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For Sale Mar 31, 2026 at 9:16 AM

Cringy Yet Nostalgic Movies

Posted by BoardofEvidence

Been thinking a lot about movies that I enjoy or for whatever reason have that odd rewatchability feel (esp when need comfort), but are somehow kind of dated or cringy in the racial or sexual identity undertones. And by latter, I don't mean intentionally biased or ignorant - in fact the film could even be well meaning but just through such an acutely white lens that if feels out of touch now. Anyone else have ones like this?? For me, it's movies like Fried Green Tomatoes, The Help, Breakfast at Tiffanys, and Old School.
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Sea-Pay-6125 Mar 31, 2026 +3
Old School is such a weird one - like it's genuinely funny in parts but then you're watching it now and thinking "wow this aged like milk left in the sun." The whole frat boy humor thing hits so diffrent when you're not 19 anymore. I'd probably add Wedding Crashers to that list too, some of those jokes just make you cringe now but damn if it isn't still quotable.
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presshamgang Mar 31, 2026 +1
The men in Old School and Wedding Crashers are at least never really presented as winners. Douchey underdogs? Sure, but I did like that women in Apatow flicks were often times in charge. However they too were often inappropriate. Compared to the '80s Revenge Of The Nerds, Soul Man, Porky's, Most Slashers, Overboard, 16 Candles, Big etc.....at least the 2000s ones in question paint the characters as losers opposed to underdogs etc. Sidenote. Big, Nerds, Soul Man and Overboard are insane. Big mostly because it was a big budget hit. Lady hooks up w/12 year old because he looks like 30 year old....wtf
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LilBadKittenz Mar 31, 2026 +2
oh yeah, I get that vibe. movies that feel cozy but kinda awkward through today’s lens are wild. for me, stuff like Clueless, Legally Blonde, and The Princess Diaries hits that sweet spot of comfort + low-key cringe. you know, still fun to rewatch but makes you go “huh, times have changed.”
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verskingla Mar 31, 2026 +2
oh yeah, same here, I lowkey love those cozy old movies too! they just hit different 🫶 also kinda funny if you think about it, all three basically run the same love story, at the start they barely notice each other (or even clash a bit), and by the end it is full-on big love. like the same formula, just dressed in different outfits lol
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appuiromonsta Mar 31, 2026 +1
Lots of teen movies fit this bill. Just feels like an inherent "problem" with these movies since they're meant for teens of a certain era, so the shelf life of the style, dialogue, etc won't be very long.
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doc334ft3 Mar 31, 2026 +2
I understand that feeling. Some of these films might seem a bit "ah...It was really shot like that back then" when you watch them now, but I still can't help watching them. It's like a time capsule.
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Andrea-Harris Mar 31, 2026 +2
I was reminded of this very tension recently when revisiting some older films that once felt like comforting companions. There is something melancholic in realizing how our affection for a work can coexist with a dawning awareness of its limitations, and yet that tension itself feels rather human.
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zowietremendously Mar 31, 2026 +2
Home Alone 2. It has *him* in it.
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Successful-Tie5386 Apr 1, 2026 +1
So does Zoolander. It’s a blink and you'll miss it.
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[deleted] Mar 31, 2026
[deleted]
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naynaythewonderhorse Mar 31, 2026
The director himself said if it were up to him, he’d have that moment excised from the film. Also, why does it matter how long he’s in it? People talk about things that are on screen for much shorter than he was, and it’s not something people need to “get over.”
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CortexCraft_ Mar 31, 2026 +1
yeah i get this with the help too, it’s comforting in a weird way but parts of it definitely feel off when you watch it now
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CelebrationHoliday98 Mar 31, 2026 +1
totally get that, fried green tomatoes hits hard on nostalgia but yeah, some moments don’t age well. another one that comes to mind is 16 Candles—classic but definitely has those cringy undertones.
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MiDKnighT_DoaE Mar 31, 2026 +1
Caveman (1981). Love that movie.
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GodverdomseJonagolds Mar 31, 2026 +2
"Song of the South" was a feelgood Disney movie from my childhood. I still remember the songs and the atmosphere. It took me 20 years before I noticed the racist undertones and setting: a plantation with (ex-?)slaves. I became an adult on the day I realized my favorite childhood comfort movie was racist.
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res30stupid Mar 31, 2026 +1
Evil Under The Sun changes an old spinster from the book into a gay biographer played by Roddy McDowell with quite a few remarks about his being queer. He's also able to shake them all off because he's also the sassiest character in the film and in fact, his presence is highly important to solving the murder or Arlena Marshall; >!since he met Linda at the same time as another person claimed, Poirot figured out the killer's trick of messing with other people's perceptions of time.!< It's still a fantastic film, though and he's far from the sole sassiest character. That would by Dame Maggie Smith.
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CatFlat6488 Mar 31, 2026 +1
yeah that checks out fair enough honestly youre not wrong thats a solid point makes sense to me i mean yeah obviously thats the only logical take pretty much this couldnt agree more you said it sounds about right what else is there to say really thats just how it is no arguments here thats the truth of it well that settles that case closed i guess
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Superb_Plum_627 Mar 31, 2026 +1
Just rewatched "Strictly Ballroom" yesterday for the umpteenth time. Love it, will always love it. Don't love its reliance on the old "ugly duckling" trope about the female protagonist, who finally becomes worthy of love and recognition when she puts away her glasses and lets her hair out. Not fond either of its slurs about gay men who like dance, even if only the villain says them. Honestly not sure what to make of its, let's say borrowing of Spanish culture.
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ivymooun Mar 31, 2026 +1
Love Actually. still hits as a comfort movie but some storylines feel wild now. like why were we all okay with that back then.
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HappyGilOHMYGOD Mar 31, 2026 +1
The Replacements is one of the cringiest movies ever and I love it lol
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peachmood55 Mar 31, 2026 +1
I can’t watch this the same way anymore
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xCherryBoss Mar 31, 2026 +1
Embarrassing, yet unforgettable.
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SeagullsStopItNowz Mar 31, 2026 +1
The Fifth Element aged very poorly.
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stuffedmutt Mar 31, 2026 +1
Literally, every 80s comedy fits this description.
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Successful-Tie5386 Mar 31, 2026
Withnail And I is one of the greatest, most quotable comedies ever. it has some dated language and portrayal of black and gay characters that were intentionally dated, at the time in the former case, and relatively nuanced in the latter one.
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Jackbuddy78 Mar 31, 2026 +2
I can see some homophobia but the black character was actually pretty atypical for the time. Seemed smarter than the protagonists and chill. I remember Siskel saying he was actually his favorite character. 
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Successful-Tie5386 Apr 1, 2026 +1
It's the same with Uncle Monty, having a non-camp (if eccentric) Gay character whose cottage they're staying in was atypical for '80s cinema. Presuming Ed doesn't have any lines other than the chant and is referred to by the main charscter as "the huge s**** in the bath."
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