Goodfellas Gets Trigger Warning By AMC
The 1990 biographical crime drama Goodfellas now comes with a trigger warning courtesy of AMC Networks due to its portrayal of “language and/or cultural stereotypes” that may be offensive to some viewers. The warning aims to alert viewers about content that does not align with modern standards of inclusion and tolerance.
A Different Time
The Goodfellas trigger warning likely refers to the film’s depiction of Italian-American mobsters, as well as the normalized misogyny of the time.
“This film includes language and/or cultural stereotypes that are inconsistent with today’s standards of inclusion and tolerance and may offend some viewers,” the cautionary message reads.
AMC also explains the reason for the Goodfellas trigger warning, reminding that it was “affixed to the movie during the height of Black Lives Matter riots when many businesses and cultural institutions made avoiding offense to various groups a core part of their missions.”
People who have come across the warning have not been pleased, blaming political correctness for its existence.
A Broader Trend
“The f**king political correctness has f**king taken everything away,” Bo Ditel, a former NYPD officer who played a police officer in the film, said in a statement via ScreenGeek.
“This is how life was back then. It was not a clean, beautiful thing. You can’t cleanse history. If you want to tell true history, you gotta tell it the way it is.”
Michael Franzese, a former mobster in the Colombo crime family, shared the sentiment, saying, “We don’t need anyone protecting mob guys. It’s crazy.”
While AMC’s decision to give Goodfellas a trigger warning has caused backlash, it reflects a broader trend in the entertainment industry where content disclaimers are being added to older films to address potentially offensive material.
Other Films
Unlike Goodfellas, The Godfather on AMC only received a standard “viewer discretion” warning about nudity, strong language, and violence rather than a specific trigger warning.
Gone With the Wind comes with a disclaimer, warning viewers about its outdated racial stereotypes and romanticized depictions of the Antebellum South and slavery.
The 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger contains “outdated racial stereotypes,” according to the British Film Institute, which issued trigger warnings for the film.
The 1941 Disney animated film Dumbo has a trigger warning for featuring crows with exaggerated African American speech and mannerisms, as well as the Song of the Roustabouts, which depicts racist caricatures of black workers.
Is It Warranted Here?
While some trigger warnings are warranted, the one attached to Goodfellas seems out of place since the movie is based on the true story of New York mobster Henry Hill, chronicling his life in the Lucchese crime family from 1955 to 1980.
Directed by Martin Scorsese, it stars Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, and Lorraine Bracco.
Goodfellas explores the lower levels of organized crime, showcasing the violent and destructive nature of the Mafia lifestyle.
The film debuted at the 47th Venice International Film Festival in September 1990, where Martin Scorsese earned the Silver Lion award for Best Director. It was later released in theaters via Warner Bros. Pictures.
Goodfellas Is An Acclaimed Classic
With a budget of $25 million, Goodfellas went on to earn $47 million at the box office. The movie was met with widespread acclaim upon its release, with critics dubbing it the high point of Martin Scorsese’s career.
The film earned six Academy Award nominations, including nods for Best Picture and Best Director, with Joe Pesci winning the award for Best Supporting Actor.
It also received five awards from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, including Best Film and Best Director. Furthermore, Goodfellas was awarded a place in the National Film Registry and is recognized as one of the greatest films of all time.
