Top 10 R-Rated Disney Movies That Push the Boundaries
Disney isn't only for the kiddos! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the more adult-oriented fare made (in part or whole) by companies owned by or distributed by Disney. Our countdown includes movies “High Fidelity”, “The Joy Luck Club”, “Starship Troopers” and more! What’s the wildest flick Disney ever covertly produced? Lay your answers on us in the comments!
Transcript
00:00I'm the messiah. I am Marvel Jesus.
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the more adult-oriented fare made, in part or whole, by companies owned by or distributed by Disney.
00:16This is your chance to be a hero among heroes.
00:22Number 10. The Rock
00:24The Rock is the most famous and was the most feared prison ever built.
00:28One consistent theme throughout this list would be how the Disney Corporation has historically circumvented associating its brand with R-rated fare via the establishment of sub-corporations.
00:37Specifically, television and film arms such as Hollywood Pictures enabled the House of Mouse to retain financial windfalls from adult entertainment while still keeping the Disney brand squeaky clean.
00:47Drop the gun, or I drop your boss.
00:50The Rock was one such picture, an early effort from director Michael Bay, that combined his stylish, creative past in music video and commercial production with slam-bang action cinema.
00:59It totally works, too, thanks to a cast that includes Nicolas Cage, Michael Biehn, Ed Harris, and Sir Sean Connery.
01:05You tell your men to safety their weapons, drop them on the deck.
01:07I cannot give that order!
01:08I am not going to repeat that order!
01:10I will not give that order!
01:11What the hell is wrong with you men?
01:13Number 9. Dead Presidents
01:15Hey, Cuddy.
01:18Came by to see you a little early, but you weren't home.
01:22This 1995 directorial effort from the Hughes Brothers was co-produced by Disney-owned Hollywood Pictures and was also distributed via the Mouse's own Buena Vista Pictures distribution.
01:31The film itself is a violent yet compelling tale of a disenfranchised Vietnam veteran whose financial and familial struggles push him to the breaking point.
01:39At 6.15 a.m., the truck pulls out of the post office at 149th and Grand Concourse.
01:45Now it makes one stop before it goes to D.C.
01:48The robbery scene that occurs in the climax of Dead Presidents is expertly executed and is a striking visual example of how it succeeds at combining character study with intense action.
01:57Who knew that the folks at Disney had it in them to distribute this kind of movie?
02:01Oh, man.
02:03Whoa!
02:05Hey, thanks, Kirby.
02:06Number 8. Starship Troopers
02:08Who here thinks they got what it takes to knock me down?
02:11It would be easy, on the surface level at least, to label 1997's Starship Troopers as simply another alien-focused action film.
02:18Yet director Paul Verhoeven's adaptation of the 1959 novel subverts expectations thanks to a smart screenplay by Edward Neumeier.
02:25Roughnecks killed more bugs than any other outfit on Big K.
02:28Yeah, well, I hear their lieutenants are real nutbuster.
02:34Who's Top K?
02:35The satire levels are on full blast here as Neumeier's script pokes holes in fascist and authoritarian ideologies while also never forgetting to be entertaining as heck.
02:44Oh, and Starship Troopers is unrepentantly violent to boot, echoing Neumeier and Verhoeven's past with Robocop while leaning into the horrors of warfare.
02:52It's wild to think about how this film was co-produced by Disney's Touchstone Pictures.
02:59Running low!
03:02I'm out!
03:04Here, make them count!
03:06Number 7. Pretty Woman
03:07Do I look okay?
03:10Something's missing.
03:11Isn't it crazy how certain films progress from the screenwriting stage to the finished product?
03:16The original idea for 1990's Pretty Woman had screenwriter J.F. Lawton envisioning a dark and comparatively gritty tale of a Los Angeles sex worker.
03:24Fast forward to the film's eventual production under director Gary Marshall, and you have one of the most successful romantic comedies in the 90's.
03:31What do you do, Edward?
03:32Because I know you're not a lawyer.
03:35Pretty Woman was a star-making turn for Julia Roberts, thanks to the light-hearted tone between her and co-star Richard Gere.
03:41Still, the fact that this film centered around sex work in the first place necessitated that Disney co-produced via Touchstone Pictures, rather than its home brand.
03:48Do you have anything in this shop as beautiful as she is?
03:51Oh, yes.
03:52Number 6. 25th Hour
03:54Champagne for my real friends, and real pain for my sham friends.
03:59Edward Norton can always be relied upon when it comes to delivering a compelling, even mesmerizing screen presence.
04:05Director Spike Lee pulled what's arguably one of the actor's best performances for 25th Hour,
04:09a film detailing a man's final days of freedom after being arrested and convicted on drug offenses.
04:14Excuse your honor, you know, what can I say? I messed up.
04:17Norton takes some of the best words from David Benioff's screenplay and makes them his own, especially with that monologue.
04:23Plus, 25th Hour was also notable for its post-9-11 NYC setting.
04:27The film was co-produced between Lee's own 40 Acres and a mule Filmworks and Touchstone Pictures, among others, and was distributed via Buena Vista.
04:35Out of business, Simon.
04:37Okay, take your John somewhere else. Leave me alone.
04:39Number 5. The Joy Luck Club
04:42Who said that R-rated fare needed to be nasty or violent to achieve the rating?
04:46The Joy Luck Club was lauded by many critics as one of the best films of the year back in 1993.
