Classic movies are a great way to spend time with people you love or just when you’re up to some self-care time. They are even better in the spirit of the holidays and really just bring good vibes.
Unfortunately, all of them aren’t exactly movies you can watch with your kids. And we don’t just mean this due to their mature themes, rather it is about the lessons your children could pick up from them. Kids often learn from what they see, meaning they can pick up on bad and good behaviors.
These movies, as entertaining as they may be, can have problematic themes and lessons. After all, they are just meant for entertainment, not for morality. So, let’s take a look at some of these classics that you should think twice about before showing your kids.
Mean Girls
For those of you that have watched Mean Girls, I’m pretty sure you already know how problematic it is. In this movie, it is not just one subject that is inappropriate for kids, rather there are multiple reasons. Take the example of Regina George and how she is obsessed with dieting and changing the way her body looks. Not only does she continuously bring this up throughout the movie, but she is encouraging her friends to do the same.
In addition to that, bullying and gossiping are constant trends in the movie as we see the girls gossiping about others and bullying them too. This promotes a very positive image of some of the ugliest behaviors in our society. While the movie does change its tune in the end, it is still concerning to see that Regina George was and still is treated like an icon or a great character.
Clueless
This film is considered iconic because of its portrayal of friendship and relationships through a feminist lens. However, this movie, much like Mean Girls, promotes the idea of having a perfect body image by any means. In addition to that, the film carries some racism as well and of course, it’s all meant to be “funny”.
Additionally, people were highly uncomfortable with the relationship between Cher and Josh, who were stepsiblings and later on, ended up being a couple. Even if the two weren’t related, the relationship raised more than a few eyebrows because of their age gap. While Cher is just a high school student and 16 years old, Josh was a college student who was 18 years old. The legal age of consent in California is 18 and this is why the relationship could not even be deemed legal.
The Notebook
This movie is a real winner with almost every audience and although people only interpret the whole thing as true love, it is anything but. The whole reason Noah and Allie started dating is that Noah threatened to kill himself after Allie rejected him. Fast forward, the couple has repeated arguments and fights and this is all shown to be a sign of true love.
Moreover, the whole reason why Noah is so obsessed with Allie is because of her looks. And it gets worse. Noah insults Allie and how her strict schedule is keeping her from doing anything. He once convinces her to lie on the road and both of them almost get run over, but hey, the plot armor is strong! When the two break up and Allie meets someone else, we can see how both men are different in the way they interact and treat Allie.
Beauty and the Beast
Yes, we will be talking about animated movies as well, and what best to start with than Beauty and the Beast? We’ve all heard or read somewhere that Beauty and the Beast is about Stockholm Syndrome. And that much is true. Belle is depicted as a headstrong and intelligent girl, who also happens to be very independent. However, when she is captured by a Beast, a cursed prince, one or two acts of kindness are enough to convince her of his “good” nature.
Naturally, this is the first red flag as this is exactly how manipulation and gaslighting work. And things just get worse as the film progresses. Belle becomes determined to bring out the best in the Beast and “change” him. This act is exactly what encourages the “I can change him” mindset in many girls. This movie basically promotes the idea that abuse is fine as long as there are a few acts of kindness to go along with it and in fact, it is even true love!
Cinderella
The second animated film on this list, which is also from Disney (Disney, what are you doing?), is Cinderella. You might think she was just a victim and did nothing wrong. And you are right about that. It’s not what she did, but rather what she endured. Domestic abuse is not a joke and it is most definitely not easy to escape. However, the idea behind this movie is that if you wait long enough, somebody will come to save you. That is obviously not true.
If there is one thing that should be taught to abuse victims, it is that they need to reach out to the right people for help. Naturally, this is not easy, but this is the only way someone can take notice of your environment. Cinderella did the opposite.
Not only did she never reach out for help, but she stayed very happy and content throughout the whole thing. This can be a very scary notion. Moreover, there is no Prince Charming or Fairy Godmother in the real world to help you with your problems.
Would You Go Back and Watch these Films Again?
What do you think? While these movies are problematic, they are still classics that people love to go back and re-watch, and there’s honestly nothing wrong with that. It’s just necessary to be able to recognize what’s problematic and what’s not. Especially if little kids are watching with you, it allows you to talk about and educate them on some topics. So, are you going to watch them again after reading this blog? It would definitely change your views and emotions about a lot of things!
You can catch most of these movies on streaming platforms like Prime Video, Apple TV, Hulu, and more. Be sure to check your internet connection beforehand so that you can enjoy streaming these movies without breaks. On that note, if you are looking for a good and reliable internet connection, click here.
Bringing It All Together
While there are still plenty of problematic movies, for now, this is where we end our list. As we said before, a good internet connection is a must when watching these movies. After all, how are you supposed to do anything without a good internet connection? Visit here to look for an ideal internet connection for your home today!