Why is the saxophone considered cheesy nowadays?

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ok. I stand corrected.

Oh okay thanks. Well the reason I thought of using the bass or baritone sax is because the tenor and alto are the ones that people seem to think are cheesy I am guessing?

That's true but do you need the sax to have a feminine voice to suggest a femme fatale sort of feeling? Some movie scores have femme fatale characters but use a baritone or bass sax such as Wild Things (1998) or Sin City (2005), unless you need a feminine sax for that?

Like does the bass sax here still give the same feeling?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIu1wYR5geU&t=1s

I would venture this solo singlehandedly is the culprit for the sax-cheese

Starts at 00:00:24
Did we just arrive in Wisconsin? That is a helluvalotta cheese

Lisa Simpson plays the sax. I always thought that was cool. According to a flashback episode, Homer bought it for her when she was only three because he and Marge were unable to enroll her in a school for gifted children. I always found it funny when Homer pronounces it "sax-a-mah-phone".

I think that it is not only the instrument that you choose, but the phrasing that you choose to play / program,
but also the rest of the composition and the production ethos.

I think the sax has got a reputation for being cheesy due to porno funk, as well as 80's film sound tracks.

Although, arguably, there is a market for that too. I know the instrumental hip hop of the mid 90s
was heavily influenced by music for porno's, mixed with some really well programmed intricate hip hop beats.

There was also loads of funk / funk fusion from the 60s and 70s that featured sax, as well as other horn instruments, that some lesser informed people may deem as cheesy, but was actually written and played by jazz / funk / fusion legends with the likes of James Brown and Bobby Byrd (Marcio Parker etc).

These tracks usually were more up beat than perhaps the slow 80s soundtrack with sax man playing in an alley way in a string vest on a sweltering hot summers day, with sweat dripping from his muscular body..., he turns his body in a provocative beckoning way, only to see a Cher lookalike dressed in nothing more than lingerie and a body hugging fish net body stocking... she winks at him, as her tongue slowly licks her top lip from one side to the next, and.... the saxophonist drops his saxophone... but the sax plays on....

yep. that's why sax is considered to be cheesy...
but hey, some great dance tracks that featured sax....

including Guru Josh, old skool raver anthem, (who's father incidentally used to be my dentist. another true story...).
Guru Josh Infinity

i think boots randolph was the best at combining sultry with raucous.

I mentioned earlier the 'body' of saxophone sometimes sounding a bit thin, here's a good case of the opposite (1:04) where it almost sounds as thick as a trumpet and it seems to be more about how was mixed / mastered, partly also that it's hitting lower notes:

Well since I wanted a femme fatale film noir sound like a sax, but wanted to avoid the sax coming off as cheesy, would a bass duduk give off a femme fatale feel since it kind of sounds like a baritone sax, but perhaps without any cheese that comes with the sax?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EViggv7wbg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uc7hk5JlXP0

I would say that if you want to avoid the sax sounding cheesy. you need to consider not only the phrasing of the saxophonist but what you include in the accompaniment as well as the production used.

There are some really soulful saxophonists through modern history, as well as some who are extremely technical, perhaps some of the most technical instrumentalists in modern history.

People such as Charlie "Bird" Parker.
Marceo Parker (played with James Brown and the J.B.s)
Courtney Pine

Yes, they say that the saxophone is the instrument that is closest to a skilled and soulful human voice.
Although has to be played with soul.

One of my favourite tracks was arranged by Fred Wesley, with Marceo Parker playing sax on.
Blessed Blackness Fred Wesley

Yes, people who think all music with sax in it is cheesy are ignorant morons. I grew up with some, who used to make similar snide remarks. because they quiet ignorantly thought their taste in music (which was poor quality underground punk) was miles better than all other music, so spent their entire time making snide bullying comments about everyone around them.

The funny thing however, is that the music that they were into was almost all really poor quality across the board.
Badly played excuse for punk (and most punk doesn't require much skill to play, that), crap lyrics, fat, ugly, and mostly stupid people with really crap attitudes towards everyone around them that aren't into what their into.

Some of the best reggae tracks in the world feature a horn section.
For example, the Skatalites.

Also, DnB, Intelligent Drum and Bass, Jazzy Drum and Bass went through a stage that they featured horns especially sax and trumpets.

Ronni Size for example. Photec early tracks. LTJ Bukem etc.

What about piano instead. Sax is overused, it's cliched.

Jessica Rabbit's introduction music isn't actually cheesy. It's a soft jazz piano tune.