# What were the best movies of the 1990's? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 13, 2009, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-1990s/502888 "2009-07-13T18:58:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![infinitii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e8c25b/32.png) [@infinitii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/infinitii)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-1990s/502888/21 "2009-07-13T21:02:48Z")
I don’t think my two favourites of the 90s have been mentioned yet: Natural Born Killers Magnolia I second (or third or fourth) 12 Monkeys, The Fifth Element, The Double Life of Veronique, and Short Cuts. There are SO many more, but I’d have to be looking at my DVDs to fill in the blanks. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-1990s/502888/22 "2009-07-13T21:25:26Z")
I’ll second Matrix, Shawshank Redemption, Goodfellas, and Groundhog Day. Also, the 1990s were the second period of great Disney animation - The Little Mermaid (1989) just missed, but what about Beauty and the Beast, Lion King, and the early Pixar efforts? Those films, and the great Japanese animation of the same era, revived a moribund genre. ETA: Red Barchetta mentioned the two Toy Story movies. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-1990s/502888/23 "2009-07-13T22:04:23Z")
A Few Good Men Crumb ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-1990s/502888/24 "2009-07-13T22:14:45Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > There’s also **Dark City** , which was basically a much smarter version of the **The Matrix** (and where the Wachowskis stole all the best concepts from). Yeah, because the concept in Dark City was totally original too… ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-1990s/502888/25 "2009-07-13T22:28:50Z")
Let me throw in _Rushmore_, IMO the pinnacle of Wes Anderson’s quirky directorial style and the best career performance by Bill Murray. Also, _Tombstone_ _Amelie_ _The Sixth Sense_ But I think the best of the decade was _Unforgiven_. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-1990s/502888/26 "2009-07-13T22:42:17Z")
Boogie Nights. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Credible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a8b319/32.png) [@Justin\_Credible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Credible)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-1990s/502888/27 "2009-07-13T22:47:43Z")
**Saving Private Ryan** ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-1990s/502888/28 "2009-07-13T23:45:09Z")
“Sling Blade,” “A Simple Plan,” and “The Apostle.” And yes, all three **did** have Billy Bob Thornton in them. So sue me. ---
**Author:** ![infinitii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e8c25b/32.png) [@infinitii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/infinitii)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-1990s/502888/29 "2009-07-14T00:03:35Z")
> [@infinitii](#): > > I don’t think my two favourites of the 90s have been mentioned yet: > > Natural Born Killers > Magnolia > > I second (or third or fourth) 12 Monkeys, The Fifth Element, The Double Life of Veronique, and Short Cuts. > > There are SO many more, but I’d have to be looking at my DVDs to fill in the blanks. Wow-- I forgot about “Irma Vep” from that list-- def in my top 5 of the decade. I’ll also throw in Kieslowski’s the Three Colours Trilogy, Any Given Sunday, Ashes of Time, and Breaking the Waves. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-1990s/502888/30 "2009-07-14T00:38:23Z")
Unforgiven. Definitely. Not just one of the best movies of the 90s, but IMHO one of the best movies, period. Saving Private Ryan, one of the best war movies ever made. Silence of the Lambs. The Usual Suspects. Great acting, great pacing, great writing. LA Confidential. Still one of Russell Crowe’s best roles. Pulp Fiction. Terminator 2. The Matrix. Ed Wood. Toy Story 2. Groundhog Day. Apollo 13. There’s probably more I’ve forgotten. The 90s were a good decade for movies. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-1990s/502888/31 "2009-07-14T00:54:54Z")
My top 10 would probably include the following Goodfellas Boogie Nights Fargo The Fugitive Terminator 2 And then there’s 1999 from which five of my picks come. That was a seminal year for movies, the likes of which we haven’t seen since. American Beauty Magnolia The Matrix Fight Club Office Space I’ll also throw out honorable mentions to 12 Monkeys, Dead Man Walking and The Shawshank Redemption. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-1990s/502888/32 "2009-07-14T01:07:48Z")
