These ’90s movies are even better than you remember

You can see a wistful longing for the 1990s in how many films from the era are getting remakes and sequels, and you can see it all over social media with things like the TikTok trend where iconic actors from the decade posted ‘90s photos and videos of  themselves set to the Goo Goo Dolls song “Iris”. The nostalgia for that special time in pop culture is strong. I’ve always thought that many movies of the 1990s were among the best ever made. To me, that was the real golden age of cinema. Here are ten 90s films that I think were completely ahead of their time. Read on to see if you agree.

‘Practical Magic’ (1998)

When Practical Magic was released in 1998, many young women like me loved it instantly and went to see it more than once in the theater, but it was not considered a box office success. Directed by Griffin Dunne and based on the wonderful novel of the same name by Alice Hoffman, this movie blends several genres brilliantly. It’s a drama about surviving domestic abuse, a romantic comedy, a supernatural fantasy, a coming-of-age story about fitting in and standing out, and a tale of female solidarity. Blend all that together, and you get something better than the midnight margaritas the sisters love in the film. It all somehow works.

Practical Magic was a movie ahead of its time, and many celebrities have sung its praises, including Reese Witherspoon, Julianne Hough, and Michelle Branch. Practical Magic has become a cult classic, and a much-anticipated sequel will be out this fall. In fact, Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock recently created some fan frenzy when they appeared at Cinemacon in support of Practical Magic 2.

‘My Girl’ (1991)

My Girl is among the most unique movies ever made. It follows the story of a neglected 11-year-old named Vada Sultenfuss who lives with her dad and grandmother in a house that doubles as a funeral home. She hasn’t processed the death of her mother who died when she was born, and her father hasn’t either. There’s no sugarcoating grief, but the movie also includes the wonder of childhood along with the tough parts of life. Anna Chlumsky carried this movie, appearing in most scenes, and is incredible in her film debut opposite Macaulay Culkin who plays her best friend Thomas Jay.

I am Anna’s age, so I felt so seen by My Girl. I wanted to be a writer like she did, and I was grieving, too. No other coming-of-age movie has quite captured what it’s like to be 11, and the movie sensitively shows how a child really grapples with grief.

‘Drop Dead Fred’ (1991)

Drop Dead Fred was such a bizarre and creative movie that I fell in love with it back in 1991. If you ever had your own imaginary friend as a kid, you’ll probably have fun with this movie. It’s about a woman who is trying to reconnect to her childhood joy after years of misery and having her enthusiasm zapped. Rik Mayall’s Fred is incredible in this role, and Phoebe Cates grounds the movie in both reality and whimsy. It’s a film about mental health, toxic relationships, and self-rediscovery that’s also hilarious. Ahead of its time doesn’t even cover it.

‘Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead’ (1991)

Christina Applegate’s recent, beautifully written memoir, You with the Sad Eyes, shocked me when Applegate wrote that this movie was a flop. For me and my sister, Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead was one of the biggest  hits of the decade. We saw it in the theater and rented it over and over again from Blockbuster. It’s a truly good and funny flick, and there’s no other movie like it.

Sue Ellen, a teenage girl played by Applegate, finds herself forced to support herself and her four siblings after the babysitter hired to watch them for the summer dies. She disguises herself as an adult with makeup and power suits, then lands a corporate job where she rises to the occasion. But, as you can imagine, things get complicated from there. It’s an unforgettable 90s coming-of-age workplace comedy that has the oh-so-quotable line from Applegate: “I’m right on top of that, Rose!”, and it’s worth watching for Applegate’s sensitive, moving performance if nothing else.

‘Sister Act’ (1992)

Sister Act is the ultimate story of the outsider as a hero. Whoopi Goldberg’s Deloris Van Cartier is strong and resourceful, but she ends up in an impossible situation. After witnessing a mob murder, she goes into the witness protection program where she is sent to a convent.

Deloris Van Cartier is a lounge singer who finds it hard to adjust to life in the convent at first. However, when the nuns start to understand her and she starts to understand them, the film finds its heart. When she transforms the seemingly hopeless choir into a spectacular sensation that attracts a lot of attention from the community, things really get interesting. Whoopi Goldberg deservedly won several awards for her stellar performance in Sister Act. This is one of the sweetest and funniest films of the 1990s. The music is incredible, too.

‘Father of the Bride’ (1991)

Although it’s an adaptation of a book from 1949 that was very much a product of its time, Father of the Bride is a uniquely 1990s movie. Steve Martin’s George Banks may be cheap and overprotective, but his love for his daughter and their close relationship is the heart of the movie. Kimberly Williams makes her big screen debut as the bride Annie Banks, and she was perfectly cast.

This movie is the ultimate comfort movie for many. It’s soothing to watch. Father of the Bride could easily become too sentimental, but instead it hits all the right notes. Also, the movie may be centered around planning a wedding, but it’s mostly about the love between parent and child. The love story is secondary.

‘Dolores Claiborne’ (1995)

Dolores Claiborne is, in my opinion, the best adaptation of a Stephen King novel, but it’s not a horror film. It’s an intense drama that shows humans can be more horrible than any shapeshifting clown or vampire. It stars Kathy Bates in the title role and Jennifer Jason Leigh as her daughter Selena. The fact that they both didn’t win Academy Awards for their performances in this movie might enrage you after you watch it. They’re just incredible in this film.

Dolores Claiborne deals with some very dark material, but it’s a captivating story about what one will do to protect someone they love, how trauma lives on after a tragedy, and how things are often not what they seem to be. I feel like this movie is the only one ever made which, with the character of Selena, shows what the pain of surviving abuse is truly like, but there is a light and beauty in this movie, too.

‘Doc Hollywood’ (1991)

Michael J. Fox may be best known for Back to the Future and Family Ties, but Doc Hollywood was always my favorite film of his. He plays a hotshot doctor who gets stranded in a small town and discovers that ambition isn’t the same as purpose. If that sounds like a Hallmark movie in reverse, there’s just something special about this film that’s hard to describe. Doc Hollywood is a gentle movie that asks: what do you truly want in life, and why? In an era of hustle culture and burnout, a movie about slowing down and focusing on connections is more welcome than ever.

‘The Man in the Moon’ (1991)

Reese Witherspoon’s debut film is a beautiful coming-of-age story that almost no one has seen. Set in rural Louisiana in the late 1950s, The Man in the Moon is a story about two sisters, Maureen and Dani, who are growing up and facing the harsh realities that come with first loves and losses. It’s a simple, honest film, and the performances are incredible. Witherspoon steals every scene she’s in. When I re-watched it recently, it brought back all the feelings I felt when I first saw it as a child in the 1990s. There are some upsetting scenes and difficult topics covered in the film, but it does so in a sensitive way as we see the world through young Dani’s eyes.

‘The Brady Bunch Movie’ (1995)

The Brady Bunch lives on today because it is a beloved and truly funny TV show. What The Brady Bunch Movie got right is that, while it was a send-up of the show, it was made with love and respect for the original. It takes the Bradys just as they are in the 1970s and plops them into the cynical world of the 1990s. The joke is sustained perfectly for the entire film.

This movie has aged very well. In 2026, when many long to pretend as though the world isn’t as rough as it is, The Brady Bunch Movie has never felt more relevant. Fun fact: Laurice Elehwany, who wrote the screenplay for My Girl, co-wrote The Brady Bunch Movie with the show’s creator Sherwood Schwartz and Rick Copp.

For more articles on TV and film, follow my Yahoo Creators page.