I have been trying to clarify for myself how abnormal my media intake was compared to most kids growing up in 90s America. I know I missed almost all secular 90s music and a fair amount of TV (although most shows on network TV or Nickelodeon were acceptable: Home Improvement, Family Matters, Fresh Prince, All That, etc.). As for movies, I wasn’t allowed to watch anything rated ‘PG-13’ until I turned 13 (1997), but each one was still subject to approval. ‘R’ rated movies were out of the question without special permission (I still remember my sophomore year when I watched Boondock Saints at a friend’s house without permission, and my jaw was on the floor for the entire movie. I don’t think I had heard that many F-bombs in my entire life to that point).
So as a way for me to create a point of reference for my 90s movies exposure, I’d like to offer you nine 90s movies I saw in the 90s. I only included movies I can remember watching for the first time in the 90s. I’m pretty sure I saw others in the 90s as well (The Sandot, Hook, Independence Day, Home Alone, Space Jam, Flubber, etc), but since I can’t remember the first time, I can’t be sure. I had fun making this list and remembering the experiences surrounding each 90s movie. Here they are in no particular order:
Men in Black
Occasionally, my cousin David and I would convince our parents to make the 40 minute trek from Muskegon to Grand Rapids (or vice versa) so we could spend the weekend together. Whenever he came to my house, we had the same routine: Jack’s Pizza, gas station snacks, and Men in Black in the basement (usually multiple watches in the same night). Other than Christmas morning or summer vacation, it was as good as I knew life could get back then. To this day, we can still quote the majority of the movie. I’m looking forward to the day when scenes from MIB are included in Movieoke.
You’ve Got Mail
I saw You’ve Got Mail for the first and only time in-ready for this?-a junior high Bible class (I went to a Christian school from 5th grade on). My teacher used it as a springboard for discussing love or something. I remember feeling disconnected from the movie and that the discussion afterward did not go so well. Today I have forgotten most of the plot except that AOL and dial-up noises were involved, and and that Tom Hanks can do everything well. Maybe I’ll watch it again next Valentine’s Day.
The Matrix
OK, so I watched The Matrix for the first time in 2000 or 2001, but I’m counting it anyway. I briefly attended a guys’ small group in high school (“small group” is Christianese for a few church people getting together during the week, usually for prayer or Bible study). One particular week, we had a party where we watched The Matrix. Since that time, I heard pastors reference it in sermons and even remember having theological discussions where we used it as a reference. It was probably acceptable for Christians to watch this movie and talk about it so much because we used Neo as a metaphor for Jesus. It’s a bummer that we couldn’t just appreciate it for being the awesome movie it was.
The Truman Show
I saw this movie at a buddy’s house in junior high. I don’t remember much about it other then thinking it was a really cool idea for a movie that they pulled off well.
Godzilla
When I was old enough, my parents let me ride my bike across Laketon Street to Ruddiman Creek to fish with my neighborhood friends, Nick and Chris. One day, we discovered the dollar theater nearby was playing Godzilla, and we cashed in our pop cans to go see it (10 cent return in Michigan). I think we went multiple times after that, until it stopped showing.
Deep Impact
On some Friday night when I was in junior high, my mom drove me over to my friend Jeremy’s house, and we ate pizza and watched Deep Impact. I remember being unsettled by the premise that an asteroid could hit the earth; I probably took it a little too seriously at the time.
All the Disney Movies – Pocahontas, Beauty & the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, 101 Dalmations, Toy Story, Lion King, Flubber, The Mighty Ducks, etc.
These things were pure gold during my childhood. Let’s be honest, Lion King and Mighty Ducks are about as 90s as it gets.
Jumanji
I vaguely remember one of my siblings opening Jumanji as a family gift one Christmas morning and that we watched it that afternoon. Robin Williams FTW.
Braveheart
My cousin introduced me to Braveheart in 1999. I remember feeling a bit guilty watching it, since it was rated ‘R’ and there was about 3 seconds of female nudity at one point-but I also remember feeling awesome when it had finished. To this day, it is one of my favorite movies.
What 90s movies did I miss that had a huge influence during the decade? I have my own list, but would love to hear your suggestions.
The 90s Project 