Some movies only need a few seconds on screen to remind you why they became so popular — and the ’90s had plenty of them. And even if some have been replayed countless times over the years, they’re still worth revisiting. After all, besides bringing back characters and scenes that have stuck with us, these films show what made cinema in that decade so great and why so many of them remain popular no matter how much time passes.
And well, if you’re looking to feel a little nostalgic for that era, some are pretty much essential. On this list, you’ll find 4 movies that are sure to bring back some good memories when you revisit them today. Basically, we’re talking about the heavy hitters when it comes to serious nostalgia.
You can’t talk about the ’90s without mentioning Clueless, a movie that perfectly understood how to turn the trivial drama of high school life at the time into a fun story that turned out to be a classic. Here, we have Cher Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone), a rich, popular girl who loves fashion, thinks she’s great at playing matchmaker, and is always trying to improve the lives of those around her. And when she decides to help new student Tai (Brittany Murphy) become popular, she gets so caught up in everyone else’s problems that she takes a while to realize just how much growing up she still has to do. And what’s the fun in that? It’s that the protagonist means well but doesn’t always have a clue what she’s doing.
Cher can be pretty full of herself, and her conclusions don’t always make sense, but it’s hard not to find her ways of looking at the world funny. Plus, her outfits are iconic, and her memorable expressions (thanks to Silverstone’s fantastic performance) are a big part of what makes the movie such a ’90s staple. Clueless knows how to poke fun at its characters’ obsession with popularity and appearances, and anyone who grew up in the ’90s can probably remember going to school and experiencing or witnessing something similar to what the movie portrays. For younger generations, meanwhile, it’s basically the high school experience many wish they’d had. It’s definitely a product of its time in that sense, but it’s still iconic to this day.
Is there a more nostalgic movie than Jurassic Park? The excitement and goosebumps are still there whenever you watch it today. It’s hard not to think of at least one scene, whether it’s the first time the dinosaurs appear or the moment the T-rex shows up during the storm. The movie follows a group of experts visiting a theme park built on an island where scientists have managed to bring dinosaurs back to life through genetic engineering. The problem is that the security systems fail, the animals escape, and the entire visit basically turns into a fight for survival. But even though it’s an adventure movie, a big part of its nostalgic appeal comes from how the story is told — that’s what makes the whole experience so exciting.
In Jurassic Park, there’s no rush to show everything at once, and that’s what makes each dinosaur appearance hit so hard. Plus, the practical effects and animatronics are still impressive today, even after all the advances in computer-generated imagery. Who doesn’t remember watching the film for the first time and immediately imagining what it would be like to visit a park like that in real life? You’ve got the tension, the memorable characters, and an idea that’s still relevant: just because you can create something extraordinary doesn’t mean you’ll be able to control it. The franchise as a whole is pretty good (although the Jurassic World movies can be a little hard to defend), but none of the sequels come close to the original, right?
The Parent Trap is one of those features that never seems to lose its charm, as it’s still just as fun to watch today as it was back then (and being a Disney production certainly helps). The story centers on twins Annie and Hallie (Lindsay Lohan), who were separated as babies after their parents divorced and end up meeting by chance at summer camp. After discovering they’re sisters, the two decide to switch places: Annie heads to California to meet her father, Nick (Dennis Quaid), and Hallie travels to London to see her mother, Elizabeth (Natasha Richardson). The plan is to get their parents back together, but things get more complicated when Meredith Blake (Elaine Hendrix), Nick’s fiancée, enters the picture.
There’s no denying the plot is pretty predictable, but the movie makes the most of its premise from beginning to end without overcomplicating things or getting too cheesy. And a lot of the credit goes to Lohan, who manages to give the twins such distinct personalities that neither feels like a mere copy of the other. The balance between funny situations and more emotional moments also makes you want to keep watching to see how everything plays out. And let’s be honest, Meredith is still one of the best parts: she’s so easy to dislike that every attempt the twins make to ruin her plans becomes even funnier. The truth is, The Parent Trap brings back that feeling of watching a Disney movie during summer vacation as a kid.
One of the greatest timeless classics of all time, Home Alone is the kind of movie it’s hard to imagine anyone not having seen, since it’s on pretty much everyone’s Christmas watchlist every year. It’s the ultimate Christmas comedy, following Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin), an eight-year-old boy who gets left behind when his family travels to Paris for the holidays. At first, he takes the opportunity to do everything he normally wouldn’t be allowed to do without adult supervision, but the fun comes to an end when two burglars, Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern), try to break into his house. It could be dangerous, but the whole idea is to watch a kid take on two criminals using a series of ridiculous traps.
A big part of the comedy comes from watching Harry and Marv keep trying to break in even after suffering a series of accidents that would make anyone else give up, while Kevin manages to be totally clever without ever feeling like anything other than a kid. But don’t get it wrong, Home Alone isn’t great just because of that. It also has a pretty sweet message, as Kevin eventually starts missing his family and realizes that being home alone isn’t as great as he initially thought. The Christmas atmosphere, family story, and physical comedy make for the perfect formula, which explains why the movie has become a tradition for so many people. And even if you already know every single thing that happens when the burglars show up, there’s still something really fun about watching Kevin put his plan into action.
