Being a busy adult and parent, I barely get time to watch movies these days. Now I’m in my 40s, though, I find myself reminiscing about my childhood more often and have started rewatching some of my favourite childhood movies when I can.
Movies were a huge part of my childhood. There are many that I loved, but there are some that I’ve rewatched as an adult and experienced completely different thoughts and opinions of the themes and characters to the ones I had as a child.
Here are just a few movies that I loved as a child that hit differently as an adult.
Drop Dead Fred (1991)
You might have heard of this movie, you might not. If you haven’t, I recommend watching it for the legend that is Rik Mayall. Rik was a huge part of my childhood. An absolute gem of an actor. He could make any character likeable, no matter how annoying, loud or rude they were.
If someone were to switch the television on and see Drop Dead Fred, I’ll admit that the crude humour and silliness of it all would probably make them want to instantly change the channel, especially if you happened to switch it on during the part where Fred wanders into the adult Elizabeth’s childhood home and starts happily smearing dog poo all over her mother’s newly-cleaned carpet.
But…
This seemingly simple movie, which is about a young woman who is struggling with adulthood and turns to her imaginary childhood friend to help her get through the tough times, is actually quite complex and moving.
Rewatching it now, I realise that the film is not so much about Elizabeth’s friendship with Fred, but more about her relationship with her mother and how her mother’s treatment of her during her childhood has impacted her as an adult.
The critics hated it, but I highly recommend it. It’s rated just 11% on Rotten Tomatoes, but the Popcornmeter, which is the audience’s rating, is 77%. This is proof that we shouldn’t always listen to the critics!
It’s worth a watch to see if you can find the deeper meaning behind all the silliness. And if you have kids, they will love Fred.
Return to Oz (1985)
This follow-up to The Wizard of Oz is nowhere near as cheery and bright as its predecessor.
Gone are the munchkins and flying monkeys, replaced with the creepy Gnome King and the terrifying Wheelers. Surprisingly, this movie didn’t bother me too much when I first watched it as a child. As an adult, though, and with a deeper understanding of life, I find some themes and scenes terrifying.
Most Disney movies contain dark themes that become more apparent when you watch them as an adult, but even so, I’m still baffled that this is a Disney movie!
And if you’ve seen this movie, please tell me I’m not alone in finding the scene with Princess Mombie’s heads truly disturbing, despite me being a fully grown adult?!
Home Alone (1990)
I talked about Home Alone in my worst movie parents post. When I first watched this movie as a kid, I was so focused on Kevin’s antics. Let’s be honest, most of us as kids no doubt thought about how cool it would be to have a whole house (especially a house of that size) to ourselves.
Watching it as an adult, though, I realise now how terrifying it must be for a child to be left alone like that. Especially a child who’s being terrorised by two burglars. Kevin’s fear during some scenes is palpable.
Marv’s screams during the scenes with the tarantula and the pigeons still have me howling with laughter as an adult though!
Mrs Doubtfire (1993)
I love this movie. I laughed so hard at Mrs Doubfire’s lines as a child and still quote them now (“It was a run-by fruiting!”). Who doesn’t love Robin Williams? He was a huge part of my childhood in the 90s and was in so many of my favourite movies.
I always found his performance as Mrs Doubtfire magical. Rewatching it, I still find his performance magical, but the actions of his character, Daniel, are questionable.
While I disliked the children’s mother, Miranda, when I was a kid, I now sympathise with her as an adult. Daniel’s actions were deceitful and completely the wrong way to handle the situation.
But…
I have nothing but admiration for the lengths he was prepared to go to have access to his children. Especially that scene where he shoves his entire face into a cream cake to create a face mask for Mrs Doubtfire and avoid being caught out by the social worker.
That’s determination!
Dumbo (1941)
A perfect example of a movie that hits differently as an adult. As a kid, I found the scene where Dumbo visits his mother, who has been locked up for attacking some circusgoers who bullied him, a little bit sad. It was horrible to see Dumbo being separated from his mum.
