15 Movies We Don’t Think Are Funny Anymore

Some comedies are hilarious the first time you watch them, especially when you’re too young to question what’s actually happening on screen. Then you revisit them years later and realize the jokes aren’t quite what you remembered. Maybe the humor depends on stereotypes that feel painfully outdated, or the same gag gets repeated until even the actors seem tired of it. Other movies were massive hits that simply lost their charm somewhere along the way. That doesn’t mean every scene is terrible, and nostalgia can still do plenty of heavy lifting. But these 15 comedies are a lot harder to laugh at today. Revenge of the Nerds Made the Wrong Guys the Heroes The 1984 comedy presents its nerdy protagonists as lovable underdogs, but their invasive pranks and treatment of women make several supposedly triumphant moments deeply uncomfortable today. Pork’s Had One Joke, and It Wasn’t Great This 1981 teen comedy builds much of its humor around spying on girls and embarrassing them, with entire sequences devoted to behavior the movie expects audiences to applaud. Sixteen Candles Had Some Pretty Awkward Punchlines Molly Ringwald’s Samantha deserves a better birthday, but the film’s treatment of Long Duk Dong and its troubling romantic subplot make John Hughes’ comedy difficult to revisit. Weird Science Was a Very Strange Teenage Fantasy Two teenagers create their ideal woman using a computer, and the resulting comedy spends more time indulging their fantasies than giving Kelly LeBrock’s character much independence. Soul Man Had a Premise That Was Already Questionable C. Thomas Howell plays a white student who darkens his skin to obtain a scholarship intended for Black students, a premise that drew protests when the film premiered. Trading Places Didn’t Need That Train Disguise Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd deliver plenty of sharp comedy, but Aykroyd’s blackface disguise during the train sequence is a particularly uncomfortable detour in an otherwise clever film. Ace Ventura Had an Ending That Aged Terribly Jim Carrey’s exaggerated detective remains memorable, but the film’s climactic reveal turns a character’s gender history into a prolonged joke about disgust and humiliation. There’s Something About Mary Wasn’t Exactly Romantic Ben Stiller’s disastrous dating adventures produced some memorable scenes, but the film surrounds Mary with men who lie, spy, and manipulate their way into her life. American Pie Made Privacy a Punchline The webcam scene involving Nadia is particularly uncomfortable now, especially since the movie treats her humiliation as part of the boys’ hilarious journey toward adulthood. Shallow Hal Couldn’t Stop Making Weight Jokes Jack Black’s character supposedly learns to appreciate inner beauty, yet the movie repeatedly uses Gwyneth Paltrow’s larger-bodied character as the setup for physical comedy. The Hot Chick Ran Out of Body-Swap Jokes Rob Schneider plays a teenage girl trapped in an adult man’s body, spending much of the movie on predictable gender stereotypes and repetitive jokes about bodily functions. White Chicks Relied Heavily on the Disguises The Wayans brothers’ elaborate transformations still have devoted fans, but many jokes depend on exaggerated racial and gender stereotypes rather than the undercover investigation itself. I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry Had Plenty of Cheap Jokes Adam Sandler and Kevin James pretend to be a married couple for benefits, while much of the comedy relies on gay stereotypes and increasingly awkward misunderstandings. Norbit Turned Its Main Character Into a Punchline Eddie Murphy plays multiple roles, including Norbit’s domineering wife Rasputia, whose appearance and size become the basis for an exhausting number of jokes. The Hangover Lost Some of Its Vegas Magic The missing groom, mysterious baby, and wrecked hotel suite once made for an outrageous night in Las Vegas, but the endless shock jokes feel increasingly familiar. The post 15 Movies We Don’t Think Are Funny Anymore appeared first on Den of Geek .

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