It is a rather quiet practice that at the close of an administration, the White House releases a list of the motion pictures that were screened by the president and his administration. This is not a complete list of all films shown at the White House, as there are times when other movie events are held, usually involving larger audiences. These can be special screenings staged in the Rose Garden, for example, and might involve those people connected to the film in attendance.

This post-administration list concerns just those titles that were screened in the East Wing theater at the behest of President Biden, and it raises many questions, especially for someone such as myself with a peculiar interest in movies. As one who appreciates bad films and discusses them with my co-host Paul Young on our podcast, Disasters in the Making, I looked at this list and had to ask: Does Joe Biden share my affinity for horrible cinema?

A look over these officially screened films shows a very mixed bag of selections. 

Seriously, why in the living world would anyone in the WH want to watch “The Real Cancun”?!?!?!?! pic.twitter.com/zpsE01Fq8P

— Lie-Able Sources (@LieAbleSources) January 24, 2025

Yes, this is a varied collection, from arthouse fare to some classics and some contemporary releases. There are a few pretentious entries, such as “Shortbus” and “Asako,” which feel like they were selected by some of the younger staffers. (Say, why don’t we let Colby pick this week's film?) But what grabbed my notice were the really curious titles that would be more likely to be seen in my living room.

Adam Sandler's films, to start, are generally lowbrow, but near the bottom of his filmography has to be his demonic comedy “Little Nicky.” The DC Comics ensemble “Justice League” is an amusing pick, while seeing “Alien Covenant” is baffling as that is a forgotten choice in that franchise, and you have to wonder who suggested the ribald animated romp “The Adventures of Drunky.” But two others truly are perplexing here.

“Southland Tales” is something of a legendary film in bad movie circles, a sprawling two-and-a-half-hour epic with a large cast of stars, and it makes absolutely no sense. Despite its budget and star power it never saw more than 63 movie screens, and that is for sound reasons. Just try to grasp this synopsis: During a three-day heat wave just before a huge 4th of July celebration, an action star stricken with amnesia meets up with a porn star who is developing her own reality TV project, and a policeman who holds the key to a vast conspiracy.

It is a glorious mess and something to behold, but just why was this chosen for a White House screening? It boggles the mind to be sure, but it does not stand as the oddest film on this list. Jumping off of the page to me was one that defies any explanation.

That movie would be “The Real Cancun.” When I was covering movies back in the day, this was a notorious release that was supposed to shake the entire industry, and instead it went off like a bottle rocket that a dog urinated on in a blizzard. There was tremendous hype and copious media coverage, and the movie was forgotten quicker than a rumor started in a kindergarten class. 

This came out at the crest of reality TV, and as the title hints, it was produced by a number of figures from the hit MTV series “The Real World.” This travesty followed a collection of college students set up in a villa in Cancun during Spring Break and detailed their hedonism over the course of a week or two. Touted as the first reality feature film (apparently documentaries never existed prior), this served up drinking, sex, wet t-shirt contests, and general bacchanalia, and it was supposedly going to alter Hollywood.

Many articles and movie reviews were written that all seemed to say the movie portended the end of cinema. The experts were convinced that this would be a smash hit film, that the studios would start belching out similar fare, and America would be coarsened as a result while Hollywood was to be altered. Entertainment Weekly declared, “Of such marketing ploys are movie revolutions made. If movies as they once were ever do get trumped by 'reality,' let it be said that this is what killed them.” The cast, such as it can be called, sat in with ABC News and fielded questions about how they would grapple with their impending fame. Their success was entirely assured.

Such was the promise that Universal was making its own reality teen sex romp, dubbed “The Quest,” and they were attempting to release it into theaters first to cash in. As a result, “Cancun” went into post-production overdrive, and the film was cut, finished, and sent to theaters while Spring Break was still ongoing, just 30 days after filming wrapped. All that was left was to sit back and count the money rolling in as the ruination of Hollywood took place.

Except the slack-jawed dupes of America disappointed the movie experts. Nobody cared. The movie debuted in 10th place its opening weekend, lost 75 percent of its meager business its second weekend, and by week 3, it was dropped from over 2,000 screens and disappeared from theaters in a month. The film was shot for a cheap $8 million, but this assured monster hit could not even earn back half of that figure. As a result, Universal’s competing film was completely discarded and few other similar attempts have even been considered.

So with this alleged movie being disregarded by audiences and forgotten to time, what in the name of all that is rational would compel the White House to screen this release about Tequila shots and twin blondes rubbing their naked selves together on a stage?! Not to suggest that I am in any way prudish, but were I watching this in attendance with President Biden the awkwardness would be swelling in that room to the point of obscuring the screen.

Just add this movie list to the pile of examples from the Biden years that simply defy explanation.