Mainstream films with questionable morals?

The King of Moo · 16-05-2011 06:11PM #1

A Time to Kill (1996) bugged me both times I saw it when I was younger.

*****POTENTIAL SPOILERS BUT NOT SPOILERY ENOUGH TO BE PUT IN SPOILERTEXT AS THERE'S NOTHING REALLY SPECIFIC OR SUPRISING*****

While the crime the two white guys committed was horrific, the film basically seemed to suggest that the father was perfectly entitled to kill them both in public. Never sat well with me.

I can understand why people also read a objectivist message into The Incredibles, but I've come to think that wasn't intentional.

Any other examples of mainstream films whose apparent message bothered you?
.
Probably should have said "messages" in the thread title, not "morals" which is a bit more ambiguous.

johnny_ultimate · 16-05-2011 06:40PM

There's a few that have made me a bit unsettled.

Most recently, Source Code. The ending is supposed to be happy, but there's very creepy undertone.

Gyllenhall effectively adapts another persons identity to live happily ever after with Monaghan. In many ways you can't blame him

. But at the same time it's a very weird ending altogether, in which the happy ending is all down to a lie. What happened to the poor fellow whose mind and potential love interest have been stolen?

The Breakfast Club. I know people will object to this, but having only watched it in the last few years it has some very questionable morals indeed.

One character falls for another only after she has undergone a generic makeover, and we're meant to be happy for them? For a film that attempts to preach the glorys of being different, that its ultimate moral is "conform for romantic success!"

rings false and is more than a little objectionable. Any makeover solves all (see: She's All That etc...) film film can be added here too.

He's Just Not That Into You / The Ugly Truth - in which assholes abandon all morals in order to pursue romance with other assholes. Awhh.

quickbeam · 16-05-2011 06:57PM

Shrek bugged me somewhat. I know the moral was meant to be that beauty is on the inside, but it came across to me more like only ugly people should be with ugly people. It would have been far more hearwarming if a gorgeous Fiona ended up with an ogre Shrek.

closifer · 16-05-2011 06:59PM

Pretty Woman is a pretty obvious choice here I think...dunno if I even need to explain!

The King of Moo · 16-05-2011 07:04PM

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

There's a few that have made me a bit unsettled.

Most recently, Source Code. The ending is supposed to be happy, but there's very creepy undertone.
Gyllenhall effectively adapts another persons identity to live happily ever after with Monaghan. In many ways you can't blame him . But at the same time it's a very weird ending altogether, in which the happy ending is all down to a lie. What happened to the poor fellow whose mind and potential love interest have been stolen?

Agree about that, it only occurred to me shortly after I saw it, and I definitely found it disturbing. I wonder if it was done intentionally or if it was a directorial oversight. I'm leaning towards the former.

quickbeam wrote: »

Shrek bugged me somewhat. I know the moral was meant to be that beauty is on the inside, but it came across to me more like only ugly people should be with ugly people. It would have been far more hearwarming if a gorgeous Fiona ended up with an ogre Shrek.

+1, I don't think Hollywood would ever take the risk of showing such a mixture happy together.

krudler · 16-05-2011 07:05PM

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

There's a few that have made me a bit unsettled.

Most recently, Source Code. The ending is supposed to be happy, but there's very creepy undertone.
Gyllenhall effectively adapts another persons identity to live happily ever after with Monaghan. In many ways you can't blame him . But at the same time it's a very weird ending altogether, in which the happy ending is all down to a lie. What happened to the poor fellow whose mind and potential love interest have been stolen?

plus

Gyllenhall has NO idea where the guy who he now inhabits lives, who his family is, where he works etc etc

also Shes All That, artistic girls with glasses (who are still fcuking hotties) shouldnt be in order to find the right guy for them.

I mean really, THIS is the "ugly girl" in that movie?!

clusk007 · 16-05-2011 07:12PM

'Big' with Tom Hanks. Great movie but got me thinking - is the woman he dates a paedophile?

tony1kenobi · 16-05-2011 07:18PM

Star Wars?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0VZj-85E5o

mike65 · 16-05-2011 08:45PM

Sex and the City 11 2

Mark Kermode explains why.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHeQeHstrsc

Ellian · 16-05-2011 08:49PM

Rules Of Engagement. Vile despicable piece of celluloid that basically seems to be saying that all Arabs are terrorists..

johnny_ultimate · 16-05-2011 08:51PM

Actually, that reminds me: Blood Diamond. Been a while since I saw it, but remember thinking it bordered on the racist.

