For all the talk about the auteur revolution of the 1970s, or the warm, populist glow of neon-draped cinema in the '80s, the '90s were an incredibly defining time for filmmaking. Romantic comedies get deeper and darker. Black filmmakers are coming to the forefront to tell their stories; technology has advanced to the point where things that were previously impossible are suddenly appearing on screen. Plus, in those days, a super blockbuster might have been an Edwardian drama that took place on a ship and didn't have a single superhero in sight. Strange days, indeed.
Boyz n the Hood (1990)
Writer-director John Singleton's debut feature earned him an Academy Award nomination, and the film's reputation has only grown over time. The film tells the story of Trey (played by Cuba Gooding Jr.) who is sent to live with his father (played by Laurence Fishburne) in South Central Los Angeles, surrounded by the pressures of 90s gang culture.
Where to stream: Netflix
Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
It's easy to forget that Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan don't even see each other for almost the entire movie - that's how unforgettable their chemistry is. A kid pleads (on a '90s radio talk show) to find his grieving father a new girlfriend, culminating in an unforgettable meeting at the Empire State Building.
Where to stream: Max
Groundhog Day (1993)
Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell are delighted with this holiday fantasy about an unstable meteorologist who learns to live in a small town day after day. How to become a better person.
Live broadcast location: Fubo
Waiting to Exhale (1996)
Terry McMillan's adaptation of the film, which begins in the mid-20th century and tells the story of the power of female friendship, stars Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett ), Loretta Devine and Lela Rochon lead one of the greatest casts in history.
Where to play: Hulu
Crow (1994)
Despite, or perhaps because of, its behind-the-scenes tragedy, Brandon Lee's look and performance made the film a touchstone for an entire generation of ragged, moody goth kids. Director Alex Proyas’ signature visual style is on full display here.
Where to play: Prime Video
Dazed and Confused (1993)
"Dazed and Confused" is a surprisingly smart high school junkie movie written and directed by Richard Linklater, about a group of rowdy Austin teenagers on the last day of school in 1976. The cast is great and the 70s soundtrack is good too.
Where to Stream: Digital Rental
Terminator 2 (1991)
James Cameron reunites Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger for a sequel to his action blockbuster that takes everything that was great about the first film and kicks it up a notch. A deeply satisfying sci-fi spectacle.
Where to stream: Paramount+, Showtime, Fubo
Sister Act 2: Back to Habit (1993)
Both Sister Act movies are great, but if you're looking for a '90s vibe, this one involves Whoopi Goldberg's Deloris Van Cartier Put the band of nuns back together to save a city school facing closure. It all culminates in a stage show that includes jamming, baggy overalls, white rap, and Lauryn Hill. This would become a primary source for historians of the era.
Where to stream: Disney+
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
The video hallucinations found here are so convincing that people believe they are watching the real thing. Of course, we are less gullible now.
Where to watch: The Criterion Channel, Mubi, Freevee
Watermelon Woman (1996)
Cheryl Dunye's indie romantic comedy follows Cheryl as she explores the history of a fictional black Golden Age movie star while searching for love and trying to keep her job at a video store. The film explores complex themes without ever succumbing to self-seriousness.
Where to watch: The Criterion Channel, Showtime
Candyman (1992)
In an era when black characters in horror movies were almost always victims, Tony Todd's creepy, seductive Daniel Robitaille stalks Chicago's Cabrini-Green housing projects, setting the scene for the past. Revenge of racial violence and the recovery of lost love.
Where to Stream: Digital Rental
Mulan (1998)
One of the film's catchiest songs asks to "be a man," but it has a double meaning: Our protagonist is a young woman taking her father's place and defending the Chinese Empire from the Huns. Slightly underrated, at least on the Disney side, it's a very fun and action-packed musical that proves that women can do anything a man can do , and that cross-dressing is a completely viable path to success.
Where to stream: Disney+
Office Space (1999)
" King of the Hill" is only a few seasons old, and fans of Mike Judge's "Beavis and Big Head" may not be expecting the kind of biting satire that "Office Space" has to offer. If anything, the film's take on the meaningless formalities and hoarding of staplers that make up the world of the modern white-collar worker is more accurate now than ever.
Where to stream: Max
Jurassic Park (1993)
Steven Spielberg's dinosaur drama remains beloved. What's even more shocking is that despite decades of innovation, the special effects are still impressive. Still a movie where dinosaurs go on the rampage.
Where to stream: Netflix
The Fugitive (1993)
Harrison Ford's performance is memorable, even if it's a one-off. The show was adapted from the 1960s TV show and was part of a series of successful reboots in the 1990s.
Where to Stream: Digital Rental
The Addams Family (1991)
Director Barry Sonnenfeld and his team have a ton of fun expanding on the lore of The Addams Family into a full-on homage to the bizarre—just when we need it most. Starring Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd and Christina Ricci.
Where to stream: Paramount+
The Brady Bunch Movie (1995)
There's a (very silly) joke here, which is that the goofy Brady Bunch from this '70s sitcom are living a pseudo-punk '90s existence. It's not supposed to work at feature length, but the commitment to detail - and replicating the look and feel of the beloved sitcom - makes it a camp classic.
