Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Are all films <5 years problematic in some way

269 replies

anon666 · 10/06/2023 00:24

I guess it might be a sign of rapid progress, but recently I've watched:

Pretty Woman
Dirty Dancing
Bend it like Beckham

All of which have a girl/woman falling for an authority figure. It really looks creepy to a modern eye. Or does it? Am I being too Gen Z about the whole thing?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
Jemandthehologramsunite · 10/06/2023 06:12

Gtsr443 · 10/06/2023 06:10

For what its worth I always hated Pretty Woman and I'm a Gen Xer.

I can't wait to see what artistic gems Gen Z is going to come up with.....

Sam and Sam are non binary and use they/them pronouns. They are exactly the same age. They work in ethically sourced yoghurt and vegan socks. They never have sex unless both parties have agreed to it in writing. They spend their days staring at the wall worrying about climate change and living their truth.
ChatGPT is their only friend.
The End.

👏👏👏👏

LunaNorth · 10/06/2023 06:13

Toasta · 10/06/2023 01:03

I have to say I watched Rocky again not long ago and I was very uncomfortable watching the (creepy?) scene where Adrian wants to leave Rocky's apartment and he holds the door shut/won't let her leave. It kind of spoiled the movie for me and I wish I never re-watched that bit now(!). 😬

Oh god this. Rocky has been my favourite film for decades, and then the last time I watched it, that happened!

Why did I not see it before?

More Rapey than Rocky. Gutted.

DarkSignOfTheMoon · 10/06/2023 06:21

Over 5 years?

Those films are all over 20 years old. They are from a generation ago now!

Grumpyfroghats · 10/06/2023 06:54

I'm not sure that I agree on Dirty Dancing.

Is he an authority figure really? He is teaching her to dance but she is the "customer" or her family are and she could get him fired at any time.

It's pretty clear I think that this is not a love for the ages, it's a summer fling but she seems quite in control of the situation - in a way, she's using him to get some sexual experience.

If you flipped the genders, I don't think you would think of the older woman dance instructor as an authority figure.

And no one puts baby in a corner (sorry, had to be done)

NotAMug · 10/06/2023 07:13

I just don't understand why people have to tear these older films apart. Most mentioned are great films, fiction, not real FFS. Dirty Dancing for instance, she is 18, he is 24, he's hardly some 40 yo creepy man is he, they met first, he wasn't teaching her. Amazing dancing, great cast. I first saw it at about 8 yo, didn't understand the adult bits obv so no harm done, I thought Penny had a tummy ache, it literally didnt cross my mind at all, as a teen it was more eye opening but some important issues raised. No need for all the fuss.

Its great for people to be more woke in the true sense of the word but gen X are on another, ridiculous level, I'd be embarrassed to hear my kids coming out with such drival. The good news is that the kids slightly younger than gen Z are generally not buying into all the nonsense from what I can tell. They are more mature, more tolerant and do not just follow the crowd. There is hope for the future!!

Simianwalk · 10/06/2023 07:14

BinturongsSmellOfPopcorn · 10/06/2023 01:19

Die Hard is about as old as Dirty Dancing (1987 vs 1988). Jurassic Park is around the same age as Pretty Woman (1993 vs 1990). The Story of the Weeping Camel was made the year after Bend it like Beckham (2002 and 2003). None have a girl/woman falling for an authority figure, and I challenge you to find anything at all problematic in the camel one.

Can't believe you used Jurassic Park as an example! Yet another film with about a 20 year age gap (no need to guess which way round) between the love story couple.

HeckinBamboozled · 10/06/2023 07:19

You know, there were people that found media problematic at the time when it was first released... 😉 Not everyone was ok with sexist/homophobic/racist/abilist/etc BS in the past.

Tiredalwaystired · 10/06/2023 07:20

You can’t change the culture of the time to fit your own narrative. In twenty years you can guarantee people will be outraged by some of the cultural references of today. Or maybe you could spare a thought for those of us who lived (and survived) with those cultural norms.

Best to enjoy them for what they are, recognising the past is a different country, or avoid them if you find a piece of fiction that triggering.

Srin · 10/06/2023 07:21

We are in an odd place at the moment. On the one hand many people are agonising over films like dirty dancing and want trigger warnings added to Jane Austin. Meanwhile hardcore porn is freely available and consumed daily by many. Bend it like Beckham was always a bit cringe even when it first came out.

Simianwalk · 10/06/2023 07:22

NotAMug · 10/06/2023 07:13

I just don't understand why people have to tear these older films apart. Most mentioned are great films, fiction, not real FFS. Dirty Dancing for instance, she is 18, he is 24, he's hardly some 40 yo creepy man is he, they met first, he wasn't teaching her. Amazing dancing, great cast. I first saw it at about 8 yo, didn't understand the adult bits obv so no harm done, I thought Penny had a tummy ache, it literally didnt cross my mind at all, as a teen it was more eye opening but some important issues raised. No need for all the fuss.

Its great for people to be more woke in the true sense of the word but gen X are on another, ridiculous level, I'd be embarrassed to hear my kids coming out with such drival. The good news is that the kids slightly younger than gen Z are generally not buying into all the nonsense from what I can tell. They are more mature, more tolerant and do not just follow the crowd. There is hope for the future!!

