Ben Affleck has had an incredible career in Hollywood that has included blockbuster superhero movies and Academy Awards. But he, like many actors, had to start small. Affleck has uncredited cameos in movies like Field of Dreams and Buffy the Vampire Slayer before he moved on to more memorable appearances. Although it turns out one of Affleck’s key early roles almost prevented him from getting another important role.

Apparently Ben Affleck Increased The F-Bomb ON Dazed And Confused

Ben Affleck has a small but memorable appearance in Richard Linklater’s coming-of-age story Dazed and Confused. It’s a role that has a fair amount of foul language, which was apparently largely a decision made by Affleck himself.

Speaking with People, Smith says that when he was auditioning for his Clerks follow-up, Mallrats, producer James Jacks, who had worked on Dazed and Confused, didn’t like it when he saw that Affleck was coming in. Smith said when he asked why, Jacks said…

There’s an argument to be made that Affleck‘s ability to swear would have been a benefit, as Kevin Smith has rarely found an f-bomb he didn’t like. However, Jacks felt that Mallrats had “enough bad language,” so he didn’t want Affleck in the film.

The Mallrats Filming Experience Was Quite Different

Unfortunately for the producer, Ben Affleck was clearly “the guy” for the role of Shannon Hamilton, the manager of an upscale men’s clothing store in the mall, who becomes the romantic foil for Jason Lee over the affections of Shannon Doherty.

In many ways, language included, the roles in Dazed and Confused and Mallrats had a lot in common, as Affleck plays a bully in both, though Smith remembers the experience of working with Affleck was quite the opposite. He said…

While Ben Affleck had already sold Good Will Hunting before he got the Mallrats gig, it’s still a key moment in his career as it led to a friendship with Kevin Smith that, despite a bumpy relationship between the two in the past, has still been important to both men.

Smith has continuously promised a Mallrats sequel, and while it has yet to be realized, considering that Smith has made sequels to everything else from his early career recently, it seems likely that the movie will eventually happen. Affleck has also at least cameoed in many of those films, so if that movie ever happens, we can expect these two to work together again.

As the 2025 Netflix guide built up all of its hype-worthy offerings–Happy Gilmore 2, Wednesday, the end of Stranger Things, and so many others–I thought it couldn’t get better. But the newly announced project that the streamer just picked up is a delightful surprise that I didn’t know I’d be so hyped about, because it will reunite Dazed and Confused alumni Matthew McConaughey and Cole Hauser

It was confirmed that both the Interstellar star and the Yellowstone actor have been attached to the new show created by Nic Pizzolatto, creator of True Detective, by Variety. Both are also currently working out deals with Netflix as of this posting. We also know that the actors will play brothers. So, based on all that, let's chat about why this is so exciting.

I’m Excited For And Intrigued By McConaughey And Hauser’s Reunion

Although I’m thrilled to have an on-screen reunion between two stars of one of the best high school movies, I’m surprised that Hauser, specifically, is attached. That's mainly because he’s deep in the Taylor Sheridan-verse and is currently working on the new Rip and Beth spinoff series, which is one of many Yellowstone spinoffs in the works. So, with that in mind, I'm curious to see how scheduling will work out for this new series when he's actively working on another major television show.

I also think it's worth noting how much Hauser's star has risen since he started playing Rip on Yellowstone. While he had prominent roles before it, this part has defined this chapter of his career, and I can't wait to see him take on a totally new part while he's also playing his beloved cowboy.

The Oscar winner signing on is intriguing, too. After his brief and then partial hiatus from Hollywood, he made his full return this year with a standing ovation-worthy western, The Rivals of Amziah King. So, I can only imagine this small screen entry with True Detective creator Pizzolatto at his side will be a slam dunk.

All-in-all, I’m hyped about the two McConaughey worlds meeting, and I can't wait to see what this project will become, especially since Dazed and Confused birthed the legendary 'alright, alright, alright' line.

If you couldn’t guess, I love any opportunity to yap about Dazed and Confused. It’s one of those oddball vintage movies that worked off vibes instead, and it was stacked with young stars before they hit it big. And, as mentioned, the coming Netflix Pizzolatto series will star two of the actors from the 1993 flick.

The chaotic coming-of-age film zeros in on the last day of school in 1976 and the events of the cast of characters, including McConaughey’s Peter Pan-like David Wooderson and Hauser’s football-playing, freshman-hazing Benny O'Donnell. It’s a time capsule, and if you haven’t seen it, you should watch it because it’s a you have to see to believe all the goings on.

Conveniently, the Hauser and McConaughey indie classic is available to stream with a Netflix subscription. As for the future Netflix series and their reunion, keep an eye on CinemaBlend for updates about this surprise team-up.

The late '80s and early '90s (for the most part) were the very brief time when Generation X ruled the culture. Movies, including classics like Reality Bites, The Breakfast Club, and so many others, are what helped define the generation, both for better and for worse. So here they are, some of the most important cultural movies of the era.

Reality Bites

Reality Bites is definitely the movie that best fits the purpose of this list. There are so many ways this movie defines Gen X, from the cast, including Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, Janeane Garofalo, and Ben Stiller, who also directed, to the plot about struggling to find purpose, to the music. It's number A1 on any list like this.

Singles

Seattle in the 1990s. There is nothing more iconic to Gen Xers. Singles brought that scene to the rest of the country. It includes many of the best bands from the city at the time, bands that were themselves defining a big piece of the culture, and also manages to highlight a lot of the angst that the generation also felt at the time.

The Breakfast Club

High school in the '80s and '90s was defined on the big screen by director and writer John Hughes, and his impactful film on an entire generation has to be The Breakfast Club. It's a movie that people who grew up in the era still quote endlessly and rewatch whenever it strikes their fancy.

Do The Right Thing

Spike Lee set the standard for telling the African-American side of the Gen X experience, and he opened up a lot of white eyes with his iconic movie Do the Right Thing. The movie remains just as powerful today as when it hit theaters in 1989, and at a time when only one side of the culture was really shown in movies, it was incredibly groundbreaking and important.

Heathers

There is no darker, more cynical comedy than Heathers. Cynical is often a word used to describe Gen X, so it makes sense that a movie with such a biting sense of humor would be so iconic. Oh - and it stars a few Gen X heroes like Shannen Doherty, Christian Slater, and Winona Ryder.

Slacker

The name says it all. Slacker. For years, that was the label that Boomers and even Gen Xers put on the generation. It wasn't ever a fair label, but it stuck for a long time. It turns out, Gen Xers mostly just want to be left alone, but they'll strive just as hard as anyone for what they want. Director Richard Linklater might be a Boomer himself, but he tapped into the culture like few others.

Pump Up The Volume

Disillusionment and frustration are definitely two things that Gen X thought about their lives while in high school, and that made Christian Slater's renegade DJ character in Pump Up The Volume an icon. He said out loud what many of us thought in our adolescence, even if we were wrong most of the time.

Dazed And Confused

Dazed and Confused might have been about the generation that preceded most of Gen X, but it still spoke to the generation like few other comedies did. Life in the '70s wasn't all that different from high school in the '90s. The internet changed everything for Millennials, but for about 20 years, life was pretty similar for teenagers.

Boyz N The Hood

Like Spike Lee, director John Singleton's work landed like a bomb on suburban America. Boyz N The Hood is one of the best movies about urban life in the '90s. It was an aspect of life that white America really didn't have any real insight into until Singleton and Lee told us. Boyz N The Hood remains one of the most important movies of the '90s.

Say Anything

There is no bigger Gen X icon than John Cusack, and the role that most exemplifies that is Lloyd Dobler in Say Anything. It would be impossible to count just how many people took their style and musical tastes from Lloyd. He was a cool as cool got in the era.

Reservoir Dogs

Quentin Tarantino was the first director that Gen X really attached itself to. His movies didn't really influence style, or even music, as he used older tunes, but there is a nihilism in his movies that really resonates with those kids who were watching in the early and mid-'90s.

Fast Times At Ridgemont High

For many, the first R-rated comedy they really remember watching is Fast Times At Ridgemont High. You didn't have to be in high school to idolize some of the characters, and the movie taught teenagers at the time a lot about the stuff their parents didn't want to talk about.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape?

The cast alone from 1993's What's Eating Gilbert Grape? earns it a place on this list. Johnny Depp, Juliette Lewis, and Leonardo DiCaprio have been a part of Gen X's lives forever, it seems like, and this movie is the highlight of all of their early careers.

Pretty In Pink

It might be a little embarrassing to admit just how many people took their fashion cues from Duckie in Pretty in Pink. Unrequited love may be ubiquitous among all generations of humans, but it felt especially acute in the '80s. Once again, we can probably thank John Hughes for that.

He Got Game

Like so many of his movies, Spike Lee spoke to a generation like few others in He Got Game. Basketball and hip-hop were enormous pieces in the Gen X puzzle, and this movie brought them together for the first time. A soundtrack of almost nothing but Public Enemy? That says it all.

Clueless

Between starring in Aerosmith videos and the classic comedy Clueless, Alicia Silverstone is a bona fide Gen X superstar. Her first truly star-making movie was, of course, Clueless. Plus, it made Paul Rudd a star, too.

Dead Poets Society

One of the movies on this list that took place in an era outside of Gen X is Dead Poets Society. Even though it was set decades before most Gen Xers were born, the movie really spoke to the generation, especially the boys of the era. I can attest to that, without question. Robin Williams was an idol to us, and still is today.

Clerks

"I'm not even supposed to be here today," could be the quote that defines the era better than anyone else. At least how we felt at the time. Dante's thoughts and words were our thoughts and words. We were stuck in dead-end jobs, dealing with idiots and dreaming about bigger things, with no idea how to achieve them. At least we figured out most of that in the end.

Empire Records

Generation X was the last generation that really shopped at record stores. By the time we were in our 20s, Napster had changed the game, and we never went back. Working at a record store was the dream of a lot of high school kids, and watching Empire Records gave us all something to strive for, even if most of us fell short.

Coming To America

Coming to America is, in some way, really on this list to represent all of Eddie Murphy's movies. We grew up with Murphy on SNL and followed him for the next decade, sneaking into his rated R movies, and watching bootleg VHS tapes of his standup. In a way, the pinnacle of his early career was Coming To America, so here it is, standing in for so many classic '80s comedies.

The Crow

It's hard to know if The Crow would be on the list without the tragic death of Brandon Lee. It was such big news at the time that it made both the actor and the movie he died on the set of iconic. Of course, it also had a fantastic soundtrack that included Nine Inch Nails, The Cure, Rage Against the Machine, and more bands that also helped define the culture of the era.

The Karate Kid

The Karate Kid is now a franchise that has now literally been with many Gen Xers for basically their entire lives. The first movie is legendary and it helped give us all hope that no matter our circumstances, we could win the trophy and get the girl. It didn't always work out that way, but it could, and we appreciated that.

New Jack City

It's hard to understand those who don't remember the Crack epidemic just how all-encompassing it felt to everyone. D.A.R.E., "Just Say No," and the war on drugs were part of everyday life for teenagers in the '80s and '90s, and it was mostly because of Crack. No movie showed that societal disaster quite like New Jack City did.

The Goonies

The Goonies really might need much explanation as to why it's on this list, of course. It's frankly a little amazing just how enduring the movie has been over the years. It's still a movie that Xers point to as a favorite, many decades after the Steven Spielberg movie hit the big screens. The stars were our age, it was a story we believed could be ours.

Colors

Like the Crack epidemic, the gang wars in Los Angeles were a part of nightly stories on the network news. You'd have thought the world was coming to an end in South-Central LA. The Bloods and Crips were household gang names. Colors, directed by Dennis Hopper and starring Robert Duvall and Sean Penn, brought that into theaters in the 'burbs in this slightly misguided, but still iconic flick.

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure

One thing we were always on the lookout for was anything afoot at the Circle K. We can thank Ted "Theodore" Logan and Bill S. Preston, Esq. for that. Gen Xers saw this movie over and over and over again in the era, and are honestly still liberally quoting from it today.

Swingers

As Gen X got a little older, so did the characters in the movies we revered. Swingers is a perfect example of a movie that came along just as Gen X was graduating from college, trying to live their dreams (and struggling), and hoping to meet that someone special to spend the rest of their lives with. And we all wanted to be as cool as Trent (Vince Vaughn). And we played video games before we went out. But we never really did much swing dancing.

The Lost Boys

The Coreys (Haim and Feldman), and vampires. Nothing says "Gen X" like that combo, right? The Lost Boys characters were so cool, whether you wanted to be a vampire or wanted to hunt them. It was all there in The Lost Boys.

American Psycho

Generation X has always had a real streak of nihilism to it. Nothing quite on the level as American Psycho, of course, but it still managed to speak hilariously to that feeling. It was dark, and Gen X loved dark, dark humor.

Office Space

Everyone hates their job at some point, as Office Space so eloquently highlights. This was especially acute for Generation X when this movie came out. Mike Judge raised us with Beavis and Butthead in high school and he was there again to usher in our working lives after college.

Edward Scissorhands

This list wouldn't be complete without a Tim Burton movie, now would it? It represents many of the movies that the director made that spoke to the generation, but this is the one that starred Depp and Ryder, so here we are.

I’m Gonna Git You Sucka

I’m Gonna Git You Sucka brought a brand new comedic sensibility to the generation, and it remains a uniquely Gen X movie, as there may not be any other generation that has seen it, much less revere it like Generation X.

No one really scrolls the channels looking for something to watch anymore, there are too many great streaming services and other ways to call up your entertainment on demand. Back in the late 20th Century, however, that was the only option, and so, as you flipped endlessly from channel to channel, you could only hope to come across a classic "remote dropper." One of those movies, like The Big Lebowski or The Hunt For Red October, that never gets old is a remote dropper, and those are what this list is all about. The moment you hit on a movie you love, and drop the remote for the next couple of hours.

Die Hard

Die Hard may ultimate Christmas movie to some, but it is always a must-watch, no matter what season it is. There are so many amazing moments in the movie, no matter where it is in the plot, you just have to stop and watch until the end when Al becomes the hero he deserves to be.

GoodFellas

Martin Scorsese's classic Goodfellas is one of those movies where the great performances and amazing dialogue just get better with time. It's a movie that has aged incredibly well, and really, do we need to explain why so many people call this the perfect gangster movie?

Friday

Speaking from experience, I can tell you, if you went to college in the '90s, Friday was part of a regular rotation of movies that were watched over and over and over again. It really introduced Chris Tucker to the world, and it's filled with so many quotable lines from Tucker and the others that my friends and I could basically recite the entire movie. There's a good reason that it is so meme'd today.

Ocean's Eleven

The incredible cast, headlined by George Clooney and Brad Pitt, is so utterly charming in Ocean's Eleven that it's impossible to pass up when it's on. Every viewing will give you a new favorite moment or favorite line. The pace of the movie is perfect as you speed along to the fantastic conclusion. It's a classic heist movie, among the best the genre has ever produced.

Anchorman

Talk about a movie with an endless amount of quotable lines. There aren't many movies out there that have as many as Anchorman. It's ridiculous and hilarious. The comedy is Will Ferrell at his zenith, in my opinion. He's always funny, but Ron Burgundy is his funniest character ever. Including Buddy the Elf.

The Godfather And The Godfather Part II

There is a reason The Godfather and its first sequel are so often ranked as among the finest films ever made. The dense, complex movies are still incredibly watchable. That is a hard combo to pull of, but that's what makes the Francis Ford Coppola's movies so freaking great. They have everything anyone could ever want in a movie. Watching them back to back is a perfect way to spend a rainy day.

Fast Times At Ridgemont High

With an incredible cast of future stars, Fast Times at Ridgemont High will never not be a classic. Some of the jokes have aged poorly, to be sure, but for anyone who grew up with the movie on cable all the time, it will always be a favorite.

Dredd

If you haven't watched Dredd in a while, you should. The Alex Garland-penned superhero based on the classic comic series is an amazing improvement over the first attempt to adapt Judge Dredd by Sly Stallone in the '90s. Whenever I want to watch a movie and can't decide what to watch, there is a good chance I'll fall back on this, since it never gets boring or old.

Malcolm X

I'm a sucker for a great historical biopic and Spike Lee's Malcolm X is truly one of the best. It's also my favorite performance by Denzel Washington, and that is really saying something. Based on Alex Haley's The Autobiography Of Malcolm X, Lee adaptation is fantastic from start to finish.

Raiders Of The Lost Ark

I mean, come on, how could Raiders not be on this list? The Steven Spielberg classic is one of the most fun movies ever made. It's quippy and exciting, and it's exactly the kind of movie that everyone loves to watch. And we all know it so well, you can still get distracted by your phone and not worry about missing any important plot points that you don't already know by heart.

Network

It's almost scary just how relevant a movie like Network, which was released in 1976, is today. Ned Beatty's speech about corporations running the country is so prescient it's crazy. The rest of the movie is just as good.

The Hunt For Red October

This, to me, is the ultimate remote-dropper. It's the movie that inspired this list. It's such a well-made movie, from start to finish, that it just never, ever gets old. The Hunt For Red October is a near-perfect movie in my opinion, and it's easily one of the best movies of the 1990s. Sure, Sean Connery's lack of an accent is a little weird, but he's so great otherwise, it's easy to overlook. Alec Baldwin was born to play Jack Ryan, and I wish we'd gotten more movies with him in the role.

The Big Lebowski

There are many people who, when asked what their favorite movie of all time is, will answer with The Big Lebowski. It's the ultimate shaggy dog story with a cool macguffin (The Dude's rug), and some of the best dialogue ever put on film, courtesy of the Coen Brothers. All the Dude wanted was his rug back, and instead, we got one of the best movies ever.

The Dark Knight

Whenever a director as talented as Christopher Nolan takes on a superhero movie, sign me up. Ultimately, though, it's not Nolan's awesome direction that brings me back again and again; it's Heath Ledger's legendary performance as The Joker in The Dark Knight. It has redefined how the classic character has been portrayed ever since.

The Princess Bride

From the time you're a kid, well into adulthood, The Princess Bride is part of your life. It changes with perspective as you age, but it's always fantastic. The story is so timeless, and the performances are so good, it just never gets old. It would be inconceivable to me to keep scrolling when I see it on TV.

Dazed And Confused

Alright, alright, alright. You knew this one had to be here. The ultimate coming-of-age high school party movie that somehow avoids so many of the tropes of the genre that other movies like it fall into. It helps to have actors like Matthew McCoughnehey, Ben Affleck, Parker Posey, Cole Hauser, and so many more to anchor the movie.

Sicario

I was entranced the first time I saw Sicario. The gripping movie is intense, but incredibly watchable. The performances from Emily Blunt and Josh Brolin are great, but it's Benicio Del Toro who really steals the show as a man on a psychotic mission to avenge his family.

Casablanca

Casablanca is quite possibly the most quoted movie of all time. The first time you see it, it almost feels like a parody of classic cinema because so many iconic lines originated here. Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman are incredible, and the movie has it all, from daring escapes to classic romance to even some wonderful humor. Yeah, it's a misquote, but I'll always "Play it again, Sam."

Apocalypse Now

The opening scene of Apocalypse Now, with the trees exploding and The Doors playing over the sound of a helicopter is one of the most engaging opening scenes in any movie, ever. The movie never lets up from there (unless you're watching the "Redux" version, which I don't recommend). Screenwriter John Milius manages to cram a war movie with so many classic quotes, it's a movie you can recite over and over when you watch.

New Jack City

If we're honest, New Jack City is a bit dated these days, but in its time, it was one of the most rewatchable movies of the era. The Crack Epidemic was very real, and no movie showed it quite like this Wesley Snipes-led classic. Plus, Chris Rock, who was just 19 years old at the time, puts in one of his best acting performances of all time.

Tombstone

Could Tombstone be the most quotable movie ever? It is certainly one of the best Westerns ever. That's before we even get into all the amazing facial hair in the movie. The whole cast is amazing, especially Val Kilmer as Doc Holiday, and that will always make the movie rewatchable.

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

This one is personal. I love some Quentin Tarantino movies, and I honestly hate other ones. I suppose that's the mark of a great artist. His vision isn't always going to line up with everyone else's idea of greatness. Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is a truly great one, though. There are so many fun moments, great lines, and superb performances that it's easy to watch again and again.

Friends With Benefits

Rom Coms are always great movies to have on in the background as you do your daily chores, and my favorite for that is Friends with Benefits. Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake have great chemistry, and, honestly, Woody Harrelson's performance is my favorite part of the movie. He's just hilarious.

Iron Man

In a way, Iron Man is on this list to represent the entire MCU. It set such a fantastic example for next three dozen movies that it's hard to imagine any other movie launching the most successful franchise of all time. And it's maybe the most rewatchable of all them.

Beverly Hills Cop

In the 1980s, there was no one funnier than Eddie Murphy, and the peak of that came in Beverly Hills Cop. It's the perfect movie for Murphy's irreverent, foul-mouthed humor, and every single joke in the movie lands perfectly. It also has a great plot that allows for more than just Murphy delivering those jokes.

The Game

Director David Fincher has a slew of movies that could be on this list, like Seven and Fight Club, and even The Social Network, but for me, the one I love the most is The Game. It's a movie I knew nothing about when I first saw it and it blew my mind. I've revisited it many, many times over the years since.

Jurassic Park

The summer of 1993 will forever be known as the summer of Jurassic Park. The movie dominated the box office all summer, and it launched a franchise that is still going more than 30 years later. The most amazing part is how well the visual effects still hold up, and that is why it is on this list. It will be watched until the end of time.

Mean Girls

Talk about quotable movies! Mean Girls is full of classics. Its also one of the most enduring comedies of its era and has even inspired a musical and movie adaptation of that musical.

The Silence of the Lambs

The Silence of the Lambs is the last movie to win each of the "Big Five" Oscars. It won Best Picture, Best Director for Jonathan Demme, Best Adapted Screenplay for Ted Tally, Best Actor for Anthony Hopkins, and Best Actress for Jodi Foster. That pretty much tells you everything you need to know.

True Romance

Tony Scott has a bunch of movies that could fit on this list. Top Gun, Days Of Thunder, Crimson Tide...it's a long list. For me, however, True Romance is his best. The Tarantino-penned classic also features one of the greatest scenes in movie history between Christopher Walken and Dennis Hopper that ends with Hopper's character's death.

