# What were the best movies of the 90's? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 22, 2009, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-90s/518500 "2009-11-22T04:54:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-90s/518500/1 "2009-11-22T04:54:08Z")
The purpose of this thread is to get nominations for a poll on the ten best movies of the 90’s, and to hopefully to get some new movie suggestions. So list your top 10 of the 90’s and sooner or later I’ll make a poll with the movies that get mentioned the most in this thread. You can list more than ten movies as honorable mentions, which won’t get counted for the poll. My list: Goodfellas Pulp Fiction Reservoir Dogs Unforgiven Leon Nikita Terminator 2 The Big Lebowski Office Space Clerks Honorable Mentions: Fight Club Show Me Love Groundhog Day The Matrix The Unsual Suspects Silence of the Lambs The Shawshank Redemption Se7en Saving Private Ryan Schindler’s List Fargo Heat Miller’s Crossing ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-90s/518500/2 "2009-11-22T05:09:15Z")
You’ve got a good working list so far. Some others to consider: Last of the Mohicans Lone Star Casino Leon: The Professional Shakespeare in Love Sling Blade The Sixth Sense I’m working on a similar list for the Oughts, and will start a thread on that soon. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-90s/518500/3 "2009-11-22T05:22:05Z")
Life Is Beautiful Schindler’s List Trainspotting Requiem for a Dream Fight Club Office Space Clerks Pulp Fiction Toy Story Groundhog Day ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-90s/518500/4 "2009-11-22T05:36:03Z")
OK, after giving it some thought, here’s my official top 10 (no particular order): Fargo Lone Star Last of the Mohicans The Sixth Sense Shakespeare in Love (this one grows on me a bit every time I see it) True Romance (my favorite Tarantino movie) Unforgiven The Remains of the Day Rushmore 12 Monkeys I can watch (and have watched) all of those over and over without getting tired of them, which is what defines film greatness to me. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-90s/518500/5 "2009-11-22T05:42:50Z")
I think _The Talented Mr. Ripley_ should be on this list, having some of the best scenery and most evocative settings of any film, and featuring some of the best acting performances, especially Philip Seymour Hoffman (I think it’s the best role of his career, actually.) ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-90s/518500/6 "2009-11-22T06:20:47Z")
Most of my faves have already been listed, so I’ll add: LA Confidential Dark City The Game Proof (the Australian film. Not the math one.) ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-90s/518500/7 "2009-11-22T06:35:26Z")
Goodfellas American Beauty Boogie Nights Fargo Leaving Las Vegas Terminator 2 The Matrix Office Space Magnolia The Fugitive With honorable mentions to 12 Monkeys, The Shawshank Redemption and Dead Man Walking ---
**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:** [November 22, 2009, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-90s/518500/8 "2009-11-22T06:40:43Z")
Saving Private Ryan L.A. Confidential The Usual Suspects Jackie Brown Groundhog Day The Sixth Sense Terminator 2 The Professional Office Space The Matrix Honorable mentions to Clear and Present Danger, Schindler’s List, American Beauty, and 12 Monkeys ---
**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:** [November 22, 2009, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-90s/518500/9 "2009-11-22T06:47:24Z")
Crap, I forgot Dark City. Bump The Professional from the list and add Dark City in its place. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-90s/518500/10 "2009-11-22T10:47:41Z")
\*\*\*[Underground](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114787/) Lone Star [The Double Life of Veronique](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101765/) Dead Man The City of Lost Children Topsy-Turvy [A Moment of Innocence](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117214/) Smoke Groundhog Day Se7en * * * 10 runners-up (in alpha order) _[Belfast, Maine](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0211942/) [La Belle Noiseuse](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101428/) The Last of the Mohicans Out of Sight [Show Me Love](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0150662/) Simple Men [A Summer’s Tale](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115940/) [Vacas](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103186/) When We Were Kings [The Wrong Trousers](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108598/)_ ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-90s/518500/11 "2009-11-22T10:53:14Z")