I think it is essential we tear it apart. I've watched so many 80s/90s films and can't believe I just absorbed this bollocks. At the time it pissed me off in the obvious ones. Especially the endless number of scenes where a couple would argue, it would get violent, he would grab her she would struggle to get away, he would forcibly kiss her and she would succumb to his manliness. Next scene them snuggled up post coitus.
Women constantly reduced to love interests. No other purpose than to be fucked or rescued to make the men look strong and powerful.
Can't believe the people on this thread telling young women to suck it up.

Srin · 10/06/2023 07:26

Current films, TV shows and adverts are as bad but in slightly different ways.

JeandeServiette · 10/06/2023 07:27

Pretty Woman & Dirty Dancing were released when I was at primary school. I'm in my 40s.

Bend it Like Beckham is from my early adulthood.

Where are you getting this "5 year" thing from?

Sigmama · 10/06/2023 07:27

If you want to talk about 'absorbing bollocks', surely it all starts with fairytales, man resting vulnerable woman trope starts very early

Ponoka7 · 10/06/2023 07:27

I think that it's interesting to watch old films because it shows how switched in every part of society was to seeing young women (even barely legal teens) as fair game, we were bits of fluff. Go a bit further back and women are hysterical messes, or nagging wives etc. The way the police treated women trying to report crime was eye opening for my DD's, but it was true to life. Everything was about setting men up to do whatever they wanted. Considering we had no internet and not everyone had feminist examples, it's easy to see why some elderly women completely went with the attitudes of the time and have never been able to change their way of thinking.

Kanaloa · 10/06/2023 07:28

Srin · 10/06/2023 07:26

Current films, TV shows and adverts are as bad but in slightly different ways.

This is the thing! The same kids ‘tearing apart’ Dirty Dancing are likely the ones making tumblr edits of Call Me By Your Name and signing into Netflix for the next episode of You. I don’t think it does any favours to anyone to pretend everything in the past was gross and problematic and everything now is much more woke and unproblematic.

Sigmama · 10/06/2023 07:29

Gttr443, i am aware that you are taking the piss but that sounds like the bare bones of an interesting movie plot, that could really explore some of the issues you are mocking

Applesinmyhouse · 10/06/2023 07:30

Bend it like Beckham is is a very progressive film, depicting a brown girl following her dream and succeeding in a ‘masculine’ hobby and the difficulty of being a second generation immigrant. It shows how commonplace racism is, and how it can feel caught between two cultures.
You cannot mention it in the same sentence as Pretty Woman, which is a great film but not the fairy tale some make it out to be.

Dirty Dancing on a surface level is a film about a holiday fling. It is very progressive for its time as it shows abortion and how fucking dangerous unregulated abortion is and how few choices (usually working class) women really end up having as they’re caught with the short stick again and again. If you're going to woke analyse films at least do it properly.

Sigmama · 10/06/2023 07:32

To be fair, pretty woman also has some interesting messages in it

boobot1 · 10/06/2023 07:32

In a word, yes.

JeandeServiette · 10/06/2023 07:32

Sigmama · 10/06/2023 07:27

If you want to talk about 'absorbing bollocks', surely it all starts with fairytales, man resting vulnerable woman trope starts very early

Quite. OTOH, my two favourite balancing texts to the fairytale tropes are "Paper bag princess" and "Clever Polly and the stupid wolf". Both 30+ or 40+ years old.

Plenty of feminist films or female empowering films are much older than 5 years, too. Some of them very mainstream Hollywood. From screwball comedies, via Thelma and Louise to the Stieg Larsson adaptations.

I'm wondering if OP is extremely young and new to cinema.

jotunn · 10/06/2023 07:33

Dirty Dancing is an interesting choice as the abortion story line wouldn't remotely get past the studios and some of it is very interesting in terms of class power dynamics. The relationship of Robby and Baby's dad because they're the same class for example...

Kazzyhoward · 10/06/2023 07:34

Usernamen · 10/06/2023 05:18

I’m the opposite. I physically can’t watch any film made in the last 5 years (more like 10 years, if I’m honest). It’s either a rip-off of an older film which is better or it’s just preachy nonsense.

Yes, I agree, same with most modern UK so called "drama" which I find unwatchable due to sanitisation and political correctness. You can tick all the "boxes" and it just ruins things.

Preps · 10/06/2023 07:35

I actually think modern films are worse in many ways than older ones.

The "new" Top Gun film was shocking to me and made the orignlalook like a feminist production. At least the original had a strong female character, even if she was also there to look good.

There is a problem with the whole princess/need a man to save us story lines but they haven't gone away.

Hairbrushhandle · 10/06/2023 07:39

Dirty dancing didn't seem weird when I watch it (probably at around 11?) Because both Jennifer grey and Patrick swayze seemed ANCIENT I had no idea she was supposed to be a teen! It might have been mentioned but she looked like an old woman to my tween self.

GabriellaMontez · 10/06/2023 07:40

My much bigger issue with pretty woman is that it glamorises prostitution. Along with the various messages about money/beauty/success.

But hey, I would rather watch that, than something inoffensive and gender neutral probably with trigger warnings.