Watching it as an adult and a parent, my focus is more on Dumbo’s mother being separated from her child. It’s almost unbearable to watch (watch it without crying when “Baby Mine” starts playing, I dare you!). In fact, rewatching this movie fills me with sadness. People can be cruel, and this movie is a stark reminder of that.
Adult me has no shame in cheering when Mrs Dumbo goes into full protective mum mode and lobs a massive bale of hay at those bullies who make fun of little Dumbo’s ears.
Toy Story (1995)
Many of the Toy Story movies hit differently when rewatching them as an adult. I was a kid when the first Toy Story movie came out, and in my mid-20s by the time Toy Story 3 was released. The first couple of movies were fun. It was easy to get immersed in the story and see it from the point of view of Andy’s toys.
Fast forward to Toy Story 3, and my focus had completely shifted to Andy. The third movie made me realise how hard it was to say goodbye to my own toys and how fast the years had gone by.
I haven’t rewatched Toy Story 3 for a while, but I know that it will hit even more differently now that I’m a parent. When I think of the scene where Andy kindly hands his old toys over to a little girl, I now find myself thinking about my own children rather than thinking of myself, as I had done when I first watched the film in my 20s.
My kids are still very young, but I think about how fast the time is going by and how it won’t be long before they are clearing out their toys and passing them on to someone else.
The Craft (1996)
I’m not ashamed to admit that I was obsessed with this movie as a teenager. The typical 90s American high school setting combined with witchcraft made the plot so appealing.
Upon rewatching it, though, there are so many dark themes, including attempted suicide, domestic abuse and sexual assault. These themes didn’t go over my head when I watched the movie as a teenager, but rewatching it as an adult gives me a better understanding of why the movie’s four main characters relied so heavily on witchcraft to sort out their problems. There’s just something about this movie that hits differently as an adult.
And adult me still cheers when Laura Lizzie gets her comeuppance for being racist.
The Full Monty (1997)
Watching this as a teenager, I couldn’t help but laugh at Gaz (brilliantly played by Robert Carlisle) swinging his jacket around and sending his loose change flying everywhere while attempting to strip. It was easy to laugh at the group of men trying desperately to perfect their stripping skills in a bid to earn some money after losing their jobs.
Watching it again as an adult, though, there are actually a lot of moving scenes and dark themes in the film. Lomper is a particularly tragic character, and scenes that were originally humorous now contain an element of sadness upon rewatching.
Years later, I still smile at the movie’s final scene though!
Now and Then (1995)
I LOVE this movie! It focuses on four women in their 30s and explores their experiences of growing up together in the 1970s. Naturally, I related far more to the younger versions of the four main female characters back when this movie first came out in 1995. The innocence of youth, the fun times, the challenges of puberty. It was an amazing experience watching it the first time around.
As an adult, I focus much more on the older versions of the characters and I realise that this film is a stark reminder of how quickly time goes by and the importance of friendship.
It’s also worth watching for the wonderful selection of 70’s tunes!
The Breakfast Club (1985)
If there’s any movie that deserves a rewatch as an adult, it’s this one. Now, I’ll admit – I haven’t actually seen the entire movie.
But…
I’ve seen enough to understand just how amazing it is to watch this movie as an adult. I first encountered this movie when I was in my teens. I’d heard of it of course, as it had already been out for 15 or 16 years by then.
But when I came across it on TV as a 16-year-old, I found it…boring. Teenage me much preferred movies with plenty of action and at first glance, The Breakfast Club seemed to be nothing more than a bunch of teenagers sitting in a classroom talking. And that’s exactly what it is.
Watching some scenes as an adult, though, this is a great example of a movie hitting differently. The discussions are more meaningful, and I find myself nodding in agreement when Allison utters the line “When you grow up, your heart dies.”
Never has a truer line been spoken in a movie.
