Top 10 Movies That Could Never Be Made Today
Top 10 Movies That Could Never Be Made Today
Top 10 Comedy Movies That Could Never Be Made Today
The times they are a-changin’. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Movies That Could Never Be Made Today. For this list, we’ll be looking at comedy movies that were once considered funny but would face backlash and controversy if they were made in today’s sociopolitical climate. We won’t be including movies that are openly controversial and provocative, like 1915’s “Birth of a Nation.” Those types of movies should NEVER have been made, even back then!
#10: “Borat” (2006)
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Few comedy films get as big as “Borat.” It made over $260 million at the box office and became a bonafide cultural phenomenon. You couldn’t walk down the street without hearing “very nice!” from some corner or another. Heck, some of us are still saying it. But there’s no way this thing could be made today. Borat is openly misogynistic and makes fun of feminists, dresses and acts like a stereotypical black gang member, and absolutely detests Jews, believing them responsible for 9/11 and having the ability to shapeshift into woodlice. We can practically see the incensed headlines in our minds. Yes, it is satire, but in today’s political landscape, satire seems to be lost on a lot of people.
#9: “I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry” (2007)
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This movie assumes that being gay is funny. No, really, that’s like, 90% of the movie. It stars Adam Sandler and Kevin James (a winning combination!) as two straight firefighters who pretend to be a gay couple to receive health benefits. As you can imagine, the movie is filled to the brim with tasteless gay stereotypes, and unlike “Borat,” they aren’t even funny. Granted, the movie was screened for GLAAD before release, and while they acknowledged some of the expected stereotypes, they also called it a surprising “call for equality and respect.” And if you think this movie consists simply of tasteless gay jokes, think again – Rob Schneider also does Yellowface! Two controversies in one!
#8: “Porky’s” (1981)
Yes, teen sex comedies are still being made today. But none are on the level of “Porky’s.” Even in its day, “Porky’s” was openly criticized for being misogynistic, sexist, and degrading to women. And that was in 1981! Just imagine the backlash that it would face today! The entire plot revolves around a group of horny teens who plot revenge against a nightclub owner for denying them his prostitutes. In short, these are not lovable protagonists. And it only gets worse from there, featuring tons of derogatory language and actions that make the guys seem like total sleazeballs. Even the poster shows a man peeping at a naked woman in the shower! Charming “American Pie” this is not.
#7: “The Ringer” (2005)
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Developmental disabilities are better understood and more widely accepted today than they were in 2005, so laughing at them isn’t really… well, a laughing matter anymore. At least not for a mainstream Fox film. This movie sees Johnny Knoxville pretending to be developmentally disabled for ninety minutes, and most of the film’s humor revolves around the way he acts and the silly things he says. Even though the movie seems to be laughing at the disabled, it is actually doing the opposite – the movie treats the real disabled with care and respect. The joke is on Knoxville’s character, not on the things he does. But that doesn’t matter. There’s no way this would be made today, good intentions or not.
#6: “Mr. Mom” (1983)
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“Mr. Mom” wouldn’t be made today – not because it’s offensive, but because times and customs have drastically changed since 1983. This John Hughes-penned movie stars Michael Keaton as Jack Butler, a laid-off Ford employee who turns into a stay-at-home dad while his wife returns to work. And… that’s about it. Most of the jokes stem from “ha ha, dad doesn’t know how to raise kids!”, which is woefully outdated today. To make matters worse, the movie ends with Jack returning to work and his wife returning to the homestead, a so-called happy ending that suggests the normality and status quo order of a working father and a stay-at-home mom. The early 80s really were a different time…
#5: “Manhattan” (1979)
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Even ignoring the controversy surrounding Woody Allen, there’s no way “Manhattan” would be made in today’s #MeToo political climate. The entire premise of the movie is that the 42-year-old Isaac Davis is dating a 17-year-old college woman. Yes, the movie directly addresses this problem through its characters and themes, but it’s the fundamental core of the relationship itself that would be extremely problematic today. Some people find the movie’s premise to be creepy, and various outlets like The New York Times have written about its problematic nature in the sociopolitical landscape of the late 2010s. If we’re retrospectively condemning a movie, we can’t imagine it getting past a pitch meeting now.
#4: “Revenge of the Nerds” (1984)
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The early 80s were a terrifying time for the teen sex comedy. Between this and “Porky’s,” it’s clear that some people had it out for women. “Revenge of the Nerds” sounds like some harmless B-movie, but it is anything but. Today, some people would probably view it as an incel revenge fantasy, as it follows a small group of outcast nerds who seek revenge against the popular jocks and sorority girls. It was lambasted on release for its harmful attitudes towards black people and women, as it is full of racist stereotypes and creepy vibes. Both the director and writer have grown to regret the infamously problematic scene where a masked nerd deceives an unsuspecting woman into having intercourse.
#3: “Animal House” (1978)
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“Animal House” is not only the precursor to the scatological teen comedy genre, but is arguably the greatest example of it. That’s not to say it has aged well. As the name suggests, “Animal House” is essentially one long college party, and it presents all the insanity and debauchery you’d expect from a late 70s college comedy. Characters drink and drive, take advantage of drunk and passed out women, casually look up skirts, abuse diet pills, and even have sex with a 13-year-old girl. These are all problematic of course, but that latter point REALLY wouldn’t fly today! All these were passed off as jokes in the late 70s, but you wouldn’t see many laughing at them today.
#2: “Soul Man” (1986)
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In an age when the Canadian Prime Minister is put through the ringer for wearing blackface almost twenty years earlier, it’s clear that the issue remains an incredibly touchy subject. The entire premise of “Soul Man” involves a spoiled white kid pretending to be black to ride on a Harvard scholarship exclusive to African Americans. The movie’s heart is in the right place, as it wants to expose the kid’s limited worldview and raises awareness of prejudice and racism in America. But the issue of blackface doomed it from the very beginning. It faced an enormous amount of controversy and received horrible reviews from critics, many of whom called it unfunny and wildly offensive. If it couldn’t fly in 1986, it’s DEFINITELY not flying now!
#1: “Blazing Saddles” (1974)
“Blazing Saddles” is arguably Mel Brooks’ masterpiece and one of the funniest movies ever made. And much like “Borat,” most of its jokes stem from biting satire and deliberately provocative humor. And, like “Borat,” there’s no way it would be released today. Characters openly joke about gay people and casually abusing women, various derogatory terms and attitudes are used against Asians and black people, and a particularly offensive word flies like you wouldn’t believe. Of course, all these jokes are performed with a fiercely satirical edge are not meant to be taken seriously. But let’s be honest, they probably would be
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