# Movies that could not be made in today’s world **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [September 13, 2023, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-could-not-be-made-in-today-s-world/990064 "2023-09-13T18:10:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-could-not-be-made-in-today-s-world/990064/21 "2023-09-14T04:45:37Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > _Zorro, The Gay Blade_. Homosexuality is **the** joke, pounded over and over again. To be fair, the gay Zorro is — in, oh, half-a-dozen ways — _better_ at heroics than the Zorro he replaces: one of them battles injustice by succeeding at everything he tries, and the other is, uh, heterosexual. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-could-not-be-made-in-today-s-world/990064/22 "2023-09-14T05:35:59Z")
I doubt _The Towering Inferno_ could be remade. After the 9/11 attacks and the collapse of the WTC twin towers I am not sure there would be a good reaction to a fictional film depicting a skyscraper burning up ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-could-not-be-made-in-today-s-world/990064/23 "2023-09-14T07:10:17Z")
The episode of Jeeves and Wooster where Bertie’s friends start a minstrel band, complete with blackface, definitely wouldn’t fly these days. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-could-not-be-made-in-today-s-world/990064/24 "2023-09-14T08:01:38Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > _Wonder Bar_ Despite having a decent cast and Busby Berkeley as the choreographer, is rarely seen on TV because of the jaw-dropping racism. The final number, “Going to Heaven on a Mule,” is in blackface, but that’s the least offensive thing about it. It hits every “happy slave” cliche possible. I happened to catch _Rhapsody in Blue_ the other day. It’s a biopic of George Gershwin from 1945, and has some of Gershwin’s contemporaries playing themselves. One of those is Al Jolson, who’s seen a couple times in blackface, including singing _Swanee_. I wonder how that could be handled these days. If you’re trying to portray that early-20th-century musical theater world, blackface was a thing that happened. Is it excusable to portray it in that historical context? Interestingly, _RiB_ also includes performances by two African-American musicians/singers, Anne Brown and Hazel Scott. That was probably rare at the time. (While writing this post, I read a little of the history of _Porgy and Bess_. I gather it was controversial in the '60s for its portrayal of African-Americans, but has been somewhat re-evaluated since then.) ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-could-not-be-made-in-today-s-world/990064/25 "2023-09-14T09:58:10Z")
OJ saving a cat probably wouldn’t be a crowd pleaser, either. ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-could-not-be-made-in-today-s-world/990064/26 "2023-09-14T10:25:48Z")
[Skyscraper - 2018](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5758778/?ref_=nm_flmg_t_22_act) starring Dwayne Johnson. “A security expert must infiltrate a burning skyscraper, 225 stories above ground, when his family is trapped inside by criminals.” ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-could-not-be-made-in-today-s-world/990064/27 "2023-09-14T10:53:10Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > I loved Revenge of the Nerds in my younger days (ie, high school in the early 90s). And I still have a lot of residual fondness for it. > > The rape and revenge porn is disqualifyingly horrible. [Interesting video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3-hOigoxHs) about the “adorkable misogyny” of media like this (it’s mainly about Big Bang Theory, but it’s relevant to this thread because it does credit Revenge of the Nerds for popularizing the concept). ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-could-not-be-made-in-today-s-world/990064/28 "2023-09-14T11:50:58Z")
I don’t think _Ace Ventura: Pet Detective_ could be remade due to the amount of transphobia in it. I never did watch _The Crying Game_, the movie that part of _Ace Ventura_ was supposedly based on, so I can’t speak to that one. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-could-not-be-made-in-today-s-world/990064/29 "2023-09-14T12:19:40Z")
I remember thinking _The Seven Year Itch_ (a purportedly hilarious comedy about a guy sexually harassing his nameless neighbour while his wife and kid are away) had aged poorly when I saw it in the '90s. I doubt it has improved much since then. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-could-not-be-made-in-today-s-world/990064/30 "2023-09-14T14:04:57Z")
Considering THAT movie was considered a box office failure and got very mixed reviews --it may actually prove my point. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-could-not-be-made-in-today-s-world/990064/31 "2023-09-14T14:07:35Z")
