The dawn of the 2020s means that the year 1990 was officially 30 years ago. That’s a hard pill to swallow for many. Adulthood is in full swing for most ’90s kids now, which means many of them will be looking for ways to escape into the wonderful world of 1990s nostalgia. What better way to do so than through the magic of movies that have aged to perfection over the past 20-30 years?
The decade of the 1990s brought with it piles of great movies. Filmmakers like Stephen Spielberg, James Cameron, and Quentin Tarantino churned out some of the biggest movies of their careers. Today, most of those movies not only hold up but have evolved into prime examples of what life in the 1990s was like. So, here are 10 beloved films that have gone on to become the perfect period pieces about the 1990s.
Boyz n the Hood (1991)
This tragically realistic portrayal of life in the segregated and impoverished neighborhoods of South Central LA in the early 1990s was released at a time when racial tensions were at an all-time high, especially in Los Angeles.
Following the lives of three young men and the different paths their lives take, Boyz n the Hood represents a painful representation of the racism, violence, and systemic poverty that plagued America in the time leading up to the 1992 LA riots, and still plagues America to this day.
Pulp Fiction (1994)
It’s hard to talk about 1990s cinema without mentioning Pulp Fiction. Quentin Tarantino saw a good deal of success with Reservoir Dogs, but he hit the ball out of the park with Pulp Fiction.
Featuring an iconic dance scene with John Travolta and Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson in typical f-bomb-slinging form, Bruce Willis wielding a samurai sword, Ving Rhames with a still unexplained bandage on his neck, and a mysterious, glowing briefcase, Pulp Fiction took unique concepts and combined them with plenty of ’90s tropes to create a beautiful study of 1990s culture.
Pretty Woman (1990)
A businessman hires a prostitute to accompany him to social events but eventually finds himself falling in love with her. The plot of Pretty Woman wasn’t incredibly unique for a ’90s drama, but Julia Roberts’s portrayal of Vivian quickly became an iconic heroine of the decade, and her fashion now perfectly embodies the styles of the ’90s.
From floral print robes, to crop tops and mini skirts, to pinstriped pantsuits, to ruby red gowns, Vivian is now an icon for 90s fashion.
Scream (1996)
A year after the death of a young girl’s mother, a sadistic serial killer begins terrorizing her and her friends through the use of creepy phone calls and horror movies. The 1990s saw a dramatic increase in campy, teenage, slasher movies, and Scream was the absolute epitome of the genre.
Starring 1990s icons like Drew Barrymore, Neve Campbell, and Courtney Cox and featuring one of the most iconic masks of all time, this classic will go down as horror movie royalty. Anyone wanting to know what it was like to be a teenager in a 1990s horror film needs to see Scream.
Matilda (1996)
Before he started blastin’, Danny DeVito was the jerk father of Matilda, a little girl who discovers she has telekinetic powers and uses them to stand up to her cruel parents and a sadistic school principle. What sounds like a Carrie rip-off turned out to be one of the most enchanting family-friendly movies of the decade.
Anti-bullying campaigns experienced increased support in the 1990s, and movies like this helped to spread the message to a wider audience in a fun way. From the music, to the special effects, to the horrific cake scene, Matilda remains the gold standard of feel-good movies from the 1990s.
Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)
Bruce Willis is considered to be one of Hollywood’s most iconic tough guys. That title wasn’t given to him, though. It was earned by single-handedly thwarting a terrorist attack on the fictional Nakatomi Plaza in 1988, and then taking on a team of rogue military operatives as they attempted to take over Dulles International Airport, and then playing a dangerous game of Simon Says with a terrorist planning to rob the Federal Reserve.
Bruce Willis established himself as a badass in the first Die Hard, but it wasn’t until Die Hard with a Vengeance that the world realized just how much of a lovable badass he could be. Teaming up with Samuel L. Jackson to take down Jeremy Irons, Die Hard with a Vengeance remains a staple of 1990s action movies, and should be studied in history classes.
Home Alone (1990)
When an eight-year-old boy’s family accidentally leaves him home alone for the holidays and burglars attempt to break into his house, he decides to take matters into his own hands. With a premise that would only work as a family movie in the 1990s, Home Alone is a perfect example of how the world has changed in the last 30 years.
Leaving a child home alone for several days while Joe Pesci tries to break in could be a great thriller in 2020, but in 1990, it was a hilarious adventure full of pranks, jokes, lines that are still quoted today, and a plethora of ’90s Christmas sweaters.
Never Been Kissed (1999)
Making her second appearance on the list, albeit, in a very different role, Drew Barrymore was something of an icon in the 1990s. In Never Been Kissed, she plays a newspaper editor who goes undercover as a high school student to research a big story and falls for one of her teachers.
Never Been Kissed is a classic romantic comedy that features a classic portrayal of ’90s high school. Bullies, cliques, nerds, jocks, they’re all here in full form. What’s more, you have Drew Barrymore playing an unappreciated newspaper editor chasing a career-changing story and falling in love with a dreamy teacher who’s not like the others. As far as 1990s rom-coms go, Never Been Kissed embodies the genre like no other.
The Matrix (1999)
The 1990s, 1999 specifically, conjured up a lot of conversations about technology. The internet was hitting its stride, artificial intelligence was becoming more mainstream, and the new millennium was causing apocalyptic paranoia. So, it was only fitting that the decade ended with one of the most iconic dystopian sci-fi movies of all time.
The Matrix, while not technically set in the 1990s, was the epitome of ’90s sci-fi action. A computer hacker discovers that the reality around him is actually a simulation run by evil machines that have enslaved humans. For many people, the apocalyptic wasteland of The Matrix was right around the corner with the Y2K epidemic, and anyone wanting to experience that feeling should look no further than this Keanu Reeves-helmed masterpiece.
The Big Lebowski (1998)
It’s hard to imagine the 1990s without Jeff Bridges, and it’s hard to imagine Jeff Bridges without The Big Lebowski. He plays a white-Russian-drinking bowler who is mistaken for a millionaire and gets wrapped up in a massive, criminal scheme. “The Dude” became one of the most quotable icons of the ’90s, driving many to wear more robes and drink more milk-based cocktails.
What’s more, The Big Lebowski featured other big 1990s names, such as Julianne Moore, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and Tara Reid. With a cast like this, it’s impossible to ignore this hilarious, spectacular, 1990s period piece.