American Fiction

The Oscar-winning American Fiction is the newest movie on this list, but it became an instant classic for me. Issa Rae's character never fails to crack me up in her first scene, and Sterling K. Brown delivering the line "I've taken a lover" is my favorite quote in a movie this decade.

Boogie Nights

Paul Thomas Anderson hit the big time with Boogie Nights, and there are a lot of reasons it's on this list. The music is amazing, and every scene is like a self-contained mini-film. No matter where you start, you are sucked right in. The end gets a little dark, sure, but it's still Anderson's most rewatchable film.

May 28th, 1976. For the juniors at Lee High School in the legendary coming-of-age comedy, Dazed & Confused, it was the last day of school for the summer and the first day of their senior year. For fans of the movie, it’s a day that should be celebrated by popping the old VHS tape into the machine, cracking open a beer, and possibly indulging in other activities that we neither condone nor condemn. If you’ve forgotten why, let us remind you.

The Cast Alone Is Worthy Of A Rewatch

A cast including Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck, Parker Posey, Yellowstone’s Cole Hauser, Milla Jovovich, Jeremy London, Joey Lauren Adams, and other stars stuffs the marquee with too many famous names to list here. It’s one of the finest examples of a stacked up-and-coming cast in Hollywood history. Renée Zellweger even shows up as a background extra with nary a line; that’s how stacked it is. Keep a sharp eye for her at the party where she’s helping someone chug a beer.

Even the actors in the movie who didn’t become worldwide superstars like McConaughey and Affleck absolutely crush it. Actors like Sasha Jenson, who plays Dawson, and Shawn Andrews, who stars as the “wrong Mr. Pickford altogether,” are fantastic. Michelle Burke, as Jodi, trying to save her brother from the worst of the hazing, is classic. We’ll give a pass to Wiley Wiggins and his constant nose-touching here, since he wasn’t a professional actor before, or really after, the movie. He’s great at other times in the film.

The Classic Lines That Fans Have Been Quoting For Decades

Of course, for most people, it’s the quotes from Dazed & Confused that have us coming back again and again. It’s the movie that gave the world “Alright, alright, alright” for goodness' sake! McConaughey’s character, Wooderson, also has a few other classic lines that you certainly need to be careful about when you quote them out loud, despite making everyone laugh when they hear them.

Every character in the movie gets their moment to shine. London, who plays Randall “Pink” Floyd, is on the receiving end of a some sharp barbs from his head coach (played by Terry Mross), proving the movie doesn’t discount even the most minor characters. And, there is no denying just how hilarious Posey is as the queen bee senior intent on making freshmen's lives miserable. AIR RAID!

Dazed & Confused Is Timeless

The movie is set in 1976, released in 1993, and remains a perfect teen comedy in 2025. Technology changes, and generations develop different values from each other, but much of being a teenager remains the same. Almost every teen goes through certain rites of passage, their first day of high school, their first party, their first beer, and their first kiss… usually in that order, and those are moments that Dazed & Confused capture so well, and so timelessly.

It doesn’t matter what the style of the time is, or if muscle cars are popular, or what music is playing on the radio, some things just never change, and that makes one of the best high school comedies of all time always worth watching on this late spring day every year.

Dazed and Confused has a legendary cast of some of Hollywood's biggest stars very early in their careers. There are 69 cast members, including many of the uncredited extras (hint: one of those uncredited actors is a big name today). It would be amazing (and frankly, quite suspect) if anyone could get all of them without cheating, but let's see just how many you can get! Just start the quiz and start typing names! You've only got five minutes, so make 'em count, just like your senior year of high school!

Lots of the biggest actors in Hollywood started their careers with very modest parts. Sometimes, like Renée Zellweger in Dazed and Confused, they don't even have lines. Others have a little more to do, but in all of the examples on this list, they are all in smaller roles and rarely more than cameos. Let's get on to the list!

Renée Zellweger - Dazed And Confused

Dazed and Confused has one of the most stacked casts of young actors in any movie ever. Some are stars of the movie, like Matthew McCaughney and Parker Posey. Renée Zellweger is on the other end of the spectrum. She's only seen briefly in a couple of scenes, including one with Posey, but she doesn't have any lines.

Amy Adams - Drop Dead Gorgeous

Amy Adams has become one of the most formidable actors in Hollywood today, but like many, she started with smaller roles in big movies. Her first role, in fact, was a minor role in 1999's Drop Dead Gorgeous. She would get her big break a few years later in Catch Me If You Can and has gone on to be nominated for six Oscars, but is weirdly still an actor who has not won an Academy Award.

Keira Knightley - Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace

Keira Knightley had a few small television roles before she landed a small part as the Queen's decoy in Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace. She does a great impression of Natalie Portman, of course, as that was her job!

James Gandolfini - The Last Boy Scout

James Gandolfini ground it out for years, working small parts in great movies like True Romance and Crimson Tide, and Get Shorty, before landing the role of a lifetime in The Sopranos. His first role, for which he wasn't even credited, is as an extra playing a henchman to Damon Wayans' character in 1991's The Last Boy Scout.

Alfred Molina - Raiders Of The Lost Ark

While Alfred Molina had appeared in some small roles on television, his first acting credit came as Satipo in Raiders of the Lost Ark. He plays Indy's assistant who first betrays Indy, then is struck down trying to escape with the treasure at the beginning of the movie. It's a bigger role than an extra or a cameo, but not much more. He's gone on to much bigger things since, of course.

Scarlett Johansson - North

Scarlett Johansson's biggest break came in 2003's Lost In Translation, but the actress had been working in Hollywood for almost a decade at that point, first appearing in North when she was just nine years old.

Daniel Day-Lewis - Sunday Bloody Sunday

In another true "blink and you'll miss it" or, frankly, a "you'd never know if you didn't know" moment, the legendary Daniel Day-Lewis pops up as a trouble-making teen scratching cars in 1971's Sunday Bloody Sunday.

Elizabeth Banks - Shaft

Elizabeth Banks has built her career into a true Hollywood powerhouse as an actor, director, and producer. In the early days, though, she was like most actors, trying to land whatever parts she could in whatever movie she could. She appears in a handful of movies basically as a credited extra, including 2000's Shaft starring Samuel L. Jackson. She was billed under the name Elizabeth Maresal Mitchell.

Matt Damon - Mystic Pizza

One thing Matt Damon wins on this list is "best character name" for his debut in a motion picture. He has a small role with the name "Steamer Windsor." There's a lot to unpack there; if only he had more screen time, we might have been able to.

Jon Hamm

Years before he would take the world by storm as Don Draper, Jon Hamm was like so many other young actors, taking any role he could, including "Young Pilot #2" in 2000's Space Cowboys, directed by Clint Eastwood.

Tom Cruise - Endless Love

While Endless Love might not seem like the biggest movie on this list, it was a minor hit back in 1981, starring Brooke Shields. It's hardly remembered today, but it did give an obscure actor named Tom Cruise his first role in a movie, and that has to count for something. Though Cruise has a small role here, later that same year, he would star in Taps, and two years later, his career would blow up with The Outsiders, Risky Business, and All The Right Moves, all in 1983. He's basically been the biggest star on earth in the decades since.

Melissa McCarthy - Go

Melissa McCarthy can do it all in comedy. She's been fantastic doing impressions on SNL and has played both memorable supporting roles in classics like Bridesmaids and This is 40, and starring roles in Central Intelligence and Ghostbusters. But it was a small role as a roommate in Go that gave her her start.

Nicolas Cage - Fast Times At Ridgemont High

The '80s classic Fast Times at Ridgemont High helped launch a lot of careers, like Sean Penn, Judge Reinhold, and Phoebe Cates. It also gave Nicolas Cage his first role, though he didn't get a line in the movie. Famously, he was billed under his given name, Nic Coppola. Soon, he would change it to get some distance from his famous family, and the rest is history.

Elijah Wood - Back To The Future Part II

Elijah Wood has had a long career, and it stretches all the way back to 1989 and Back to the Future Part II, where he plays one of the kids who makes fun of Marty for using his hands to play a video in the future.

Kristen Stewart - The Flintstones In Viva Rock Vegas

This one is so fast (and you never actually see her face), that there is no way you'd know that Kristen Stewart's first movie role was as an uncredited extra playing a ring toss game in The Flintstones In Viva Rock Vegas without a list like this one.

Jack Black - Bob Roberts

In Jack Black's first role, the musician and comedian plays an absolutely terrifying fan of the politician and musician Bob Roberts in the Tim Robbins movie, also called Bob Roberts. Black plays a supporter of the politician, and the moment he appears on screen, he makes you nervous. It's kinda brilliant, if short-lived.

Patrick Dempsey

Patrick Dempsey started his career with a tiny, uncredited role in the very last shot of a movie very few people remember, The Stuff from 1985.

Julia Roberts - Satisfaction

Of all the parts on this list, Julia Roberts' first role, in Satisfaction, the 1988 film that also stars Justine Bateman and Liam Neeson, is larger than most. She plays the bass player in the fictional band, and like many real-life bass players, she is mostly in the background. Later that year, she had a much more substantial role in Mystic Pizza, and from there, she pretty much conquered Hollywood.

Mark Wahlberg - Renaissance Man

Mark Wahlberg famously had some troubled teenage years while his brother Donnie stormed the music charts with New Kids On The Block. Still, eventually he would get his act together and find some success in show business, first as a musician himself, then later as one of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood. He was already famous when he landed his film debut in Renaissance Man, but it wasn't the starring role he'd soon be known for.

Tom Hardy - Black Hawk Down

The cast of Black Hawk Down is absolutely stacked. It's so stacked that Tom Hardy, who doesn't have a huge role, is really easy to overlook. The Havoc star landed his first role in a movie alongside actors like Ewan McGregor, Eric Bana, Tom Sizemore, and Jason Isaacs, plus guys like Orlando Bloom and Ty Burrell in early roles.

Brad Pitt - No Way Out

It's hard to believe that Brad Pitt wasn't an immediate star in Hollywood, but he had to put in the work, just like most. Early in his career, he had a number of uncredited roles as an extra, and his most notable was 1987's No Way Ou,t where he plays a guy at a party who is really just standing behind Kevin Costner.

Anthony Edwards - Fast Times At Ridgemont High

One of the many actors who found early work in their career in Fast Times At Ridgemont High was Anthony Edwards, who has a bit part as one of Sean Penn's stoner friends. It's true he has more lines than Nicolas Cage in the movie, but his role is still pretty minor, yet memorable.

Geena Davis - Tootsie

Geena Davis really burst onto the scene in smaller, but substantial roles in Tootsie and Fletch. Sure, there weren't the smallest roles on this list, but they weren't the leading roles she would later become famous for in movies like Beetlejuice, The Accidental Tourist (for which she won an Oscar), A League of Their and Thelma and Louise.

Eric Stoltz - Fast Times At Ridgemont High

The list of actors who got their start in Fast Times At Ridgemont High is long and distinguished. One name that you have to include as having had the most impressive career is Eric Stoltz. Three years later, Stoltz would star in Mask, and he pretty much wrote his own ticket after that performance. He plays one of the stoners in Fast Times with Sean Penn and Anthony Edwards, who don't like to wear shirts in public.

Jason Segel - Can't Hardly Wait

Random teenage stoners are pretty common characters for big stars to have played early in their career. Jason Segel is a perfect example. Segel plays a random dude at the big party who appears to have overindulged with his buddy in the classic teenage comedy, Can't Hardly Wait. The watermelon he's eating does look delicious, though.

Angelina Jolie - Lookin' To Get Out

The title of this list is about big movies, and you might hear the name Lookin' To Get Out and think, "What movie?" That's fair, as it's basically forgotten today, but it was a very hyped movie with a substantial budget for 1982. It was a Jon Voight project from top to bottom, and as such, he got to cast his then-seven-year-old daughter Angelina Jolie in a small part towards the end of the movie.

Jeff Goldblum - Death Wish

When you are credited as "Freak #1" in a movie, it's a safe bet that you're not going to be featured much. Still, when Jeff Goldblum landed that role in Death Wish, he went all out, including not showering for a while to immerse himself in the minor role. To his credit, he does look almost unrecognizable in the role.

Channing Tatum - Coach Carter

Even guys as good-looking and talented as Channing Tatum need to start somewhere. For Tatum, it was as a member of the basketball team in Coach Carter, the 2005 sports drama starring Samuel L. Jackson as the titular high school basketball coach.

Timothée Chalamet - Interstellar

Like countless other New York actors, Timothée Chalamet's first credited role came on Law & Order, which he landed when he was still in high school. In 2014, he was cast in Interstellar as Matthew McConaughey's character's son. It's a small role, but it obviously has led to big things.

Seth Rogen - Donnie Darko

Seth Rogen is most famous for his many comedic roles, but his first film role, a smaller role as a high school bully in Donnie Darko, is exactly his funniest role, that's for sure. The role came after he found his early success on Freaks and Geeks, but well before he broke out as a writer, director, as well as an actor later in his career.

Vince Vaughn - Rudy

Vince Vaughn has starred in a ton of classic comedies in his career, like Swingers, Old School, Dodgeball, and Wedding Crashers. He's also made his mark in dramas like Brawl in Cell Block 99, Freaky, Hacksaw Ridge, and his first movie, the classic sports drama, Rudy, where he plays one of the teammates on that Notre Dame football team.

Alexander Skarsgård

This one is a little bit of an edge case, because while Alexander Skarsgård's first American movie was as one of the really, really good looking male models in Zoolander, he had appeared in some Swedish movies before it. Still, we think this is close enough!

Some movies just get lucky when it comes to young, up-and-coming casts. Movies like Dazed and Confused and Fast Times at Ridgemont High are legendary for this, but there are so many more. This is a list dedicated to those movies that somehow pulled together major stars before they were stars.

Platoon (1986)

Oliver Stone collected an impressive stable of talent for his Oscar-winning film Platoon. Charlie Sheen was a star on the rise, but most of his roles had been in supporting roles. Tom Berringer and Willem Dafoe, who play dueling sergeants, were also very early in their careers. Add that young actors like Johnny Depp, Kevin Dillon, Forest Whitaker, and John C. McGinley and it adds up to one amazing cast.

School Ties (1992)

1992's School Ties is everything this list is about. Not only was it Brendan Fraser's first lead role (other than Encino Man), but it had young stars in the making named Chris O'Donnell, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Cole Hauser, and Anthony Rapp.

Boyz n the Hood (1991)

Director John Singleton rocked the world with his debut feature Boyz n the Hood, and the cast he assembled was impressive. Cuba Gooding, Jr., Morris Chestnut, Angela Bassett, Nia Long, and Regina King were all very early in their careers, and Ice Cube proved he could jump from hip hop icon to actor with acclaim.

The Faculty (1998)

The Faculty was Robert Rodriguez's follow-up to From Dusk Til Dawn, and while it doesn't have the same rep that his first few movies have, it's still an underrated gem of a teen horror movie. It boasts a cast that included a young Jordana Brewster, Clea DuVall, Josh Hartnett, Elijah Wood, and Shawn Hatosy, not to mention Jon Stewart in one of the earliest, and biggest, movie roles of his career.

Empire Records (1995)

Like a lot of coming-of-age teen dramadies, Empire Records has an impressive cast of young actors destined for stardom. Actors like Liv Tyler, Renée Zellweger, Robin Tunney, Rory Cochrane, Ethan Embry, and Debi Mazar.

National Lampoon's Animal House (1978)

The biggest star in Animal House is, without a doubt, John Belushi. He was already one of the most famous comedic actors in the country due to his success on Saturday Night Live. However, Animal House was his very first starring role, and he was joined by other young actors who were on their way up, like Karen Allen, Stephen Furst, Tim Matheson, Tom Hulce, Bruce McGill, and, of course, Kevin Bacon, in his first-ever movie role.

The Outsiders (1983)

Francis Ford Coppola's iconic The Outsiders has to be on this list. The cast, almost all of whom were in one of the earliest roles of their careers, would go on to become some of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Stars like Tom Cruise, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Diane Lane, Emilio Estevez, Matt Dillon, and C. Thomas Howell. Nothing more really needs to be said.

The Goonies (1985)

Any movie with a list of young actors like Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Corey Feldman, Martha Plimpton, and Ke Huy Quan belongs on this list. The Goonies is an iconic Gen X movie, and the cast grew up with the same generation and became icons in and of themselves.

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

The biggest stars in Saving Private Ryan, like Tom Hanks and Tom Sizemore, were already well established in their careers, of course. The supporting cast, however, was filled with young up-and-comers like Giovanni Ribisi, Vin Diesel, Barry Pepper, Nathan Fillion, Jeremy Davies, Adam Goldberg, and, of course, Matt Damon as the titular Private Ryan.

Diner (1982)

Barry Levinson has become one of the most revered directors in Hollywood, and his first movie included a lot of young actors who were headed for big careers. Ellen Barkin, Mickey Rourke, Steve Guttenberg, Daniel Stern, and Tim Daly all joined Paul Riser, who was making his film debut in Diner.

Dazed And Confused (1993)

Director Richard Linklater's 1993 classic Dazed and Confused is the prototype for a list like this. The teen comedy set in the '70s but helped define '90s cinema includes one of the most stacked casts of young actors ever. There are huge stars like Ben Affleck and Matthew McConaughey (in his first major role), Parker Posey, Yellowstone star Cole Hauser, Anthony Rapp, Adam Goldberg, Milla Jovovich, and even Renée Zellweger as an extra.

Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982)

There are few teen comedies more beloved than Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Not only is the movie hilarious, but it also features some major stars in the making. Stars like Judge Reinhold, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Phoebe Cates, and Forrest Whitaker. Then there are the stoners in the movie, led by Sean Penn. His buddies in the movie were played by Anthony Edwards and Eric Stoltz. And don't forget Nicolas Cage (billed as Nicolas Coppola) in his first appearance on the big screen as an extra.

The Big Chill (1983)

There is no more iconic Baby Boomer nostalgia flick than The Big Chill. While most of the actors in the ensemble cast have established careers, none could really be called stars until after the success of the movie. Actors like William Hurt, Meg Tilly, Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, Kevin Kline, and maybe the most famous "cast member," Kevin Costner. Costner played the corpse of their dead friend, and while his face isn't even seen on screen, he counts, right?

Do The Right Thing (1989)

Spike Lee burst onto the Hollywood scene in the late '80s, and his 1989 joint Do The Right Thing changed the rules of filmmaking forever. It helps that he assembled a cast that included young actors like Giancarlo Stanton, John Turturro, Samuel L. Jackson, and Rosie Perez.

Basquiat (1996)

Jeffery Wright had his breakout role as the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in Basquiat. He was joined by a lot of established stars like David Bowie, Dennis Hopper, and Gary Oldman, but there were quite a few young stars on the move, too. Actors like Benicio del Toro, Claire Forlani, Parker Posey, and even Sam Rockwell in a small role as a street hood,

Stand By Me (1986)

Stand By Me doesn't have a big cast, but almost everyone in the movie became a big star after its release. There's the older group of guys led by Keifer Sutherland and Casey Siemaszko, but it's the group of kids that really got famous from the movie. Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell, and the late River Phoenix all have breakout roles. Plus, there's a bonus with John Cusack as Wheaton's character's dead brother in flashbacks.

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010)

The cast of Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is a who's who of 2010's stars. Sure, Michael Cera had already begun making a name for himself, but there are a slew of others on the rise. Actresses like Aubrey Plaza, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Anna Kendrick, Alison Pill, and Brie Larson make up the bulk of the cast. Kieran Culkin and a pre-Captain America Chris Evans also show up.

Young Guns (1988)

Just like the title says, Young Guns isn't only about a bunch of young gunfighters in the late 19th Century like Billy The Kid, but the cast was also a bunch of young guns in Hollywood. Emilio Estevez leads a cast that also includes his brother Charlie Sheen alongside Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, Dermot Mulroney, and Casey Siemaszko. In the sequel, they were joined by Christian Slater, Balthazar Getty, and Bradley Whitford, among others.

Love Actually (2003)

Guys like Colin Firth and Hugh Grant were already big names when they starred in Love Actually, but much of the rest of the cast were in the very early days of their careers, most notably Chiwetel Ejiofor, Andrew Lincoln, Kiera Knightly, January Jones, Shannon Elizabeth, Denise Richards, and Martin Freeman.

Wet Hot American Summer (2001)

From the minds of The State came the now-iconic teen summer camp romp Wet Hot American Summer. It's like a little bit of the 1980s in the early 21st Century. It also features a cast who have gone on the big things in Hollywood, including Bradley Cooper in his first role, where he was joined by Amy Poehler, Paul Rudd, and Elizabeth Banks, alongside vets like David Hyde Pierce and Janeane Garofalo.

St. Elmo's Fire (1985)

This list would be incomplete without mentioning the famous 1980s "Brat Pack," and St. Elmo's Fire is where almost the whole crew was in the same movie. Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Andrew McCarthy, Judd Nelson, and Ally Sheedy lead the cast list. Andie McDowell also appears in one of her earliest roles.

American Pie (1999)

Like so many other teen romps before and after it, American Pie is loaded with future stars. Jason Biggs leads the cast as Jim, and he's joined by Shannon Elizabeth, Alyson Hannigan, Seann William Scott, Tara Reid, Mena Suvari, and Natasha Lyonne. Not to mention the well-established stars like Eugene Levy and Jennifer Coolidge.

Black Hawk Down (2001)

2001's Black Hawk Down from director Ridley Scott has a mix of established stars like Ewan McGregor, Jason Isaacs, Tom Sizemore, and Sam Shepard, and young soon-to-be stars like Eric Bana, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Orlando Bloom, Tom Hardy, Hugh Dancy, and Ty Burrell.

Catch-22 (1970)

In 1970, the book Catch-22 was adapted on the screen for the first time and had some of the biggest stars of all-time in it, like Orson Welles, but if also had some future stars like Alan Arkin, Charles Grodin, Bob Balaban, and a young Martin Sheen in one of his first major roles.

Private Parts (1997)

In the mid-1990s, Howard Stern was the "King of all Media," and he proved it with his hit movie Private Parts, based on his first memoir. The movie starred most of the Stern crew from his radio show, but they were augmented by young actors like Paul Giamatti in his breakout role, Mary McCormack, Allison Janey, Edie Falco, and Leslie Bibb.

