for being misogynistic. The bad treatment of transgender and female characters also didn’t send a good message to the audience.
The Bad News Bears
This is another one of those movies that was loved by viewers when it was released but one that hasn’t aged well. The plot of the movie is good but there are several reasons that would cause an uproar in today’s world. The movie is about a retired baseball player who becomes the coach of a children’s baseball team. In one scene, one of the children is verbally abused. And people don’t like to watch such content where child abuse is being highlighted like it’s nothing problematic. The characters also use racially insensitive language and not to mention the kids are seen smoking which itself is enough to keep the film outside of cinemas.
National Lampoon’s Gold Diggers
The title alone would be a huge turn-off for audiences today. A movie about gold diggers would not sit well with modern audiences. In the movie two men first try to rob wealthy woman but then change their plan to getting married to the wealthy woman. The movie is outright misogynistic and would not be made in this era. There are certain scenes where violence is being committed against women and that is something that no media company would like to promote.