Where to stream: Paramount+, Prime Video, MGM+
Poetic Justice (1993)
John Singleton follows up Boyz N the Hood with this softer romantic drama starring Janet Jackson and Tupac Shakur Tupac Shakur's performance is impressive and touching.
Where to Stream: Digital Rental
The First Wives Club (1996)
It's not Shakespeare, but it's hilarious, starring Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn and Diane Keaton as three divorced women seeking revenge on the husbands who abandoned them for young women. The ending, "You Don't Own Me," deserves a cheer.
Where to watch: Showtime, Paramount+
GoldenEye (1995)
After some of 007's darker adventures, Pierce Brosnan delivers just the right blend of style and action with a touch of levity that Bond fans are looking for. The introduction of Judi Dench is an added bonus for the new generation of M.
Where to Stream: Digital Rental
Kuchikuchihota Sea (1998)
One of the greatest romantic comedies of the decade has a necessary tragic set-up that not only builds to a great romance, but also several very memorable Bollywood dance sequences.
Where to stream: Netflix, Prime Video
Princess Mononoke (1997)
Another of Hayao Miyazaki's triumphs , "Princess Mononoke" is set in a fantasy medieval Japan. Ashitaka becomes infected during an animal attack and seeks a natural cure, only to discover that human activity has angered the gods and disrupted the balance of nature. If this isn't the director's best work, it's the one that best sums up his talent.
Where to stream: Max
Run Lola Run (1998)
Lola (Franka Potente) needs 100,000 DM, and fast. She has 20 minutes to get the money and save the life of her agent boyfriend Manny from her boss. So she ran away. When she couldn't get the money the first time, she would try again, trying different scenarios one by one until she found a way to get the money.
Where to Stream: Digital Rental
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare (1996)
After directing the extraordinary Strictly Ballroom , Baz Luhrmann made a big move into the mainstream by returning to Shakespeare. His signature style blended operatic beauty with dynamic cinematography, and it's all on full display here, with the help of then-teen idols Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. Brings a new perspective to this tragedy.
Where to stream: Paramount+, Hulu, Showtime
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Quentin Tarantino made a huge splash with this retro-style, endlessly quotable, non-linear neo-noir filled with unforgettable scenes. Uma Thurman is phenomenal, but there is no weak link in this huge ensemble.
Where to stream: Max
Ghost in the Shell (1995)
Ghost in the Shell is a rather clever blend of computer animation and cartoon animation, with the cyborg agent Major Motoko Kusanagi stalking a hacker thinker. Like Blade Runner before it, the film explores the nature of human consciousness and the idea that we might just be another kind of machine.
Where to stream: Prime Video, Tubi, Freevee
Blade (1998)
Before there were Marvel movies, Blade starred Wesley Snipes as a thoroughly badass protagonist: a vampire who could walk in daylight and hunted the world's more obviously evil vampires for laughs. The film was suitably gory and endlessly stylish, and led to an even better sequel directed by Guillermo del Toro.
Where to stream: TNT, TBS, TruTV
Tornado (1996)
Nothing particularly groundbreaking here, just an engaging and very effective disaster movie in which Bill Paxton, Helen Hunt, and Philip Seymour Hoffman drive into a storm with trash flying in the air. Featuring a solid cast and a slightly more grounded premise than some of the decade's other big action blockbusters, it's a little smarter than many of its contemporaries.
Where to Stream: Digital Rental
Election (1999)
Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick are perfect opposites in this edgy comedy. Sure, it satirizes high school life, but the film also offers as pointed a critique of American politics as you'd see in mainstream movies.
Live broadcast location: Max, Kanopy
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
It seems like every generation has its own Tom Ripley: adaptations of Patricia Highsmith's novel series are perhaps more common than audiences realize: Purple Noon , The American Friend and John Malkovich Ripley's Game starring Ripley is just a few examples, alongside spiritual successor Saltburn , and joining the cast of the upcoming Netflix series Ripley . Under Anthony Minghella's confident, stylish direction, the man navigates a sea of sociopaths with ease, bringing a sense of denial and likability to Matt Damon's Ripley, a A killer and a liar, you almost feel sorry for him.
Where to watch: Showtime
Se7en (1995)
Director David Fincher makes a splash with this ultra-stylish, ultra-stomach-inducing serial killer drama, starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman as a pair of detectives tracking a murderer in a traditional way. Based on the seven deadly sins. Fincher’s neo-noir style, and almost unparalleled ability to outrage audiences, heightens the shock value of what might otherwise be a chilling film.
Where to stream: Max
Happy Together (1997)
Wong Kar Wai's romantic drama stars Leslie Cheung and Tony Leung as lovers in Buenos Aires whose relationship is extremely intense and, frankly, ill-conceived. There's not much plot here, but there's no need: the two are hypnotic, as are Wong Kar-Wai's impeccable pacing and Christopher Doyle's cinematography.