Superbad (2007)

It's fair to say that Superbad helped launch a bunch of careers into the stratosphere. Michael Cera got his breakthrough role, and so did Jonah Hill. They were joined by Seth Rogen, who was already on the rise; Bill Hader, who was in one of his earliest movie roles; and Emma Stone, who was in her very first movie role. It's a stacked cast, to say the least.

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Matthew Modine was the biggest "star" in Stanley Kubrick's Vietnam War classic Full Metal Jacket, but he was hardly a big star at the time. The rest of the cast includes Vincent D'Onofrio, in his first major role, Adam Baldwin, and R. Lee Ermey, who was originally brought in as a consultant and ended up launching an acting career.

American Graffiti (1973)

George Lucas burst onto the Hollywood scene with his first major production, American Graffiti, in 1973, and he helped bring attention to a lot of future stars in some of their earliest roles, most notably Harrison Ford, of course. Ron Howard was already famous from Andy Griffith, but this movie would help him transition to older roles. The film also helped make stars of Richard Dreyfuss, Mackenzie Phillips, Cindy Williams, and Suzanne Somers.

Midnight Madness (1980)

Midnight Madness is one of the most forgotten Disney movies, but in the early '80s, it was a staple of cable TV. The cast included, most notably, Michael J. Fox and David Naughton in their first movie roles. It also included up-and-comers like Simpson's cast member Maggie Roswell and Animal House cast member Stephen Furst. Paul Rubens also has a small role in one of his first movies as well.

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is still remembered as director Guy Ritchie's first film, and it also includes some young actors whose careers blew up after the movie. Most notably, Jason Statham, but also Nick Moran, Jason Flemyng, former soccer player Vinnie Jones, and Steven Mackintosh.

Not Another Teen Movie (2001)

Yet another teen movie - or in this case, Not Another Teen Movie - helped launch a bunch of career,s like Chris Evans in his first starring role and Josh Radnor in his first role ever. Jaime Pressly, Mia Kirshner, Chyler Leigh, Lacey Chabert, and Eric Christian Olsen join them.

Can't Hardly Wait (1998)

1998's Can't Hardly Wait falls in that sweet spot where it's beloved by young Gen Xers and elder Millennials. It's easy to see why, with a cast that includes up-and-coming stars like Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ethan Embry, Seth Green, Jason Segel, Clea Duvall, Seann Patrick Thomason, Donald Faison, and Selma Blair, among others.

The 1990s were a great time for film, no doubt — just look at the 100 best movies of the '90s for proof — but it was also an unforgettable decade for fashion. Iconic ‘90s movie characters from Cher Horowitz to Mia Wallace to The Dude strutted into cinema history with their enviable wardrobes packed with cropped plaid cords, chic button-downs, cozy knit sweaters, and more, changing not only how people looked onscreen but how we all dressed in real life. From great ‘90s sci-fi movies like The Matrix and The Fifth Element to hilarious '90s comedies like But I'm A Cheerleader and B.A.P.S., these 32 fashionable flicks served up the decade's most iconic movie outfits.

Cher's Plaid Set From Clueless

Alicia Silverstone's Cher has been sparking closet envy ever since we saw her computer whip up the perfect outfit combination in the first scenes of Clueless. And her sunshine-yellow plaid suit, paired with a Collie-esque faux-fur backpack and her best accessory of all — equally stylish BFF Dionne Davenport (Stacey Dash), of course — is as instantly iconic as her trademark rebuttal of "As if!"

Tyler Durden's Leather Jacket From Fight Club

We won't spoil that mind-blowing plot twist — though the film has been out for decades at this point — but we will say that Brad Pitt's Tyler Durden sure packs a punch in the style department. Throughout the 1999 David Fincher flick, the Fight Club character routinely sports a uniform comprised of a wide-lapeled red leather jacket, a patterned button-down and a pair of scarlet-lensed sunglasses. It's a fit so cool, it's almost too good to be true.

The Metallic Dresses From Romy and Michele's High School Reunion

If you're going to make an impression at your high school reunion, coordinating metallic mini-dresses is certainly the way to do it. After shedding their Post-it-inventing businesswomen blazers, besties Romy (Mira Sorvino) and Michele (Lisa Kudrow) make their grand reentrance in ensembles entirely their own: a set of super-shiny, dance-friendly frocks in bubblegum pink and baby blue. Just think of the style moments a Romy and Michele sequel could bring!

Vivian's Crimson Opera Dress From Pretty Woman

There are many memorable fashion moments in the Julia Roberts classic Pretty Woman, from the $20 white-and-blue call girl outfit we first meet Vivian Ward in, to the pretty, polka-dotted number she later wears to polo. (Heck, the movie pretty much perfected the shopping montage!) But no look was as significant as the stunning red carpet-worth gown the character wears to attend a performance of La Traviata at the San Francisco Opera alongside Richard Gere's Edward Lewis.

The Desert Denim From Thelma & Louise

If you're going to be on the run from the law — in self-defense or otherwise — you might as well look great doing it. And road-tripping pals Thelma Dickinson (Geena Davis) and Louise Sawyer (Susan Sarandon) certainly do in the boundary-breaking Ridley Scott drama Thelma & Louise, which sees the two Arkansas women dash and dart away from police in dusty dungarees, sleeveless tops, ripped neckerchiefs and cowgirl hats. If being stylish was a crime, consider these two guilty.

Neo’s Trench Coat From The Matrix

From Casablanca to Kill Bill, the trench coat is a cinematic fashion staple, but nowhere has it looked cooler than when worn by Keanu Reeves as computer hacker Neo in the sci-fi masterpiece The Matrix. Per Dazed, the iconic black trench the character sports throughout the futuristic franchise was crafted by costume designer Kym Barrett with traditional Chinese robes and clergy garb in mind. Whatever the sartorial inspiration, the outcome was truly otherworldly.

Mia's Bob and Button-Down From Pulp Fiction

Proof that simple doesn't mean snooze-worthy where style is concerned, mob wife Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman, in her breakthrough role) twisted her way into cultural iconography with her blunt brunette bob, crisp white button-down and perpetually lit cigarette in Quentin Tarantino's best movie, Pulp Fiction. Costume designer Betsy Heimann reportedly modeled Mia's signature look after silent film stars and French New Wave figures.

The Cheer Squad Uniforms From Bring It On

The Rancho Carne Toros in San Diego and the East Compton Clovers in Los Angeles may have been rivals on the cheer mat, but they were equals where fashion is concerned. In their peppy, contrasting red and green uniforms, the cheerleading squads led by captains Torrance (Kirsten Dunst) and Isis (Gabrielle Union) looked surprisingly sophisticated while performing their high-flying routines. And the looks are still relevant these decades later — Union even sweetly broke out her old Clovers uniform as a fun movie-themed Halloween costume alongside her daughter.

The Orange and Blue Tuxes From Dumb and Dumber

Talk about not adhering to a black-tie dress code! Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carrey) and Harry Dunne (Jeff Daniels) made quite a bold fashion statement when they showed up to a formal fundraising event in a bright-orange and powder-blue tuxedo, respectively, in the classic Farrelly Brothers comedy Dumb and Dumber. They're simultaneously some of the best (in terms of funniness) and worst (in terms of fashion) suits ever put to celluloid.

The Goth Schoolgirl Garb From The Craft

The Power of Four, indeed. Each of the witchy teens at the center of the '90s cult hit The Craft — played by Robin Tunney, Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell and Rachel True — was a style goddess in her own right. But together they made quite a mystical impression with their schoolgirl style edged up with a touch of the occult, from their gothic choker necklaces to their lace-up black boots. Our wardrobes invoke thee!

Catherine's White Turtleneck Dress From Basic Instinct

Funnily enough, Basic Instinct star Sharon Stone believed that nobody would care about what femme fatale Catherine Tramell was wearing during an otherwise straightforward interrogation scene. “The movie was a thriller and we were stopping the action to watch me sit still in a chair, so I thought the possibility of anybody giving two s—ts about it was zero," the actress revealed to InStyle. How wrong she was — that leggy white dress and cashmere Hermès throw helped create one of the most infamous and controversial scenes in movie history, thanks to yet another style choice: her lack of undergarments.

Janet Jackson's Hat and Hoops From Poetic Justice

On stage, on screen, on the street — Janet Jackson is a veritable style icon wherever she goes. And the music legend certainly lived up to that sartorial greatness in the 1993 romantic drama Poetic Justice as the Los Angeles-based poet-hairdresser Justice, memorably accessorized with hoop earrings and a pageboy cap to go with her still-en-vogue ensemble of baggy high-waisted jeans and a black crop top.

Leeloo's Orange Suspenders From The Fifth Element

As a famous model-turned-actress, Milla Jovovich could pull off any costume, even ridiculous outfits from movies set in the future. Her iconic role as Leeloo in the 1997 sci-fi favorite The Fifth Element is certainly proof: the character famously wears rubber neon-orange suspenders — as citrus-bright as her dyed hair — with a ribbed crop top and gold disco pants, all designed by the one and only Jean-Paul Gaultier.

The Dude’s Sweater From The Big Lebowski

The original Westerly men's cardigan by Pendleton Woolen Mills debuted all the way back in 1974, but it become immortalized when the lambswool sweater was worn by Jeff Lebowski. a.k.a. The Dude, in The Coen Brothers' classic The Big Lebowski. The garment became so popular thanks to the groovy Jeff Bridges character that the brand permanently brought the cardigan back in stock. Style abides!

Juliet’s Angel Wings From Romeo + Juliet

Baz Luhrmann's magnetic, modernized Romeo + Juliet adaptation was packed with flamboyant reimaginings of the Shakespearean classic, particularly in the costume department. The most famous example, no doubt, is the ballroom scene that brings together our titular star-crossed lovers (played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes), with Danes' Juliet looking positively ethereal in a chaste white dress and angel's wings. Nineties-era DiCaprio dressed as a literal knight in shining armor isn't too shabby, either.

Ellie Sattler's Safari Styles From Jurassic Park

Few people could make digging through dinosaur poop look fashionable, and Laura Dern is one of them. For much of the 1993 Steven Spielberg-helmed action flick, Dern's beloved Jurassic Park heroine Dr. Ellie Sattler is durably decked out in a salmon-colored shirt tied in a knot over a blue tank, a pair of khaki shorts and some jungle-ready work boots. Dern paid homage to that very outfit when she reprised the iconic character three decades later in Jurassic World Dominion.

Kathryn's Power Suit From Cruel Intentions

Any other high schooler parading around uptown Manhattan in a power suit would look foolish, but not Cruel Intentions' Kathryn Merteuil. Formidably played by Sarah Michelle Gellar, the merciless mean girl made being bad look good in a sleek Dolce & Gabbana suit, with a custom skintight corset hidden underneath and a rosary necklace filled with, well, not holy water. The only thing sharper than that tailoring? Kathryn's manipulative edge.

Josie's First Day-Of-School Feathers From Never Been Kissed

If you're a 20-something newspaper reporter trying to go undercover as a high school student to research for a story, maybe wearing a feather boa to homeroom isn't the best move. Sure, Josie Geller's all-white get-up — worn in one of the best Drew Barrymore romantic comedies, Never Been Kissed — was nonsensical, especially paired with a giant lemon-printed tot in place of a traditional backpack, but overall, it was definitely rufus!

Wooderson's White Tee and 'Stache From Dazed & Confused

Few film breakthroughs have been as indelible as Matthew McConaughey in the Richard Linklater-directed coming-of-age comedy Dazed and Confused. One of McConaughey's best roles, his Texan townie David Wooderson wasn't just iconic because of his one-liners (including that infamous "Alright, alright, alright" drawl) but also because of his authentic '70s digs: a tight Ted Nugent T-shirt tucked into salmon-pink pants, capped off with a groovy mustache and that easy McConaughey smile.

Nisi and Mickey's Super-Shiny Coats From B.A.P.S.

Nisi (Halle Berry) and Mickey (the late Natalie Desselle) — a.k.a. the "Black American Princesses" at the focus of the cultish 1997 buddy comedy B.A.P.S. —know that a good outfit means serving looks from head to toe. Put together by Oscar-winning costume director Ruth E. Carter, those incredible sky-high hairdos are matched with heavily lacquered outerwear in tropical tangerine and animal print, plus heaps of gold jewelry and a fresh set of acrylic nails.

Corey's Rex Manning Day Outfit From Empire Records

The '90s cult favorite Empire Records takes place over the course of one day in the lives of a plucky group of record store employees. But it's no ordinary day: it's Rex Manning Day when the childhood crush of staffer Corey Mason (played by Liv Tyler) — washed-up pop star Rex Manning (Maxwell Caulfield) — comes in for an album-signing event. Of course, that means Corey wants to look her best and she sure does, in a soft blue mohair sweater, plaid skirt and combat boots that, per Elle, were the actress's own.

The Pink Camp Uniforms From But I'm a Cheerleader

One of the best and most satirical teen rom-coms out there, But I'm a Cheerleader stars Natasha Lyonne as Megan Bloomfield, a high school cheerleader whose parents send her to a conversion therapy camp to "cure" her lesbianism. All attendees of True Directions are made to wear campy color-coded uniforms — pale pink for the girls, bright blue for the boys — a hilariously subversive sendup of absurd gender stereotypes. That candy-colored clothing is made sweeter when Megan falls for another queer girl (played by Clea DuVall) in the program.

Tupac's Layered Outerwear From Juice

The 1992 crime thriller Juice was the feature film debut of rap icon Tupac Shakur, and the rapper made a great big-screen first impression. As Roland Bishop, an aimless Harlem youth walking the chilly, dangerous streets of early-nineties New York City with his friends, Tupac wears a top-notch outerwear uniform — we're talking sporty crewnecks layered over hoodies and topped with an oversized jean jacket. It may be cold, but Pac always looks cool.

Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman Suit From Batman Returns

Superheroes usually have pretty cool costumes, tricked out with gadgets and gizmos, but for Michelle Pfeiffer, all her Catwoman needed was a skintight latex suit and a simple whip to create a seminal cinematic villain. Beyond being "black and sexy and tight and shiny," costume designer Mary Vogt revealed to AnOther, the infamous suit shrewdly incorporated silicon stitching to mimic a calico cat. "Since she was moving around at night, it looked really fluid. That costume is all about the light – and of course, all about Michelle.”

Selena's Purple Performing Jumpsuit From Selena

Jennifer Lopez is a fashion legend in her own right — her famous green Grammy dress literally inspired the invention of Google Images — but in 1997, she had her Golden Globe-nominated breakthrough for portraying another style icon, the late Tejano superstar Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, in the music biopic Selena. The titular star had many notable performing outfits throughout her short-lived career, many of which were recreated for the film, but the glittering purple jumpsuit Selena wore while performing at the Houston Astrodome might just be her most unforgettable look.

The Spice Force Five Looks From Spice World

World-famous pop group, The Spice Girls are known for their individual personas and signature styles, from Victoria Beckham's "posh" little black dresses to Geri Halliwell's Union Jack frocks. But in their 1997 musical comedy film Spice World, the gals come together for a true joint slay as the "Spice Force Five," hamming it up as seriously stylish espionage agents in matching silver fits and, of course, massive platform shoes.

Laney's Little Red Dress From She's All That

Some outfits deserve their own slow-mo moment, and the post-makeover red dress that artsy nerd Laney Boggs (played by Rachael Leigh Cook) wears in the classic '90s teen flick She's All That is certainly one of them. "Up until that point her palette was very drab," costume designer Denise Wingate told Interview Magazine. "That’s why when she comes down the stairs to meet Zach that moment was more about the color than the dress itself." (Cue the "Kiss Me"!) Not that we don't love her paint-splattered overalls and bookish eyeglasses, too!

The Beach Hats From How Stella Got Her Groove Back

Angela Bassett always looks incredible, but especially while on vacation — the tropical costuming in one of the actress's best movies, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, certainly proves that point. The island-ready looks worn by Bassett's character Stella Payne and her best friend Delilah (Whoopi Goldberg), complete with fabulous, wide-brimmed beach hats, will make you want to book a trip ASAP.

Madeline's Silver Ensemble From Death Becomes Her

When Hollywood icons like Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn and Isabella Rossellini come together, you know the fashion moments will be aplenty. The '90s dark comedy Death Becomes Her is packed with them, like the silky silver jacket that Meryl's Madeline Ashton character wears while she blasts a hole straight through the stomach of her former friend Helen Sharp (Hawn). The outfit was so iconic that Adele herself wore it while crooning to Streep at one of her Vegas shows.

Rose's Dinner Dress From Titanic

It's no surprise that, out of its whopping 11 wins, Titanic took home the Oscar for Best Costume Design at the 70th Academy Awards. The ornate lace gown that Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet) wears in that romantic scene as she glides down the grand staircase to meet Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) alone was worth the award!

The Wonders' Matching Suits From That Thing You Do!

"You guys look great in red, have I told you that?" It's the go-to compliment from The Wonders' band manager Mr. White (played by Tom Hanks, who also wrote and directed the movie) in the 1996 musical comedy That Thing You Do! And honestly, he's right: the matching suits he makes bandmates Jimmy (Johnathon Schaech), Lenny (Steve Zahn), Guy (Tom Everett Scott) and the bass player (Ethan Embry) wear on tour do look great, especially when finished off with some cool sunnies for "Shades" to wear.

Dickie's Italian Wardrobe From The Talented Mr. Ripley

It would be near-impossible to make film heartthrob Jude Law ever look bad, but the classic Riviera-chic stylings that the actor wears as Dickie Greenleaf in The Talented Mr. Ripley —think striped polo, breezy white trousers, boat-ready loafers and stretches of tanned skin — arguably might be the best he's ever looked onscreen.

Sometimes movies take some time to ease viewers into the show, while others set the tone immediately. The movies on this list are the latter. Whether it's a comedy like Dazed and Confused or an action movies like Raiders Of The Lost Ark, these movies don't waste any time at the beginning.

Dazed And Confused

From the opening notes of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" to the '70s muscle car cruising the parking lot, you know exactly when Dazed And Confused is set. There is no mistaking the era even before you see the characters and their costumes. While it was made in the 90s, the movie is pure 1970s.

2001: A Space Odyssey

Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey is one of the most important movies ever made and by opening what everyone expected to be a sci-fi movie with a bunch of monkeys learning how to use tools (and more), it sets a very different kind of tone than any other sci-fi movie before it. It was unlike anything anyone had ever seen before it. Of course, it also has one of the wildest endings of all time, too.

The Dark Knight

Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight is one of the greatest movie villains of all time and while audiences don't immediately know (or maybe they do) that the opening scene is Clown Prince of Crime from the back, by the end of the opening scene, we know exactly what we are getting into. One of the best comic book movies of all time opens with one of the best scenes of all time for a villain who completely steals the show.

Star Wars

From the opening blast of the classic John Williams score to the now-iconic scroll, and finally, the two massive spaceships firing lasers at each other, Star Wars easily has one of the most memorable opening scenes of any movie, ever. Audiences in 1977 were simply blown away from the moment the movie started and it immediately became the classic it is and how it has endured for decades.

Pulp Fiction

Quentin Tarantino's second film, Pulp Fiction, was one of the most anticipated movies of 1994 and the director immediately let audiences know he was on point with the opening scene between Tim Roth and Amanda Plummer in the diner. It's classic Tarantino with great dialog and finally, a burst of near-violence that sucks moviegoers in at once.

Jaws

Jaws is thought of these days as one of the best movies Hollywood has ever produced. Director Steven Spielberg did an absolutely masterful job of scaring the audience by not showing the shark very much and that starts with the creepy, foreboding scene when a lone swimmer becomes the shark's first victim.

Citizen Kane

"Rosebud" is one of the most mysterious opening lines to any movie, ever. The snow globe falling out of a dying man's hand and breaking on the floor only adds to the mystery. That's how Citizen Kane opens and audiences then and now are captivated from that moment until the end, when they learn what "Rosebud" means in the movie's final scene.

Apocalypse Now

Some movies just need to have some incredible music and one iconic shot to lock you in. Apocalypse Now is one of those movies. From the foreboding sounds of The Doors' song "The End" to the fireball or napalm that rushes across the jungle in the opening scene, director Francis Ford Coppola immediately let everyone know this was going to be a different kind of war movie.

Purple Rain

If you're one of the most iconic musicians of your day and you decide to make a movie about a fictionalized version of yourself, you'd better open the show with a banger. That's exactly what Prince did when he opened Purple Rain with "Let's Go Crazy." It's simply a performance (and guitar solo) for the ages and sets the tone for the movie perfectly.

The Godfather

While it may not start with a bang like some of the other movies on this list, the opening scene of The Godfather sets the tone for the movie in a way nothing else could. Within minutes audiences knew exactly what kind of man Vito Corleone was and what was important to him.

Raiders Of The Lost Ark

Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of the best adventure films of all time and as such, it opens with one of the most exciting sequences in Hollywood history as our hero Indiana Jones dodges traps and a giant boulder to escape with his treasure. Though he loses it right away, of course. It's a very worthy opening to the Indiana Jones franchise.

Boogie Nights

Director Paul Thomas Anderson knocks it out of the park with the first scene in Boogie Nights that lets you know exactly where and when the movie is happening. The long tracking shot introduced almost every character movie right away and audiences are already getting to know them by the time the shot changes. It's brilliant.

Saving Private Ryan

In many ways, Saving Private Ryan changed how war movies are made and what audiences expect from them. The opening scene, when Tom Hanks and his platoon hit the beaches of Normandy on D-Day is one of, if not the, most intense action scenes ever put on film. It's praised for its depiction of the battle and the visceral feel of it all is simply incredible.

Spectre

The James Bond franchise is famous for its opening, pre-credits scenes, so we had to include one on this list. There are any number of great ones you could go with, but for our money, the opening to Spectre with the tracking shot all across Mexico City and into a hotel, and out to the ledge, is pure magic. And pure Bond.

Scream

In an homage to the great Alfred Hitchcock movie Psycho, the opening scene of Scream features one of the biggest stars in the movie, Drew Barrymore, getting killed just minutes into the story. For audiences at the time, it was a completely brilliant and shocking moment as Barrymore had been marketed heavily so no one expected her to meet her demise so soon. It was something Barrymore insisted on.