04:51Get out of my house.
04:54You heard me. Get out.
04:57That said, its dramatic tone and adult themes were never going to go the route of PG or PG-13 ratings.
05:03This was cinema for adults, with overarching themes of family, history, romance, and loss.
05:09Waverly took best quality crap.
05:12You took worst.
05:15Because you have best quality heart.
05:18Thus, an R rating was absolutely necessary in order to properly tell its story.
05:23The Joy Luck Club was distributed by Disney via Buena Vista, and produced solely under the creative arm of Hollywood Pictures.
05:29You think it is so easy.
05:32One day quit, next day play.
05:36Number 4. Good Morning Vietnam
05:39There are a lot of great movies by which to remember the enduring legacy of Robin Williams.
05:43This hit from 1987 has perhaps been forgotten by some over the years, which makes now the perfect time for some reinvestigation.
05:49Excuse me, sir.
05:51Seeing as how the VP is such a VIP, shouldn't we keep the PC on the QT?
05:55Because if it leaks to the VC, you can end up in MIA, and then we'd all be put on KP.
05:58Good Morning Vietnam was loosely based upon the life of a real person, former Air Force Sergeant and DJ Adrian Cronauer.
06:05Williams' performance clearly helped audiences connect with the story.
06:08Good morning Vietnam!
06:12Hey, this is not a test, this is rock and roll!
06:15However, both the language at play, as well as the wartime setting, made it virtually impossible for Good Morning Vietnam to pass rating boards without anything less than an R.
06:24Disney co-produced this venture through Touchstone Pictures.
06:26Welcome back.
06:28Thank you, Sergeant. I've missed you.
06:30Number 3. High Fidelity
06:32Jack Black was still rising in the comedy ranks when he co-starred with John Cusack in this comedy gem from 2000.
06:38Why don't you tell her about the store?
06:40Oh man, I'm sorry. I didn't know it was classified information.
06:43High Fidelity was adapted from a 1995 novel, and it honestly earns its R rating primarily due to its language.
06:49The film isn't super violent or too sexually explicit, but is instead a fun character piece about a music obsessive, his love life, and his career running a record store.
06:57How can someone who has no interest in music own a record store?
07:00Black steals a lot of scenes in High Fidelity.
07:02But, yeah, there's also a lot of cursing to be found here, so Disney was never going to slap Cinderella's castle on this bad boy.
07:09Well, that's unfortunate, because it sucks ass.
07:13Instead, the film was co-funded by Touchstone, and distributed by, you guessed it, Buena Vista.
07:19Number 2. Ed Wood
07:21There's admittedly a surface-level whimsy to 1994's Ed Wood.
07:28So perhaps in an alternate universe, it could have been released under the Disney name proper, but Wood himself worked within the exploitation movie industry.
07:35Yes, I'm Ed Wood. I'm here about directing the Christine Jorgensen picture.
07:38That, combined with the difficulties he and his peers faced, meant that this dramatized biopic required a layer of distance from the House of Mouse.
07:45Enter Disney's ever-reliable Touchstone Buena Vista tag team, and you have a recipe for director Tim Burton to work his magic.
07:51Ed Wood is an incredibly heartfelt work, and practically leaps from the screen with sincerity, warmth, and humor.
07:57Excuse me, sir?
07:59Yes?
08:01Well, I'm a young filmmaker and a real big fan. I just wanted to meet you.
08:06Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
08:10Nixon, Oliver Stone's dramatic presidential biopic.
08:13The government cannot survive with a counter-government inside it.
08:17I know how traitors operate. I've dealt with them all my life.
08:21Down and Out in Beverly Hills, earned Disney its very first MPAA R rating.
08:26Oh, Mr. Whiteman. Oh. Oh.
08:31You have to call me Dave.
08:33Romeo and Michelle's High School Reunion. Language earned this lovable flick an R rating.
08:37You know what? I bet that's not true. You were really unpleasant.
08:41G.I. Jane. Intense drama and language meant the Disney name was a no-go.
08:45What is your father's name?
08:49It's a simple question, lieutenant. No reason not to answer unless you want to bleed.
08:53Enemy of the State, a high-intensity espionage action flick from director Tony Scott.
08:58What do you think it is?
09:00It looks a lot bigger than the tape.
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09:19Here's a question. Is 1993's Tombstone the best modern western ever made?
09:24Those men you killed were my friends.
09:28I'm just a nothing but if I wasn't I'd fight you right now so I don't want to talk to you.
09:32This epic flick from director George P. Cosmatos and screenwriter Kevin Jarre
09:36certainly possesses a tendency to top lists of that type.
09:39It's no wonder, considering its stellar ensemble cast, startling violence, and endlessly quotable dialogue.
09:44I'm your huckleberry.
09:48That's just my game.
09:50There's a style at play here that's slick, perhaps less stodgy than westerns of old,
09:54making it a perfect entry point for younger viewers to appreciate the genre.
09:58Make no mistake, however, the action here is intense, and not for the faint of heart.
10:02Come on, now.
10:05Well, howdy, friend.
10:07This essentially means that Disney needed to co-produce this thing under Hollywood Pictures
10:11while also handling the North and South American distribution via Buena Vista.
10:15What's the wildest flick Disney ever covertly produced?
10:18Lay your answers on us in the comments.
10:20You're smiling. Huh. Is that a smile?
10:23You think this is funny?
10:25Did you enjoy this video?
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