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?

To be fair when it comes to Jane Eyre, the main character — the one we're apparently supposed to sympathise with, and who seems to represent the author somewhat — does essentially tell Rochester that he's being a right cunt about his poor wife who can't help being mad. (He then spends the next twelve million years gaslighting her about how he was tricked into marrying, and the mad wife is eventually conveniently disposed of, but, well.)

Home Alone I and II.

I see it from the parents’ point of view now in a way that I never did as a child. Ditto all the old teen shows like Beverly Hills 90210.

I was going to comment this myself after watching it last week. I couldn’t believe that the twins’ main concern was getting their parents back together and they weren’t at all bothered that they’d been separated for about 13 years! Also couldn’t believe the mother was more bothered about seeing the dad again than finding out exactly where her daughter was!

I watched a film from the early 00s called thirteen which I vaguely remember being seen as edgy and important. I thought it was grim and every character unlikable which may have been the point.

Reading that one of the leads co-wrote it aged 13 with an ex-girlfriend of her father makes makes me feel uncomfortable how exploitative the whole process undoubtedly was.

Bloody hell I would too.

I never 'got' any of those films , ever!
The only positive from any of them is that Dirty Dancing has an amazing soundtrack!

We recently watched the original 'railway Children'. I thought I could recall it quite well but I hadn't realised how creepy/Pervy the doctor comes across as.

Airplane. There are still some bits that made me laugh but so much of it is really appalling, especially the "jokes" around the captain's presumed paedophilia.

As a child I was always on the side of the teen. I watch now as a mum and Im on the parents side! Even ferris bueller’s parents. I have no idea when the change happened.

Rita, Sue and Bob too. Loved it as a teen. Couldn’t watch as an adult.

Was going to say Ferris Bueller - switched sides to the adults.

I watched a magical series when I was about 10 on BBC Box of Delights. It totally grabbed my imagination. Bought the box set and sat down to watch with Dh and kids after gushing at how good it was. Ha! It was laughable - terrible acting and really shonky special effects we turned it off. So sad!

Most Disney Pixar films, so many hidden adult jokes and innuendos that I obviously didn't pick up on as a kid

Big 🤮

Crossroads with Britney Spears, I was about 8/9 when I watched this and was clearly far too young. Watching that over now I was gobsmacked how my mother let me watch it over and over again. Teen pregnancy, miscarriage, cheating, parental neglect. The movie had so many issues that was really for a teenager or adult to watch and understand.

I watched that. That was a shocking film watching that as an early teen. That blonde girl accused Marilyn Manson of abuse and many other things

The Graduate.

Absolutely every character in it is, in one way or another, loathsome.

Yes, it’s misogynistic dreck! The original ending was very dark and imo more interesting. As written and filmed, it had the Glenn Close character kill herself, and frame the lover for her ‘murder’. But this didn’t go down well with preview audiences, who wanted a ‘proper’ ending with a hero-husband and forgiving wife, and the moral order restored. Close has said that she argued for the original ending, but the Studio won that fight, and she was made to re-shoot the ending that was released.

Oh god I forgot about the last one. We watched it as teens and thought it was hilarious, but it is about a film about a bloody pedophile shagging under age girls. I think the writer was a woman probably trying to highlight how this shit went on in areas of poverty back then, but I think lots of people were unaware of that and just saw it as a funny film. And that Black Lace song....😲

Not rttft but Tootsie. How bloody dare he take a woman’s role?

Sleeping with the enemy. Looking at it now, I hate how Julia Roberts fell straight into another relationship and that was her “happy” ending. Like being single just wouldn’t be acceptable.

Theres also one scene in particular. She’s been on a date with new guy, they kiss at her place, he starts going further. She had to tell him no 3 times!! He only got off her when she practically screamed it. Then to top it off he’s being all grumpy the next day and she has to make it up to him! The me now was horrified when I rewatched it.

Jaws!
Rewatched this last week, cannot believe it's 47 years old. What he'd as a child in the 80's - it was made in 1975 if you can believe it - and at the time obviously my main focus was the shark, the blood, the gore of it all, and the theme tune.
Now in mid 30s I was blown away by the 'foretelling' of the cinematography, eg they sail out of the harbour and the camera follows them out whilst framing the shot through an actual sharks...jaws!
The characters and their political motives for keeping beaches open, or shutting them down. The police chiefs guilt when he realises he should have trusted his instincts, the fear from the parents, there's some dark humour in there as well.
Honestly. Go re watch it!
And look out for sharks!

Feminism has spoiled a lot for me.
Worst was re-watching The Party with Peter Sellars doing his outrageous impression of an Indian. Terribly racist, but as a kid (in the 70s) I thought it was hilarious.

Similarly the cringeworthy Chinese character played by Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

....nope, you've lost me there.

You could say that...
😂

So some characters who I thought were good I see now are awful - Susan is downright horrible to Edie and can’t cope without a man whereas I thought she was funny and cute when I first watched. I thought Tom was a good husband but he is actually awful to Lynette. I thought Carlos was quite funny but he threw away Gabby’s birth control behind her back. I knew that was awful at the time but now I am shocked it was just brushed under the carpet!

Some I thought were awful I now actually see with much more empathy - Lynette I thought was awful to Tom and quite rude I now see is strong and takes no crap, she’s a good friend. Bree I hated but now I like - not the best mother but always there for them.

Sorry this is so long!

DH and I encouraged teen DSs to watch The History Boys with us, and Withnail and I. I remembered the History Boys being about teaching teens beyond the curriculum so they could really engage in life. DSs asked why we were making them watch a film about a paedophile. I remembered Withnail being a hilarious film about two struggling actors. DC asked again why we were making them watch another film about a letcherous predator and what was wrong with us?

It made me realise how much attitudes have changed. I also watched lots of Alan Bennet's Talking Heads over lockdown and found them repulsively seedy. The one about the woman lusting after her own son. Is this a thing? Almost all of them had really perverted sexual implications in them. Raping women with bags over your head etc. Real relish at repulsive misogyny. I wonder if Bennet is not the cuddly national treasure he's made out to be.