Revisiting Childhood FavoritesLists that dissect and analyze (and possibly ruin) some of the movies and TV you watched over and over and over and over when you were a kid.
Updated September 23, 2021 15.9k votes 3.4k voters 255.1k views
List Rules
Vote up the movies you'll never watch the same way again.
It's easy to wax nostalgic about films from your childhood. You might remember them as funny and heart-warming, but if you take a chance to watch them as an adult, you are going to realize there are a lot of kids’ movies that are surprisingly inappropriate. Filmmakers know parents often see films with their kids, so they add some adult content to make it entertaining for everyone.
The adult movie humor that went over your head in childhood may seem obvious now, but often the adult humor is a quick line that flies low under the radar. Some of these movies you never realized are inappropriate will have you thinking, “how was this given a PG-rating?” Well, all the dirty jokes you missed in childhood favorites are illuminated here.
The original Ghostbustersand its sequel, Ghostbusters II, may have been a little too grown-up for a PG rating. Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) receives oral pleasure from a seductive and wispy ghost lady. How do you explain that one to the kids?
There is another joke in the film that simply shouldn't fly with any audience. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) says he knocked out his date, the demonically-possessed Donna (Sigourney Weaver) with 300CCs of Thorazine; Thorazine was a popular method of date-raping in the '70s and '80s. Also, 300CCs is a dose large enough to kill six adults. Venkman did not know Donna was possessed at this time, so he didn't bring it on his date to sedate a demon.
Actors: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis
How The Grinch Stole Christmas is marketed towards kids, but some grown-up jokes make it totally fun to watch for adults as well. While the film is squeaky-clean for the most part, there is one joke that may have flown over some grown-ups' heads, too: a reference to swinging.
In the scene, a newly-flown-in baby Grinch finds himself outside the window of a Who annual holiday party. He looks disturbed as to what he sees inside: Whos putting their keys in a big bowl. Either the Whos were having a swingers' key party, or the host anticipated the Whos to get so wasted they weren't allowed to drive home. Either way, not the most kid-friendly.
Actors: Jim Carrey, Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski, Bill Irwin, Molly Shannon
The Mask starring Jim Carry looks to be your typical whacky, kid-friendly movie. In fact, kids loved it so much the movie spawned an animated TV series from 1995-1997. The movie is tame for the most part, but there are some adult jokes millennial tots probably missed.
In the film, Mask makes a bunch of balloon animals for some criminals. As he’s pulling deflated balloons from his pocket, he pulls out a condom and remarks, “Whoops, wrong pocket.” The other questionable content is the physically abusive relationship between Tina Carlyle (Cameron Diaz) and her gangster boyfriend, Dorian Tyrell (Peter Greene).
Actors: Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz, Peter Riegert, Peter Greene, Amy Yasbeck
Lots of people grew up watching The Brady Bunch. You know, the story of a lovely lady... yada, yada, yada. While the Brady family from the popular TV show was as wholesome as could be, the ‘90s movie versions The Brady Bunch and A Very Brady Sequel were very un-Brady-like.
The Brady Bunch movies were inspired by Mel Brooks-style parodies, and if you know anything about his films, they’re not exactly kid material. Since the movies are about the Bradys, it’s easy to see how kids would get a kick out of it, though a lot of the adult scenarios might fly right over their little heads.
So, what’s some of this inappropriate material? Well, for one, there are constant intrafamilial innuendos and a kiss between the two eldest siblings, Marcia and Greg. Even though they are not related by blood it still feels... gross.
In the sequel, Carol’s first husband, Roy (Tim Matheson), eats a bunch of shrooms. Alice finds the bag and adds it to the pasta dish at dinner. Fortunately, the rest of the Bradys don’t feel a thing cause they’re already “far out.”
Actors: Shelley Long, Gary Cole, Michael McKean, Jean Smart, Henriette Mantel
For one, there’s the cigar smoking baby who says, “The problem is that I’ve got a 50-year-old lust and a 3-year-old dinky.” There’s also the extremely pneumatic Jessica Rabbit who is more sexualized than any femme fatale of noir films meant for adults. Oh, and Roger has a major drinking problem, and there’s enough booze, violence and, ehmm … patty-cake to make a Scorsese film blush.
Actors: Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, Joanna Cassidy, Stubby Kaye, Alan Tilvern
The much-beloved Mrs. Doubtfire is about a hip old granny who can hip-hop, bebop, dance ‘til ya drop, yo-yo, and make a wicked cup of cocoa. It’s a heartwarming movie that teaches kids valuable lessons about divorce. The film has a PG-13 rating in the US, but many felt it was OK to show their children at a young age.
But you simply can’t have a movie starring Robin Williams without some filthy-mouthed sexual euphemisms. As Doubtfire, Williams goes on a rant with his ex-wife’s new love interest, Stu (Pierce Brosnan), about how his expensive new gift means he’s trying to buy her into bed. “Hide the weasel,” “sink the sub,” and “rumpleforeskin” are a few of the innuendos Mrs. Doubtfire throws at Stu.
