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Lights, Camera, Controversy: These Movies Offend People

Monica September 6, 2023

Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)

If you haven’t seen Breakfast at Tiffany’s, you’re probably part of the one percent that hasn’t seen it. And no one said it was a bad movie, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t offensive in some way. Mickey Rooney wore fake teeth and pretended to be a Japanese man in an incredibly offensive way. Not only that, but he harassed Holly Golightly, which makes us wonder if his scenes will be cut in the future. The film also depicted racism and discrimination. It’s probably thanks to the soundtrack that the movie made it as far as it has (via Stanford Daily).

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The Birth of a Nation (1915)

This silent film does much more than make people think, it revolutionized an entirely new way of movie-making. Despite all of the praise, The Birth of a Nation is incredibly racist. Most of the actors are portrayed as uncivilized and aggressive. Author Ellen Scott of Cinema Civil Rights said, “This film depicts lynching as a positive thing,” she says. “The politics of the film was essentially to say certain black people are worthy of being lynched. In that sense, it’s extremely racist.” Some believe it was the most racist movie ever made (via BBC).

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Sixteen Candles (1984)

In the film Sixteen Candles, one character steals another character’s pants, and eventually, he trades his drunk girlfriend for his pants back. Even though later scenes show the girl with her dress bunched up around her thighs, indicating a serious harassment scene, it still became an iconic example of teen movies in the 1980s. The movie overall was seriously problematic. One of the characters says, “I’ve got Caroline in the bedroom right now, passed out cold. I could violate her 10 different ways if I wanted to,” which would not fly in any movie nowadays (via Elle).

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Cuties (2020)

Even though French movies usually do pretty well, Cuties did not. The movie showcases children in a twerking dance show, portraying them in a wildly inappropriate light. The kids bite their lips, squat, and bite their lips. The directors called it a “free-spirited” dance crew, even though the kid involved with the crew is merely 11 years old. Capitol Hill has started investigating the movie. It’s not a subtle movie (via USA Today).

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Manhattan (1979)

We’re going full-on Woody Allen in the movie Manhattan, which received a lot of backlash. Even though it didn’t receive much attention at the time the directors released it, decades later, people decided it was an unacceptable movie portraying Allen’s love interest. It was an older man dating a younger woman. It’s old news and something that’s been happening for centuries, though people suddenly decided to revisit its female characters and feel offended (via Alex Sheremet).

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Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)

None of The Transformers films are that great. But the worst one of all is Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. This is thanks to its horrible acting and racist robots called Skids and Mudflap. The directors even made them illiterate, with bucked teeth. They’re annoying and unintelligent, and their names are even suggestive of inappropriate things (via Complex).

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The Last Samurai (2003)

In The Last Samurai, Tom Cruise portrays an ex-military with zero purpose in life. But his entire life changes when a clan takes him to help preserve the Samurai way of life. Not only is it historically inaccurate, but it’s offensive and racially insensitive. Despite the wrong facts, it won four Academy Award nominations. As one Rotten Tomatoes review puts it, it was a “white guy savior to the heathen natives.” At the very least, it’s not as offensive as some of the others on this list, and it seems to have disappeared from the spotlight (via Movie Web).

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Mother (2017)

Jennifer Lawrence stars in Mother. The entire movie is representative of Mother Earth and the way humans constantly mistreat her. There are some serious controversies depicted in this movie, though critics couldn’t understand the obvious metaphor. They claimed the movie was sexist, though that was far from the point (via Quora).

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Cruising (1980)

Al Pacino stars in this tense thriller Cruising, who plays an undercover cop who pretends to be a gay man. He uses this tactic to capture a murderer that targets other gay men. The movie wasn’t particularly successful, and at the time of release, it angered gay activists thanks to the murderer, who was gay. Some people called it a “homosexual horror film.” Other critics said, “[Cruising] promises to be the most oppressive, ugly, bigoted look at homosexuality ever presented on the screen…” Maybe it’s best to skip this one (via Collider).

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Me, Myself & Irene (2000)

The film Me, Myself & Irene is about a man with schizophrenia. That’s not the offensive part, the offensive part is the way it’s portrayed. It’s a misconception that people with schizophrenia have multiple personalities, and the film portrays it the wrong way. It even went so far as to have taglines like, “from mental to gentle,” and even makes fun of yeast infections and obesity. It wasn’t common in the year 2000 to bat an eye when someone offended someone with a mental disorder, which is something that wouldn’t fly now (via NY Post).

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White Chicks (2004)

The film White Chicks portrays two black detectives who go undercover as two white women. The film makes fun of white stereotypes, which would never be made nowadays, considering how offensive it is. The NY Times famously said, “Most movies require some suspension of disbelief. But White Chicks […] requires something more radical than that. A full-frontal lobotomy might be a good place to start.” Comedies from the early 2000s are just not worth watching anymore, especially because of how many better ones there are out there (via Movie Web).

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Basic Instinct (1992)

Despite the famous Sharon Stone flash, this film is offensive. It portrays women and lesbians from the LGBTQ community in a bad light. Directors weren’t supposed to show the scene that made her famous, and they went against their word (via Decider).

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Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)

The second Ace Ventura was much better than the first one. The directors built the plot around offensive phobias. For example, Ace scrubs his mouth after he realizes he kissed a transgender woman. The movie was long and unfunny. If you’re going to spend your time watching a movie, there are much better ones out there (via Secret Life of Mom).

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Freaks (1932)

This 1932 film portrays a circus performer who plans to murder one of her fellow performers, all in the name of money. Even in the 1930’s, people considered the film controversial, and it’s grown worse as the years have passed. Many people found it offensive because it showcases real performers in circus freak shows. There was a bearded lady, Siamese twins, and an “armless wonder.” It was even banned in Britain and various states in Australia and America (via Collider).

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Blazing Saddles (1974)

The concept of Blazing Saddles was controversial, and if it were attempted to be released today, it wouldn’t make it very far. It contains explicitly racist scenes. Classic Movie host Jacqueline Stweart said, “Absolutely nothing is off limits, and jokes can tackle every sensitive subject.” It was sprinkled with social commentary regarding societal issues, though there are still people who are diehard fans of the film (via The Wrap).

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