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation

When it comes to the Mission: Impossible franchise, fans can always count on an amazing opening sequence. On the one hand, it's hard to pick one as the best, but on the other hand, c'mon, it's the one where Tom Cruise hangs from a freaking plane! That opening to Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation is one of the most incredible stunts Cruise has done on a long, long list of stunts he's done for those movies.

Trainspotting

Danny Boyle's Trainspotting walks a tightrope between really cool and fun, and desperately tragic. This is all summed up in the first few seconds of the movie when audiences see a very rough-looking Renton (Ewan McGregor) running from the police and almost getting hit by a car as Iggy Pop's "Lust For Life" accompanies the scene. It's not only the perfect opening scene for the movie, it's a brilliant musical moment as well.

There Will Be Blood

Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood is one of the examples on this list of movies that set a tone immediately, but do so not with action and pizazz but with a gentle slow build. There is virtually no dialog other than some grunts from the protagonist (Daniel Day-Lewis) as he struggles to get his oil well going. Like the rest of the movie, it's intense, but quietly so. It's really perfect.

The Matrix

While we don't meet Neo right away in The Matrix, we do get a great example of how the world in the movie is going to work as we watch Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) barely escape a group of Agents in the Matrix.

Inglourious Basterds

If you want some quiet intensity, there may be no better opening scene than Inglourious Basterds. Christoph Waltz's character sitting and drinking milk while hunting for hidden Jews is seriously intense without anything more than some brilliant dialog by Quentin Tarantino and a glass of milk. It's the least over-the-top moment in te movie, and yet sets the tone perfectly.

Top Gun

The flight deck of an aircraft carrier is an exciting and dangerous place to be. For Top Gun, director Tony Scott didn't need to use any of the stars of the movie, or even any actors at all. Instead, he used actual Navy members doing their actual jobs as jet fighters took off and landed all to the soaring notes of Harold Faltermeyer's guitar-based soundtrack. Talk about pulling you right into a movie!

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 1

Director James Gunn has become famous for his brilliant use of music in the Guardians Of The Galaxy movies. Star-Lord's mixtape quickly became one of the main characters of the movies, almost. That started at the very beginning of the first movie when we all first meet Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) as he dances his way through the opening scene to "Come and Get Your Love" by Redbone.

Full Metal Jacket

The very beginning of Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket features young men getting their heads shaved as they join the Marines. The next few minutes are just R. Lee Emery yelling at the new inductees. It's one of the most iconic opening scenes of any movie, much less any war movie and it's a big part of what makes it among the best war movies ever made.

Deadpool

By now we all know just what kind of "superhero" Deadpool is. In fact, even if you weren't familiar with the anti-hero from the comic books, it only takes about the first ten minutes of the first Deadpool movie to know exactly who he is. There really is no better introduction to a superhero movie, and that's really saying something.

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

The two main characters in Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels are, in some ways, very competent criminals. In other ways, they are complete disasters. The opening moments show both sides of them perfectly as they pull off their scam selling stolen jewelry for a time before they lose all their merchandise getting chased by the cops.

Jurassic Park

There was no bigger movie in the early '90s than Jurassic Park and there was no bigger opening moment than when audiences were thrown right into the action as the game wardens and staff tried to wrangle a velociraptor into its cage. It did more than just help the movie become iconic for millions of people.

No Country For Old Men

The opening scene to No Country For Old Men immediately draws the audience into the movie and its dark, foreboding nature. After a voiceover by Tommy Lee Jones, we see an unknown character getting arrested for an unknown reason. We soon learn that the character is Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) and just how ruthless he is.

Gladiator

Ridley Scott may not care much for historical accuracy, but that doesn't matter when you recreate an ancient battle as he does at the opening of Gladiator. It's an amazing scene reminiscent of the great battle scenes in movies before CGI when it was all about practical effects and a huge number of extras.

Once Upon a Time In The West

To make a great western, you have to set a mood. Once Upon a Time In The West does this as well or better than any other Western. Viewers can feel the heat of the day and the crackling tension well before any action happens. You know it's coming, you just don't how or when.

Baby Driver

Take a great soundtrack, a cool moment of people wearing matching suits and sunglasses, throw in a fantastic car chase and you're guaranteed to suck audiences in immediately. Just like they do in Baby Driver. The movie takes off at full speed right from the jump.

Reservoir Dogs

Quentin Tarantino told the whole world just who he was in the first few minutes of his first movie, Reservoir Dogs. The intense, fast-paced dialog he's known for is present right at the very beginning as his character Mr. Orange explains the real meaning behind his favorite Madonna song. And it's not what you think.

A Clockwork Orange

A Clockwork Orange's opening scene definitely has audiences asking more questions than it's ever answering, but that's exactly what draws you in so quickly. You have to know what these guys in the funny outfits are up to and why in the world they are seemingly drinking milk in a weird bar. Later, you might regret getting those answers...

The United States has a lot of great cities and most of those cities have at least one great movie set in them. Some cities, like New York or LA, have a lot, so narrowing it down to one can be tough. Other cities, like Kansas City or Memphis, have fewer films set in them, but those films are classics. Here is our list of movies set in 32 great American cities.

Los Angeles - The Big Lebowski

There are a lot of movies set in Los Angeles. Narrowing it down to one is almost impossible, so we chose a movie that at its heart is pure LA. The Big Lebowski has become one of the most beloved movies of all time, and since the protagonist, The Dude (Jeff Bridges) plays "the laziest man in Los Angeles County," well, his movie just had to be on the list.

Atlanta - Gone With The Wind

Gone With The Wind may have some very problematic themes, to say the least, but it is still the highest-grossing movie (adjusted for inflation) of all time. Set in and around the city of Atlanta during the Civil War, it's a timeless bit of history both in story and in production.

Houston - Rushmore

Director Wes Anderson is from Houston and Rushmore, as only his second feature film, has a bit of an autobiographical feel to it. It is set in his hometown, and much of it was filmed there as well, including his own high school for the fictional Rushmore Academy.

San Francisco - Vertigo

San Francisco is one of the most iconic and picturesque cities in the whole country so it's no surprise that a lot of movies have been shot there. Everything from The Rock to Bullitt, to more. However, there is no way you can't pick the Alfred Hitchcock classic Vertigo to go on this list. Not only is it one of Hitchcock's best, it's among the best films of all time.

Philadelphia - Rocky

When you mention Philadelphia on a list like this, almost everyone is going to think of one movie: Rocky. There may be no movie more identified with the city it takes place in than the 1977 Best Picture winner. Sure, there are other fantastic movies set in the City of Brotherly Love, but none compare to Sly Stallone's classic. Or, if we're honest, all the other movies in the Rocky franchise.

Dallas - Dallas Buyers Club

Dallas Buyers Club is a heartbreaking, but incredible picture. Matthew McConaughey's performance earned him a well-deserved Oscar and while Dallas, Texas, has been the setting for quite a few films, none are as important, or as good, as this one.

Cleveland - Major League

In the opening song to Major League, Randy Newman sings "Cleveland, city of light, city of magic." It's meant to be ironic in the song, but the movie is as much a love letter to the city and the fans of the former Indians (now Guardians) baseball team. It's one of the best sports movies ever made and there is nothing more Cleveland than long-suffering sports fans.

Austin - Dazed And Confused

When you watch Dazed And Confused, you feel Austin in the 1970s as much as you see it. Director Richard Linklater truly made a love letter to his hometown and his high school years with this classic film, filled with amazing moments and hilarious quotes. It's truly one of the best movies set in Texas.

Washington DC - All the President's Men

Washington DC is an iconic world capital and as such, has been the setting for dozens of movies. From biopics about Presidents like Nixon to horror movies like The Exorcist, DC has seen it all. There isn't a movie that oozes DC power and corruption quite like All The President's Men, which tells the story of the two reporters who broke one of the biggest scandals of all time with the Watergate break-in.

Miami - Scarface

Florida has been described as a sunny place for shady people and there is no film that portrays that better than Scarface. Al Pacino's classic performance as Cuban-criminal-turned-refugee-turned-drug-kingpin is a stone-cold classic. There are lighter films set in Miami, but there are no better films than the dark and violent Scarface.

New York City - Do The Right Thing

How do you pick just one movie to represent New York City on film? It could be a classic Woody Allen movie or one of the many rom-coms set in the Big Apple. Maybe it's a comedy like Ghostbusters. It's an impossible task, but for this one, we've settled on a native New Yorker's classic. Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing simply is New York.

Boston - Good Will Hunting

Boston is one of the oldest and most iconic cities in the U.S. Picking one movie from here is tough, but you simply can't go wrong with Good Will Hunting. Written by and starring two Beantown stars, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, the movie was filmed all over town and Boston is as much a character in the film as Will and Chuckie Sullivan. Just the name "Chuckie Sullivan" oozes Southie.

San Diego - Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

San Diego may only be about 100 miles from the capital of the film industry, but sometimes it feels like a million. There are a few movies set there, but fewer than you would think. Still, it's easy to pick the best one. Anchorman was an instant classic and all the humor holds up as well today as when it was released in 2004.

Seattle - Sleepless In Seattle

While it's true that much of Sleepless In Seattle actually takes place in New York, including the classic final scene, it's still a movie very much about Seattle in the early '90s. It's a classic Tom Hanks rom-com filled with some of his funniest lines and was among the first movies to put Seattle on the Hollywood map (though far from the only).

Memphis - The Firm

Memphis may be the home of Elvis, but it hasn't seen a ton of movies set in it. The iconic southern city invented rock and roll and still hosts some of the best music festivals in the country, but it's just not the most picturesque place to set a movie. The Firm goes against that wisdom with great success and as much of the film was actually shot there, you get a real feel for what the city is all about.

St. Louis - Meet Me In St. Louis

For many years, St. Louis was the fourth largest city in the United States. The town started to lose its luster towards the middle of the 20th Century, but it's still a classic American city. Surprisingly few films are set there, but there is no greater classic than Meet Me In St. Louis, set at the apex of the city's history during the 1904 World's Fair.

Detroit - Dreamgirls

Motor City. Motown. Detroit is known for two American icons. The auto industry and Motown records. The latter is where Dreamgirls comes from as a fictionalized version of the amazing music scene in the city in the 1960s. Like other cities on this list, Detroit may have lost some of its luster, but it'll never lose its history.

Minneapolis/St. Paul - Fargo

The Coen Brothers grew up in Minnesota, so that makes Fargo their most personal film in a way. No other movie oozes The Land of 10,000 Lakes quite like the Academy Award winner. From the ubiquitous snow to the spot-on accents, there is simply no other movie about the Twin Cities or the state of Minnesota quite as good.

Chicago - The Untouchables

Chicago has long been one of America's most iconic (and largest) cities. There have been dozens and dozens of great movies filmed there, including most of the late, great John Hughes movies. If you travel abroad, though, you'll find that around the world, the city is still famous for Al Capone and Chicago's organized crime during prohibition. That means you have to include The Untouchables on this list.

Las Vegas - Ocean's Eleven

Ocean's Eleven is one of the great heist movies of all time. Whether it's the original starring the Rat Pack in the 1960s, or the amazing 2001 version starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and the rest of that amazing cast, you get a full view of "cool" Las Vegas. Both movies represent different eras of the gambling mecca, but the more modern version is the better movie, if we're honest.

Birmingham - Fried Green Tomatoes

Fried Green Tomatoes is not only a wonderful representation of Birmingham, Alabama, it's a great representation of the whole state. Sure, you might think of Forrest Gump for the state, but Gump travels all over the place, while Fried Green Tomatoes sticks close to home and highlights everything about Birmingham folks that makes them great.

Nashville - Nashville

The city of Nashville means one thing to most people: Country music. So it tracks that the best movie set in Nashville is not only called Nashville, but is about breaking through the competitive music scene in the city. The Robert Altman classic shows why the city is such a crossroads in American music.

New Orleans - A Streetcar Named Desire

Tennessee Williams may have been born and raised in St. Louis, but he is most associated with New Orleans. NOLA, as it's known, is maybe the most unique city in America and it's been the subject of all kinds of storytelling over the years, but A Streetcar Named Desire tells the story like few other.

Pittsburgh - Fences

Like many other rustbelt cities, Pittsburgh's best days seem to be in its past, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have interesting stories to tell today, even if they are about its past. Fences is a perfect example of that. The Academy Award-nominated movie starring the brilliant Denzel Washington isn't always the easiest movie to watch, but it's just so satisfying in the end, even as tragic as it is.

Columbus - Ready Player One

According to Ready Player One, the future belongs to Columbus, OH. It's not the most likely place to be tech capital, but in the sci-fi movie filled with '80s nostalgia and endless amazing easter eggs, it is just that. We'll just have to see if this version of a dystopian future pans out.

Tampa - Cocoon

Tampa is one of the fastest-growing cities in America, but its film history is pretty thin. One major exception to that is the classic Cocoon. With an all-star cast including Wilford Brimley, Don Ameche, Steve Guttenberg, Jessica Tandy, and Brian Dennehy, the movie is set in Florida for good reason, it's about retired folks finding the fountain of youth, of sorts. Two things long associated with the Sunshine State.

Kansas City - Kansas City

Jazz is one of the truly "American" forms of music and Kansas City is one of the homes of the homegrown art form. The movie Kansas City draws on that rich history as director Robert Altman, who was born and raised in the Missouri city, made a true love letter to his hometown, showing the highs and lows of Kansas City's most important historical era in the 1930s.

Denver - Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead

Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead is a strange, but wonderful movie if you are in the mood for it. While the Colorado mountains have long held a mystique for Hollywood, the city of Denver itself hasn't been held in quite the same esteem. This movie shows why it should, and as Denver is growing by leaps and bounds these days, we'll probably see more of the Mile High City in the future.

Baltimore - Hairspray

Whether it's the original version of Hairspray directed by John Waters or the more recent musical version, both ooze the great city of Baltimore in the early '60s. If The Wire is the definitive take on the city on television, Hairspray is a different, yet equally important take on the silver screen.

Charleston - The Notebook

Set in Charleston, SC, The Notebook is one of the best romantic movies of all time. Though the love is interrupted by World War II, and it's set in a number of locations, the movie still highlights just what Charleston was and is today, to some extent.

Cincinnati - Traffic

Cincinnati is a great river city in American and it feels like there should be more stories to tell about the city. There surely are and while Traffic is set in a number of places around the world, the story that takes place in Cincinnati feels the most American of the whole movie. It's a story that could happen anywhere, but setting in Cincinnati makes it uniquely American.

San Antonio - Cloak & Dagger

If you grew up in the '80s and had cable TV, there is a good chance you watched Cloak & Dagger a lot. It was on all the time in the mid-eighties and it remains an under-appreciated gem by anyone who didn't grow up watching the Dabney Coleman classic. One of its most iconic scenes happens on the Riverwalk in San Antonio.

The 1990s were a great decade for music and that is reflected in this list of some of the best music moments from films of the era. Not all the music is "'90s music" but all of the moments are unforgettable. Here is our list of some of those amazing moments from some of the best movies of the decade.

"Flower Duet" - True Romance

Composer Léo Delibes' "Flower Duet" sets the backdrop for the amazing, and intense, scene between Christopher Walken and Dennis Hopper in Tony Scott's True Romance. Not only is it a fantastic use of music in film, it's one of the best scenes of any movie from the '90s. Maybe one of the best of all time.

"O-o-h Child" - Boyz 'N The Hood

The melancholy music and lyrics of "O-o-h Child" by the Five Stairsteps set the perfect tone for the scene in Boyz In The Hood where we see a young Dough Boy getting arrested for the first time as Tre and his father Furious look on after a nice afternoon fishing. The scene says so much about how each kid would grow up stuck in an unsustainable system.

"Layla" - GoodFellas

Martin Scorcese has always been great with his use of music in movies. Goodfellas is filled with classic songs and the most dramatic of all of them has to be the coda of the Derek and the Dominos' song "Layla." The piano, along with Eric Clapton and Duane Allman's soaring, dueling guitar solo, sets the perfect tone as bodies from the crew turn up everywhere as Jimmy (Robert DeNiro) cleans up the heist.

"Bittersweet Symphony" - Cruel Intentions

One of the best songs of the '90s, and indeed of all time, is "Bittersweet Symphony" by the Verve. The use of it at the end of Cruel Intentions as Kathryn (Sarah Michelle Gellar) gets busted and embarrassed in front of the whole school is, in one word, epic.

"Sweet Emotion" - Dazed And Confused

The opening moments of Dazed and Confused, accompanied by Aerosmith's "Sweet Emotion" make it immediately clear just how cool the movie is going to be. When the beat kicks in and we see Pickford (Shawn Andrews) and Michelle (Milla Jovovich) cruising the parking lot in his car, it draws the audience in immediately.

"Son Of Preacher Man" - Pulp Fiction

There are a lot of songs you can choose from in Quentin Tarantino's masterpiece Pulp Fiction. The dancing scene with Chuck Berry certainly stands out, but we just have to go with "Son of a Preacher Man" by Dusty Springfield when Vincent (John Travolta) first arrives to pick up Mia (Uma Thurman). If nothing else, it's really cool, and the scene is now a legendary meme.

"Supermodel" - Clueless

"Cher's main thrill in life is a makeover," is one of the defining lines of Clueless, and the montage that follows accompanied by "Supermodel" by Jill Sobule, is one of the most iconic scenes from one of the most iconic movies of the '90s.

"Jungle Fever" - Jungle Fever

You can't have a list like this and not include the music from Spike Lee's Jungle Fever. The songs, all written and performed by the great Stevie Wonder, fit the movie perfectly. It would be a very different movie without them and while it's hard to pick just one, we went with the title track to the movie, played over the opening credits, to represent them all.

"Still" - Office Space

Sure, the most famous song featured in Office Space is "Feels Good To Be A Gangsta" but it's another song by The Geto Boys, "Still," that gets the nod here. There isn't a harder song director Mike Judge could have gone with to play along with the most famous scene in the movie when the office crew finally put their misery to an end and killed the janky printer.

"Hotel California" - The Big Lebowski

The Big Lebowski has some amazing quotes and is filled with unforgettable moments and lines. None more so than the moment cast member John Turturro's character, Jesus, is introduced while The Gypsy Kings' version of The Eagles' "Hotel California" plays.

"My Heart Will Go On" - Titanic

While Celine Dion's song "My Heart Will Go On" is not part of one particular scene in Titanic, the theme, written by James Horner (in the composer's most famous work), is played so much that it's as much a part of everyone's fond memories of the movie as the wonderful sets and incredible special effects arfe.

"Unchained Melody" - Ghost

"Unchained Melody" by The Righteous Brothers may have been a quarter of a century old when it was used in Ghost but there are generations of movie fans that only associate with that famous scene of Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze throwing some pottery together.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” - Wayne’s World

It's incredible to think that Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" was almost cut from Wayne's World. Not only did end up being the most iconic scene in the movie, it introduced a whole new audience to Queen's music. The movie world would be very different with it.

"Bring The Pain" - The Great White Hype

1996's The Great White Hype is one of the great underrated movies of the decade. Not only does it have a stacked cast with Damon Wayons, Jeff Goldblum, Samuel L. Jackson, Peter Berg, Jamie Foxx, and others, but it also has one amazing moment when Wayons' character, heavyweight champion James "The Grim Reaper" Roper enters the ring with Method Man rapping "Bring The Pain."

"Goodbye Horses" - Silence Of The Lambs

There are very few songs in the history of film that can creep you out quite like "Goodbye Horses" by Q Lazzarus. The song, used in one of the most traumatic scenes in Silence Of The Lambs will immediately put you back in that moment whenever and wherever you hear it.

"Lust For Life" - Trainspotting

Director Danny Boyle is a master of using music in his movies and the best example of this is probably Trainspotting. From the opening moments of the movie with "Lust For Life" by Iggy Pop playing to the end of the movie with the epic "Born Slippy" by Underworld, the music is just amazing.

"The Stroke" - Billy Madison

Billy Madison launched Adam Sandler's movie career. The Sand Man plays a idiot 20-something who is forced to redo all 12 grades to earn his father's company. As a guy who clearly grew up in the 1980s, turning up to his first day of "high school" in a Trans Am while "The Stroke" by Billy Squire plays is, well, radical and perfect.

“I Will Always Love You” - The Bodyguard

We simply couldn't have put together this list without including one of the most popular songs of all time. Whitney Houston's version of the Dolly Parton-penned "I Will Always Love You" was a cultural atom bomb in the '90s. The song was everywhere and while the movie, which also stars Houston has mostly been forgotten, the song and the soundtrack live on forever.

"Everybody Knows" - Pump Up The Volume

Pump Up The Volume is an excellent example of a great movie from the 1990s that no one talks about anymore. The Christian Slater-led movie about a disaffected high school kid who broadcasts his own pirate radio station did, at the time, do as much to define Gen X culture as any movie from the era. The fact that it predates Grunge makes it all the more defining. All of the music is great, but his theme song, "Everybody Knows" by Leonard Cohen is just so... cool.

"My Sharona" - Reality Bites

No movie oozes "Gen X" quite like Reality Bites. Not only does it star actors like Ethan Hawke, Winona Ryder, Janeane Garofalo, and Steve Zahn, but the soundtrack is very '90s. With one exception - "My Sharona" by The Knack. The '80s song fits perfectly though, as the stars all take a moment to turn it up and dance in a convenience store.

“Sister Christian” - Boogie Nights

The scene with "Sister Christian" in Boogie Nights is INTENSE. It's a scene that is, honestly, hard to watch because it makes your skin crawl. That's also what makes the scene, and the movie, such a masterpiece.

"99 Luftballoons" - Grosse Pointe Blank

Grosse Pointe Blank has a truly great soundtrack made up of some of the coolest songs of the 1980s. This is unsurprising given the cast and crew of the movie, including star John Cusack. One of the more ridiculous scenes in this underrated dark romantic comedy is Cusack's character getting help from Jeremy Piven's character to haul a dead body out of a high school reunion with Nena's "99 Luftballoons" playing in the background.

"Stuck In The Middle With You" - Reservoir Dogs

Quentin Tarantino burst onto the scene with his first movie Reservoir Dogs and he immediately set the kind of tone he would carry into most of his movies with the ultra-violent scene of Mr. Blonde (Michael Madson) cutting the ear off a cop. The fact that the sweet love song "Stuck In The Middle With You" by Stealers Wheel plays over it makes it all the more jarring.

