Film historians and cinephiles claim many Turner Classic Movies transcend time and perpetually prompt renewed interest through successive generations.
There are arguably classic films like The Wizard of Oz (1939), All About Eve (1950), Singin' in the Rain (1952), Sunset Blvd. (1950), and The Godfather (1972), that are still being revisited and validated as some of the best cinema to this day.
Some films, however, eventually fell out of favor among moviegoers despite initially receiving critical acclaim and prestigious film awards.
Curious to hear examples of outdated movies once heralded as an instant "classic," Redditor Chance_in_Pants asked:
"What is a movie that has aged poorly?"
Some concepts just don't work anymore.
Future End Date
"The movie about the world ending in 2012."
– Sensitivenotsoft
Kermit Tampers With History
"The 1990s (I think) Muppets movie where someone shows Kermit what the world would be like if Kermit was never born. I think it fast forwards to NYC 2002 and in the movie, the Twin Towers were still standing, so canonically Kermit being born somehow caused 9/11"
– MemeGuyOnReddit
Another Possession
"The Last Exorcism. Made obsolete by The Last Exorcism 2."
– tafkat
Outdated FX
"The new Jurassic world films already look more out of date than the original."
– BeneficialName9863
There are certain rom-com storylines that are now perceived as controversial.
Manipulating The Teacher
"Never Been Kissed."
"drew barrymore posing as a teenager and having a relationship w the teacher who gets MAD when he finds out shes not a teenager and is his age, then we're just supposed to smooth it over at the end."
– sungirlie
Creeps Always Win
"The entire sub-genre of romantic comedy that can be described as 'stalker gets the girl.'"
– brinazee
Waking Sleeping Beauty
"Passengers fits this description 100%"
– jts5039
"I know this is said a lot, but that film would’ve been the perfect horror movie if you followed Jennifer Lawrence’s perspective from the start."
– Big_Noodle1103
Unrealistic
"40 days and 40 Nights."
"No one lives like that in San Francisco or works at a tech firm designing websites to make money like that..."
"But most importantly, that ending would not fly."
– SuddenlyThirsty
The following examples would never work today.
Ageless
"Benjamin Button."
– ComputerSong
A celebrity's personal indiscretions or controversial political views can potentially dissuade bothered viewers from ever watching their films again.
In that sense, who knows if and when canceled actors Mandalorian star Gina Carano and disgraced comedians like Louis C.K. and Roseanne Barr will ever find themselves back in the spotlight or appear in future films.
I used to be a huge fan of the latter two comedians in their respective TV shows, but now I find it difficult to want to revisit their earlier work without thinking of their past remarks made at the expense of marginalized communities.
@PreetBharara/X
@RepBrendanBoyle/X
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@christopherharris/Bluesky
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@FrankC164/X
AMC