20 2000s Movies That Could Never Be Made Today

What else could be more anachronistic for our present sensibilities than Gary Oldman in the role of a lifetime…

Matthew Bright’s Tiptoes sees Matthew McConaughey’s Steven fall for Kate Beckinsale’s Carol in a paper-thin romance, but their happy days are soon to be devastated by Steven’s greatest secret: his entire family has dwarfism. Steven can’t bear for his child to be a dwarf, and this causes a lovers’ rift as Carol meets and becomes close with his family – including his twin brother Rolfe (Oldman) – and opts to keep the baby.

Now, the premise is bad enough - average-size man despises dwarfism enough to keep his family a secret and wants rid of his unborn child - but, even if this weren’t the case, Oldman is literally acting on his knees for the duration of the film, shuffling and hobbling around with shoes glued on. And this is a movie full of actors who really have dwarfism, including future superstar Peter Dinklage.

Why did Oldman agree to act on his knees? Why didn’t they get Dinklage to play the twin brother? And why, oh why, was it selected for the Sundance Film Festival? The only answer can be that this was the noughties, and the film community thought anything was fair game.

Well, you can be damned sure this wouldn’t get the money, the cast, or the go-ahead today; everyone involved is interested in keeping Tiptoes buried for a reason.