I don’t see why they could NOT do a remake of _Ace Ventura: Pet Detective_. It is not like the transphobic plot elements are integral to the story of a detective investigating crimes against animals/pets. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-could-not-be-made-in-today-s-world/990064/32 "2023-09-14T14:10:13Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > That was _Trading Places_. Speaking of which, that is one of my favorite films but it does feature Dan Aykroyd in blackface and rape-by-gorilla. I suspect it would need to be re-written if someone tried to make it today. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-could-not-be-made-in-today-s-world/990064/33 "2023-09-14T14:26:18Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > I remember thinking _The Seven Year Itch_ (a purportedly hilarious comedy about a guy sexually harassing his nameless neighbour while his wife and kid are away) had aged poorly when I saw it in the '90s. I doubt it has improved much since then. Even in the era it was made, I never understood the whole notion of a movie (and very successful stage play!) where the entire plot is “creepy middle-aged married man fantasizes about fucking the hot girl upstairs”. Aside from the creepy middle-aged man demographic, who might like the implausible aspect that the hot young girl actually seems interested in the creep, who on earth would find this plot appealing? Is the fact that he _doesn’t_ follow through and fuck her supposed to be some kind of heroic feelgood ending? ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-could-not-be-made-in-today-s-world/990064/34 "2023-09-14T14:29:28Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Is the fact that he _doesn’t_ follow through and fuck her supposed to be some kind of heroic feelgood ending? According to Wikipedia, the guy does have sex with the girl in the original play with “hilarious guilt” ensuing in the 3rd act. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-could-not-be-made-in-today-s-world/990064/35 "2023-09-14T14:33:50Z")
Changing attitudes don’t make these movies impossible to remake, they’d be remade with changes. The comedies in particular would require little modification of the scenes considered offensive to setup the circumstances. Comedy is beyond ordinary sensibilities, all it needs to do is make people laugh. Every generation has people constantly on the prowl for something that will offend them, and good movies will continue to mock them and their attitudes. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-could-not-be-made-in-today-s-world/990064/36 "2023-09-14T14:41:12Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > > [@Sitnam](#): > > > > This part is ok. The film isn’t making fun of fat people or gay people or smart people. The film is making fun of the jocks, everyone else has value. > > Maybe I’m being whooshed but Urban Dictionary says … > > # [Omega Mu](https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Omega+Mu) > > A fat chick or a fatty posse. Derived from the fat girl sorority Omega Mu in the movie Revenge of the Nerds. Please, referencing some neckbeards to prove a point on the Dope? Revenge was a comedy. The plot was just a structure to hang jokes. It went for all the low hanging fruit. You can tell by the very subtle names they have, yeah know, like Booger and Ogre. Obese college girls are a stereotypical outcast group. They shouldn’t be, but that is not the films business. That it is so over the top makes the ostracization the joke. These are soon to be adults, acting like playground kids. It’s not deep but it’s definitely not making fun of heavy women or intelligent people or homosexuals. And I will stop my portion of the thread derail for now. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-could-not-be-made-in-today-s-world/990064/37 "2023-09-14T14:42:55Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Changing attitudes don’t make these movies impossible to remake, they’d be remade with changes. Yeah, but there are some cases where the problems are intrinsic to the entire premise. Where a “remake” would be an entirely different movie. That’s true of the “hilarious frat boy prank” movies and probably some others mentioned in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-could-not-be-made-in-today-s-world/990064/38 "2023-09-14T15:02:59Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > That’s true of the “hilarious frat boy prank” movies and probably some others mentioned in this thread. Why would Revenge of the Nerds be an entirely different movie? They would change one scene so it doesn’t look like a rape. That scene as done was not at all critical to the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-could-not-be-made-in-today-s-world/990064/39 "2023-09-14T15:18:12Z")
There isn’t the same stigma attached to being a nerd nowadays as there was in the 80s, so the whole premise of _Revenge of the Nerds_ wouldn’t work quite the same way. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-could-not-be-made-in-today-s-world/990064/40 "2023-09-14T15:18:59Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > I remember thinking _The Seven Year Itch_ (a purportedly hilarious comedy about a guy sexually harassing his nameless neighbour while his wife and kid are away) had aged poorly when I saw it in the '90s. I doubt it has improved much since then. > [@Riemann](#): > > Even in the era it was made, I never understood the whole notion of a movie (and very successful stage play!) where the entire plot is “creepy middle-aged married man fantasizes about fucking the hot girl upstairs”. It could be remade but not as a comedy - more of a stalker/slasher/horror flick. There’s probably an accidental remake along those lines already. Those type films are not in my viewing habits. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-could-not-be-made-in-today-s-world/990064.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-could-not-be-made-in-today-s-world/990064.md?page=3)