Top 10 Movie Tropes and Trends that Would Not Fly Today

Nowadays, the Motion Picture Association of America takes smoking into account when rating a film, but that wasn’t always the case. In fact, back in the day, it would be common to see characters smoking like chimneys, even in children’s films. Stars such as Rita Hayworth, Humphrey Bogart, and Marlene Dietrich were often seen puffing away in some of their most famous roles. The media’s relationship with cigarettes has drastically evolved throughout the years, with new laws being created in regards to cigarette ads as well. Thank you, Rob Reiner.

Unlike other entries on this list, this alteration was due to a change in industry standards. Before 1984, there was no PG-13 rating, so there was nothing to bridge the gap between PG and R-rated films. This had been controversial for some time, but it was the violence in PG rated films like “Gremlins,” “Jaws,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” and “Poltergeist” that caused the MPAA to reconsider their system, and we can see why. “Jaws” has the same rating as “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids?” That just doesn’t sound right.

Bullies may be the villains of some classic kids’ movies, but why the hell do the parents or teachers never seem to care about what’s going on? Take “Heavyweights,” for example, where Ben Stiller’s character forces his campers to lose weight and mocks them for their size. That’s right, a wacky comedy about child abuse. While most bullies got their comeuppance by the end, it usually wasn’t thanks to an authority figure. Now that society is more aware of some of the tragic results of bullying, Hollywood has taken a step back in its portrayal of these characters. Meanwhile, writers like Tina Fey have humanized bully archetypes using humor and honesty.

Many of the entries on this list avoid the nuances of real life, and this entry is no exception. While “Germany” was one of the central figures in World War II, it would be more accurate to depict history on film by referring to the Nazi party, rather than the whole country as the culprits. Now especially, when you can access all of the world’s knowledge on your cell phone, it’s a lot less excusable to make mistakes like this. Many films fanned the flames of racism and misinformed viewers. Even classics like “Casablanca” and “Dr. Strangelove” are guilty of glossing over the more complicated aspects of international relations.

Slavery is undoubtedly one of the most regrettable aspects of American history, though some films seemed to take it rather lightly. In the mid-twentieth century, we were treated to several motion pictures that portrayed slaves as perfectly pleased with their situation, which we know is for the most part very untrue. The most infamous example of this is Disney’s “Song of the South,” the inspiration for the Splash Mountain ride at Disneyland. The movie was never released in its entirety on home video because the company was so embarrassed by the musical’s portrayal of race relations. That really says it all.

While we were tempted to include LGBT stereotypes on this list, they are unfortunately still occasionally seen in films today. However, much less accepted today is blatant homophobia in films. Long ago, it was relatively commonplace to see a gay character being used mostly for laughs. Today, we wouldn’t likely see certain insensitive slurs used in casual fashion. Nor would we see a plot that involves a lesbian being turned straight. Some of the more destructive depictions of gay men involve them sexually assaulting or raping straight men, all in the name of comedy. Hilarious.

Remember in “Revenge of the Nerds” when Lewis pretends to be Stan so he can have sex with Betty? Yeah, that’s rape. Ditto the scene in “Sixteen Candles” when Ted is left with a very intoxicated Caroline. In fact, this kind of behavior was unfortunately non-controversial in twentieth-century films. What’s worse is that oftentimes, it was treated as a punch line. True, sometimes a villainous character is initiating the sexual assault, but even so, it’s usually brushed off after the matter. So George McFly hires Biff to work for him even though he once tried to rape his wife? Not buying it.

Hattie McDaniel became the first African-American to win an Oscar for her role as Mammy in 1939’s “Gone with the Wind.” Unfortunately, the role that she played was a black stereotype that would be considered offensive by today’s standards. This has been even taken to a new level with white actors playing roles of different races, but we’ll get to that later. A crow in “Dumbo” named Jim Crow? An Asian in “Sixteen Candles” named Long Duk Dong? And…whatever this is? Let’s be thankful for the progress we’ve made.

During Hollywood’s Golden age, it was unfortunately common to show a male character striking a female character, usually to calm her supposed hysteria. Apparently, we only recently learned that hitting a female A) would probably not be very helpful in calming her down, andB) is just not okay. To add insult to injury, the man hitting the woman would sometimes be her love interest. Classic stars such as Glenn Ford, John Wayne, and even eventual president Ronald Reagan are guilty of this act. It was even featured on some posters for the 1946 film “Gilda.” That is definitely not something you’d see today. We hope.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a couple of honorable, or in this case, dishonorable mentions.
Cultural Appropriation
Collecting Cultural Artifacts
Antagonist Is a Stereotype
Damsel in Distress

This one has a long and complicated history. Blackface is the practice which sees a white actor wearing makeup to appear black, whereas yellowface is to appear Asian, and brownface to appear Latino or Hispanic. Even some of the most highly acclaimed films of the twentieth century used this trope, including “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” featuring Mickey Rooney as I. Y. Yunioshi, and “The Jazz Singer,” the first non-silent film. A more recent example is “Soul Man,” which was widely criticized at its release. Robert Downey Jr. also famously used blackface in “Tropic Thunder.” Although that was a more satirical representation, it still generated some controversy.

Do you agree with our list? What do you think is an outdated movie trope or trend? For more retroactive top tens published everyday, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.