15 Beloved Movies That Are Actually Kind of Messed Up if You Think About It
We have plenty of fond memories from old movies, mostly due to them being so closely related to our childhoods. What we need to ask ourselves is, have we watched these movies recently? Our rose-tinted glasses tend to see the past as a perfect time in our lives, even if current sensibilities wouldn’t agree with that.
If you think we’re exaggerating, then take a look at the following examples from the past. Not all of them are from the distant past, mind you, since you’d be surprised at how many of these films, at their core, only work if you don’t think about them too hard.
Forrest Gump
Forrest stumbles through decades of American history without any real agency or personality, yet he’s rewarded for it. Meanwhile, Jenny’s character is judged harshly for life choices that stem from deep childhood trauma, which the film largely glosses over.
The Notebook
Released in 2004, this romance follows Noah and Allie’s epic love story. But looking back, some moments feel less romantic. Noah threatens to fall from a Ferris wheel just to get a date, which today feels more manipulative than charming.
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
Was anyone actually in charge of rescuing Han Solo? The plan seems totally improvised. Plus, the plot repeats itself with a second, bigger Death Star, and many feel the film doesn’t hold up as well as the first two.
Twilight
Why are vampires hiding in a school? At over 100 years old, other hiding spots had to be an option. And ‘falling in love’ for an underage girl is not the best look for any story, but feels even worse when the age gap is measured in centuries.
You’ve Got Mail
This rom-com has Tom Hanks’s character running a big chain bookstore that actively puts Meg Ryan’s indie shop out of business. All while he’s secretly the charming pen pal she’s falling for. That’s a rough start.
Dirty Dancing
The age gap between 17-year-old Baby and 24-year-old Johnny gets more attention these days. The plot also revolves around a dangerous back-alley medical procedure, which is a surprisingly heavy and serious subject for a beloved summer romance flick.
It’s a Wonderful Life
It’s a holiday staple, but for most of its runtime, the film is incredibly bleak. A major plot point suggests that if George Bailey never existed, Mary’s “horrible” fate would be to become… a librarian who never married.
The Breakfast Club
Bender relentlessly harasses Claire, all while the film frames it as a symptom of his bad home life, with her ending up with him anyway. Allison also gets a makeover to become “prettier,” which kind of defeats the movie’s whole message.
50 First Dates
In this comedy, Adam Sandler’s character falls for a woman with daily memory loss. While it’s played for laughs and romance, the reality of pursuing a relationship with someone who can’t form new memories is pretty unsettling.
Groundhog Day
The several decades Bill Murray spends in the time loop would drive anyone insane rather than teach them a valuable life lesson. Not to mention the several attempts he did on his own life.
The Incredibles
This beloved Pixar classic has some pretty dark themes about conformity. The government forces an entire population of super-powered people into hiding to appear “normal,” which is a pretty grim concept for a family movie.
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
It might be a magical classic, but the author of the original book, Roald Dahl, absolutely hated the 1971 film. He disowned it completely due to changes made to the story and other directorial decisions he disagreed with.
The Silence of the Lambs
It’s a masterpiece of suspense, but let’s not forget the plot. An FBI trainee has to build a psychological rapport with a brilliant, manipulative cannibal in order to catch another serial killer who preys on women. All without mentioning its problematic message regarding trans people.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Ferris is a pretty manipulative guy who pressures his anxious best friend into breaking rules. And Principal Rooney? He gets a bad rap, but he was just trying to do his job and bust a clear troublemaker.
My Best Friend’s Wedding
Julia Roberts’s character, Julianne, spends the movie trying to sabotage her supposed best friend’s wedding. She’s manipulative, selfish, and even uses her own friend as a pawn. She’s not the hero; she’s clearly the villain of the story.