19 Truly Awful Films We Once Thought Were Legitimately Good That Prove Times Are A-Changing

"If movies aged like milk, The King and I has aged like a raw steak left sitting on a hot roof in Texas for a month."

Recently, we asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us what movies they loved growing up that have since aged like milk.

1. The Notebook

New Line Cinema

"[I] watched it with my Gen Z daughter and she called out a lot of stuff that just doesn’t fly anymore."

—caitlinm46423ca0b

2. Love Actually

Universal Pictures

"I think Love Actually did ... not age well. For example, the storyline of Mark being a complete creep and making moves on the wife of his best friend. Or the fat-shaming of Natalie (the assistant of the Prime Minister), which was way out of line. Or the storyline of Colin going to America because he thinks it would be easier to get laid there and the three women being portrayed as dumb horny girls that are immediately into him and invite him over. I used to love this movie, but now it really is hard to watch."

—lisafbraun

3. Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Paramount Pictures

"As much as it breaks my heart to say this: Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Mickey Rooney’s yellow face wasn’t okay then, and it isn’t okay now."

—ashleyp459897ecc

"Absolutely. I'd love to see a version that cuts out as much footage as possible of that character."

—etconner

4. The Alvin and the Chipmunks movies

20th Century Fox

"The Alvin and the Chipmunks movies. I loved them as a kid, but I watched one recently while babysitting, and MAN, they don't hold up. Annoying characters, unfunny jokes, and covers worse than Glee."

—books_baking_broadway

5. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

Warner Bros.

"When they discover one of the characters is transgender and everyone starts vomiting..."

—clareamyhewitt4

"I used to love that film as a child…now I cringe just thinking about that scene."

—mimosa_flower_3000

6. Step Brothers

Sony Pictures Releasing

"It used to make me laugh out loud, but I attempted a watch a few days ago, and I'm disgusted by grown men acting like that."

—raynefox

7. Armageddon

Touchstone / courtesy Everett Collection

"Terrible overacting, shit storyline, awful graphics, and too much focus on the boring ‘love story.’ 🙄 I absolutely loved it as a kid. Nostalgia is a lie!"

—titsgibsy

8. The Nutty Professor

Universal Pictures

"The Nutty Professor franchise...Eddie Murphy playing a whole family of characters in fat suits. My boyfriend tried to play it last year and I cringed for the first 10 minutes before shutting it off."

—m466dc7eaa

9. Sorority Boys

Walt Disney / Courtesy Everett Collection.

"Three guys dress up as women to get into a sorority after getting kicked out of their fraternity. I thought it was hilarious back then, but I don’t think it would fly now."

—panda_13

10. Gladiator

DreamWorks / courtesy Everett Collection

"This one is probably gonna be controversial, but I rewatched Gladiator recently and it might be the most overrated movie I’ve ever seen. The bad British accents, Joaquin Phoenix’s deranged overacting…it’s so cliché and boring. I wouldn’t say it’s aged like milk but probably aged like a soy latte at the very least?"

—tgsoulliere

11. American Beauty

DreamWorks Pictures

"One that really hurts: I LOVED American Beauty, but it being so Kevin Spacey-centric makes it kind of unwatchable."

—matthewschonmorgan

12. Inspector Gadget

Walt Disney Co. / courtesy Everett Collection

"Just watched Inspector Gadget last night for the first time in like 15 years. Absolute garbage trash fire of a film."

—darthjarjar

13. Dirty Work

Universal / courtesy Everett Collection

"I used to think Dirty Work with Norm McDonald was hilarious as a kid. I rewatched it after he passed and realized the movie itself wasn't funny — moreso just Norm's delivery of lines. The vast majority of the film is cliché, sloppy, and just awkward."

—novacaineblues

14. The King and I

20th Century Fox / Courtesy Everett Collection

"I was *obsessed* with the 50s musical movie The King and I. If movies aged like milk, The King and I has aged like a raw steak left sitting on a hot roof in Texas for a month."

—colleend9

15. Beetlejuice

Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

"So many people in my life love it, so I watched it for the first time recently. Winona Ryder is a child bride, and Beetlejuice sexually harassed and assaulted women in the film. I almost stopped watching it multiple times."

—frampton315

16. My Fair Lady

Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection

"As a kid I loved the film and all the catchy, fun songs. (The amazing clothes were cool too, especially at the horse race.) But one day when I was about 14 years old I was watching it, and about a third of the way through it occurred to me that Henry Higgins is a sexist, condescending piece of shit who treats Eliza like DIRT. So I turned it off. That was over 30 years ago, and I've never been able to watch it since."

—etconner

17. Shag

Hemdale Film Corp / courtesy Everett Collection

"They border on sexual assault and waving the confederate flag is racist."

—uncalum

18. Clueless

Paramount Pictures

"I’m gonna say Clueless because of the whole 'romantic chemistry with my stepbrother' thing. These types of perverted relationships aren’t being vehemently rejected and abhorred enough. It’s so present in the porn industry and even Hollywood."

—laidedahunsi

19. And finally, Grease

Paramount Pictures

"Grease...that’s all I have to say."

—brookelynbair1271

"Grease is a trash film. Was then, is now, and will always be."

—mikea4846bed6c

Submissions have been edited for length/clarity.