The King of Moo · 16-05-2011 08:54PM

Ellian wrote: »

Rules Of Engagement. Vile despicable piece of celluloid that basically seems to be saying that all Arabs are terrorists..

You could say the same for True Lies as well, and probably a few other action films.

That brings to mind Rambo II and III as well, where Rambo went back and showed that America could and should have won the Vietnam War if they'd just tried harder :rolleyes:.

Particularly annoying as First Blood is a great film.

Nolanger · 16-05-2011 08:57PM

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

The Breakfast Club. I know people will object to this, but having only watched it in the last few years it has some very questionable morals indeed.

The way the two girls argue with the jock and rebel all through the movie and then pair up. The nerd is left on his own even though he was the harmless character. Well done girls!

Mickeroo · 16-05-2011 09:10PM

I think Twilight is rife with questionable messages for young ones, such as trying to paint a manipulative prick tease with a monster fetish as a symapthetic character. Then there's all the implications of her

becoming a vampire for the sake of "love"

. I hear there's some even more messed up stuff in the next one!!

Ridley · 16-05-2011 09:12PM

Clash of the Titans (2010) springs to mind. Rally your men to kill the rape victim and sell out by doing exactly what you said you weren't going to do. Messing around with the script at the last stage turned it into a film about being a tool instead of being in control of your own destiny.

Oh and King Solomon's Mines (1937).

Ridley wrote: »

Quite good film interrupted by a load of Paul Robeson songs even though he sings them all the same way. Allan Quatermain the hypocritical British hunter who has a thing against mining is 'tricked' from his job running hunting tours (cause he doesn't like hunting) to eventually help find Kathy O'Brien's missing father who went searching for King Solomon's Mines.

Apart from the addition of adding a female companion I read that it's fairly faithful to the book but I wouldn't know. When O'Brien mentions that she BS'd Quatermain into helping her:

"Yes I know. I've met the Irish before." Which should be adapted to fit any conversation, clearly. Later in the film, while Quatermain is BSing South African tribes, Kathy says he couldn't have done better if he were Irish himself.

Lovely man.

The King of Moo · 16-05-2011 09:13PM

Mickeroo wrote: »

I think Twilight is rife with questionable messages for young ones, such as trying to paint a manipulative prick tease with a monster fetish as a symapthetic character. Then there's all the implications of her
becoming a vampire for the sake of "love"
. I hear there's some even more messed up stuff in the next one!!

I've never seen how Bella could be considered attractive, either for men or as a role model for girls. She's dull as ditchwater, moany, and like you said, a complete prick tease!

mike65 · 16-05-2011 09:14PM

Sure if we are going down the foreigners bad road - then there is any number you could name check Die Hard, Red Dawn, Rising Sun, Black Hawk Down, load of 80s action flicks.

Ellian · 16-05-2011 09:54PM

The King of Moo wrote: »

You could say the same for True Lies as well, and probably a few other action films.

That brings to mind Rambo II and III as well, where Rambo went back and showed that America could and should have won the Vietnam War if they'd just tried harder :rolleyes:.

Particularly annoying as First Blood is a great film.

I think the difference is the tone. True Lies and Rambo set out their stalls as escapist entertainment. I think Rules Of Engagement had delusions of being a serious piece of work.

The King of Moo · 16-05-2011 09:57PM

Ellian wrote: »

I think the difference is the tone. True Lies and Rambo set out their stalls as escapist entertainment. I think Rules Of Engagement had delusions of being a serious piece of work.

Good point, I haven't seen Rules of Engagement myself. Though sometimes escapist stuff can have a more insidious effect, as often they'll have a wider audience.
And there's always those unfortunate few who can't separate fantasy from fact

strandroad · 16-05-2011 10:06PM

I much dislike movies in which American forces go on a blowing up spree among foreign (to them) monuments. "GI Joe" springs to mind, but there's plenty more. You can almost see them thinking "oh this rusty stuff, we have better Venice in Las Vegas".