"Only You" - Can't Hardly Wait

Can't Hardly Wait is a very '90s with a very '80s aesthetic in a lot of ways, especially the music. The movie's title comes from an '80s song of the same name by The Replacements and the last song of the movie, "Only You" by Yazoo is an '80s New Wave classic. It all fits perfectly though.

"Something I Can Never Have" - Natural Born Killers

Nine Inch Nails have the well-earned reputation of being one of the darkest bands of the 1990s and so when their song "Something I Can Never Have" was included in one of the darkest movies of the decade, it was a marriage made in Heaven, or Hell, depending on how you look at it.

"Mary Jane" - Friday

We all know what Friday is about. The Ice Cube/Chris Tucker comedy classic is one of the funniest movies of the '90s and while "Mary Jane" by Rick James dates back to the '70s, there isn't a more perfect song for the movie.

"Fortunate Son" - Forrest Gump

It's become a comedic trope that Credence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son" is in every Vietnam War movie, but the facts actually show it's not used all that much. One movie it is used perfectly in is Forrest Gump, as the first song we hear when Forrest (Tom Hanks) gets to Vietnam.

"I Got You Babe" - Groundhog Day

There is no more perfect song than "I Got You Babe" to be played over and over and over and over as it is in Groundhog's Day. It does an amazing job just sucking the audience into Bill Murray's character's frustration again and again...and again.

“That Thing You Do” - That Thing You Do!

That Thing You Do! is a really fun movie about a fictional band, so it just had to be included here. None of the songs are all that great, except the star of the show, the song with the same name as the movie, written by the late Adam Schlesinger. It's just so darn catchy!

"State of Love and Trust and Breathe" - Singles

In 1992 the music scene was completely overrun with Grunge. Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Alice In Chains, were just a few of the Seattle bands dominating the charts. Another one of those Seattle bands was, of course, Pearl Jam. Not only did Eddie Veddar and company write and perform the best song on the soundtrack, "State of Love and Trust" but Veddar even showed up in the movie.

"Secret Garden" - Jerry Maguire

Bruce Springsteen had some great contributions to '90s movies, like the theme to Philadelphia, called ""Streets of Philadelphia" for which he won an Oscar, and "Dead Man Walkin'" from Dead Man Walking. We went with another Springsteen choice, "Secret Garden" which is played over the scene in Jerry Maguire when Renee Zelleweger's character is forced to break up with Jerry (Tom Cruise).

"Love Stinks" - The Wedding Singer

Some could argue that The Wedding Singer was the last great movie from Adam Sandler's early career. It's a funny movie, with an even funnier premise and that premise, of Sandler as a washed up singer playing weddings is highlighted perfectly when a depressed singer chooses to sing "Love Stinks" by the J. Geils Band at a wedding. A very Sandler choice.

We have seen many great TV shows based on movies and even more great movies based on TV shows. However, there are also quite a few movies that spawned now-forgotten TV spin-offs or never had the chance to be adapted for television in the first place. Let's take a look at some of our favorite cinematic classics with captivating stories that we would love to see continue (or be reimagined) on the small screen.

The Mad Max Movies (1979-2024)

George Miller's Mad Max movies (1981’s The Road Warrior, in particular) planted the seed for how modern post-apocalyptic movies and TV shows are depicted. As happy as we have been to see the saga continue with acclaimed sequels like 2015's Mad Max: Fury Road, we would love to see even more stories from the Wasteland in a TV series, even if that means an animated adaptation.

Mystery Men (1999)

A superhero movie that deserves a reboot is Mystery Men — a sharp, quirky comic book satire way ahead of its time that follows a misfit group of wannabe costumed vigilantes. As superhero movies and TV shows dominate Hollywood, now is the perfect time for a series adaptation that either brings back Ben Stiller, William H. Macy, Janeane Garofalo, and others in their original roles or is even more faithful to the source material, which is about a man with a flaming carrot for a head.

The Sixth Sense (1999)

Following the success of the Apple TV+ original TV show called Servant, which he produces, we believe one of the best M. Night Shyamalan movies deserves to be brought to the small screen. Our choice would be a continuation of 1999's The Sixth Sense, which would see Haley Joel Osment reprise his Academy Award-nominated role as Cole Sear as an adult who continues to use his gift to help dead people in need.

The Goonies (1985)

Instead of the Goonies sequel that fans have been waiting for, there was once an idea to develop a TV series about a group of friends who try to create their own version of the classic kids movie on a tight budget. We cannot deny that is an interesting idea, but we would still rather see a TV show that sees the grown-up stars of the original (including Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, and Ke Huy Quan) return to go on a new adventure with their onscreen children.

Dazed And Confused (1993)

One could argue that we already got a great show which depicts the teen lifestyle in the disco era with That '70s Show. However, it certainly did not capture the decade's essence as genuinely as a more direct spin-off of Richard Linklater's awesome party movie, Dazed and Confused, probably could.

The NeverEnding Story (1984)

There have actually been two previous attempts to adapt the whimsical fantasy epic, The NeverEnding Story, into a TV show — one animated and one live-action — but neither lasted longer than a season. Perhaps with strong writing, a decent budget, and modern special effects, a new series based on Michael Ende's novel could be a real hit.

The Adventures Of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension (1984)

One of the best movies and TV shows about the multiverse is The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, which stars Peter Weller in the title role of a rock star who moonlights as an interdimensional hero. Films and series dealing with that topic are more popular these days than ever, which means now is a perfect time to adapt the cult favorite sci-fi comedy into a series, perhaps even an animated version that brings Weller, Jeff Goldblum, Christopher Lloyd, and Clancy Brown back to voice their original roles.

Elvira: Mistress Of The Dark (1988)

One star who has already teased the idea of bringing her iconic and hilarious alter ego back to the small screen in animated form is Cassandra Peterson, who is better known for hosting special presentations of great horror movies as Elvira. She was first brought to the big screen in Elvira: Mistress of the Dark but if a cinematic return is not in her future, an animated Elvira series would be more than welcome.

Escape From New York (1981)

What makes Escape from New York, one of director John Carpenter’s best movies, an enduring cult hit is its anti-heroic protagonist, Snake Plissken, who is tasked with rescuing the president from a maximum security prison that used to be the Big Apple. Fans would love to see more of Kurt Russell as the hardened, eye-patch-wearing war veteran struggling to survive the dystopian landscape of his war-torn future, perhaps in an animated continuation of the original.

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

We are surprised there was not already an attempt to capitalize on the record-breaking success of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial with a TV show that would reimagine the story and show the alien on more bizarre adventures with Elliot and his family. After all, most might agree that it sounds like a better follow-up than that horror-centric E.T. sequel that Steven Spielberg once pitched.

Candyman (1992)

Producer Jordan Peele and director Nia DaCosta’s 2021 requel to Candyman — Bernard Rose's adaptation of Clive Barker's short story — reimagined Daniel Robitaille (Tony Todd) as one of many victims of injustice who assumed the titular mantle. Why not build from this concept with a horror anthology TV show that explores other "Candymen" and how they became mysterious urban legends in their respective communities?

Mean Girls (2004)

Screenwriter Tina Fey and director Mark Waters' Mean Girls was instantly considered one of the best high school movies of all time and spawned a hit Broadway musical that was later remade for cinema. The only thing missing from this franchise is a TV spin-off that further explores the volatile complexities of the teen social scene that is, perhaps, told from the point of view of Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) and Regina George's (Rachel McAdams) children. 

The Incredibles (2004)

There have actually been several TV shows inspired by some of the best Pixar movies, except for the one that, arguably, deserves a spin-off the most, The Incredibles. It is a wonder there is not already a Disney+ series that either shows more from the glory days of vigilanteism (as briefly depicted in the opening flashback) or follows the continuing adventures of the eponymous superhero family.

World War Z (2013)

Max Brooks' original novel that inspired the Brad Pitt-led World War Z was a depiction of an ongoing conflict between the living and the dead but framed as an oral history. Continuing the story and telling it from multiple perspectives, perhaps even as faux docuseries, would be a great way to honor the source material and give us even more zombie action.

Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets (2017)

Just because Luc Besson's otherwise visually stunning space epic, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, flopped at the box office, that does not mean we should not see more from the titular intergalactic crime fighter and his partner. Besides, there is enough source material from the original French comic book to inspire seasons' worth of cosmic adventures for Valerian and Laureline.

Eternals (2021)

Some might argue that Chloé Zhao's Marvel movie based on Jack Kirby's comic about a group of immortal warriors would have worked better as a TV show in the first place. Considering its very loose ties to the MCU canon, they could easily start from scratch and produce a new episodic interpretation of Eternals for Disney+ and no one would bat an eye.

The Nice Guys (2016)

Fans of Shane Black have long demanded a sequel to his quirky crime thriller about a pair of mismatched private eyes brought together by a perplexing case in 1970s Los Angeles. Even though a series adaptation of The Nice Guys might not be the same without Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling's chemistry, it might be fun to see even more eccentric cases featuring their characters, nonetheless.

Bad Times At The El Royale (2018)

Writer and director Drew Goddard's star-studded mystery thriller, Bad Times at the El Royale, is a prime example of a movie that could easily be remade as a miniseries, which could even improve its hefty story. On the other hand, an anthology series depicting even more shady, violent activity at the eponymous hotel could be a fun idea, too.

 Ready Player One (2018)

Director Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Ernest Cline's novel, Ready Player One, brought to life a spectacular world in which your greatest pop culture obsessions can become your reality. Therefore, with the proper licensing, there are infinite storytelling possibilities in the VR gaming simulation known as the OASIS that we would love to see in a series.

Maximum Overdrive (1986)

A group of small-town citizens struggles to survive when motor vehicles and other mechanical and electrical devices become sentient and bloodthirsty after a comet passes over in Maximum Overdrive. While the Stephen King-helmed adaptation of his own short story, Trucks, is one of the most heavily criticized films based on his work, the concept could still make for a fun and unique miniseries or even an ongoing post-apocalyptic drama.

Bright (2017)

From director David Ayer, Bright stars Will Smith as a human cop who becomes partners with an orc (played by Joel Edgerton), much to his chagrin, until they are forced to set aside their differences and prevent a magic wand from falling into the wrong hands. With a greater focus on its world-building and character development, a crime procedural set in the same modernized fantasy world as this Netflix original film could be truly fascinating.

L.A. Confidential (1997)

In 2003, a pilot for a series based on the Academy Award-winning modern film noir, L.A. Confidential, was filmed (and starring Kiefer Sutherland) but did not get picked up, and talks of another try in 2017 would also go nowhere. We would say there is no reason why one of the most celebrated detective movies of its time should not be able to continue as a procedural dripping with '50s-era style.

Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark (2019)

If you ask us, producer Guillermo del Toro and director André Øvredal's adaptation of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark would have worked better as an anthology horror movie instead of, essentially, a darker version of 2015's Goosebumps about teens plagued by an evil book. An even better idea might be an anthology TV series that brings writer Alvin Schwartz and illustrator Stephen Gammell’s popular series of chilling folk tales to life one episode at a time.

Clue (1985)

In 2011, there was a miniseries based on the board game, Clue, but with an all-teen cast instead of the likes of Professor Plum, Mrs. Peacock, and others who were portrayed in Jonathan Lynn's hilarious film adaptation. We recommend bringing those classic characters back but re-envisioning them and their purposes for a whole new kind of mystery told over the course of several episodes

Halloweentown (1998)

Considering it spawned three sequels, it is surprising that Disney Channel never made one of the family-friendly network's spookiest original movies, Halloweentown, into a series. The not-so-scary witch movie introduces so much that could be explored in the titular realm where ghosts, werewolves, vampires, and other creatures that we know as going bump in the night live in harmony.

Sky High (2005)

One of the best superhero movies not based on a comic is Disney's Sky High, which sort of feels like a story about costumed vigilantes if written by John Hughes. There were so many characters at the titular high school for superheroes-in-training who deserve to get their time in the spotlight and could with a quasi-anthology series taking place there.

To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar (1995)

Drag queens are more popular these days than they were when Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze, and John Leguizamo donned wigs, heels, dresses, and heavy makeup in one of the best movies about drag performers, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar. It seems that now is the perfect time for a series that continues the adventures of Noxeema, Vida, and Chi-Chi, if not another irresistible trio of road-tripping drag queens.

Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes! (1978)

While not widely considered to be one of the all-time greatest horror-comedy movies, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! boasts an uproariously unique concept that deserves to be revisited, but not with a fifth feature-length installment. We propose something like the early '90s animated spin-off series but reworked into a live-action project that pokes fun at the recent wave of post-apocalyptic survival shows like The Walking Dead, but with giant, man-eating fruit running amock.

Last Action Hero (1995)

Imagine a series that builds off of the plot of Last Action Hero — in which a boy magically enters the world of an action movie — and follows a young pop culture obsessive given the ability to enter the world of any TV show or movie he wants and offering help in their situations. It would be especially cool to see the main character crossover with an actual current series each week but, if not legally feasible, an adventure series that pokes fun at genre conventions in the same way the original did might still be fun.

Major Payne (1995)

One of Damon Wayans' funniest roles is the titular, discharged marine who mentors JROTC cadets in Major Payne. A sitcom based on the film could be a fun coming-of-age comedy, especially if the original actor came back to reprise is role. If not, it sounds like a perfect job for his son, Damon Wayans Jr.

Drive (2011)

One of the best Ryan Gosling movies, Drive, ends with the skilled wheelman known only as Driver (Gosling) forced to go on the run after a heist goes horribly wrong. Director Nicolas Winding Refn's neo-noir demands no continuation, but a series following the nameless hero offering his skills to more people in need, all the while looking over his shoulder, could be fun.

The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)

Director Stephen Norrington's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is one of the least-liked comic book movies of its time, with even star Sean Connery admitting he hated it. Perhaps a series that gives each of the iconic characters — including Allan Quartermain, Dr. Henry Jekyll, The Invisible Man, and the vampiric Mina Harker — room to breathe would be a better way to do Alan Moore's original comic justice.

We can probably think of another large set of movies that deserve TV shows, but for now, getting these 32 off of the ground sounds like a good idea.

There are tons of great movies about the history and culture of the American South. They aren't all positive, because all histories and cultures are messy and the South is certainly no exception. Some of the movies are heartwarming in a way that only Southerners can be and some are heartbreaking for many reasons. Either way, they are important, powerful, and fun stories about everyone living below the Mason-Dixon line. 

Fried Green Tomatoes

There is nothing more quintessentially southern than the dish fried green tomatoes. Like the dish, the movie of the same name just oozes Southern culture. Kathy Bates stars alongside Jessica Tandy and listens as Tandy's character tells her life story, which is a microcosm of life in the South in the 20th Century, including all the highs and lows. 

My Cousin Vinny

Everyone loves a good fish out of water story and having Joe Pesci play a lawyer - or someone pretending to be a lawyer - in the South is just perfect for that. My Cousin Vinny doesn't really punch down at anyone, while still maintaining a humoristic look at both the South, and the North, and how the two cultures may clash at times, but ultimately are still the same people, under it all. 

Selma

The Civil Rights movement is one of the most consequential periods in United States history, and while the story has been told many times in movies, in many different ways, Selma is one of the best, and broadest, telling of the story. David Oyelowo's performance as Dr. Martin Luther King is mesmerizing. 

No Country For Old Men

In many ways, Texas is a culture apart from the rest of the Deep South, but it still does overlap quite a bit. There are a lot of movies set in Texas, but No Country For Old Men finds a way to really nail a lot of the culture, while still maintaining the fanciful nature of the plot. Not bad for a couple of directors like the Coen Brothers who hail from Minnesota. 

To Kill A Mockingbird

The book and movie To Kill A Mockingbird is without a doubt one of the most important stories told in the 20th Century. It captures small-town life in the South in the Depression era perfectly. It's also obviously not afraid to dig into the more disturbing parts of life in Alabama at the time, the terrible racism that hung over everything. 

The Outsiders

The Outsiders became a cultural phenomenon when the book was first published in the late '60s. Telling the story of working-class kids fighting with the rich kids in Tulsa in 1965. It took a decade-and-a-half for Francis Ford Coppola to put together the now-legendary cast of The Outsiders and make the movie, but it was worth the wait. 

O Brother Where Are Thou?

For a couple of guys from Minnesota, The Coen Brothers really know how to capture the essence of the American South. They set a few of their movies there, but O Brother Where Are Thou? really stands out as a great example of how to tell a wild story that is sarcastic, fantastical, and over-the-top, but grounded in realism. 

Smokey And The Bandit

When a guy needs a bunch of beer you can only buy west of the Mississippi for a party in Georgia, there's only one person to hire to smuggle the load. The Bandit (Burt Reynolds). The movie basically covers all of what we call the Deep South from Texarkana to Atlanta. Jackie Gleason's Texas sheriff, Buford T. Justice, is the icing on the cake. 

12 Years A Slave

Sometimes filmmakers need to tell stories we don't want to hear but need to hear. 12 Years A Slave is a movie you can only watch once, but one that everyone needs to see at least once. It's a powerful story about the ugliest part of American history that everyone has a difficult time confronting, but a time we all need to remember for exactly what it was. 

A Street Car Named Desire

Playwright Tennessee Williams did as much to define Southern culture as anyone else in the arts with his plays like The Glass Menagerie and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. The most successful adaptation of one of his plays, A Streetcar Named Desire, is no exception, bringing the era of mid-20th Century New Orleans to life with a classic cast that included Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh, and Karl Malden. 

Dazed And Confused

Being a teenager in Austin, TX in 1976 sure looks like a lot of fun in Dazed And Confused. The cult classic comedy by director Richard Linklater is loved all over the country, not only for its witty script, but for the monster cast of then-up-and-comers like Ben Affleck, Parker Posey, and Matthew McConaughey. 

A Time To Kill

Matthew McConaughey is a proud son of Texas, but he's not afraid to call out the troubled history in the Southern U.S. A Time To Kill is a perfect example, of confronting racism in rural Mississippi in the 1990s. It's also one of Samuel L. Jackson's most powerful performances as the accused Carl Lee Hailey. 

Baby Driver

Let's be honest, Baby Driver could have happened in any city, but it happens in Atlanta. Atlanta, as anyone who has driven there will tell you, is actually kind of the perfect city for a movie about car chases. Wide highways, big streets, elevation changes... it all makes for great car chases, and Baby Driver has some of the best car chases ever. 

Glory

The 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment was one of the very first Black units in the Union Army during the Civil War and while it may have Massachusetts in the name, and the movie Glory is based on the true story of the regiment, it takes place almost entirely in the South during the war. It's one of the best war movies ever made and one of the most powerful stories about the South ever told. 

Friday Night Lights

No matter where you are in the South, from Virginia to Texas, if it's Friday night in the fall, there is serious high school football being played. Friday Night Lights, which is based on a book of the same name telling the true story of a small Texas town's team is one of the best representations of that culture ever put on film. The story is so good, that they later fictionalized it on TV as well. 

The Color Purple

Steven Spielberg managed to surprise everyone when he directed The Color Purple. It was a big departure from the kind of summer blockbusters audiences were used to from the director. It's no surprise that his deft hand helped tell an amazing story about all the hardships of life for a Black woman in the South in the early 20th Century. 

Steel Magnolias

If you want a real slice of Southern life on the big screen, there is no better example than Steel Magnolias. It's not always pleasant, but it's real. The highs and lows of life burst off the screen, all while celebrating all that is great about small-town life in the South. 

Gone With The Wind

It may be the most famous movie set in the South, ever. While Gone With The Wind is not without some deserved controversy, it's still one of the greatest cinematic achievements in history. Of course, it tells the story of the hardships even the very rich faced in the South during the Civil War 

Hustle & Flow

Hip-hop may have developed in the streets of New York, but it didn't take long for the South to start putting its own unique spin on the genre. Hustle & Flow is a great way to experience the development of rap in Memphis. Memphis plays an important role in the history of all American music and it's great to see where hip-hop fits in. 

Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil

High society in the South is perfectly represented in Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil. Kevin Spacey, as problematic as he is, puts in his typically great performance here, as a member of Savannah, Georgia's elite. It's just a darn good crime story. 

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Magical realism, Louisana-style is what Beasts of the Southern Wild is. The fantasy elements tell the tale, but the harsh realities of living in the Bayou with rising sea levels set the backdrop for this incredible movie. A movie made on a tiny budget that made a fortune. 

Deliverance

There are a whole lot of negative stereotypes in Deliverance that have to be acknowledged off the top here. The portrayals of locals as inbred, violent hicks are offensive to many, but that doesn't mean the movie isn't really scary and exciting. It's legendary for a reason. 

Driving Miss Daisy

Sometimes people forget just was a massive hit Driving Miss Daisy was. It's easy to see why it's argued by some that it's not a great representation of the South, but it is pretty accurate in a lot of ways. This is especially true of Miss Daisy (Jessica Tandy) and her attitude towards her driver (Morgan Freeman) in the beginning. 

Norma Rae

Sally Field stars as Norma Rae Webster in Norma Rae, who is based on the real-life North Carolinian labor organizer Crystal Lee Sutton. While the struggles of African-American communities across the South have often (and deservedly) been highlighted, the struggle of poor, white Southerners is less represented. That's part of what makes Norma Rae important when telling the story of the South in the 20th Century. 

Nashville

Director Robert Altman's 1975 masterpiece Nashville is one of the best representations of the power of music, specifically country music, carries in the South. Rock and Roll, Blues, Jazz, and of course, Country music all have their roots somewhere in the South, so spreading the gospel (another genre of music born in the South) of music tells us much of what we want to know. 

The Green Mile

Frank Darabont might have directed the best movie of the 1990s with The Shawshank Redemption, but it's another prison movie by the director that lands on this list. The Green Mile, which like Shawshank, was based on a Steven King story tells a very different kind of story, in a very different kind of prison. Of all the places in the world you wouldn't want to get locked up in, Louisiana in the 1930s would have to be close to the top of the list. 

The Iron Claw

Professional wrestling really came into its own in the South in the 50s and 60s. Sure, it's always been popular everywhere in America, but the South is its home. The South, specifically Texas, was also home to the legendary Von Erich family. The Iron Claw wonderfully tells the family's tragic story, all with the backdrop of 1970s and 1980s Southern culture. 

