To ask what films you see differently now than when you watched them as a kid/teenager?

[Pandaparty]

We rewatched Mrs Doubtfire last night. As a kid, I was so on Daniel's side and didn't have much sympathy for Miranda (Sally Field), and couldn't warm to Stu (Pierce Brosnan) at all. Now though, I'm with Miranda all the way. She traded in a husband-child for a man who she can depend on and who loves her kids. Daniel's such a sleaze when they're at the pool too, making the women feel uncomfortable.
(I suppose our outgoing Prime Minister is a good example of people being prepared to overlook huge personal failings if someone is charismatic/"fun" enough.)
Anyway. What other films do you look at completely differently now than when you first watched them?

Yes to Mrs Doubtfire.... she's made out to be the bad guy while the ex is behaving badly in every possible way. Horrible character, much as I love RW.

Dirty Dancing.... I used to love that film. I watched it recently, kids rubbing up against each other in a dark basement, and instead of wanting to be them - I just wanted to go back to the main ballroom where the grown ups were and escape all the grubbiness and high effort Coolness. I am getting OLD.

I loved desperate housewives when it came out. How has it changed your opinion of the characters rewatching?

Big! They very obviously slept together and he's 13, went completely over my head when I first saw it.

The Sound of Music, particularly how soppy/wet/starry-eyed Maria gets as soon as she marries the Captain, and basically reverts into a completely subjugated role as befits a woman in the 1930’s. The fire of her personality just seems to go out. That song she sings to Lisl just after they come back from honeymoon - “somehow I know I’ll jump up and go, whenever he calls my name…. ……. And you’ll belong to him!” No no no. And he’s handsome AF but such a grumpy moany sod.

St Elmos Fire….in my teens I thought they were all SOOO COOOOL and edgy. Watched it again last year and OMG….horrible people, horrible film, horrible behaviour…totally cringed.

Also a bit later all those Hugh Grant 4 Weddings/ Notting Hill type films…loved them at the time…unbearable now!

Fatal Attraction. You're supposed to be happy and cheer at the end when he kills the bunny boiler. (I think they changed the ending to this.) In fact, he cheated on his wife and treated his lover like utter shyte. He's an absolute pig, not some sort of all-American hero.

The Parent Trap (the Lindsay Lohan 1990s version). I can't watch it now without getting angry that the parents just split the twins up at birth and never bothered to get in contact with the twin they gave up. Also the dad's relationship with Meredith makes my skin crawl, as does the portrayal of her as the wicked stepmother - yes she's awful but it's just so stereotypical and painting the attractive younger woman in a bad light when really it was the dad (and the mum!) who were the bad guys.

The Snapper.

Middle aged man had sex with a barely conscious drunk teenager and no one could see a problem with it? Today he'd be on a rape charge.

(I should add - I specifically mention the Lindsay Lohan 1990s version as not sure if the original follows the same plot, although it probably does)

Another vote for Big - wtaf? And also Short Circuit. From the white actor playing an Indian character, to the pivotal scene where Steve Gutenberg tests whether Johnny 5 really is alive…by telling an anti-Semitic joke.

There was a great article by Molly Ringwald about that scene a few years ago with her viewing it through the #metoo lens - they used a different actress for that bit

Yes, Julia Roberts had so much about her, why did she have to sell her body on the street?

But she didn't know that at the time and tbh what 13 year old wouldn't.

I totally agree with us. I was so disappointed that she went back to Nate at the end. The friends were like school children where everybody had to stay exactly as they were years before. Nate was just the same.

I agree with grease. Also I watch friends and that’s not aged well, in some respects.

Forrest Gump. The way he is treated is shocking. Not a film but a tv series called one tree hill the 'teens' on there i used to think what they were saying was strong and wise and now I've seen a few episodes and they sound like entitled brats who need to start listening to their parents

Labyrinth. A really odd story. A guy in a pair of tights falls in love with a teenage girl, steals her baby brother to lure her into a labyrinth then punishes her repeatedly when she won't give up and then laces a peach with a drug that knocks her out. Who the bloody hell came up with that?!

My favourite film was Ace Ventura. I had it on VHS and watched it repeatedly. It's shockingly bad. 5 mins in and a customer pays him with a blow job.

Overboard. Loved it as a kid but watched it back with mine and it was horrendous! Gaslighting on a whole new level

Dirty Dancing. Totally see the Dad's point of view now I'm a parent to teenagers!

@Poptart4 This is the first film that came to mind - I thought it was so funny at the time but now it's really uncomfortable viewing. Especially as it's her friend's father....creepy AF.

Not a film but Eddie Murphy in his stand up videos - Raw and Delirious. Im ashamed to say i thought they were funny when I was 18; tried watching them a couple of years ago and had to switch off; appallingly misogynistic and sexist! How did I never see it before?!?! He has since said he cringes at some of that material...it was hideous!

Jane Eyre with me too. It was my favourite book when I was younger and in some ways it still is because I love Jane's character. No matter how you look at it though the wife in the attack is not good!

@OldYork St Elmos Fire used to be my favourite too. Rewatched it in my 20s still loved it. Watched in my forties not one redeeming feature between them to my astonishment! Even Andrew McCarthy was an awful human being. 😮

ChrisReasBathEggs · Today 21:01

Labyrinth. A really odd story. A guy in a pair of tights falls in love with a teenage girl, steals her baby brother to lure her into a labyrinth then punishes her repeatedly when she won't give up and then laces a peach with a drug that knocks her out. Who the bloody hell came up with that?!

Yes, but David Bowie in those tights . . . I so would. 😉