Live broadcast location: Max, The Criterion Channel
Showgirl (1995)
Like most of Paul Verhoeven's other films, we can view his notoriously trashy films as dark satire, or as an unintentional camp. Either way, it's a lot of fun, and although it quickly gained a reputation as trash, it's more enjoyable to watch than many other better-reviewed films.
Where to watch: The Criterion Channel, Tubi
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Tim Burton was at the top of his game when he directed this extremely weird but very sweet fable that also became Vincent Price's swansong.
Where to stream: Max
The Fifth Element (1997)
Speaking of weird: This sci-fi novel about a taxi driver (Bruce Willis) who is tasked with rescuing a girl (Milla Jovovich) who might be humanity's savior is full of lofty themes. Concepts, lowbrow comedy and outer space arias. Everything doesn't always tie together, but there's so much imagination here that it's hard not to sit back and enjoy it.
Where to stream: AMC+
Dead President (1995)
After returning from Vietnam and unable to find work at home in the Bronx, a group of friends led by Anthony Curtis (Larenz Tate) plot a suspenseful bank robbery. It's loosely based on a true story.
Where to watch: Peacock
Clueless (1995)
Writer-director Amy Heckerling, who already made one of the most influential teen comedies of the 1980s, adopts the same approach in this coming-of-age comedy based on Jane Austen's Emma took a similar approach, set among the popular kids of Beverly Hills.
Where to stream: Paramount+
Romy and Michelle's high school reunion (1997)
Our protagonists (Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow) are almost 30 years old and haven't accomplished much yet, so they decide to bolster their resumes, with mixed results. Sorvino and Kudrow are so mesmerizingly silly here that it's impossible not to root for them against the mean girls. Of all the broad comedies, this movie does a great job of illustrating that it's better to be a slacker than an ambitious asshole.
Where to Stream: Digital Rental
Love Jones (1997)
After Larenz Tate and Nia Long met at a Chicago club, their chemistry was off the charts. Their passionate connection is threatened by an old relationship and her impending move to New York.
Where to stream: Paramount+
The Ring (1998)
Before this excellent American remake, there was the excellent Japanese original, about a mysterious tape that cursed the viewer to death for seven days. The image of Sadako crawling out of the television is indelible.
Where to play: Shudder, Tubi, Arrow
Malcolm X (1992)
Spike Lee brings his signature directorial style to this epic film, ensuring it's far more than a typical biopic. Denzel Washington completely disappears into the title role.
Where to Stream: Digital Rental
Before Sunrise (1995)
Richard Linklater tells the story of Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy), two people who meet on a train and spend a night wandering the streets of Vienna, Talk about life and love. That's all there is to it, but it's written and acted with so much intelligence and emotion that it honestly feels like we've had a very filling meal indeed, surpassed only by its better 2004 sequel.
Where to Stream: Digital Rental
Friday (1995)
Craig and Smokey (Ice Cooper and Chris Tucker) are just two guys hanging out looking for something to do. They should be careful about how they express their wishes, because on this impossible Friday, they'll be embroiled in break-ins, shootouts, and overly hungry priests. Like all the best buddy/junkie comedies, it's all silly fun.
Where to play: Tubi
Baby (1995)
Mad Max director George Miller co-created this hearty yet darkly comedic all-ages farm fable with Chris Noonan (who scored two Oscar nominations here) . It was so influential that star James Cromwell immediately gave up eating meat.
Live broadcast location: Starz
Heat (1995)
Michael Mann's crime drama follows an LAPD detective and a career criminal, whose cat-and-mouse game reveals they are both similar and different. Al Pacino and Robert De Niro are in their mid-career primes.
Where to play: Hulu
Scream (1996)
Wes Craven reinvented the horror movie with this fun, bloody, smart film that breaks everything we love about the genre. We're still living in the horror movie world Craven created, and not just because the series is still going strong and stronger than ever.
Where to stream: Max
Threat II Society (1993)
The Hughes brothers' early masterpiece "The Menace" believably recreates the world of Los Angeles's Watts and Crenshaw neighborhoods of that era, with Taryn Turner's Kane trying to escape violence only to find himself drawn deeper into it. .
Where to play: Tubi
White People Can't Jump (1992)
Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson deliver smart, funny performances in this basketball-themed comedy, and of course, Rosie Perez steals every scene she's in . This is one of director Stanley Kubrick's favorite films.
Where to stream: Max
Party Girl (1995)
An irresponsible club kid (the absolutely unforgettable Parker Posey) is bailed out of jail by her librarian godmother (who hosts an illegal orgy) and forced to get a job cataloging books in order to make Her life is back on track. It's a very funny indie comedy and a surprisingly authentic representation of the rave culture of the time, showcasing some real diversity and eschewing all the usual tropes.
Where to watch: Peacock, The Criterion Channel, Tubi, Freevee
Titanic (1997)
In the world of the modern blockbuster, blockbusters are designed to be as comforting and non-threatening as possible, a film that makes an entire generation of moviegoers sob loudly.
Where to stream: Paramount+, Apple TV+