Green Book

2018's Green Book is an uncompromising look at the Jim Crow South. It's raw and honest about what it was like to be a Black man, specifically a musician, traveling in the South in the early 1960s. Mahershala Ali plays Don Shirley, who was one of the greatest jazz pianists of his day, but still found little respect in many parts of the South because of the color of his skin. 

Cape Fear

Martin Scorsese's 1991 remake of Cape Fear could have been set anywhere, but it's set in North Carolina and there really wasn't a better choice. The unique Carolina coast is the perfect setting and watching Robert De Niro's excellent performance with a Southern accent makes it all the better. 

Moonlight

There's a common saying saying in Florida that the further south you travel, the further north you get. That's because northern Florida has far more in common with the deep south than Miami. Still, Miami is as far south as you can get on the mainland of the United States, so a movie like Moonlight fits in, despite being more about the gritty streets of Miami than say, high school football. 

Coal Miner's Daughter

Kentucky isn't often represented in movies, and when it is, it's usually a pretty depressing take on the state. Coal Miner's Daughter isn't all sunshine and lollipops, either, but it is a very fair representation of life in a coal town for a young girl named Loretta Lynn. Yep, that Loretta Lynn, who came up in a tough situation but found her way to huge fame as a country singer. 

The Princess And The Frog

We couldn't have this list without a little Disney flavor. While the company has smartly buried Song of the South deep in their vault, or maybe even under the vault, The Princess And The Frog is another story completely. There are few better representations of New Orleans in film. The culture, the food, and especially the music.

Some movies you can just watch over and over, like the ones on this list. There are a lot of great movies out there, some films you can only watch once, like Schindler's List, but others, like the ones on this list, never get old. Here's our list of the most rewatchable movies we know. 

The Big Lebowski

One of the things that makes the Coen Brothers' masterpiece The Big Lebowski is how The Dude and other characters learn things along the way and use those new facts and lines later in the movie. It's something you might never notice if you didn't watch the movie over and over and that kind of thing will not stand. Not to mention it has some really classic lines that are endlessly quotable. 

Clueless

As if we'd ever get bored of watching Clueless. There are so many great characters, from Cher (Alicia Silverstone) to Tai (Brittany Murphy) to Mr. Hall (Wallace Shawn), that we could watch over and over just to watch one character each time. 

The Dark Knight

Of all the comic movies that have been released in the 21st Century, there is one performance that will always stand above all the others. Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight ranks among the best roles ever seen on film, superhero movies or otherwise. It's so good that it literally never gets old or stale. There is something to behold every time you watch the movie. 

Die Hard

Watching Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman face off in Die Hard is the main reason the movie will always be rewatchable. Both put in some of the best performances of their careers and even though there have been many Die Hard sequels, none of them quite have the charm and magic that the original has. 

Dirty Dancing

For decades now people have been having the time of their lives watching Dirty Dance on repeat. The music, the dancing, the love story... it brings audiences along for a realistic, yet fantastical story all in one. It's been beloved for years for a reason. 

Dazed And Confused

Dazed And Confused is among the best movies about high school ever made. It's also one of the best movies of the 1990s, though it's set in the '70s. Those aren't the qualities that make it so rewatchable. It's simply the amazing cast and the endless amounts of quotable lines those actors deliver. It's always pleasurable to watch actors like Paker Posey, Ben Affleck, Cole Hauser, and Matthew McConaughey so early in their careers. 

Back To The Future

There is a level of rewatchability to all three Back To The Future movies, but the first still stands way above the sequels. It's a movie so fun and so well-paced that you never get bored, even if it's the 150th time you've watched it. 

Everything Everywhere All at Once

Everything Everywhere All at Once has a lot going on. It's a movie worth watching again and again if for no other reason than it's easy to miss stuff the first, or even fifth time you watch it. The concept is so cool and so well executed, and the acting performances are so good, that it's impossible to get bored with the film. 

The Godfather

Though the entry just says The Godfather, this could really count for either Part I or Part II, as both are among the most rewatchable movies ever. There is a reason they both consistently rank among the best movies ever made. The acting performances are amazing, the dialog is incredible, and Francis Ford Coppola's directing is as good as it gets on film. 

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 1

Let's be honest, there are quite a few movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that you can watch over and over. There is one that stands above the rest though. Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 1 has great music and great quotes, which are two things that really make movies forever rewatchable. It's just a really fun movie with some of the most fun characters in the whole universe. 

Legally Blonde

If you want to know how valuable Elle Woods can be, just try to stop watching Legally Blonde when you randomly come across it. It can't be done. It's filled with quotable lines and one of the most charming performances of Reese Witherspoon's stellar career. 

The Princess Bride

From Gen Xers to Zoomers, The Princess Bride has become part of millions of people's childhood. It's a movie that kids and adults can watch over and over, finding different wonderful things about it, depending on your maturity level. No matter how many times you watch, you can always find something new to observe and love about The Princess Bride. 

Raiders Of The Lost Ark

Who doesn't love Indiana Jones? The character, played of course by the great Harrison Ford, has become one of the most enduring movie heroes of all time. Well into the 21st Century, Hollywood is coming up with new adventures for the old archeologist. In the end, it all goes back to the beginning though, with the O.G. movie, Raider of the Lost Ark. 

Clue

If you were to ask around the staff of Cinemablend what off-beat comedy is their favorite, there is a decent chance Clue would be the answer you get. If for no other reason, the movie can be - and should be - watched over and over just for Tim Curry's amazing, manic, hilarious performance as The Butler...who butles and creates absolute mayhem. 

The Shawshank Redemption

It's hard for people to believe that The Shawshank Redemption wasn't a big hit in theaters. For whatever reason, it failed to find an audience. That all changed when the movie hit cable TV and became one of the most-watched movies in movie history. It was on TV all the time because people watched it all the time, over and over. 

Jurassic Park

The moment in Jurassic Park when Dr. Grant (Sam Neill) and Dr. Sattler (Laura Dern) see the dinosaurs for the first time, with John Williams' amazing score swelling in the background is such a great movie moment, that you can watch it over and over and a tear will still come to your eye. Now throw in all the other great parts and you have a seriously rewatchable movie. 

The Lion King

Disney sure knows how to make movies that kids and adults alike can watch over and over. We could really pick almost any of their classic cartoons here, but The Lion King is so good it's been remade into a live-action hit and one of the most successful Broadway shows of all time. All three are eminently rewatchable. 

Mean Girls

You know if a movie gets a remake less than 20 years after it was originally made, especially when that remake is based on a Broadway musical adaptation, it must be a movie you can watch over and over. Fans of Means Girls just can't get enough of the comedy, both on stage and screen. 

The Wolf Of Wall Street

If you're a fan of Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese, or bad language, The Wolf Of Wall Street is likely a movie you've watched numerous times, right? And why wouldn't you? It's an almost perfect movie. Much of the story is tragic, but the ride to get there is wild. 

9 To 5

Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin, and Jane Fonda are three national treasures. Put them in a movie where they torture their horrible boss played by the late great Dabney Coleman and you've got the recipe for a movie that people will never get bored of, just like 9 to 5.

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

Star Wars fans can watch any of the many movies over and over. All movie fans can watch Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back over and over, however. You don't have to be obsessed with every bit of Star Wars lore to absolutely love Empire. It's the best of the movies and one of the best movies ever made. It's got some of the craziest action scenes, the coolest characters, and the best plot twist of all time, at least according to many. It's simply the best. 

10 Things I Hate About You

When a movie is a hit with teenagers, especially one as popular as 10 Things I Hate About You, you can bet it'll be a rewatchable movie. Throw in some breakout performances by Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Julia Stiles, a plot based on a Shakespeare play, and you've got all the ingredients you need for a massive hit that people will watch again and again. 

Fight Club

The first rule of Fight Club might be don't talk about Fight Club, but no one really follows that rule, and the second rule might as well be, "watch Fight Club over and over and quote it endlessly" because that's what Fight Club really is. Like many of director David Fincher's movies, Fight Club is so well done that you see something new in it every time you watch, just like many of the great movies on this list. 

Titanic

To paraphrase the late, great Jerry Garcia, Titanic is like black licorice. Not everyone likes it, but the people that do like it, really like it. The James Cameron mega-hit isn't for everyone, in fact, it might have as many haters as it does lovers, but those who do love it never get bored with watching the wonderful sets and spectacular effects that the movie is best known for. 

The Matrix

While it's true that the Matrix trilogy had diminishing returns, there is no denying how amazing and groundbreaking the first one was. It still has a hold on popular culture, decades after its initial release. While some fans may not go back to the three sequels, the original is still a favorite for everyone that was red-pilled from the beginning. 

Pretty Woman

As rom-coms go, you can't get more perfect than Pretty Woman. Sure, the plot is a little dated and in some ways problematic, but the performances from the leads, Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, and the side characters, like Jason Alexander and Hector Elizondo are so good, it allows us to overlook the aging flaws of the movie and watch it again and again with nothing but joy. 

Gladiator

It really doesn't matter how many times you seen Gladiator, you are still going to jump up out of your seat when Maximus (Russell Crowe) reveals himself to Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). it's a moment in cinema history that will stand the test of time and still be a classic centuries from now. 

Jaws

It's no accident that Jaws is on this list. It's considered the first "summer blockbuster" but it's so much more. The characters are so well-developed that you can't help but root for all of them, except the mayor, of course. Sure the shark looks a little dated, but director Steven Spielberg did such an amazing job building the suspense by not seeing the shark, that it's easy to look past the 1970s movie magic.

The Great Escape

On Christmas in the United States, we watch things like A Christmas Story and It's a Wonderful Life every year. In the UK, they watch The Great Escape. We'll admit, that's a pretty amazing tradition because despite its nearly three-hour runtime, there is never a dull moment and it proves that longer is often better. The all-star cast and sharp direction keep the movie humming along from the time they are all locked up until they all get locked up again after the escape. 

The Incredibles

The Incredibles was an incredible hit for Pixar in 2004. Just like many Pixar and Disney movies before and after it, it became an indelible part of millions of kids' childhoods and even as they've aged, they still love the Parr family. While it took 16 years, when a sequel was finally made in 2018, it took in a cool $1.2 billion, attesting to just how loved (and watched) the original was and is. 

A League of Their Own

We all know that there is no crying in baseball because we've all seen Tom Hanks say it a million times as we've watched A League of Their Own over and over. All the characters are so unique and memorable that it's like watching an old friend every time it's on. 

Caddyshack

Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, and Ted Knight are four of the most quotable actors of all time. When you put them all in the same movie, and give them some of the best lines ever written, it's no surprise that Caddyshack is the kind of movie that people watch so often they end up memorizing it. Dangerfield, a king of the one-liner, is especially great in this one. 

Film fans often flock to see the locations where their favorite movies were made, like the ones on this list. Whether it's a place crucial to the plot of a movie, like the prison in The Shawshank Redemption, or a seemingly minor spot like the burger place in Dazed & Confused, these 32 locations have become iconic for their use on film. 

Hook & Ladder Company 8 - Ghostbusters

The coolest thing about Hook & Ladder Company 8, located on North Moore Street in the Tribeca neighborhood of New York City is that the firehouse, which is still an active station, has incorporated the Ghostbuster's logo into its crest. The building is not run down at all, as seen in the movie, and at almost any time of day, you'll see fans of the movie taking selfies. 

Quick Stop Groceries - Clerks

Kevin Smith famously made Clerks on a minuscule budget. One way he cut costs was to film overnight in his actual place of employment, the Quick Stop Groceries convenience store in Leonardo, NJ. The store is still in business, all these years later and you can be sure they play up the fact that the movie was filmed there. 

King's Cross Station - The Harry Potter Series

King's Cross Station is one of a few train stations in London, and while it's always been a well-known station, its fame leaped to another level with the Harry Potter series. You see, it's there, on platform 9 3/4, that Harry and the rest of the Hogwarts students catch their train to school. Of course, there isn't really a platform 9 3/4, but there is a photo op for fans at the real station now.  

West 167th Street Stairs - Joker

In the Highbridge neighborhood of The Bronx is an unassuming staircase connecting Shakespeare Ave. and Anderson Ave. There are similar stairs in New York City, but none are as famous as the West 167th Street Stairs, where Joaquin Phoenix famously danced as the titular character in Joker. 

Haystack Rock - The Goonies

The Haystack Rock formation off the coast of Cannon Beach in Oregon has been a famous geological spot for decades. For movie fans, it's immediately recognizable from The Goonies as the beach where the kids emerge after finding One-Eyed Willie's pirate ship. It's been used in other movies as well, like Twilight and Point Break. 

Top Notch Burgers - Dazed & Confused

Dazed & Confused does such an incredible job putting the audience right in the middle of the '70s, it's become one of the most beloved cult classics of all time. One major reason it just oozes 1970s teen car culture is the Top Notch Burgers that the characters cruise through. It's a real restaurant in Austin, Texas, where the movie was set and filmed. 

Fox Plaza - Die Hard

2121 Avenue of the Stars, which is most well known by its former name, Fox Plaza, is most famous for being the building where Hans Gruber and his band of merry men commit their robbery in Die Hard. The building, in Los Angeles, was brand new when it was used for the movie in 1988. Eagle-eyed viewers might also recognize it as one of the collapsing buildings at the end of Fight Club. 

South Seas Apartment Complex - The Karate Kid

The South Seas Apartment Complex in The Karate Kid is a pretty typical apartment building in the LA area. It is a real place, with that name, just like in the movie. It's located in Reseda, but it's actually pretty nice, nothing like it looks in the classic '80s movie.

The Philadelphia Museum Of Art - Rocky

There are a lot of really famous sites to see in Philadelphia. Constitution Hall, The Liberty Bell, Pat's and Geno's cheesesteak stands, and, of course, the steps that lead up to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. They were made most famous by Sylvester Stallone in Rocky when the titular character runs up them and celebrates at the top as "Gonna Fly Now" plays triumphantly. 

Georgetown Stairs - The Exorcist

The Exorcist is one of the scariest movies ever made and one of the eeriest things about it are the steep steps just outside the MacNeil household. They are used a few times in the movie, and it's good when they appear. The real stairs are located in the same neighborhood of Washington DC, Georgetown, where the movie is set, at Prospect St and 36th St NW. 

Seaside, FL - The Truman Show

The fictional town where The Truman Show takes place is both fictional for the movie, and fictional in the movie, as it's really just a soundstage where the TV show is filmed, unbeknownst to Truman (Jim Carrey). It was filmed in a real town, however. Seaside, FL looks pretty much exactly as it does in the movie and the house where Truman lives in the movie is where Congressman Matt Gaetz grew up. How's that for an odd coincidence? 

Katz's Deli - When Harry Met Sally

Katz's Deli, on Houston St. in Manhattan, has long been one of the most famous delis in New York City, but it reached new heights of fame after the legendary scene in When Harry Met Sally after Sally (Meg Ryan) does her famous performance of her faking it in bed. 

Chippewa Square Bus Stop - Forrest Gump

The Baby Boomer fever-dream hit movie Forrest Gump takes place over decades, but it's all told by Forrest (Tom Hanks) from one location, a bench at the Chippewa Square bus stop in Savannah, Georgia. It's where the character sits chatting with different people as he tells them his life story, which for some reason is like a box of chocolates. 

Fox Theatre, St. Louis - Escape From New York

If you ever wondered what city could stand in for a dystopian New York City that has been turned into an island prison, it was late '70s St. Louis, MO. The movie was filmed all over the city, including the Fox Theater, located on Grand Ave. The theater at the time was in disrepair and in desperate need of a renovation. Thankfully it got one and today is in much better shape than it was in the movie. 

Timberline Lodge - The Shining

It may be one of the most famous locations on this list - Timberline Lodge, which is the hotel that stands in for The Overlook Hotel in The Shining. The lodge, Mt. Hood, WA, is still open today and draws not only skiers and outdoor enthusiasts, but fans of the horror classic. 

Hôtel Sidi Driss - Star Wars

The Hôtel Sidi Driss in Matmata, Tunisia is one of the most unique hotels in the world, and so it's fitting it would serve as a home on a planet way out of this world. Movie audiences will immediately recognize it as the home of Luke Skywalker and his aunt and uncle at the beginning of the first Star Wars movie. If you're a fan, and you're in the neighborhood, the hotel is still open and taking reservations. 

7B Horseshoe Bar- The Godfather Part II

It goes by many different names. 7B and Horseshoe Bar are the two most people call it. It's still open, right at the corner of 7th Street and Ave. B in Manhattan. It's been there for years and has been used in a few film productions, but none more famous than in The Godfather Part II. It's where the botched assassination of Frank Pentangeli took place. 

Ohio State Reformatory - The Shawshank Redemption

One of the best movies of the '90s has to be The Shawshank Redemption. While the film is set in Maine, the home state of the book's author Stephen King, it was filmed in the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio. It had closed as a prison just a few years before they filmed it, so that certainly helps bring some authenticity to the movie. 

Bosse Field - A League Of Their Own

With some of the best moments in a baseball movie ever, A League Of Their Own has endured for years. So has the minor league baseball field where it was filmed, Bosse Field in Evansville, IN. Though it's a minor league park, it's still the third oldest baseball stadium in the country, behind Wrigley Field and Fenway Park and it retains all the charm it has in the movie. 

Mountain Lake Lodge - Dirty Dancing

In the 1960s, when Dirty Dancing was set, inclusive vacation spots like the Mountain Lake Lodge in Virginia dotted the American countryside. Most have long closed, but the Mountain Lake Lodge has survived and you can still visit and stay there, just like Baby and her family did in the movie. The actual cabin where the Housemans stayed is even available for rent. 

1 Wall Street Court - John Wick

Most of New York City - Manhattan at least - is a grid. But there are a few spots where the grid breaks down and creates odd-shaped blocks, leading to oddly shaped buildings. 1 Wall Street Court is one of those buildings, which makes it the perfect exterior for the mysterious Continental Hotel in the John Wick series where hitmen and criminals can enjoy a drink and a good night's sleep without one eye open looking for enemies. 

The Best Little Chapel - The Hangover

Las Vegas is famous for a lot of reasons, including all the tiny wedding chapels all over town. One famous chapel isn't actually a chapel, though. There are a lot of famous locations in The Hangover, most notably Caesar's Palace (Caesar didn't actually live there). One place you'll have a hard time finding unless you know where to look is The Best Wedding Chapel, as it's really just a youth hostel on Las Vegas Blvd. that was dressed up to look like a wedding chapel. Still, you can see the parking lot and all the hilarious signs behind the location as you quote all your favorite lines from The Hangover.

Matamata, New Zealand - Lord Of The Rings

This is a unique entry on this list as it's now famous for what the Lord of the Rings series did for the town. It's where The Shire was built and much of the set remains today as a tourist attraction for the millions of fans of the movies. It really does feel like you're stepping into the movies. 

Christmas Story House - A Christmas Story

"Ah, there it is. My house, and good old Cleveland Street," is how A Christmas Story begins. The house is almost a character all itself, with the sketchy furnace and the leg lamp, etc... The real house is in the City of Cleveland, but it's at 3159 W 11th St, not on Cleveland St. It's also worth noting that while most of it was filmed in Cleveland, it's set in the fictional town of Hohman, Indiana.

The Dakota Building - Rosemary's Baby

The Dakota, at 72nd and Central Park West in New York, is one of the most famous apartment buildings in the world, and one reason for that is that it's the setting for the terrifying Roman Polanski film, Rosemary's Baby. It's the perfect building to set the film, with his is dark neo-gothic architecture and large, lavish apartments. The Dakota is also infamous for being where John Lennon was shot and killed in 1980, while he lived there. 

Forks, WA - Twilight

For fans of the Twilight series, the town of Forks, Washington is the homeland. Both the books and the movies are set in a small town in a remote part of the state west of Seattle. It's now a tourist hot spot, though most of the movie was filmed in locations other than Forks. 

El Coyote - Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

El Coyote is a legendary Mexican restaurant in LA that dates back to the 1930s. It's also where Sharon Tate and her friends ate their final meal on August 9th, 1969 before they were murdered by the Manson Family. For his movie Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino filmed the scene of the friends eating not only in the same restaurant but in the very same booth where they sat all those decades ago. 

Lighthouse Café - La La Land

The Lighthouse Café is a great jazz spot that sits in Hermosa Beach, California near LA. It was the location for one of the most famous scenes that movie critics often call a "love letter to Los Angeles," La La Land. 

Drayton House - Saltburn

The English countryside is filled with amazing, ornate homes that are often used for filming, sometimes they are the location for TV shows, like Downton Abbey, and other times it's for movies like Saltburn. For the latter, the makers of the film used the stately Drayton House in Lowick, Northamptonshire.

Kualoa Ranch - Jurassic Park

Kualoa Ranch in Hawaii has to be one of the most beautiful places in the world. It makes sense it would be the setting for quite a few TV shows and movies, including Lost,  Magnum P.I., Pearl Harbor, and maybe the most famous movie filmed there, 1993's Jurassic Park. 

The Tasty - Good Will Hunting

Sadly, this is a location you can no longer visit, as it closed a few years ago. For decades, however, The Tasty Diner in Harvard Square was a late-night favorite for drunk college students from all over Boston. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck made sure it found its way into their movie about Boston, Good Will Hunting. 

Görlitz Department Store - Grand Budapest Hotel

The exterior of the titular Grand Budapest Hotel might have been a model, but the interior and lobby were actually a beautiful - and vacant - department store in Görlitz, Germany. Sadly, while the building is still standing, it is still unused. 

For gearheads, cars and other vehicles are the real stars of some movies. Whether it's sweet vintage cars like those seen in movies like Dazed and Confused or highly customized one-offs like K.I.T.T. on Knight Rider, cars play a huge role in Hollywood history. 

K.I.T.T.

If you grew up in the '80s, you know what one car we have to include here. The talking supercomputer/Trans-Am driven by Michael Knight (David Hasselhoff) known simply as K.I.T.T. The "Knight Industries Two Thousand" car, voiced originally by William Daniels could do just about anything, and it's one of the few examples where the car truly was the star of a show. 

James Bond's DB5

Without question one of the most iconic cars in film history is the ultra-cool Aston Martin DB5 driven by James Bond. Audiences first saw the car in Goldfinger in 1964 and it has since appeared in Thunderball, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, Casino Royale, Skyfall, Spectre, and No Time To Die. You simply can't separate the spy from his sportscar and while there are other very cool cars in other Bond flicks, the DB5 reigns supreme. 

