The 1990s were a great decade for movies, as it was the dawn of CGI and The Matrix changed cinema forever. There were so many creative crime thrillers too, whether it was The Usual Suspects or Pulp Fiction. But while those films and many others from the decade are praised to no end, there are others that are unappreciated.
Whether it’s because they were overshadowed by more popular movies at the time or they have simply been forgotten about since they were released, people believe these movies deserve more love. Between Disney sci-fi flicks, Bill Murray comedies, and one of the earliest ever Marvel movies, the Redditors have spoken.
10 Out Of Sight (1998)
If there’s one thing the 90s had going for it, it was that there was one incredible crime thriller released after the next. Out of Sight is one of those, as it follows a bank robber starting something of a fling with the U.S. Marshal that he’s kidnapped. TesseractBear believes it’s ”a cast of about 20 awesome character actors playing Elmore Leonard’s work to a tee.”
It truly is a great adaptation of Leonard’s novel, and there’s even a crossover with an adaption of the author’s other work. In Out of Sight, Michael Keaton appears as Ray Nicolette, and the actor played the same character in Jackie Brown, which is an adaptation of Leonard’s Rum Punch.
9 White Men Can’t Jump (1992)
When it comes to sports movies, it’s hard to make something that’s unique and surprising, as they all go the same way; one team goes up against another team and one of them wins. Klumpmeister was one of many who was surprised by White Men Can’t Jump, as they say that it’s ”pretty clever and was not expecting that much character depth.”
The 1992 film is almost like a spiritual successor to The Color of Money, as it sees an unlikely bond between two people who both hustle crowds in a sport they’re great at. It’s the basketball that draws audiences in, but as the Redditor mentions the character depth, the audiences stay for the relationship between Syd and Billy.
8 What About Bob? (1991)
Though T-408 thinks What About Bob? is unappreciated, it is very well-liked amongst people who have seen it and it had modest success at the box office 30 years ago. However, with a 7.0 on IMDb, the Redditor obviously thinks it deserves much higher. They hilariously argue that ”as a kid, I thought it was hilarious because Bob was crazy, and as an adult, I think this movie is hilarious because I’m becoming Bob.”
The comedy is about the dysfunctional relationship between a psychiatrist and his socially awkward and anxious patient. Everybody has their moments when they think everyone is on the same wavelength as Bob, and as the audience ages with the movie, it strangely becomes more and more relatable with each passing year.
7 The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)
Though Shane Black is still writing great crime capers today, he was at the top of his game in the 90s. The writer was responsible for the brief period in time in Hollywood when writers were treated like rockstars. That’s thanks to his many buddy-cop movies, but The Long Kiss Goodnight elevates his usual odd-couple approach.
The Long Kiss Goodnight sees a private investigator attempt to help an amnesiac woman uncover her past. Infernalism speaks highly of the film, saying that it’s ”a really kick-ass movie with a truly awkward twist.” The ending is one of the writer’s biggest surprises, and it’s why it’s considered one of Shane Black’s best movies.
6 The Rocketeer (1991)
Outside of the MCU and Star Wars movies, Disney doesn’t have a great reputation when it comes to sci-fi movies, but The Rocketeer stands out from the others. Reddit user DetectiveGuybrush thinks it’s ”one of the best feel-good comic adventure movies of all time.”
The movie might not be well-known, but it has a great premise, as it follows a stunt pilot who becomes a superhero after finding a rocket-powered jetpack. Though it’s one of the best Disney sci-fi movies and has a well-told narrative, its special effects weren’t great even by 1991’s standards, which means it’s long overdue for a reboot.
5 Rushmore (1998)
Rushmore is one of the most overlooked coming-of-age movies, even if it isn’t entirely relatable, as it follows a genius high-schooler in a love triangle with his teacher and his mentor. Though it’s certainly loved amongst fans of director Wes Anderson, very few people have seen it outside of cinephiles and the director’s fanbase.
Inksmudgedhands vouches for the movie, claiming that it ”helped shaped indie movies a good decade afterward.” They’re not wrong, as dozens of filmmakers have tried to imitate Wes Anderson’s colorful, dizzyingly symmetrical film style. And it doesn’t matter how many times people try, but nobody can use 60s rock music as Anderson used it in Rushmore.
4 True Romance (1993)
True Romance is an all-timer, and it’s one of the best movies about murderous couples, as it follows Clarence and Alabama killing their way across the country. Tylerbrent calls it ”appreciated by those who’ve seen it, but flies way under the radar of the general public.” Given that the screenplay was written by Quentin Tarantino, it’s surprising that it doesn’t have more attention.
Between all of the eccentric characters, pop-culture references, and the final shootout, it’s undeniably Tarantino, but there are some unique and creative flourishes too. Gary Oldman plays a pimp with dreadlocks and the theme tune “You’re So Cool” is some of Hans Zimmer’s best work.
3 Galaxy Quest (1999)
Galaxy Quest follows a group of actors who star in an off-brand Star Trek-type show, and they are pulled into an interstellar war when aliens think the show is a documentary. Jorah72 loves the sci-fi comedy so much that they were ”obsessed with that movie as a kid and it still holds up to this day.”
Given the niche concept, it isn’t too much of a surprise that the movie went under the radar back in 1999. But though the film was definitely unappreciated when it was first released, it has since gained a huge cult following, and there’s even a documentary about the making of the movie.
2 Blade (1998)
Blade was part of the first wave of superhero movies where the source material was taken seriously, and the result was an entertaining and accurate portrayal of the character. And the best thing about the movie is that it had a hard R-rating. Thedrunner2 puts it best by saying that it’s the ”first Marvel character to be done well.”
It’s hard to argue that Blade is unappreciated, as the fanbase must have been large enough for the two sequels to be greenlit. However, it was heavily talked about upon release but has slowly been forgotten about. But the character will be returning in a Marvel Cinematic Universe reboot, and hopefully, MCU’s Blade will be R-rated too.
1 Office Space (1999)
Office Space is another 90s movie that is loved by those who have seen it, but very few people have actually heard of the movie. With all of the office-based sitcoms that are so popular even after they’ve ended, Office Space doesn’t get the credit it deserves.
Flip_moto explains that the content of the movie was ”ubiquitous in the working world,” meaning that it was so relatable to anybody who worked in that kind of environment. All of the frustrations of working a humdrum 9-5 job were on display in the film, along with the strange but realistic characters employees find in those spaces.
