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People Share The Best Movies That Totally Epitomize The 1990s

People Share The Best Movies That Totally Epitomize The 1990s
Photo by Jake Hills on Unsplash

The 90s were a magical time.


We were past the overloaded pop-culture fest of the 80s and weren't quite to the optimistic cynicism of the 00s. The 90s were their own kind of mad, with films and movies embodying the ideas of the time.

Hope. Music. Rebellion. Confronting the idea that one day we're going to have to grow up and how to fight it.

And sometimes, those movies hold up extremely well, giving you the feeling it's 1995 again, you're in the theater with your buddies, and Will Smith is going to turn in a good performance.

Reddit user, noisyturtle, wanted to know how to relive the 90s when they asked:

"What is the most '90s movie ever?"

You could argue there was something magical about that time, something that maybe the 80s and the 00s couldn't quite capture. A cynical-type of hopeful glance at a world coming our way, and how we would ready ourselves for this.

Peter Pan grew up? Oh no!

We Peaked

"Independence Day. Cheesy, semi serious at times, and ends with the main characters smoking cigars."

Batmanlover1

"I stand by my statement that Independence Day represented the absolute peak of American power, hubris and self-confidence on the world stage. It's been all downhill from there."

Begle1

There You Are, Peter

"Hook. Something about that film just makes it feel like the 90's. So magical. Miss you Robin."

ok_chaos42

"my gramma recorded Hook on vhs waay back when, i watched every other weekend for yeaars, along with ninja turtles 2, til the tape wore out and she ended up getting me a real copy. i had a whole bunch of Hook action ficures n everything. watching it now makes me smile still, i get to see robin save the day and brings up some good memories of ol gramma G."

buckut

An Army Of Talking Buttocks Rise

"Ace Ventura, Pet Detective"

Mariska_vanDriel

"Warning: Aholes in mirror are closer than they appear!"

-Jim Carey

blackout-loud

We really thought music was going to play a much larger role in our lives back then. While music is still around, it certainly doesn't hold the same weight as 90s films portrayed it having.

Record Stores Are Forever, Man!

"Empire Records"

pulp-fictional

"I think this one wins. A movie about a cd/record store under threat of being taken over by the chain cd/record monopoly with the full grunge attire to boot. Man I miss the 90s."

Skylineviewz

"Not my favorite movie of the 90s, but definitely the one that captures the feel of the decade best. There's even a post credits bonus music video with the Gin Blossoms if memory serves"

pursuitofleisure

Trick Question...

"Airheads has to rank up there."

"Fraser, Buscemi and Sandler. Radio was still sort of relevant."

"Farley in a guest role?"

The_Soapmakers

"Lemmy is God."

Tobias_Flenders

The 90s Were A Time Of Change

"10 Things I Hate About You"

wildblueheron

"Very late 90s, almost early 2000 for me."

DANCE5WITHWOLVE5

"Yeah...they are almost 2 different eras. Early to mid 90s grunge era was more subdued, cynical, apathetic. Somewhere around 97, things quickly changed to more colorful, upbeat, "poppy"... almost like the 80s were starting again."

Cool_Dark_Place

And then there's these, films that fully embody the outlandish, unrealistic expectations we though the world was going to deliver us in the 90s but never did.

Fortunately, we have the movies to revisit that wonderful period of life.

Just As Shakespeare Intended

"Romeo+Juliet. That soundtrack was everything."

"Kids. It's spooky how much of that movie was accurate to growing up in the city."

ChiAnndego

Pure. 90s. Cringe.

"Reality Bites"

andtheyweresinging

"Reality bites is the most gen x phrase ever"

Echterspieler

"21 year old me seeing that movie in the theater had a very different opinion about the main characters than 46 year old me when I watched it on tv a few years ago."

Kellyros

Everywhere In LA Takes 20 Minutes

"Clueless"

IntoTheMystic1

"I had another thought, but yours is actually the right answer."

dachshundaholic

"LUUUUCCCYYYYYYY!!! Where’s my white collarless shirt from Fred SEGAL?!?!?"

therealpanserbjorne

Too Light For You?

"The Craft"

dead-crimson

"YES! For those too ~alternative~ for Clueless and routinely hung out in the occult section of Waldenbooks at the mall."

madame-brastrap

A Movie That Came Out Thirty Years Ago To Remind You What It's Like To Be In Your 20s

"Clerks"

uwroo

"I’m not even supposed to be here today!"

donniedarko955

"I feel that mall rats is far more 90’s. Especially since something like that couldn’t be realistic long after that point."

"With clerks being black and white it feels more timeless."

shellwe

90s Kids. With. Attitude.

"Home Alone"

llcucf80

"this is embarrassingly too far down the list. come on Reddit. It's even December now!"

Miseryy

We can never go back. However, that's what films are for, aren't they? A way to capture the moment, allowing us to travel to a place in time we're nostalgic for.

And all of that fashion.

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