Starsky And Hutch's Gran Torino

Nothing epitomizes '70s cool like the 1976 Ford Gran Torino driven by the police partners in Starsky and Hutch. There's nothing super special about it, it doesn't have machine guns or ejection seats, it's just cool. Fans of the show in the '70s argued over who they wanted to be, Starsky or Hutch, but everyone agreed they wanted to drive the Gran Torino. 

Ecto-1

Before the modifications made by the Ghostbusters, the 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Sentinel that became "Ecto-1" was pretty darn cool. After the modifications in the first Ghostbusters, it became the envy of kids all over the world. From the great siren to the logo on the side, to the ghost storage unit in the back, this is one cool station wagon. 

Batmobile

It's impossible to pick the coolest Batmobile. Throughout the years, every version of Batman has had his own version of the iconic car, and all of them are cool in their own way. Still, it's hard not to highlight the modified '59 Cadillac from the 1960s TV show. It's first among equals. 

Mr. Frye's Ferrari California

The 1961 Ferrari 250GT California. Less than a hundred were made, as Cameron (Alan Ruck) explains in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, which might just be the coolest car in the world, on screen or off. While the cars in the movie were actually all replicas, it still has to be included here. Real 1961 Ferrari 250GT California Spyder's are insanely expensive too. One of the most famous has been owned by Hollywood star James Coburn and Former Top Gear host Chris Evans and is thought to be one of the most valuable cars in the world. 

Magnum's Ferrari 308 GTSi

Thomas Magnum is one of the coolest TV characters in history, so it makes sense that the star of Magnum, P.I., played by Tom Selleck, would drive a really cool car. "Robin 1" as it was known (named after the license plate), Magnum's Ferrari 308 was actually a few different 308s over the 8-year run of the show, but they were all super cool. 

The Mystery Machine

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! debuted in 1969, and in a fitting tribute to the era, the Scooby gang roamed around the country in a van painted in psychedelic colors, just like many of the hippies of the era. It's vaguely reminiscent of a VW Bus, of course, but The Mystery Machine is something all its own. 

Eleanor 

While "Eleanor" from Gone In 60 Seconds isn't a factory-perfect 1967 Mustang Shelby GT500, as it's portrayed in the movie, it's still one of the coolest cars ever, both in the movie and in real life. The car used in the movie was modified for filming, but that doesn't make it less awesome. 

The Bandit's Trans-Am

If you're going to bootleg stolen beer across state lines, you're going to need a fast car. The Bandit's Trans-Am in Smokey In The Bandit is maybe the most iconic car in movie history. Not only was it the first Trans-Am, but it's still the version you'd want to buy, a black T-top with a gold eagle. Admit it, you want one. 

Dom's Dodge Charger

If we're honest here, we could populate this entire list with nothing but cars from the Fast franchise. Instead, we've chosen one – Dom's black 1970 Dodge Charger – to represent the entire series. It's the muscliest muscle car that ever muscled with the beefy supercharger poking through the hood and equipped with a nitrous system, and it'll blow away anything else off the line. 

The Bluesmobile

The Bluesmobile, driven by the Blues brothers in the movie of the same name, might not look like much, but, as Elwood (Dan Aykroyd) says, "It's got a cop motor... cop tires, cop suspensions, cop shocks..." so it goes hard. You'll need to fix the lighter, though. 

Frank Bullitt's '68 Mustang

You simply can't talk about cool cars and Hollywood without talking about the late Steve McQueen. The actor was almost as famous for his love of cars as he was for his movies. Of course, at the top of the list of cars he drove in movies is the '68 Mustang he tears around San Francisco in in Bullitt. 

Pickford's Pontiac GTO

Dazed and Confused is chock full of amazing '70s cars, so we need to pick just one to represent them all. Wooderson's  (Matthew McConaughey) Chevy Chevelle SS might be the obvious pick here, but there isn't anything cooler than the opening notes of "Sweet Emotion" at the beginning of the movie as audiences see Pickford's (Shawn Andrews) 1970 Pontiac GTO cruising around the parking lot. 

The A-Team Van

Not every cool vehicle on TV is a car, either. Any child of the '80s will tell you they grew up dreaming about riding around in the black, grey, and red van that belonged to the crew of military misfits in The A-Team. While stock GMC Vandura's may not be all that cool, the paint job and other modifications make the A-Team's van special. 

Sonny Crockett's Ferrari Testarossa

Miami Vice was a show that could've filled up this list all by itself with all the cool cars that appeared, but none were more iconic than the Ferraris driven by Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson). We've included the Testarossa he drove in the latter seasons, not because it's cooler than the Daytona he drove early on, but because the Testarossas were actual Ferraris, whereas the Daytona was a replica built for the show and was actually a Corvette made to look like a Ferrari Daytona.  

The Bad Boys' Porsche 964

In the original Bad Boys, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence had the pleasure of driving a very cool Porsche 964. The sports car was actually owned by director Michael Bay, and eventually sold (after Bay sold it years ago) for over a million dollars. It's easy to understand why, as the Bad Boy franchise has only gotten more and more popular over the years. 

John Wick's Mustang

The beginning of the first John Wick is rough for the titular character, played by Keanu Reeves. He loses his wife, then the dog she gifted him before her death is murdered. He also has his wicked car, a '68 Mustang, stolen at the same time. Everything John Wick does after that is justified, including getting the car back, even after it gets trashed. 

Mad Max's Ford Falcon Interceptor

Talk about a movie franchise full of wild, cool cars, Mad Max is among the wildest. So, to represent the series, we're going with the O.G. car, Mel Gibson's Ford Falcon Interceptor in the original movie. It's the rat rod to end all rat rods and it's amazing. 

Mach Five

Perhaps the coolest race car in the universe is Speed Racer's Mach Five. It's legendary from the cartoon and has been part of all the various interactions of reboots, sequels, and the 2008 live-action version of Speed Racer. With the distinctive paint job and body style, it's simply the race car every kid wants. 

Blade's '68 Charger

1968 Mustangs are well represented in movies, and one of its biggest competitors, the '68 Dodge Charger is represented admirably in the Wesley Snipes Blade movies. It's the perfect car for the vampire killer and is as intimidating as a car can be. 

EM-50 Urban Assault Vehicle

If you're not going to get a fast car to drive in a movie, how about a fully-armed recreational vehicle? That's what the guys in Stripes steal when they go into Czechoslovakia to rescue their big toe, Sgt. Hulka. The EM-50 Urban Assault Vehicle is no simple camper, it's ready for war, even if the guys driving it aren't. 

Sebastian's Jaguar XK140 In Cruel Intentions

If you love classic cars, it doesn't get more elegant and classic than a 1956 Jaguar XK140 like Sebastian drives in Cruel Intentions. Sure, it's pretty annoying to watch an annoying spoiled brat drive it around, but it's hard not to stare in awe whenever it's on screen. It does fit for the character, even if we hate him for it. 

Thelma And Louise's Ford Thunderbird

A convertible 1966 Ford Thunderbird is what dreams are made of. It's a car that makes you feel invincible, just like it does for the titular characters in Thelma & Louise. If there's anything we would change, it's the tragic end for the car. While Thelma and Louise go out on their own terms, the poor Thunderbird doesn't, we don't think. 

Christine

Christine, the car in movie with the same name, is terrifying, sure. No one wants to deal with a car with a homicidal mind of its own. But is sure is sweet to look at. The red 1958 Plymouth Fury is definition of classic cool. So if you're willing to let the car take out an enemy or two, and you love  '50s Detroit steel, this is the car for you. Just don't get on her bad side. 

'66 Alfa Romeo Spider In The Graduate

The old hosts of Top Gear, who know a thing about cars, often insisted that if you'd never owned an Alfa Romero, you couldn't really consider yourself a motor head. Just one look at the '66 Alfa Romeo Spider in The Graduate, driven by Dustin Hoffman's character, and you'll almost certainly agree they have as much class and sophistication as a car get. 

Greased Lightning

"Greased Lightning" is arguably the best song in Grease and in no small part to the visuals of building one mean-looking drag racer named Greased Lightning. Systematic, hydromatic, ultramatic, and probably some other "madics" too.  The car itself looks kind of ridiculous, and none of the parts would actually work together, but no matter! It's still awesome. 

Doc Brown's Delorean

You knew we couldn't have this list without one of the most beloved cars (and time machines) in movie history. Doc Brown's time machine in Back To The Future is the only reason anyone in the world remembers or desires the short-lived DMC Delorean. It was a terrible car that looked like the future and drove like the past. It works perfectly for Doc's needs. 

Sonny Corleone's Lincoln Continental

It's definitely not bulletproof, but the '41 Lincoln Continental driven by Sonny Corleone in The Godfather is the epitome of what made the US car industry the envy of everyone in the '30s and '40s. Large and luxurious was the name of the name of the game in Detroit before World War II and the Continental was at the top of many lists for both. 

The Porsche 928 In Risky Business

Nothing says "1980s" more than a really cool Porsche, like the 928 in Risky Business. If you ask an '80s kid to draw the outline of a Porsche, there's a good chance they'll draw the 928 even without knowing what they are drawing. It's just a shame where it ended up. 

The Monkee's Pontiac GTO

Like the band and TV show, Pontiac GTO driven in The Monkees is over-the-top and ridiculous. It's like the designers watched the '60s on TV and made what they thought embodied them. Kind of like the whole show, despite being one of the shows on TV at the time. It's still pretty awesome though. 

Herbie The Love Bug

Herbie The Love Bug in the Herbie series is the anti-Christine. It's a car with a mind of its own, but it's only interested in doing good, not evil. That makes it every kid's favorite car and a big reason for the Volkswagon Beetle's enduring appeal. 

Richard Linklater’s latest film “Hit Man,” starring Glen Powell and Adria Arjona, is now available to stream on Netflix, and the legendary writer-director sat down with us to discuss the making of his (sort of based on a true story) film, and his career. We dive into his process of working with actors, finding chemistry on screen, the prospects of a “School of Rock” sequel, and an incredible story about Matthew McConaughey’s iconic “Dazed and Confused” line. 

It’s our first full show back from our hiatus, so we also take some time to discuss what we’ve been watching, Disney’s new “Star Wars” series “The Acolyte,” and we celebrate the incredible influence of Scott Wampler following his passing. 

Timestamps (approx. only)

• 00:00:00 - Intro
• 00:07:16 - Richard Linklater Interview - ‘Hit Man’
• 00:38:25 - ‘Hit Man’ Review
• 00:42:41 - This Summer Movie Season Is ‘Just Fine’
• 00:51:31 - New Disney+ ‘Star Wars’ Series ‘The Acolyte’ Reactions
• 00:54:13 - What We’ve Been Watching
• 01:04:14 - Remembering Scott Wampler
• 01:15:44 - Outro

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31 years ago, Matthew McConaughey delivered his breakthrough performance in Dazed and Confused, which was the first step to him hitting the big time in Hollywood. After all this time, it remains one of McConaughey’s best movies, and there are plenty of hilarious Dazed and Confused quotes that still hold up today. Now the actor has channeled the Richard Linklater-directed flick in the latest video with his wife of more than 17 years, Camila Alves.

Last year, the couple launched their own tequila brand called Pantalones Organic Tequila, which Matthew McConaughey described as the “best thing” he and Camila Alves have made with their “pants on.” The latest advertisement for the brand sees them pouring their drink of choice after realizing that the last day of school is coming up, and Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out,” which was prominently featured in Dazed and Confused, is appropriately played. Check it out:

While you know that McConaughey and Alves have nothing but love for the three children they’ve had together, their kids are also at that age where them being out of school and home for summer break could be considered stressful, to put it mildly. So before the craziness kicks off, they decide to enjoy some glasses of Pantalones Organic Tequila, and as already mentioned, their song of choice is simply exquisite. The ad, shared on the Pantalones YouTube page, ends with McConaughey wishing Alves good luck… it sounds like they’re going to need it.

Like most of the cast members in Dazed and Confused, Matthew McConaughey was an unknown when he boarded the movie, and initially his role as David Wooderson was supposed to be small. Needless to say that changed when McConaughey was cast, and he even came up with the famous “Alright, alright, alright” line that Wooderson states when he drives up to talk to Marisa Ribisi’s Cynthia Dunn, the “redheaded intellectual girl from school.” Granted, McConaughey had no idea that line would follow him around for the rest of his life, but he takes it as a “compliment.”

It’s a testament to Dazed and Confused’s popularity that “School’s Out” can be thrown into this commercial featuring McConaughey, and plenty of people will immediately understand the reference. It’s just one of the many amusing ways he and Alves have been advertising Pantalones. As another example, they posed for a game of pantless croquet just a few weeks ago to show off their tequila brand.

If you’re now in the mood to watch Dazed and Confused as a way to help kick off the summer, with or without tequila, it can be streamed with a Peacock subscription. Otherwise, look over the 2024 movies schedule to see what cinematic entertainment awaits later this year.

When looking back at the best movies of the 1990s, so many of them were set in the halls of high schools. Whether we’re talking about a slasher as iconic as Scream, the endlessly quotable dialogue of Cher Horowitz in Clueless or the all-time great ensemble of Boyz n the Hood, there’s a lot to love about ‘90s teen movies. 

These days there’s no need to go to your local Blockbuster to grab these titles, you can stream them all at home! Here are our must-watch picks and how to watch them. 

Scream (1996) 

Do you like scary movies? If so, it’s always a good time to revisit one of the best horror movies of all time, Wes Craven’s Scream. The slasher saw the debut of one of the genre’s most popular icons, Ghostface, as high schoolers living in the town of Woodsboro become the mysterious murderer’s target for brutal murders. Neve Campbell leads the cast as Sidney Prescott in a final girl origin story that would inspire tons of sequels in the ongoing franchise. She’s joined by Courtney Cox, David Arquette, Matthew Lillard, Rose McGowan, Skeet Ulrich and Drew Barrymore in the unforgettable opening sequence. 

Stream Scream on Max.
Rent/Buy Scream on Amazon. 

10 Things I Hate About You (1999) 

Shakespeare’s hold on storytelling has remained evident in modern cinema, as filmmakers find fun ways to retell his famous stories. 1999’s 10 Things I Hate About You is a new take on The Taming Of The Shrew which places the general premise in a high school setting. It stars Julia Stiles’ Kat Stratford, a black sheep of a teen girl who is the obstacle in the way of her more popular sister Bianca (Larisa Oleynik) dating, since their father will only allow one to date if they both do. So, Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Cameron pays Heath Ledger’s high school burn out, Patrick, to romance Kat so he can pursue Bianca. 

Stream 10 Things I Hate About You on Disney+.
Stream 10 Things I Hate About You on Hulu.
Rent/Buy 10 Things I Hate About You on Amazon.

Election (1999) 

Alexander Payne’s high school comedy, Election, is another classic teen comedy from the ‘90s that we nominate for addition to your watchlist. The movie stars Ferris Bueller’s Day Off icon Matthew Broderick (back in high school after being in one of the best 80s movies of the genre) as Jim McAllister, a social studies teacher who sabotages the candidacy of Reese Witherspoon’s Tracy Flick when she runs for student body president.  

Stream Election on Paramount+.
Stream Election for free on PlutoTV.
Rent/Buy Election on Amazon. 

Clueless (1995) 

A ‘90s teen movie list without Clueless? As if!! This is one of those movies that first comes to the mind when we think of this era of high school comedies, and for a good reason: it’s just that good. The movie follows Alicia Silverstone’s iconic Cher Horowitz as a popular and privileged teen living in Beverly Hills who makes a new student (Brittany Murphy) her makeover project for the semester, as unexpected feelings and realizations come up for Cher regarding love and romance. 

Stream Clueless on Paramount+.
Rent/Buy Clueless on Amazon. 

But I’m A Cheerleader (1999) 

Back in 1999, Natasha Lyonne starred in the high school satire But I’m A Cheerleader alongside Clea DuVall, Melanie Lynskey and RuPaul. The movie follows Megan, a high-performing student in class and cheerleader who gets sent off to a boot camp meant to make her straight when her parents think she’s gay. It’s an iconic queer high school movie of the ‘90s. 

Stream But I’m A Cheerleader for free on Tubi.
Stream/Rent/Buy But I’m A Cheerleader on Amazon.

Dazed & Confused (1993) 

Another ‘90s go-to movie about teens is Richard Linklater’s Dazed & Confused, which had Matthew McConaughey uttering “alright, alright, alright” in his first movie ever. The movie follows numerous high schoolers across different social groups celebrating their final day of high school in Austin, Texas in 1976. The movie also features Ben Affleck, Milla Jovovich, Parker Posey and Renée Zellweger before the were famous. 

Rent/Buy Dazed & Confused on Amazon. 

The Virgin Suicides (1999) 

Sofia Coppola’s directorial debut, The Virgin Suicides, is based on the ‘90s novel of the same name about the story of the five Lisbon sisters, who lived in Detroit in 1975, as told through a group of neighborhood boys years later. Coppola’s dreamlike direction (which benefitted from Kirsten Dunst’s performance) would later lead into her other works, such as Lost In Translation, Marie Antoinette, The Bling Ring and Priscilla. In Virgin Suicides, she comments on the teenage experience, discussing topics like repression, sex, death and longing through its narrative. 

Stream The Virgin Suicides on Paramount+.
Rent/Buy The Virgin Suicides on Amazon. 

Boyz N The Hood (1991) 

Similar to The Virgin Suicides, Boyz n the Hood is not a comedy about a group of teens, but rather a drama set on the streets of South Central Los Angeles in the ‘90s. John Singleton’s coming-of-age film is so well-renowned it was chosen for the National Film Registry and nominated for two Oscars. The movie is about Tre (Cuba Gooding Jr.) and what happens when his friends Doughboy (Ice Cube) and Ricky (Morris Chestnut) get drawn into the neighborhood’s gang and drug culture. 

Stream Boyz n the Hood on Netflix.
Rent/Buy Boyz n the Hood on Amazon. 

Varsity Blues (1999) 

What’s a list about high school movies without talking about the varsity football team? The sport is an essential part of so many American high school experiences, and in 1999’s Varsity Blues, James Van Der Beek had audiences swooning over his character of Mox as he goes from being the team’s benchwarmer to its star quarterback because of their ruthless coach (Jon Voight), after the team’s star athlete (Paul Walker) gets injured. 

Stream Varsity Blues for free with ads on PlutoTV.
Rent/Buy Varsity Blues on Amazon. 

William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet (1996) 

One year before Leonardo DiCaprio became the ‘90s No. 1 crush with Titanic, the actor starred in Baz Luhrmann’s stylish take on William Shakespeare’s teen romance gone wrong. The movie is unique in terms of the dialogue remaining in Shakespearean English but taking place in modern times in Verona Beach, with the Capulets and Montagues being rival gangs. DiCaprio stars as Romeo and Claire Danes as Juliet in this essentially ‘90s take on perhaps the most well-known teen love story ever told. 

Rent/Buy Romeo + Juliet on Amazon.

Cruel Intentions (1999) 

Back in 1999, director Roger Kumble put together a rather iconic cast for a modern retelling of the 1782 French novel, Les Liaisons dangereuses, in a way that centers the storyline on well-off high school students. Among the leading cast is Ryan Phillippe, who becomes the center of a game of seduction that Reese Witherspoon, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Selma Blair are part of. While the movie was made on a small budget, it became a huge hit when it came out, even leading to multiple follow ups and a musical inspired by it.
 
Stream/Rent/Buy Cruel Intentions on Amazon. 

Empire Records (1995) 

Remember record stores? Sure, they still definitely exist and have their collectors, but there’s something about being an employee at a record store in the ‘90s, before MP3 players or music streaming services existed. This 1995 movie is about the teen employees of an independent Delaware record store that is set to become sold to a national chain. The clerks take it into upon themselves to keep the store independent, with mixed results. 

Rent/Buy Empire Records on Amazon. 

She’s All That (1999) 

She’s All That is the ultimate high school fantasy in a lot of ways. It’s about the most popular kid in school, Zack (Freddie Prinze Jr.), who makes a bet that he can make any girl in school popular after his girlfriend dumps him. His sights are set on Rachael Leigh Cook’s Laney, an awkward art student, who he romances in the weeks leading up to prom. As real feelings begin to emerge, Zack and Laney prove that social divides between students can be overcome. 

Stream She's All That on Paramount+.
Stream She's All That for free with ads on PlutoTV.
Rent/Buy She’s All That on Amazon.

American Pie (1999) 

Then there’s 1999’s American Pie, which is about five high school seniors who pledge to each other that they will all have lost their virginity by graduation. With that premise in mind, American Pie becomes a raunchy and rather funny sex comedy about doing the deed, an act that is often thought of as a rite of passage among teens. The movie is flooded with stars in the comedy space, with Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Natasha Lyonne, Tara Reid, Seann William Scott, Eugene Levy and Jennifer Coolidge. 

Rent/Buy American Pie on Amazon. 

Happy streaming for all of these great '90s teen movies!  

Have you ever looked back at some of the most famous movie quotes and wondered how the screenwriter could have come up with that? Well, believe it or not, some of those memorable lines (and even some iconic moments in their entirety) were not part of the script and were invented on set and even on the spot while the camera rolled, either out of incident or by some instance of spontaneous creativity. The following are some of the most legendary examples of improvised moments from the movies.

"I'm Walkin' Here!" (Midnight Cowboy)

There is some debate regarding if the most oft-quoted moment from the X-rated Best Picture Oscar winner, 1969’s Midnight Cowboy, was really off the top of Ratso actor Dustin Hoffman’s head. However, the Academy Award winner claimed to The National Post that, on the first take, a cab pulled out right in front of him, to which he responded with genuine frustration, “I’m walkin’ here!” while managing to stay in character.

"Here's Johnny!" (The Shining)

Despite being one of the most iconic moments from one of the best horror movies of all time, Jack Torrance screaming “Here’s Johnny!” after axing his way through a bathroom door feels slightly out of place in 1980’s The Shining. That is because, according to The Independent, Jack Nicholson ad-libbed the line, which Stanley Kubrick initially did not realize was a reference to Ed McMahon’s catchphrase from The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

"Alright Alright Alright" (Dazed And Confused)

A phrase that will forever be associated with Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey is also on the funniest lines from 1994’s Dazed and Confused: “Alright alright alright.” He explained to Kelly Ripa and guest host Christian Slater on Live! that the first words he ever spoke on film were a spur-of-the-moment way of expressing “confirmation” for the three most important things in David Wooderson’s life: his car, rock ’n roll, and illicit substances.  