I just saw it mentioned in another post, and am reminded how well done “Go” was… The same story from multiple perspectives is always an interesting POV, and I thought that Go nailed it. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-1990s/502888/33 "2009-07-14T02:20:20Z")
**The Lion King** ---
**Author:** ![Mooch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mooch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mooch)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-1990s/502888/34 "2009-07-14T02:27:49Z")
Nobody else may include it, but I _love_ **The Hunt for Red October**. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-1990s/502888/35 "2009-07-14T03:12:54Z")
I’d forgotten Magnolia came out in 1999. I can’t believe I saw that in the theater 10 years ago! ---
**Author:** ![first\_time\_caller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecae2f/32.png) [@first\_time\_caller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/first_time_caller)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-1990s/502888/36 "2009-07-14T03:18:17Z")
My list: \*Casino Goodfellas Groundhogs Day Pulp Fiction Shawshank Redemption The Lion King Toy Story \* ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-1990s/502888/37 "2009-07-14T03:49:35Z")
I would include the screwball **Flirting With Disaster** , the dark [meat] comedy **Ravenous** , and the occult thriller **The Ninth Gate**. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-1990s/502888/38 "2009-07-14T04:08:10Z")
Don’t know if I would call some of the following the “best”, but they’re very re-watchable: Pulp Fiction Beauty and the Beast Silence of the Lambs Clerks Unforgiven JFK Forrest Gump Titanic Saving Private Ryan Apollo 13 Goodfellas T2 Boyz in the Hood Jurassic Park Schindler’s List Groundhog Day ID4 Twister Office Space Magnolia Reservoir Dogs Fargo Big Lebowski (that was '90s, right?) ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-1990s/502888/39 "2009-07-14T04:35:43Z")
From my Netflix ratings(out of 1,467 total ratings), I gave the following 90s movies either 4 or 5 stars: 5 Stars: Fight Club Groundhog Day Pulp Fiction Seven 12 Monkeys 4 Stars: American Pie Babe Braveheart Croupier Dead Man Face Off Falling Down Fifth Element Frequency Forrest Gump Friday Galaxy Quest LA Confidential Last Action Hero The Matrix Pleasentville Trois Couleurs: Rouge Sixth Sense South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut Speed Terminator 2 There’s Something About Mary Tombstone Total Recall Toy Story Toy Story 2 True Lies Usual Suspects Trois Couleurs: Blanc Shawshank Redemption Silence of the Lambs Saving Private Ryan ---
**Author:** ![Windwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/5e9695/32.png) [@Windwalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Windwalker)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-1990s/502888/40 "2009-07-14T04:50:22Z")
**Goodfellas** - Right up there with The Godfather as the best mob movie of all time. **Princess Mononoke** - With its breath-taking animation and surprisingly nuanced and mature handling of the various sides in the conflict, this is perhaps the greatest animated movie ever. **Schindler’s List** - Slightly over-dramatized, but still a masterpiece of human and epic storytelling. **Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels** - A heavily-stylized noir caper flick, it’s great fun to watch right from the start all the way through to the end, but it’s also carefully plotted and meticulously executed so as to make re-watching an endless treat. **Silence of the Lambs** - A psychological thriller that benefits from one of the most chilling performances of all time. **Being John Malkovich** - Bizarre, compelling, with fascinating characters and a great thought experiment executed magnificently. Extra points for the awesomely disturbing puppet show near the beginning. **Babe: Pig in the City** - A dark and clever adventure with that child-like sense of horror and wonder, probably the best talking animal movie ever. **The Shawshank Redemption** - It’s hard to imagine that a movie whose main theme is passing time with dignity could be so loved as to take the #1 spot in the IMDB. **Before Sunrise** - About 90% of this movie is two characters talking over a ~16 hour period, and it somehow manages to be one of the most convincing on-screen romances ever. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-1990s/502888.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-1990s/502888.md?page=3)