The 1990s were easily one of the best decades for movies. Even though many of these movies are over thirty years old, they still feel so fresh.
Blockbusters like Jurassic Park revolutionized special effects, erotic thrillers like Basic Instinct with Sharon Stone broke boundaries and comedies like Clueless have kept us laughing for years.
Watch With Us loves the movies of the ’90s, so we thought we’d put together a list of the ones we keep watching over and over and ranked them.
Our list includes the classic sequel Batman Returns, the Wes Anderson comedy Rushmore and the crime caper Fargo.
5. ‘Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion’ (1997)
High school best friends and perpetual party girls Romy (Mira Sorvino) and Michele (Lisa Kudrow) had big dreams for themselves when they were teenagers, but haven’t exactly accomplished any of them yet. When the girls learn about their impending ten-year high school reunion, they use the opportunity to show their classmates how much they’ve changed — by lying and claiming that they invented the Post-it note. But eventually, their lie spins out of control.
Only modestly successful upon release, Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion has gone on to become a beloved cult classic. Led by the bubble-headed charisma of Kudrow and Sorvino’s characters, the film is jubilant, funny and totally goofy in all the right ways. If you’re in a bad mood, Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion is the perfect pick-me-up that will make you smile throughout its 92-minute runtime.
4. ‘Batman Returns’ (1992)
The sequel to Tim Burton’s Batman follows the Dark Knight (Michael Keaton) as he faces off against three villains at once: the deranged crime boss the Penguin (Danny DeVito), the evil businessman Max Schrek (Christopher Walken) and Schrek’s timid assistant-turned-sexy Catwoman, Selina Kyle (Michelle Pfeiffer). Though things are further complicated by Batman and Catwoman’s attraction to one another, this concoction of terror threatens the stability of Gotham City during Christmastime.
Burton’s first Batman installment was already excellent, but Batman Returns improves on it in every way. Despite an admittedly cluttered narrative, the unique, distinctive production design, dark atmosphere, charismatic performances and chameleonic tone that oscillates between gothic horror, erotic thriller and playful comedy have rendered Batman Returns a truly singular vision. The film directly inspired directors like Christopher Nolan, Matt Reeves and even Robert Eggers’ design for Nosferatu.
3. ‘Rushmore’ (1998)
Overachieving teenager Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman) places all his time and effort into his multitude of extracurricular activities at Rushmore Academy, while allowing his academics to fall by the wayside. While under the threat of expulsion, Max befriends disillusioned father Herman Blume (Bill Murray), who becomes something of a mentor to Max. But when Max becomes obsessed with first-grade teacher Rosemary Cross (Olivia Williams), Max and Herman’s relationship strains against Herman’s romantic involvement with her.
Serving as the breakout for Schwartzman and the beginning of a career renaissance for Murray, Rushmore is a fantastically quirky coming-of-age story that positioned Anderson as a savant of off-kilter, droll comic sensibilities. In addition to being hilarious and buoyed by unforgettable chemistry between Schwartzman and Murray, Rushmore also showcases Anderson’s iconic style while exploring loss, loneliness and the complications of first love.
2. ‘Fargo’ (1996)
When car salesman Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) finds himself facing more debt than he knows how to handle, he turns to unorthodox methods to get himself out of it. Jerry hires two thugs named Carl (Steve Buscemi) and Gaear (Peter Stormare) to kidnap his wife (Kristin Rudrüd), so that her wealthy father will pay the ransom. However, the harebrained scheme is complicated when Gaear shoots a state trooper, sending police chief Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) on their trail.
Fargo is a crime comedy classic that gets better and funnier with every watch. You find new things to love in the unique performances of each actor, like the despair of Steve Park‘s Mike Yanagita and the pathetic desperation of Macy’s Lundegaard. The film is the perfect blend of the Coen brothers’ penchant for violence, dark humor and surprising emotion, and it was such a successful concoction that it spurred an award-winning FX anthology series of the same name.
1. ‘Jurassic Park’ (1993)
Paleontologists Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), and mathematician Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) are whisked away by billionaire John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) to see his brand-new, state-of-the-art amusement park that features an attraction unlike any other. With his team of scientists, Hammond has resurrected dinosaurs, and he brings in the group of experts to tour a trial run of the facilities. But despite insisting that everything is perfectly safe, “life, uh, finds a way,” and the park’s undoing threatens the safety of everyone there.
Jurassic Park may have helped the movie business take a turn for the worse when it comes to the kinds of mainstream films it churns out (big-budget CGI spectacles that have to demolish the box office), but the fact remains that Steven Spielberg‘s sci-fi adventure endures as an unparalleled work of fun and artistry. With iconic characters, an iconic score and iconic special effects that still manage to look fantastic over thirty years on, Jurassic Park may have killed the film industry, but at least it was a happy death.
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