8 Forgotten ’90s Movies That Are All Pure 10/10s

Want to really understand the 1990s? Then these movies are all must-watch. From unexpected buddy comedy The Freshman, to unconditional masterpiece Glengarry Glen Ross, to kids’ comedy Flubber, and beyond, these movies are essential viewing for anyone who wants to appreciate ’90s Hollywood. Let’s take a closer look at this movies, which span cult classics to critical darlings.

The ’90s were the decade when action blockbusters came of age, sci-fi movies stepped up their game, thrillers leveled up, and comedies evolved into their next form.

Yet there are many hits, and some misses, this formative time in film that aren’t as widely appreciated today as they should be. This list digs into some potent examples, and examines why.

“The Freshman”

Starring Marlon Brando & Matthew Broderick; Released In 1990; Genre, Comedy; 94% Rotten Tomatoes Score

The same year that The Godfather III came out, Vito Corleone and Ferris Bueller teamed up for a buddy comedy. Wait, what? Seriously? Well, while Matthew Broderick does admittedly play a much more subdued character than in his iconic ’80s role, Marlon Brando is doing a full-on parody of his Godfather character in The Freshman.

It’s a gimmick that the entire movie is based around, but it doesn’t get stale. Part of that is because of the film’s old-school pacing, but it really comes down to the fact that Brando and Broderick click. They make a surprisingly dynamic duo, and the result is a film that is as charming as it is silly.

“Backdraft”

Starring Kurt Russell, William Baldwin, Scott Glenn, & More; Released In 1991; Genre, Action/Thriller; 72% Rotten Tomatoes Score

35 years after it came out, there’s a better chance that you know Backdraft as a pop culture reference, but haven’t actually watched it. You should watch it. It’s one thing to know that Backdraft was a phenomenon in the early 1990s, but it’s another thing entirely to sit down and find out why.

Backdraft is gloriously over-the-top, in the vein of the best ’90s action movies. It’s also a solid mystery, with a satisfying final reveal. Yet Backdraft isn’t remembered for its plot. The film’s practical special effects are its most remarkable feat. As far as firefighter movies go, it still remains a touchstone, even if its overall cultural legacy has faded with time.

“Glengarry Glen Ross”

Starring Al Pacino, Alan Arkin, Ed Harris, Jack Lemmon & More; Released In 1992; Genre, Drama; 95% Rotten Tomatoes Score

Glengarry Glen Ross is a certified masterpiece. It’s the movie Al Pacino should have won his first Oscar for, rather than Scent of a Woman, which came out the next year. It’s certainly not “forgotten” by film buffs, who routinely put it in the conversation for best of the 1990s.

Yet the film’s sensibility is so far removed from modern filmmaking, and modern mainstream audiences, that it is in danger of fading into obscurity. Based on David Mamet’s Pulitzer Prize-winning stage play, with a screenplay by the author, Glengarry is a dialogue-driven drama about the quiet desperation that drives so many American men. Specifically, salesmen.

Kevin Spacey plays a supporting role, and Alec Baldwin memorably steals the show for a single scene early on, but Glengarry Glen Ross is really focused on the mesmerizing performances of its four stars: Pacino, Lemmon, Harris, and Arkin. There’s no action, no explosions, but it is undeniably one of the most gripping films produced in the ’90s.

“The Good Son”

Starring Macauley Culkin & Elijah Wood; Released In 1993; Genre, Thriller; 26% Rotten Tomatoes Score

Let’s address this upfront: critics hated The Good Son at the time of its release. Its 26% RT score shows how little critical love the psychological thriller got in 1993. Its 54% score from viewers is better, but still shows how divisive the movie is. Whether The Good Son is underrated, though, or it’s “so bad it’s good,” it is a must-watch.

Is it the most tasteful story? No. It’s a bit trashy, which is exactly what makes it an underrated gem. Macauley Culkin is deeply unsettling as the movie’s devious, killer kid, while Elijah Wood plays his endangered cousin. The Good Son is a dark psychodrama, with a melodramatic finish that will live in your head rent-free afterward.

Clockers

Starring Harvey Keitel, John Turturro, & More; Released In 1995; Genre, Crime Drama; 75% Rotten Tomatoes Score

Spike Lee’s Clockers, adapted from the Richard Price novel, is a highly underappreciated ’90s crime film. Its reputation is partly a consequence of its commercial failure, compounded by the fact that it gets lost among the more successful titles in Lee’s filmography. Yet if you like Lee, and like crime dramas, you can’t sleep on Clockers.

Clockers isn’t flashy. It’s not spectacular. It’s not stylized. It is the kind of stoic crime story that makes sense when you consider the source material’s author, Price, went on to write for The Wire. Like that series, Clockers doesn’t glorify its criminals, or its cops; it looks at both of them as part of a dynamic, and deeply flawed ecosystem.

“The Arrival”

Starring Charlie Sheen & Lindsey Crouse; Released In 1996; Genre, Sci-Fi Thriller; 65% Rotten Tomatoes Score

The Arrival is another ’90s flop that we can look back on more generously with time, compared to how it was received back in the day. The Charlie Sheen film came out 30 years ago, as part of the 1990s’ cinematic sci-fi renaissance. Unfortunately, it didn’t stack up against contemporaries like Independence Day, released the same year, or the prior year’s Species.

Still, there are way worse ways to spend two hours. The Arrival is thoroughly a product of its time; even if you don’t have direct nostalgia for it, the movie still serves as a time capsule for its era. It’s a movie you can critique and poke fun at as you watch, at least until it finally hooks you.

“Flubber”

Starring Robin Williams, Marcia Gay Harden, & More; Released In 1997; Genre, Sci-Fi Comedy; 24% Rotten Tomatoes Score

Let’s be real: some movies just aren’t made for critics. Some movies aren’t “cinema.” Some movies are Flubber. A remake of ’60s Disney classic The Absent-Minded Professor written by none other than ’80s Hollywood legend John Hughes, Flubber is a movie that lives in the hearts of ’90s kids to this day.

It’s a movie that deserves to be beloved by future generations as well. It has peak Robin Williams, absurd slapstick comedy vibes, and also a dash of tragedy, just for good measure. Flubber is a movie without pretensions. It is a fun and emotionally heartfelt comedy for kids, one that is still captivating for viewers of a certain age.

“SLC Punk!”

Starring Matthew Lillard & Michael Goorjian; Released In 1999; 62% Rotten Tomatoes Score

SLC Punk! is the definition of a ’90s cult classic. It is a movie about punk rockers for an audience of punk rockers. It was a low-budget production that turned into a limited theatrical release in 1999; made for just over half-a-million dollars, SLC Punk! didn’t even garner half that at the box office.

Yet it found its audience in subsequent years thanks to home video. In particular, SLC Punk! was a staple of movie channels like IFC in the aughts and 2010s, where a generation of young punks discovered it. The ’90s movie is a period piece, set in the 1980s, but it helped the punks of two decades later shape their understanding of the genre.

That is, the soundtrack introduced viewers to plenty of iconic bands, but the movie’s depiction of punk rockers’ behavior helped subsequent punks elevate themselves. At least, some of them. The movie is also a low-key heartbreaking, with a devastating final act that has nothing to do with genre, and instead is all about human drama.