36 Best ’90s Movies You Can Watch Right Now
While people talk about the auteur revolution of the 1970s or the warm, populist glow of the neon-drenched films of the 80s, the 1990s were an incredibly confident time in filmmaking. Romantic comedies have become deeper and darker; Black filmmakers were coming to the fore and telling their own stories; and technology has advanced to such an extent that things that were never possible before suddenly appeared on the screen. Plus, this was still an era when a mega-blockbuster could be an Edwardian period drama set on a ship with not a single superhero in sight. Strange days, indeed.
Boyz in the Hood (1990)
Writer-director John Singleton’s debut earned him an Academy Award nomination, and the film’s reputation has only grown over time. The film follows Tre (Cuba Gooding Jr.), who is sent to live with his father (Laurence Fishburne) in South Central Los Angeles, where he is beset by the pressures of ’90s gang culture.
Where to watch: The Roku Channel, Fubo.
Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
It’s easy to forget that Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan don’t date each other for almost the entire film, their chemistry is so memorable. A child’s plea (on a 1990s-style radio talk show) for a new girlfriend for his grieving father culminates in a memorable meeting at the Empire State Building.
Where to watch: Hulu
Groundhog Day (1993)
Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell are absolutely delightful in this holiday fantasy about a nervous weatherman who learns to be a little better while living day after day (day after day) in a small town.
Where to watch: Netflix
Waiting to Exhale (1996)
Opening mid-decade, this Terry McMillan adaptation about the power of female friendship features a superb cast led by Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine and Lela Rochon.
Where to watch: digital rental.
Dazed and Confused (1993)
Writer-director Richard Linklater’s surprisingly smart high school stoner movie , Dazed and Confused follows a group of rowdy Austin teenagers on the last day of school in 1976. The cast is great and the 70’s soundtrack is pretty good too.
Where to watch: Hulu
Terminator 2 (1991)
James Cameron reteamed Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger for an action sequel that took everything that was good about the first film and upped the ante. A deeply engrossing sci-fi spectacle.
Where to watch: Paramount+, Showtime, Fubo.
Sister Act 2: Out of Habit Again (1993)
Both Sister Act films are great, but if you’re looking for a ’90s vibe, this one sees Whoopi Goldberg’s Deloris Van Cartier reassemble the group (the nuns) to save a town school that’s facing closure. It all culminates in a stage performance featuring jams, baggy overalls, white boy rap and Lauryn Hill. This will be a primary source for historians of that era.
Where to watch: Disney+.
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
The illusion of the footage found here was so convincing that people believed they were watching the real thing. Of course, now we are much less gullible.
Where to watch: Paramount+
Watermelon Woman (1996)
In Cheryl Dunye’s independent rom-com, Cheryl explores the story of a fictional movie star from the black golden age while searching for love and trying to hold down a job at a video store. The film explores complex themes without succumbing to self-seriousness.
Where to watch: Paramount+, Showtime, Fubo.
Jurassic Park (1993)
Steven Spielberg’s dino drama remains a favorite. What’s even more shocking is that the special effects remain impressive despite decades of innovation. Still the best dinosaur rampage movie ever.
Where to stream: Peacock
Fugitive (1993)
An indelible performance from Harrison Ford, even in a one-off. Based on a 1960s TV show, it was part of a series of ’90s reboots that worked.
Where to watch: Tubi
The Addams Family (1991)
Director Barry Sonnenfeld and company had a lot of fun turning The Addams Family lore into a full-blown tribute to weirdness—just when we needed it most. Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd and Christina Ricci lead the cast.
Where to watch: Paramount+
The Brady Bunch (1995)
The (very stupid) joke is that the stupid Brady family from a 70’s sitcom are living their pseudo-punk 90’s lives. It doesn’t have to work in feature-length format, but its commitment to episodes—and replicating the look of the beloved sitcom—makes it a camp classic.
Where to watch: Paramount+, Prime Video, MGM+.
Poetic Justice (1993)
John Singleton followed Boyz N the Hood with this softer romantic drama starring Janet Jackson and Tupac Shakur.
Where to watch: Pluto.
First Wives Club (1996)
It’s no Shakespeare, but Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn and Diane Keaton have a lot of fun as three divorced women seeking revenge on the husbands who left them for younger women. The ending, set to “You Don’t Own Me,” is hilarious.
Where to watch: Showtime, Fubo, Paramount+.
GoldenEye (1995)
After several dark adventures with 007, Pierce Brosnan brought the film the right mix of style and action with a lighter touch – just what Bond fans were looking for. Extra points for introducing Judi Dench as a new generation of M.
Where to watch: Prime Video
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998)
One of the greatest rom-coms of the decade has the requisite tragic backdrop from which emerges not only a great romance but also some very memorable Bollywood dance numbers.
Where to watch: Netflix, Prime Video.
