11 Films So Politically Incorrect They Would Be Banned Today

11. Soul Man (1986)

While race relations in America had improved markedly in the forty five years between Dumbo and Soul Man, the latter still got away with a lot more than it ought to have. The concept is a simple one €“ a white student who cannot afford to attend Harvard Law School after being cut off by his rich father decides to overdose himself on tanning pills so as to be able to apply for a scholarship reserved for African American students. This could well have been a film that attacked the prejudices that black students in the United States faced in the 80s (and still face today), and it does scratch the surface of the debate at times, as Mark Watson discovers that his fellow students are less lenient than he imagined when it comes to accepting African Americans at the school. What you cannot get away from it this €“ C. Thomas Howell in black face. Heavily smothered in boot polish, you simply cannot take the film seriously, even as a comedy. The overt racism aside, the film is awful, the early promise of a decent, thought provoking story fading away as it heads down the low-brow, money making route.