Princess Mononoke LA Confidential Election The Sweet Hereafter Short Cuts Babe:Pig in the City After life Jin Roh Apollo 13 Toy Story 2 ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-90s/518500/12 "2009-11-22T11:39:52Z")
One more runner-up: _25th Hour_ ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-90s/518500/13 "2009-11-22T15:06:21Z")
Second _Trainspotting_, adding _Sense & Sensibility_. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-90s/518500/14 "2009-11-22T15:17:32Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > One more runner-up: _25th Hour_ That came out in 2002. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-90s/518500/15 "2009-11-22T15:46:08Z")
My ten (in the order I thought of them): _Run Lola Run Point Break LA Confidential Three Kings Boogie Nights The Sweet Hereafter Goodfellas Big Night My Cousin Vinny Apollo 13_ Honorable Mention: _Hoop Dreams, Dazed and Confused, Groundhog Day, Boyz in the Hood, Gods and Monsters, American History X._ So hard to pick “the best” – I was really torn between movies that I personally like (_Thunderheart_, anyone? I know there’s something wrong with me because I can watch that movie over and over with no irony at all), and movies that aren’t quite my taste but I can see objectively that they are fantastic film-making (_Chungking Express_, which only makes me dizzy, and not in a good way). Also, there are films that hold up so well as to be timeless – _Boogie Nights_, is as good now, if not better, as the day it was released, but then there are others, like _Boyz in the Hood_, that seem more dated, but part of the reason for that is that it had such an influence on media that it set the tone for so much of what came after and now it’s more like “eh, I’ve seen everything in it done better, elsewhere.” Some of the films got stuck on my honorable mentions list (_Gods and Monsters, American History X_) because they are stellar performances, and it’s hard to compare to films that are more massive, I guess, in their “all around” quality (direction, writing, etc) _The Sweet Hereafter_ is the only film on my list that I have only seen once - it was so heartbreaking I’m never going to watch it again. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-90s/518500/16 "2009-11-22T15:50:11Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > That came out in 2002. Whoop, you’re right! So my top 20 still stands… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-90s/518500/17 "2009-11-22T16:47:10Z")
Here’s the IMDB top [50](http://www.imdb.com/chart/1990s) for that decade. I was happy to see “The Straight Story” (David Lynch’s family film) wiggle onto the ballot results. Some of my favorites: _Miller’s Crossing Fargo Cold Comfort Farm Hudsucker Proxy Get Shorty Toy Story 2 My Neighbor Totoro Terminator 2 Straight Story That Thing You Do Last of the Mohicans_ maybe… _Braveheart_ ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-90s/518500/18 "2009-11-22T16:50:38Z")
No ones gonna admit to liking Titanic, huh? Someone was buying all those tickets… My list: Fight Club Matrix Braveheart (no one mentioned this yet?) Shawshank Redemption 12 Monkeys Farewell My Concubine Princess Mononoke Alladin (seems to be a lack of Disney love in this thread, despite the fact that the 90’s were there best decade) Se7ven (or however they spelled it, also that make 3 Brad Pitt films, guy had a good decade) Apollo 13 American History X The Big Lebowski Run Lola Run ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-90s/518500/19 "2009-11-22T17:04:02Z")
You’re gonna have to shorten that list to 10, **Simplicio**. Quit cheating! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Cleveland\_Steamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@The\_Cleveland\_Steamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Cleveland_Steamer)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-90s/518500/20 "2009-11-22T17:18:10Z")
Fargo, Barton Fink, Big Lebowski Eyes Wide Shut Red, White, Blue Trilogy Breaking the Waves Bottle Rocket, Rushmore The Thin Red Line Pulp Fiction Funny Games L.A. Confidential Heavenly Creatures (More than ten, but only ten directors–not in any order) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-best-movies-of-the-90s/518500.md?page=2)