Princess Mononoke (1997)
Another of Hayao Miyazaki’s triumphs , Princess Mononoke, takes place in a medieval fantasy Japan. Ashitaka becomes infected from an animal attack and searches for a natural cure – only to discover that humanity’s activities have angered the gods and upset the natural balance. If this is not the director’s best film, it is the best reflection of his talents.
Where to stream: Max
Run Lola Run (1998)
Lola (Franka Potente) urgently needs 100,000 German marks. She has 20 minutes to get the money and save the life of her merchant boyfriend Munny from his boss. So she runs. And when she fails to get the money the first time, she tries again, literally going through different scenarios until she finds a way to get the money.
Where to watch: digital rental.
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Quentin Tarantino made a splash with his non-linear, retro-styled neo-noir, endlessly quotable and filled with memorable scenes. Uma Thurman is phenomenal, but there are no weak links in this large ensemble.
Where to stream: Max
Ghost in the Shell (1995)
Ghost in the Shell uses a rather clever combination of CGI and cel-animation as cyborg agent Major Motoko Kusanagi pursues a man who is hacking a mind. Like Blade Runner before it, the film explores the nature of human consciousness and the idea that we may be just another kind of machine.
Where to watch: Prime Video, Tubi, Freevee
Election (1999)
Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick are the perfect foils in this edgy comedy. Sure, it pokes fun at high school life, but the film is also as pointed a critique of American politics as you’re likely to find in a mainstream film.
Where to watch: Max, Kanopy
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Tim Burton was at the peak of his career when he directed this very strange but very sweet fable, which also served as Vincent Price’s swan song.
Where to stream: Max
The Fifth Element (1997)
Speaking of weird, this sci-fi story about a taxi driver (Bruce Willis) tasked with rescuing the girl who could be the salvation of humanity (Milla Jovovich) is full of high concepts, low comedy and cosmic arias. It doesn’t always all come together, but there is such an abundance of imagination at work here that it’s hard not to sit back and enjoy it.
Where to watch: Tubi
Dead Presidents (1995)
Returning from Vietnam and unable to find work back home in the Bronx, a group of friends led by Anthony Curtis (Larenz Tate) plans a thrilling bank robbery. It is loosely based on a true story.
Where to watch: Paramount+, Showtime, Fubo.
Pointless (1995)
Having already made one of the best teen comedies of the 1980s, writer-director Amy Heckerling pulled a similar trick with this coming-of-age comedy based on Jane Austen’s Emma , set among the popular kids in Beverly Hills.
Where to watch: Paramount+, Pluto
Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion (1997)
Our prospects (Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow) approaching 30 have not yet achieved significant significance, so they decide to improve their resume – with mixed results. Sorvino and Kudrow are so charmingly stupid here that it’s impossible not to root for them against the mean girls. Despite all the comedy, the film convincingly proves that it is better to be a slacker than an ambitious jerk.
Where to watch: digital rental.
Love Jones (1997)
The chemistry between Larenz Tate and Nia Long is off the charts after they meet at a Chicago club. Their passionate connection is threatened by an old relationship and her impending move to New York.
Where to stream: Max
The Ring (1998)
Before the very good American remake, there was an excellent Japanese original about a mysterious film that curses its viewers to death over the course of seven days. The image of Sadako crawling out of the TV is indelible.
Where to watch: Shudder, Tubi, Arrow
Malcolm X (1992)
Spike Lee brings his signature directorial style to this epic, ensuring that it is more than your average biopic. Denzel Washington is completely lost in the title role.
Where to watch: Paramount+, Showtime, Fubo.
Baby (1995)
Mad Max director George Miller has created this big-hearted yet darkly comic barnyard fable for all ages. It had such an impact that star James Cromwell immediately gave up eating meat.
Where to watch: Starz
Heat (1995)
Michael Mann’s crime drama pits an LAPD detective against a career criminal, and their cat-and-mouse game reveals they’re as similar as they are different. Al Pacino and Robert De Niro are at the top of their careers.
Where to watch: Netflix
Scream (1996)
Wes Craven has reinvented the slasher film with this funny, gory, and smart film that breaks and shatters everything we love about the genre. We’re still living in the horror movie world that Craven created, and not just because the franchise is still going strong, stronger than ever.
Where to watch: Paramount+, Fubo
Menace Society II (1993)
The Hughes brothers’ early masterpiece, Menace , believably recreates the world of the era’s Watts and Crenshaw neighborhoods of Los Angeles, as Tyreen Turner’s Kane tries to escape violence only to find himself drawn deeper into it.
Where to watch: Tubi
White Men Can’t Jump (1992)
Wesley Snipes gives a smart and funny performance in this basketball-themed comedy-drama, as does Woody Harrelson, although of course Rosie Perez steals every scene she’s in. It was one of director Stanley Kubrick’s favorite films .
Where to stream: Max
Titanic (1997)
In today’s world of blockbusters designed to be as comfortable and safe as possible, be the film that made an entire generation of moviegoers weep loudly.
Where to watch: Paramount+