10 Controversial Films Summarized and Rated

The following films are considered controversial and in most cases are hard to find streaming these days, although I have found a few of them (A Clockwork Orange for example). I have seen all of them and have done a Summarization and provided the IMDB rating and my own rating of the films. Feel free to comment on the films and say if you think the controversy is bullshit or not.

The Crying Game (1992) IMDB 7.2 - ME 8

A British soldier (Fergus) is kidnapped by the IRA and ends up being good friends with one of the “volunteers (Jody)”. Things go horribly wrong and Fergus escapes. He then goes to London to find Dil, who was once Jody's lover. Dil knows nothing about the IRA part and the twist at the end is that after falling in love he finds out Dil has a secret that disturbs him. In the day, the ending was shocking to a lot of people.

Soul Man (1986) IMDB 5.3 - ME 5

Mark wants to attend Harvard, but his father, despite being rich, refuses to pay for it. To get in Mark decided to take a ton of tanning pills, and pretend to be black, in order to get a scholarship. Things don't go as planned as his professor is suspicious. This movie, is of course, considered extremely racist in today's light. It's only mildly funny at best.

Revenge the Nerds (1984) IMDB 6.6 - ME 6

2 freshman nerds find themselves in trouble with a frat after a mishap. They end up in a house with other nerds. They have to find creative ways to win a No Holds Barred competition between flats to stay in the game. There is a scene where one of them tricks a girl into thinking he's her boyfriend and they have sex. This is of course sexual assault and why this movie is disliked. Other than that, it's only mildly funny. 

Powder (1995) IMDB 6.6 - ME 7

After the death of his grandparents, a boy is found living in their basement. His skin is powder white like talking powder and his eyes are sensitive to light. He's sent to a home for boys run by the state. His appearance is not the only thing wrong with him, he also has the power of magnetic fields and can do things with metal objects. This makes him feared by most people, but seen with wonder by some. The controversy that killed this one is that the director is a convicted sex offender who had relations with a child actor. Strangely, although it killed this movie, he went on to direct, and write several popular films.

The Basketball Diaries (1995) IMDB 7.3 - ME 7

A boy who is part of an incredibly skilled Basketball team faces trouble in the fact his coach is very inappropriate with the boys. His best friend is dying of leukemia and his living conditions are very much degrading. He ends up on the streets where he becomes addicted to heroin and robs, steals, and sells himself to feed the addiction. People drew parallels between this and Columbine, this movie vanished for the most part.

A Clockwork Orange (1971) IMDB 8.2 - ME 9

This is made from an extremely good book of the same name. However you will want the UK version of the book to read, as the USA version is edited. The movie is about Alex who leads a gang of teens in violence, robbery, and sexual violence, not to mention murder. He is sent to prison and to get out, he volunteers for an experiment to.make him incapable of violence and it works. Unfortunately he is then prayed upon by former gang members, who are now cops. He ends up at the home of one of his victims and ends up driven to try and end it all. He ends up in hospital having the procedure reversed. There is no redemption in the movie but in the UK book there is. It should be obvious why this is controversial.

Junior (1994) IMDB 4.7 - ME 5

There is not much to this one. One of the 2 main characters ends up pregnant although he's a man. It has to do with experiments to try and make miscarriages a thing of the past. When funding is cut, they test it on him and the result is not all that funny. The controversy here is the idea of a pregnant man and how it offends classic gender roles.

Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) IMDB 7.1 - ME 5

After a disaster with a birthday party, his wife has had enough and divorces him. He can only see the kids once a week and it's not enough. When his ex wife runs an ad for a nanny he dresses as a woman and ends up getting the job. This is just too stupid for me, sorry. First it's obviously him, and the wife has to be clinically stupid not to see it. The comedy does not hit for me and again, I just found it stupid. The controversy is as well, stupid, as it's just the drag thing pissing people off.

Love Potion No. 9 (1992) IMDB 5.7 - ME 1

This is about two scientists who come up with a chemical that makes them irresistible to anyone who hears them speak. There is not much to this other than what should be obvious. The controversy is that it's extremely racist, misogynistic and promotes violence against women. I did not find this at all funny on my second watch. I have no idea how I liked this in my younger days.

Song of the South (1946) IMDB 6.9 - ME 8

The kindly story-teller Uncle Remus tells a young boy stories about trickster Br'er Rabbit, who outwits Br'er Fox and slow-witted Br'er Bear. This movie was a technical marvel, being the first time live action and animation was put together and it was done flawlessly. There is rational stereotyping in this to an extent. What people tend to not like is it ignores how African Americans were treated during the Civil War, where this movie is set in the time frame of. I have to say I think I'd still enjoy this one however.