Also when CIA guys go shooting and chasing one another among civilians in say Berlin or Madrid (saw "Hanna" yesterday).

liah · 16-05-2011 10:14PM

Does Sucker Punch count as mainstream? Haven't exactly kept track of its success.

But the fact that it's meant to be a 'girl power' film,

yet even in her 1st and 2nd level fantasies - her very own imagination, which she uses to mentally escape from the reality that is her unconscious body being used for sex - she's a stripper kept against her will in one, and kitted out in hooker heels and miniskirts in the other,

is incredibly fecking questionable. I couldn't help but just feel disgusted the whole way through. Watching it was like watching some teenage sociopath's wet dream. Eurgh. Questionable is an understatement. :mad:

Mickeroo · 16-05-2011 10:21PM

mhge wrote: »

I much dislike movies in which American forces go on a blowing up spree among foreign (to them) monuments. "GI Joe" springs to mind, but there's plenty more. You can almost see them thinking "oh this rusty stuff, we have better Venice in Las Vegas".

Watch G.I Joe back to back with Team America...takes on a whole new light

The King of Moo · 16-05-2011 10:25PM

liah wrote: »

Does Sucker Punch count as mainstream? Haven't exactly kept track of its success.

But the fact that it's meant to be a 'girl power' film,
yet even in her 1st and 2nd level fantasies - her very own imagination, which she uses to mentally escape from the reality that is her unconscious body being used for sex - she's a stripper kept against her will in one, and kitted out in hooker heels and miniskirts in the other,
is incredibly fecking questionable. I couldn't help but just feel disgusted the whole way through. Watching it was like watching some teenage sociopath's wet dream. Eurgh. Questionable is an understatement. :mad:

Didn't watch it and now glad I didn't, seemed like style over substance, but mostly because "teenage sociopath's wet dream" is exactly the vibe I got just from the trailers.
It's as if one day the director found the drawings he did when he was 13 and bet himself he could convince a producer to finance a film based on them.

liah · 16-05-2011 10:28PM

The King of Moo wrote: »

It's as if one day the director found the drawings he did when he was 13 and bet himself he could convince a producer to finance a film based on them.

Pretty much what I said word for word after I saw it!

The worst part was watching people raving about how 'awesome' it was on facebook. Utterly tragic.

Revolution9 · 16-05-2011 10:32PM

Grease - You gotta tart yourself up, act supremely confident in contrast to your usually reserved behaviour and start smoking cigarettes to make the guy want you!

Outkast_IRE · 16-05-2011 10:33PM

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Actually, that reminds me: Blood Diamond. Been a while since I saw it, but remember thinking it bordered on the racist.

How so ? its not necessarily racist when your telling a truth based story ? what were they meant to do have white child soldiers running around in africa

strandroad · 16-05-2011 10:34PM

Mickeroo wrote: »

Watch G.I Joe back to back with Team America...takes on a whole new light

team America does it right

Outkast_IRE · 16-05-2011 10:36PM

mike65 wrote: »

Sure if we are going down the foreigners bad road - then there is any number you could name check Die Hard, Red Dawn, Rising Sun, Black Hawk Down, load of 80s action flicks.

Black hawk down is a very accurate retelling of a true story , its in bloddy moghadishu , and for the most part it did accurately portray what living in a semi-warzone , gang controlled kip of a country is like with normal people just trying to hide from the violence .

johnny_ultimate · 16-05-2011 10:38PM

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

How so ? its not necessarily racist when your telling a truth based story ? what were they meant to do have white child soldiers running around in africa

It's been a while since I saw it, but at the time I thought it's portrayal of race was very simplistic even if based on reality. When it turned to action film 101 at the end, I also felt uncomfortable about how it portrayed complex issues in a simplified manner.

As said, don't remember details, and I'm happy to be proven incorrect!

CiaranC · 16-05-2011 10:47PM

Should have been called "black man down"

HavingCrack · 16-05-2011 10:47PM

The King of Moo wrote: »

A Time to Kill (1996) bugged me both times I saw it when I was younger.

While the crime the two white guys committed was horrific, the film basically seemed to suggest that the father was perfectly entitled to kill them both in public. Never sat well with me.

The film actually has a very different slant than the book upon which it is based. The tone of the book is much more ambiguous about who is in the right from what I remember. It leant far more towards understanding the actions of the father than the blatent condoning of them the film suggested.

Mainstream films with questionable morals?

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