The 15 Most Problematic Movies Ever Made

15. Lawrence of Arabia

Lawrence of Arabia might be a big, impressive epic, but it leans hard into the white saviour trope with a white man at the center of a Middle Eastern rebellion. The fact that Alec Guinness plays an Arab prince in brownface doesn’t help either. | © Columbia Pictures

14. Zulu

Zulu tells the story of a British military victory, but has faced backlash for portraying Zulu warriors as faceless aggressors in a colonialist narrative. Despite defenders like Michael Caine, critics argue it romanticises the empire and risks appealing to white nationalist sentiment. | © Paramount Pictures

13. Trading Places

Trading Places might still get laughs, but the blackface scene with Dan Aykroyd is impossible to overlook today. Add in a disturbing comedy moment involving a gorilla and sexual assault, and the film’s humor hasn’t aged well. | © Paramount Pictures

12. Sixteen Candles

Sixteen Candles is remembered as a teen classic, but its jokes about date rape and the wildly racist Long Duk Dong character make it a tough rewatch. What once passed for comedy now reads as shockingly tone-deaf and harmful. | © Universal Studios

11. The Passion of the Christ

The Passion of the Christ stirred major controversy for its depiction of Jewish people, which many saw as reinforcing antisemitic tropes. Add in Mel Gibson’s later antisemitic outbursts, and the film's message feels even more loaded and unsettling. | © 20th Century Studios

10. The Searchers

The Searchers is praised for tackling racism, yet it can’t escape criticism for reinforcing it with its portrayal of Native Americans as violent caricatures. It’s a Western classic that walks a troubling line between critique and complicity. | © Warner Bros. Pictures

9. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood drew fire for turning a suspected wife-killer into a laid-back hero who earns redemption by savagely beating women. Tarantino’s revisionist fantasy rubbed many the wrong way, blurring the line between cool and cruel. | © Sony Pictures Entertainment

8. Flash Gordon

Flash Gordon may be campy fun, but its villain, Ming the Merciless, is a textbook example of racist stereotyping, complete with yellowface. So much so, the film got a content warning and a higher age rating decades later for its outdated portrayal. | © 20th Century Studios

7. Dumbo

Dumbo might be a childhood favorite, but its portrayal of the singing crows, complete with exaggerated Black stereotypes, is hard to ignore today. With one even named Jim Crow, it’s a jarring reminder of Disney’s racist past. | © Walt Disney Pictures

6. A Clockwork Orange

Clockwork Orange turned heads with its hyper-stylized violence, but its disturbing rape scenes and glamorization of brutality made it deeply controversial. Even Kubrick himself pulled it from UK cinemas after it was linked to real-life crimes and threats. | © Warner Bros. Pictures

5. American Beauty

American Beauty was already unsettling for its plot about a middle-aged man obsessing over a teenage girl, but with Kevin Spacey in the lead, it hits even worse now. Throw in an explicit scene involving an actual 16-year-old, and it’s a Best Picture win that hasn’t aged well at all. | © DreamWorks Pictures

4. Last Tango in Paris

Last Tango in Paris is infamous not just for its explicit content, but for a disturbing scene that Maria Schneider said was filmed without her consent or prior knowledge. What played out onscreen may have been acting, but behind the camera, it was a real violation disguised as art. | © United Artists

3. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Temple of Doom cranks up the action but also the racism, with its cartoonish portrayal of India and cringeworthy stereotypes that got it banned in the country. Toss in a shrieking, helpless female lead and you've got one of the most culturally tone-deaf blockbusters of its time. | © Paramount Pictures

2. Forrest Gump

For all its good charm, Forrest Gump has been blasted for its caricatured portrayal of disability and its moralistic treatment of anyone who strays from the wholesome path. Add in the weirdly sanitised take on race and history, and it’s a nostalgic fantasy with a messy undercurrent. | © Paramount Pictures

1. Gone with the Wind

A sweeping Civil War romance that treats slavery like a scenic backdrop, Gone with the Wind has long been slammed for romanticising the antebellum South. Its glorified take on plantation life and lack of critique on slavery sparked renewed backlash when HBO Max briefly pulled it in 2020. | © MGM