Top 10 Greatest Movies That Are Now Overshadowed by Scandal

No matter the quality, this adult drama will always be remembered as the Kevin Spacey movie that wasn’t. In a truly epic case of bad timing, the film was slated for release right when the actor weathered a tsunami of sexual misconduct allegations. Since Spacey’s role was pivotal to the plot and impossible to edit around, the producers were stuck between a rock and an unreleasable money sink. Their solution? Get Christopher Plummer to stand in front of a green screen and digitally replace every single shot of Spacey. It was still too uncanny for most moviegoers, but at least it’s something. “American Beauty,” on the other hand, is pretty much unsalvageable.

Three actors meeting their end in a freak helicopter accident sounds like the plot of an actual “Twilight Zone” episode. But, sadly, this isn’t fiction. The last-minute addition of two orphan characters had lethal consequences when a botched stunt sent real helicopter debris flying. As if actor Vic Morrow’s death wasn’t bad enough, both Vietnamese children were paid under the table to get around California labor laws, which forbade actors under 18 from working through the night. So, to summarize, the kids weren’t in the original draft, weren’t properly supervised, and weren’t even supposed to shoot at night in the first place. As you can imagine, these days, “Twilight Zone” is only cited as the “Helicopter Crash” film.

Led by a fierce performance from Viola Davis, this empowering story seemed poised to go all the way to Oscar gold back. That is, until one crucial mistake dethroned “The Woman King” for good. While many appreciated its historical tale of African triumph, more took issue with its glorification of the Dahomey kingdom - a faction that famously supported the slave trade. Since the film never mentions that little detail, “The Woman King” faced all sorts of accusations about its loose retelling of history. So, despite the movie’s clear merits, everyone from critics, to audiences, to historians, to African organizations decided “The Woman King” wasn’t worth a trip to theaters.

This movie has it all; health scares, adulterous affairs, bankruptcy… and that’s just behind the scenes! That’s right, “Cleopatra” may be a touchstone of filmmaking, but odds are, you’ve only ever heard about its very, very bumpy production. Beleaguered by Elizabeth Taylor’s failing health as well as constant script issues, the movie went over-budget after completing only ten minutes of workable footage. From there, distributor Twentieth Century-Fox kept writing checks until they nearly shuttered their bank account. It almost backfired, too, when Taylor’s affair with co-star Richard Burton became the scandal of the century. Rest assured, they’ll teach “Cleopatra” in film classes for decades. Whether it’s for the right reasons or not.

In an ironic twist of fate, Will Smith’s Oscar win is both a career high and a devastating low. Don’t get us wrong; the actual performance was totally deserving. The issue was that, a mere hour before Smith’s name was called, he took the stage prematurely to defend his wife from one of Chris Rock’s tasteless jokes. Actions speak louder than words, though, and after a few f-bombs, Smith spoke with his fist. Keep in mind, this all happened on live television. It’s a real shame for “King Richard.” Now, it will only ever be referred to as the movie that created one of the most jaw-dropping Oscar moments of all time.

Don’t let the awards fool you; this movie is all sorts of problematic. Even setting aside the highly questionable age gap between its lead characters, this 2017 drama is hard to revisit now that Armie Hammer’s personal life isn’t so personal anymore. Let’s just say it’s difficult to buy into a romance when one of the actors is accused of gross misconduct and very strange proclivities. The allegations were so bad, Hammer was effectively black-listed from every Hollywood production in town. Even his own publicist left him! Given all that, most agree that rewatching “Call Me By Your Name” hits way too close to home.

Nowadays, Woody Allen’s controversial presence hangs over just about every single thing he’s ever touched. But, “Manhattan” is a special case. For those who don’t know, the rom-com follows a middle-aged man who routinely justifies his sexual relationship with a seventeen-year-old. What’s more, Allen didn’t just direct the film, and he didn’t just write it, either. He also starred. Yeah, all things considered, it’s only natural that “Manhattan” has seen a lot of retrospective criticism. You can try to separate the art from the artist all you want. But, given the eerie parallels, there’s truly no way to ever see “Manhattan” the same way again.

Divorce is messy, but apparently, making a movie with Dustin Hoffman is no cakewalk, either. During the making of “Kramer vs. Kramer” the star hurled all sorts of obscenities, microaggressions, and even physical glasses at his co-star Meryl Streep. It was all in the name of so-called “method acting.” But, there’s a big difference between stepping into a character, and full-on slapping your scene partner. In fact, you can practically see the tension crackle onscreen, and it’s heartbreaking to know that it wasn’t just from the good performances. With Streep’s testimony, we rule that “Kramer vs. Kramer” is guilty on all counts of crossing the line.

A product of its time or not, there’s simply no excuse for the portrayal of Mr. Yunioshi in this movie. The very casting of Mickey Rooney, a white actor, would be enough to make waves in modern times. Let alone the offensive performance he puts on. Yes, Mr. Yunioshi is supposed to be a silly villain. But, Rooney’s zany physicality and offensive accent turns him into a complete racial caricature. It doesn’t help that he wore dark makeup and prosthetic teeth, too. Many who worked on “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” including Rooney himself, have since expressed regret for this casting, which has left a black mark on an otherwise legendary film.

When Judy Garland signed on for a trip to Oz, she followed the Yellow Brick Road all the way to unforgettable Hollywood infamy. And she wasn’t alone. Margaret Hamilton was set on fire during a stunt-gone-wrong. The first director was terminated, with all his footage scrapped. Then, there’s the original actor for the Tin Man, who had a reaction to the aluminum dust and had to be hospitalized. That’s without even mentioning Garland herself, who endured all sorts of physical, emotional, and mental turmoil to keep her quote-unquote “camera ready.” We could go on. It’s honestly amazing how such a dangerous and hostile work environment created one of cinema’s most beloved films.



Can you look at any of these movies the same? Let us know in the comments below!