Cheeks turn red and the silence is deafening when an unexpected scene appears during family movie night. Viewers should take the time to read the synopsis and reviews before making a movie night selection because there is nothing more traumatic than raunchy jokes that parents don't understand, or worse--they do understand.
Fans at Ranker want to get the word out that these movies are bad news for viewing with parents. Whether there's tons of nudity, strong sexual content, or just shocking images, these flicks are sure to cause traumatic memories and awkward moments. Movie fans should definitely skip these explicit movies for family movie night.
Boogie Nights (1997)
In Boogie Nights, a nightclub dishwasher becomes the star of porn films. With such a premise, frequent nudity and sexual situations can be expected. Dirk Diggler, formerly known as Eddie, becomes known for his endowment in the porn industry. There are implications of prison rape, women topless or fully naked throughout, and multiple masturbation scenes.
Given the sexual content, Boogie Nights is not the type of movie a viewer wants to watch in the company of their relations. Despite Boogie Nights being nominated for three Academy Awards in 1998, this movie is best to skip for family movie night.
Basic Instinct (1992)
Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone star in Basic Instinct almost got an NC-17 rating. With full-frontal nudity, there are multiple sex scenes, including the opening scene of the film.
Basic Instinct is not a family movie. The strong sexual content and nudity can make for awkward and uncomfortable moments for viewers. There is a depiction of a couple having sex for a solid three minutes as well as a woman flashing her vulva while crossing her legs during a police interrogation. The movie is not appropriate for younger audiences and could lead to embarrassing sex talks by parents.
American Pie (1999)
American Pie accurately portrays being a teenager, it is full of raunchy jokes and crude scenes.
One of the most memorably uncomfortable scenes comes when Jason Biggs' character, Jim, is caught masturbating into a fresh apple pie by his father. The movie may be hilarious, but the dirty jokes and sexual situations are enough to make anyone blush and avoid eye when viewed with a parent.
Showgirls (1995)
Viewers want to steer clear from watching Showgirls with parents. Starring Elizabeth Berkley, the movie follows as her character goes from being a stripper to being a showgirl in Las Vegas. Showgirls has an NC-17, rating which should be proof enough it should not be watched the family.
Berkley’s character, Nomi, will stop at nothing to become a star, sleeping with whomever and injuring the lead dancer on her way to the top. The nudity, erotic dancing, costumes that leave little to the imagination, and shocking gang rape storyline will make for uncomfortable moments when viewed with the wrong company.
The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (2009)
Unlike much of the other films, The Human Centipede (First Sequence) does not have a sexual premise. The horror film tells the story of a deranged scientist who decides to surgically connect three unwilling tourists mouth-to-anus to form a human centipede. This movie is uncomfortable for any viewer, let alone watching with parents.
The scenes where the scientist removes the front teeth and lips, as well as mutilates the buttocks of the hostages, are shocking. Though little blood and feces are shown during the surgery, it is unnerving and unpleasant by implication. The subject material and performances are convincing enough to produce a disturbing, unsettling, and twisted film that will linger in the minds of the audience.
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
As a surprising role for Tom Cruise, Eyes Wide Shut is an erotic drama following a man’s sexual adventure with a secret society. Though not graphic by any means, the famous orgy scene could be awkward to view in mixed company. Dressed in masks, women are fully nude in the ceremony while society surround them for a sexual ritual.
The depicted sex scenes are not explicit, but storylines including Cruise’s character visiting a prostitute, suggestive dialogue, and topless women make for a difficult viewing experience. Eyes Wide Shut should be seen as a commentary on marriage and sexuality, but not watched with parents purely for the orgy scene.
Nymphomaniac: Volume I (2014)
director Lars von Trier, and performed by real porn actors as body doubles.
Some of the sexual situations include two 16-year-olds competing to have the most sex on a moving train, real oral sex, and implications of children masturbating. With a cast including Shia LaBeouf, Uma Thurman, and Christian Slater, the strong sexual content, nudity and lack of solid plot make Nymphomaniac: Volume I more porn than a serious film.
Secretary (2002)
Starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader, Secretary is an erotic romantic comedy about a secretary exploring a BDSM relationship with her boss and experiencing a sexual awakening. The sex scenes are mild with little nudity and implied masturbation scenes. It's really the acting and cheesy dialogue makes Secretary an awkward watch.
Spader and Gyllenhaal are not believable in their dominant-submissive roles. The BDSM is over-the-top, and the spanking scenes are just uncomfortable and cringey. Despite being mainstream and marketed as a romantic comedy, Secretary is not for families because it is awkward as two adults explore new fantasies. The nontraditional love story will make viewers feel secondhand embarrassment for the characters and the attempt at being kinky.
Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)
As one of Jamie Dornan’s best roles, Fifty Shades of Grey follows Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey as they engage in a BDSM relationship. He has an entire bondage room full of sex toys including ropes, whips, and blindfolds. There are enough sex scenes to make the movie an awkward watch with parents.
Dakota Johnson’s naked rear end is beaten with a belt as punishment for breaking the rules of their agreement, taking spanking to a whole new level. Audiences should be aware that Fifty Shades of Grey and the following sequels are basically soft-core porn, not the normal romantic movies perfect for family movie nights.
Nymphomaniac: Volume II (2014)
Nymphomaniac: Volume II is the follow-up to Nymphomaniac: Volume I, following more sex escapades as the main character no longer feels anything from sexual encounters. Just as intense as the first part, the movie shows a considerable number of close-ups of extremely explicit sexual situations.
Viewers should also be aware of an intensely graphic scene where the main character performs an abortion on herself. For mature audiences only, Nymphomaniac: Volume II is unavoidably pornographic. There is no fast-forwarding through sex scenes, or the entire movie would be skipped. The heavy sexual content and nudity would be painful to watch in the presence of others, including parents.
