Everything is political in 2023. Over the past two decades, audience sensitivity levels have risen, which has resulted in a lot more things becoming controversial and offensive. Thus, a large number of our favorite ‘90s movies would have been absolutely obliterated and eventually canceled if released in today’s climate. Here are 20 of them:
American Beauty (1999)
A middle-aged man dealing with an existential crisis develops feelings for his teenage daughter’s best friend, eventually rediscovering his lust for life. I can already imagine the outrage and panel discussions about grooming and power imbalances in relationships.
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995)
Pet detective Ace Ventura is caught in tribal disputes in a fictional African country. While this movie is clearly one for the laughs, it is also a clear reinforcement of stereotypical and racist portrayals of Africans as “warlike, superstitious, and essentially stupid,” as noted by the Hartford Courant.
Pretty Woman (1990)
A rich man hires a prostitute for sex and has her following him around, pretending to be his partner. He begins to fall in love with her, but only after he has begun to remake her into his preferred taste. Female audiences would have a field day with this one.
Leon: The Professional (1994)
Leon: The Professional features a young Natalie Portman in the lead role of a little girl. She has a grossly inappropriate relationship with her older co-star that would be deemed unacceptable today. In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Natalie admitted to feeling cringey and complicated about the role.
Basic Instinct (1992)
A male detective encounters a female serial killer who only kills men, murdering them with nothing but an ice pick. While this movie was a hit in the early ‘90s, audiences today would not be able to get past the apparent connection that was created between bisexuality and criminal behavior.
Dangerous Minds (1995)
Although based on a true story, this ‘90s hit about a teacher who was able to turn around the lives of her struggling students sells an unflattering image of race that perpetuates problematic myths. This concern was rightly raised by LouAnne Johnson, whose story the movie was based on.
Lolita (1997)
A movie like Lolita, released this year or at any time in the last decade, would certainly draw lots of controversy and backlash. Nabokov’s novel about Humbert’s obsession with 13-year-old Lolita is guaranteed a pitch-fork and mob-rage reaction if recreated in cinema in today’s era.
American Pie (1999)
A crass portrayal of youthful lust and exuberance that both exploits and encourages the objectification of women through its introduction of female characters that exist majorly as conquests for the teenage male characters. Do I even need to say more?
The Green Mile (1999)
The fatal folly of The Green Mile would be in its illogical portrayal of John Coffey, a Black character who uses his mystical powers to the benefit of white structures and does nothing about his own execution and the plight of the oppressed Black people in the movie’s temporal setting.
Milk Money (1994)
The first thing about this movie that raises flags is its uncomfortable portrayal of sex work. During its time of release, it garnered a reputation that can be said to be unflattering at best. In this age, it wouldn’t even be given the time of day.
Entrapment (1999)
The controversy surrounding Entrapment isn’t so much about the movie itself but about the casting decisions. The age gap between the lead co-stars might have only raised eyebrows in the ‘90s, but today, it is more than enough to tank the sales and cause the movie an early death.
Natural Born Killers (1994)
Two trigger-happy miscreants go around gunning people down with no rhyme or reason. While the last decade has seen its fair share of antiheroes and deviants, creating a movie about two white killers with a love for senseless chaos would be tone-deaf, given the reported violence in recent years.
Kids (1995)
Kids tows the line between artsy and repulsive. A teenage boy makes it his mission to have sex with as many virgin girls as he can. However, this teenage boy is also HIV positive. Kids is full of problematic themes that would inevitably inspire widespread fury.
Blank Check (1994)
All is well and good about a little boy who cashes in a blank check and suddenly finds himself a millionaire until he is given a love interest almost thrice his age, whom he shares a kiss with at the end of the movie.
Bulworth (1998)
A white senator (acted by Warren Beatty) immerses himself into Black and African American culture. He earns himself the allegiance of the Black populace by doing things that would be regarded as offensive and culturally inappropriate if done today. Bullworth just wouldn’t work in 2023.
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Highly profane, incredibly gory, and excessively violent. While audiences are now used to Quentin Tarantino’s gritty style, Reservoir Dogs being released in the year 2023 would be a big mishap waiting to happen for several reasons, starting with the fact that there were no female characters in the entire movie.
Bad Lieutenant (1992)
With all of the recent scrutiny directed at police officers and law enforcement, releasing a movie in 2023 about a dirty cop who plays the protagonist of a gritty tale that is infused with brusque racial and gender themes would not fly well with many audience demographics.
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)
South Park would inspire a unique kind of anger in today’s climate. In addition to its profanity, South Park shows a homosexual relationship between a highly radioactive pair—the devil and Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. The movie was controversial in the ‘90s, but it would rival a natural disaster in 2023.
Heavyweights (1995)
In recent times, body positivity movements and efforts have peaked, making Heavyweights a controversial movie in this day and age. With its vague and sometimes insensitive insinuations about body weight and self-image, it is easy for this movie to be shunned and labeled as fatphobic.
Krippendorf’s Tribe (1998)
It speaks volumes that Complex lists this among the 50 most racist movies. An anthropologist disguises his children (in African native attire and blackface) for a sham documentary. Not only would this be canceled, but the studios, actors, and everyone else involved would be caught in the ensuing crossfire.
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