People Are Sharing Movies They Loved As Kids But Now Find "Cringeworthy," And — In A Word — Yikes

Because "nostalgia" can really only help so much.

Listen, we all have that one movie we loved as a kid. The one that we forced our parents and siblings to watch countless times, swearing up and down it was the best movie ever made...only to grow up, rewatch it as an adult, and say, "Oh. Oh no."

NBC

Well, this week redditor u/I-am-Deathlock asked, "What's a movie you loved as a child that you now consider to be cringeworthy?" and WHEW, people came through with some A+ answers!

Walt Disney Studios

So — with all of that in mind — here are just a few old faves that have since become embarrassing memories:

1. The Adventures Of Sharkboy And Lavagirl in 3-D (2005)

Dimension Films

"That shit was the coolest thing I’d ever seen."

—u/StupidWithAChance

2. The Indian in the Cupboard (1995)

Paramount Pictures

"I have no idea why, but I liked this a lot as a kid. I rewatched it a few years ago with my nephew and hated it."

—u/AnonismsPlight

3. Mars Needs Moms (2011)

Walt Disney Studios

"This movie became my obsession and I made my dad watch it with me at least twice a day until he hid it from me when I was 9 and told me he lost it. I rewatched it recently and holy crap."

—u/Professional_Meat_50

4. Catwoman (2004)

Warner Bros. Pictures

"This movie haunted my childhood. I didn't realize the terrible special effects weren't real so I jumped around my living room trying to imitate her. I also had the Catwoman game on PS2 and it was just as bad as the movie."

—u/ImReallyTryingISwear

5. Mannequin (1987)

20th Century Fox

"This really dates me, but this was my favorite movie while I was growing up."

—u/Algaealligator

6. Blank Check (1994)

Buena Vista Pictures

"The thought of being rich as a kid made me love the movie when I was younger. I rewatched it a couple of years ago and got some real predator vibes between the kid and the FBI agent. It's really hard to watch the ending where they kiss!"

—u/JuniorJRIV

7. Garfield: The Movie (2004)

20th Century Fox

"I feel like I used to watch this a lot, but didn't realize it was bad until that Zombieland moment, LOL."

—u/pnpspacegiraffe

8. The Master of Disguise (2002)

Sony Pictures Releasing

"I loved it as a kid, but holy shit is it a terrible movie."

—u/iimSgtPepper

9. The Cat In The Hat (2003)

Universal Pictures

"Now that I think about it, it technically isn't even really a kids movie."

—u/FredererPower

10. Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003)

Dimension Films

"Although, it is beautiful cringe."

—u/questionerzz

11. The Phantom (1996)

Paramount Pictures

"The one with Billy Zane! It was totally cheesy when I rewatched it, but I LOVED it as a kid."

—u/EmoDavey31

12. The Last Airbender (2010)

Paramount Pictures

"I was that dumbass kid who thought this was a good movie. Jesus, I was dumb."

—u/PixelsTheNerd

13. G-Force (2009)

Walt Disney Studios

"That one Disney movie about the guinea pig spies? I thought this movie was the best as a kid. I only got through about 10 minutes of it when I tried to rewatch it a few months ago. Man, that movie was weird."

—u/SnooHamsters9240

14. Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007)

20th Century Fox

"Holy shit are those guys annoying."

—u/avalncheovrthrw

15. Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997)

New Line Cinema

"I tried to rewatch it once as an adult and turned it off after 15 minutes because it made me cringe too hard."

—u/Skaiward

16. Kangaroo Jack (2003)

Warner Bros. Pictures

"I loved that shit. I watched it so many times as a kid. I tried to rewatch it as a freshman in college and had to stop after 15 minutes because the cringe levels were too high."

—u/nanowaffle

17. Agent Cody Banks (2003)

MGM Distribution Co.

"It's pretty cringe. I used to love it as a kid, but rewatching it now, it's not the same."

—u/javiguz27

18. Good Burger (1997)

Paramount Pictures

"My kids used to watch this all the time and now that they're adults, they saw it on Netflix and were super happy about it. But then they rewatched it and it was so cringey."

—u/Jsiqueblu

19. Sleepover (2004)

MGM Distribution Co.

"Twelve-year-old me loved that movie and probably watched it a hundred times. It's free on YouTube with ads right now, and I decided to watch it again last week. I realized how cringey and awful it is rewatching it as an adult (it has older guys dating 14-year-olds, fat-shaming, etc.). Still, I'll always have a little love for it because of nostalgia."

—u/Isittheweekend

20. Wild Wild West (1999)

Warner Bros. Pictures

"I thought that was the coolest movie ever. It’s so cheesy now."

—u/dangerous-dungeon

21. And finally — the Percy Jackson franchise

20th Century Fox

"I read the books, then rewatched the movies and just wondered what the hell went so wrong."

—u/Legally_Adri

Now it's your turn! What's a movie that you loved when you were younger but now...well, it just doesn't hold up? Share your pick(s) in the comments below!

Some responses were edited for length and/or clarity. H/T Reddit.