Edward Closes The Jewelry Box On Vivian (Pretty Woman)

The signature moment from 1990’s Pretty Woman when Edward (Richard Gere) snaps a jewelry box lid on Vivian’s (Julia Roberts) hand was nothing more than a prank on the then 22-year-old actor in an effort to “wake her up a little. Director Garry Marshall revealed this to ET, who agree that it is the moment America “fell in love” with the future Academy Award winner and makes it thankful the blooper made the final cut.

Aragorn's Furious Cry (The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers)

In 2002’s The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) sounds like he is in genuine pain when he, after witnessing a pile of dead orcs, kicks a helmet and lets out a bloodcurdling yelp. That is because, as Peter Jackson revealed on a making-of featurette, when the actor’s foot hit the solid metal helmet on the fifth take, he broke two of his toes, resulting in the impassioned scream.

Ryan's Last Memory Of His Brothers (Saving Private Ryan)

In Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan, Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) learns that the titular soldier he and his crew have been tasked with rescuing is not the most noble gentleman when he recalls the last time he saw his brothers alive. According to Peter Bart’s book, The Gross, Matt Damon came up with the darkly comic story involving a young woman knocked unconscious and a barn nearly burnt to the ground the day it was shot.  

"Are You Talkin' To Me?" (Taxi Driver)

Not only was Robert De Niro’s legendary “Are you talkin’ to me?” speech from 1975’s Taxi Driver not in Paul Schrader’s script, but the entire scene almost did not happen because the film was behind schedule. Director Martin Scorsese told Stephen Colbert on Late Show that, in the moment, he had convinced his producers to let him keep shooting the ad-lib to its completed form.

"I Don't Want To Go!" (Avengers: Infinity War)

Tom Holland revealed in a video for GQ that a technique he uses to cry on command is repeating a tonally appropriate phrase in his head until the tears well up. The phrase he chose for the scene before Peter Parker turns to dust in Avengers: Infinity War was, "I don't want to go!" which he, instead, decided to say out loud to Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark, perfecting the devastating moment from the 2018 Marvel flick.

Andy's Chest Wax (The 40-Year-Old Virgin)

One of the most unsettling behind-the-scenes facts of all time is that Steve Carell requested that Andy’s famous chest waxing scene in 2005’s The 40-Year-Old Virgin be real and shot in one take, as he recalled in a BBC Radio 1 interview. While many of the things that he says were previously written — including “Kelly Clarkson!” which came courtesy of Seth Rogen — each of Carell’s painful reactions are genuine

The Most Annoying Sound In The World (Dumb and Dumber)

Many of Jim Carrey’s best quotes came right off the top of his head, including one of the funniest moments from 1994’s Dumb and Dumber. Jeff Daniels confirmed in a video for GQ that he was surprised when his co-star blurted out “the most annoying sound in the world” in the middle of a take. 

Lecter Mocks Starling's Accent (The Silence Of The Lambs)

When discussing ad-libs from 1991's The Silence of the Lambs, most people reference Hannibal Lecter's iconic hiss, but that allegedly improvised choice is not the only moment of that kind from Clarice Starling's first meeting with the psychopath. Jodie Foster revealed in her MasterClass episode that Anthony Hopkins came up with the idea to mock her character's accent off the cuff, which initially frustrated the actor, but ultimately added a fascinating layer of manipulation to the role.

Most Of Sgt. Harman's Dialogue (Full Metal Jacket)

While R. Lee Ermey did not exactly come up with his lines as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman on camera, much of his dialogue from Full Metal Jacket was created off the top of his head beforehand. The former Marine revealed in an interview with The History Channel that he would improvise lines reminiscent of his days in the service in front of a tape recorder and the "juiciest" lines were added to the Oscar-nominated script.

Peter Hugs Tony (Spider-Man: Homecoming)

What makes Tony Stark and Peter Parker some of the funniest MCU characters is the brilliant way Tom Holland and Robert Downey Jr. manage to play off each other in the moment, such as one memorable moment from 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming. Holland told Kevin McCarthy from Fox 5 in Washington DC that he thought it would be funny if the teen otherwise known as Spider-Man hugged the man otherwise known as Iron Man as he was opening a car door for him, and he turned out to be right.

Buddy's Excitement About Santa (Elf)

Elf might not have become one of the funniest Christmas movies ever if not for Will Ferrell’s commitment to the role of Buddy and his off-the-cuff comedic talent. According to a video by Rotten Tomatoes, the North Pole-raised human’s irritatingly loud reaction to learning “Santa” is visiting Gimbel’s came out of the former SNL star’s belief that his response would have to be the most “jubilant” possible.

"He Stole My Line" (Good Will Hunting)

Will’s (Matt Damon) final message to Sean (Robin Williams) in 1997’s Good Will Hunting, which mentions having to “see about a girl,” is a callback to a story his therapist told him earlier, which he points out by saying, “He stole my line.” Damon revealed in a video for Vanity Fair that the late comedian’s final quote in the movie was not in his and Ben Affleck’s Oscar-winning screenplay, but he knew the moment he heard it that nothing could have ended the film better.

“Leave The Gun. Take The Cannoli” (The Godfather)

A look back on many of the most iconic lines from Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather by THR reveals that one quotable moment was not originally written the way it was said in the final product. Richard Castellano, as Peter Clemenza, was only supposed to say, “Leave the gun,” but Ardell Sheridan (his real-life and onscreen wife) recommended he add, “Take the cannoli,” in reference to an earlier scene when her character asks him to bring dessert.

"I Love Lamp" (Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy)

When Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd) points out that Brick Tamland (Steve Carell) is "just saying things [he's] looking at," that was, indeed, exactly what Carell was doing. According to Page Six, he did not have any lines for the scene in 2004’s Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, so director Adam McKay instructed him to just say whatever came to mind.

"You Can't Handle The Truth!" (A Few Good Men)

Do you think you can handle the truth about the most celebrated line from 1992 A Few Good Men? According to Judith Humphrey’s book, Impromptu: Leading in the Moment, Col. Nathan Jessup’s (Jack Nicholson) final stinger in his courtroom face-off with Lt. Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) was originally written by Aaron Sorkin as “You already have the truth,” but the Academy Award winner changed it on the spot.

The Pecan Pie Scene (When Harry Met Sally...)

In the 1989 romantic-comedy movie classic, When Harry Met Sally…, Harry’s random decision to have him and Sally speak in a strange accent and converse about having pecan pie was really as spontaneous as it feels. As Billy Crystal shared on The View (via Business Insider), he provided no warning about the bit to Meg Ryan, whose look to the side at one point was to director Rob Reiner, who silently instructed her to go along with it. 

Joker Applauds Gordon's Promotion (The Dark Knight)

Despite what rumors have suggested, Heath Ledger’s playful reaction to the delayed hospital explosion in 2008’s The Dark Knight was not improvised. However, Christopher Nolan told BBC Radio 1 that the late Oscar winner did come up with a lot of memorable moments on set, including when Joker sarcastically claps after Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) is appointed Commissioner.

The Laugh-Filled Police Line-Up Scene (The Usual Suspects)

Have you ever wondered why 1995’s The Usual Suspects cast starts to randomly break into laughter while grouped together in a police station line-up? Kevin Pollack revealed on a DVD extra that, which you do not hear in the final cut, Benicio del Toro started breaking wind and did so enough times to send his co-stars reeling.

"My Mom And Dad Are Gonna Be So Mad At Me!" (Scream)

As he revealed in a joint EW interview with him and Skeet Ulrich, Matthew Lillard ad-libbed several of Stu Macher’s lines from the climax of Scream. This includes his especially iconic response to learning that Sidney (Neve Campbell) called the police and him and Billy (Ulrich).

“You Hit Me In The Ear!" (Fight Club)

Apparently, the first time the Narrator throws a punch at Tyler Durden in 1999’s Fight Club was really as painful as it looks, as Edward Norton told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show. Director David Fincher instructed him to hit Brad Pitt for real and he ended up hitting his co-star in the ear, leading to Pitt's genuine reaction.

Luther Taunts The Warriors (The Warriors)

For the final scene of the 1979 thriller, The Warriors, director Walter Hill wanted to add more to the scene and asked David Patrick Kelly, as Luther, to help add something to spice things up. The actor recalled to Book and Film Globe how he decided to put three glass bottles on his fingers, clink them, together, and come up with his iconic chant, “Warriors, come out to play!” on the fly.

“You Serious? I Just Told You That A Moment Ago" (Zoolander)

In a hilarious moment from Zoolander, the dim-witted title character (played by star and director Ben Stiller) has to ask disgraced hand model, J.P. Prewitt (David Duchovny) why male models are used in assassination plots twice. In an oral history about the 2001 comedy by Vanity Fair, Duchovny recalls improvising his character’s somewhat irritated response to Derek Zoolander’s repeated question.

"... Cinderella Story..." (Caddyshack)

One of the funniest quotes from Caddyshack is an extensive monologue by Bill Murray as greenskeeper Carl Speckler, narrating his own pro golf fantasy. According to Golf.com, no dialogue was actually written for the now iconic scene that was ad-libbed by the former SNL star on camera.

"I'm The King Of The World!" (Titanic)

Easily the most oft-quoted moment from Titanic is when Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) shouts “I’m the king of the world” — a line that was “made up on the spot.” Director James Cameron revealed in an interview with BBC Radio 1 that, after trying several other lines, he fed the now iconic quote to the future Oscar-winning actor through a walkie-talkie, instructing him to really sell it.

Mr. Blonde's Dance (Reservoir Dogs)

One of the things that makes the torture scene from 1992’s Reservoir Dogs so unsettling is the way Vic “Mr. Blonde” Vega (Michael Madsen) taunts Officer Marvin Nash (Kirk Baltz) with a dance to “Stuck in the Middle with You.” According to THR, Madsen invented his playful moves to the Stealers Wheel song in the moment.

“Molly, You In Danger, Girl" (Ghost)

In a funny scene from the 1990 romantic horror thriller, Ghost, Sam (Patrick Swayze) asks medium Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg) to tell his lover, Molly (Demi Moore), what he says word-for-word, including “Molly, you’re in danger.” According to Variety, it was Goldberg’s idea for her to instead say, “Molly, you in danger, girl.”

Most Of The Dinner Scene (Mrs. Doubtfire)

Chris Columbus revealed to Yahoo! that the majority of what Robin Williams said during the climactic restaurant scene in Mrs. Doubtfire was off the cuff. The director even admitted that he would put multiple cameras on the actor just to keep up with his rapid-fire process.

"Move The Leg" (Captain America: Civil War)

As co-director Anthony Russo revealed on the commentary track for 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, Tom Holland forgot his blocking during a scene when Peter Parker and Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) discuss his double-life as Spider-Man. This prompted the Iron Man actor to instruct Holland to give him room to sit on the bed but stay in character while doing it.

Calvin Candie's Bleeding Hand (Django Unchained)

One of the most infamous behind-the-scenes facts about Django Unchained is that Leonardo DiCaprio, as Calvin Candie, actually cut his hand during his racist monologue at the dinner table. However, Broomhilda actor Kerry Washington clarified on The Drew Barrymore Show that the blood he smears on her face was not his own, but faux blood that they decided to incorporate into the scene after the fact.

It just goes to show you that some of the most magical moments in moviemaking are not the ones you plan in advance.

Oftentimes when an actor makes their film or TV debut, that project doesn’t end up ranking high on their filmography should said actor become famous, but not so with Matthew McConaughey, who initially looked at acting as a stopgap. Over 30 years after the release of Dazed and Confused, it remains one of McConaughey’s best movies. He played David Wooderson in the Richard Linklater-directed flick, and the character’s delivery of the line “Alright, alright, alright” has followed McConaughey ever since. He’s now shared the origin story of how that line came to be, which he had no idea people would still be bringing up to him all these decades later.

Naturally Dazed and Confused came up as the first topic of conversation while Matthew McConaughey was breaking down his most iconic roles with People. As the actor recalled, the scene where Wooderson pulls up next to Cynthia Dunn and strikes up a flirtatious conversation with her was never actually in the script. On the day it was shot, McConaughey had gone to the set to do a makeup and wardrobe test for Richard Linklater to approve. The director did so, then asked McConaughey if he thought Wooderson would be “interested in the redheaded intellectual girl in school,” and McConaughey noted that his character likes “all types of chicks.”

So Linklater suggested that they shoot a scene where Wooderson parks his car next to the one Cynthia was in and tries to pick her up, which led to the following unfolding:

And with that, film history was made. Maybe there’s a universe where “Alright, alright, alright” didn’t catch on with the public, but in our universe, it’s arguably the most famous thing Matthew McConaughey has said onscreen, and definitely one of Dazed and Confused’s most hilarious quotes. There’s probably even a sizable amount of people who associated that line with McConaughey and haven’t seen seen Dazed and Confused. The actor continued:

You can see this moment, along with Matthew McConaughey’s other biggest scenes in Dazed and Confused (which an be streamed with a Peacock subscription), below:

As far as his more recent work goes, McConaughey’s last live-action outing was in 2019’s The Gentlemen, which has been spun off into a TV series for Netflix subscribers. He also reprised Buster Moon in 2021’s Sing 2 and voiced Elvis Presley in the short-lived Netflix series Agent Elvis. His upcoming movies include The Rivals of Amziah King and The Lost Bus. If you’re still interested in learning more about Dazed and Confused, read through the behind-the-scenes facts.

There are a ton of movies from the '90s that we love that weren't blockbusters upon their release. These are movies that we think defined the decade, and did define it. That's not to say they didn't make money, most of the movies on this list were at least profitable, but they didn't didn't make nearly as much as you would think. 

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

On any list like this, the classic example is always The Shawshank Redemption. It's a movie that CinemaBlend has called the best movie of the 1990s. Yet, when it was first released, it didn't actually do very well. During its initial run in the fall of 1994, it barely squeaked into the top 10 and failed to even make back its budget. It wasn't until the following year, when it became a regular on cable television that it found an audience and became the beloved classic it is today.

Dazed And Confused (1993)

Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused is one of the most quotable movies of all time, but it wasn't a big money maker at first. Imagine a movie today with a cast that includes Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck, Cole Hauser, Parker Posey, Renee Zellweger, and more not being a massive hit. Of course, most of them were unknown at the time and, according to Box Office Mojo, the movie only made about $8 million on a $7 million budget in theaters. 

The Player (1992)

The Player, by legendary director Robert Altman, was praised by critics and nominated for a slew of awards, but it didn't find an audience initially. Though the film was profitable, it didn't make nearly the money one would expect from a film that has literally dozens of big stars making cameos in it. 

The Usual Suspects (1995)

Eventually, The Usual Suspects became a favorite of many people, but that wasn't the case when it was first released. According to the website The Numbers, the film only made about $23 million domestically at the box office. That really isn't very much for a movie, especially one of its caliber. 

Election (1999)

Reese Witherspoon's character Tracy Flick in Election has become an icon and it basically helped launch the actor into superstardom. It did not, however, crush it at the box office, bringing in just $14 million worldwide. 

The Big Lebowski (1998)

The Coen Brothers followed up their Academy Award-winning Fargo with The Big Lebowski and despite the amazing cast and the stellar writing, the movie just didn't click with audiences at first. Of course, it's gone on to have a life of its own and has played a major role in pop culture since, but at the time, it was almost regarded as a bomb. 

Office Space (1999)

There may be no bigger cult classic on this list than Mike Judge's 1999 comedy classic Office Space. It's constantly quoted by anyone who has ever worked in an office and continues to be discovered by new generations. It's got a wonderful cast, and the writing is downright amazing. It took DVD and cable to make it so loved though. At the box office, it was basically a bomb, bringing in just $12 million on a $10 million budget. 

The Iron Giant (1999)

There has been a lot of discussion about why The Iron Giant did so poorly at the box office when it was first released, but it pretty much bombed completely. In the years since it's become a favorite of an entire generation who grew up watching it at home. 

Reality Bites (1994)

In 1994, Gen X was still defining itself and it was movies like Reality Bites starring Winona Ryder that helped it do so. What is astounding is that it's not nearly the hit that most Gen Xers would expect, making just $20 million upon its release. Its cultural impact definitely outweighs its financial success, which probably sits just fine with many in the generation. 

Goodfellas (1990)

Goodfellas starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Ray Liotta, and directed by Martin Scorsese, is considered by many to be one of the best movies of all time. While it was successful at the box, it didn't even crack the top 1,000 in all-time box office. Kindergarten Cop made twice as much as Goodfellas in 1990. You'd be better off robbing an airport. 

Heat (1995)

According to The Numbers, Heat made about $67 million, which is nothing to sneeze at. That is until you compare it to some of the other movies from that same year and realize it made less money than Waterworld, which is considered one of the biggest bombs of all time, and Casper, along with 23 other movies in 1995.

How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998)

How Stella Got Her Groove Back has become a cultural touchstone from the 1990s and while it did decent at the box, it was far from a runaway hit like it might have expected it to be. It made Taye Diggs a star and Angela Bassett a superstar, but it wasn't even one of the 50 most popular movies of the year. 

Boogie Nights (1997)

1997 was a banner year for movies, with classics like Titanic, Men in Black, and Good Will Hunting all getting released. Then, way down the list of the top box office performers, is Boogie Nights at #75. It only managed to bring in $26 million on release. A lot can be chalked up to the racy subject matter, sure, but it's still one of the best movies of the decade. 

Fight Club (1999)

1999's Fight Club is still revered today, decades later, but at the time, you could say the response by filmgoers was lukewarm at best. It only ended up making about $37 million domestically, but it would earn much more in the next few years on DVD and cable TV. 

Singles (1992)

Singles is one of the movies on this list that defines a generation, for better or worse. It portrays Generation X as a slacker generation that isn't interested in anything. It turns out, Gen X was interested in this movie either, as it earned just $18 million, ranking 67th for 1992.

Can't Hardly Wait (1998)

Jennifer Love Hewitt was on the verge of superstardom when Can't Hardly Wait was released. It would eventually become an oft-quoted, huge cult favorite, but in its theater run, it performed very mediocrely. It took in $23 million and finished behind less-beloved movies like Bulworth and Practical Magic in 1998.

Back to the Future Part III (1990)

Okay, this one needs a little explanation as to how it ended up on this list, because it was certainly a hit, and it made a lot of money. It's here because, though it's often ranked above Back to the Future Part II in the Back to the Future trilogy, Back to the Future Part III made the least amount of money of all three, which you wouldn't have expected. 

Malcolm X (1992)

Spike Lee's epic Malcolm X was controversial when it was released in 1992, due to the controversial nature of Malcolm X, played by Denzel Washington in the movie, himself. It's a movie that is good enough to make the top ten in any given year, yet it finished #32 at the year-end box office.

The Doors (1991)

For the kids that were the children of Baby Boomers, '60s music was a big deal. When The Doors came out in 1992, high school kids all over obsessed over it. But that wasn't until it was released on VHS. In its theatrical run, it barely managed to make back its initial budget. 

Tombstone (1993)

1993 Tombstone is one of the greatest westerns of all time, but it didn't start out as a fan favorite. While it did make a decent chunk of change, it finished behind forgettable movies in the year-end box office numbers like Dave, Rising Sun, and Indecent Proposal.

Misery (1990)

1990's Misery starring James Caan and Kathy Bates is arguably the best Stephen King adaption on the silver screen, and while it was definitely a hit, you'd expect a movie of its caliber to be one of the biggest hits of the year, but it was beat by movies like Kindergarten Cop, Bird On A Wire (one of the worst #1 movies ever), and 3 Men and a Little Lady.

True Romance (1993)

Director Tony Scott's True Romance has an amazing cast and an amazing script by Quentin Tarantino. Ingredients like that usually turn into a hit. Instead, it only made about $12 million and barely snuck into the top 100 movies of 1993. 

Pump Up the Volume (1990)

Christian Slater's character Hard Harry inspired a generation of Gen Xers to be dark and mysterious, and while Pump Up The Volume became one of the most beloved cult hits of the decade, it took a while to get there. It only made $11 million in theaters. 

Strange Days (1995)

Director Kathryn Bigelow's Strange Days is a love-it-or-hate-it-type of movie. Despite being a huge box office flop, making less than a third of its budget back. It's since become a very popular cult flick with a huge fanbase that is always willing to defend it. 

Tremors (1990)

Normally you'd expect a movie that launches a franchise to be an off-the-chart blockbuster. Tremors did the former but was far from the latter. Star Kevin Bacon revealed in 2019 that the movie made less than a fifth of what it was expected to make. Still, there have now been six more movies and a TV show in the franchise and the original is still one of Bacon's best movies. 

Ed Wood (1994)

1994's Ed Wood is one of Tim Burton's least-talked-about movies, and that's likely because it did so poorly at the box office, making just $5 million when it was released. It's one of Burton's and star Johnny Depp's worst performing movies, despite being pretty good. 

BASEketball (1998)

BASEketball was the first movie starring the guys from South Park, Matt Stone and Trey Parker. The problem is that they didn't write it. Despite some funny moments, their star power wasn't enough to make money and the movie bombed, making just $7 million. 

Darkman (1990)

There is no question that Darkman has been a cult classic. but when it first came out it was, at best, a moderate success, making about $32 million domestically. In the years since it has become an impressive franchise with multiple movies, comic books, and video games. 

Hackers (1995)

1995 Hackers, starring Jonny Lee Miller and Angelina Jolie is like the little movie that keeps on going. It's not well regarded by critics, and it was a definite bomb, but it continues to be talked about and drawing fans in. Maybe it's the nature of the subject and talking about it on the internet, but it's the movie that just won't die. 

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)

Hunter S. Thompson's legendary novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was always described as a book that no one could do justice to on the silver screen. That's just the kind of challenge that Terry Gilliam loves and so when he made it a movie in 1998 with Johnny Depp taking on the role of Thompson, no one was surprised. The movie is a brilliant representation of the trippy book, and despite only making about $13 million worldwide, it's still talked about and loved today. 

Friday (1995)

If you were a certain kind of college kid in the '90s, it's safe to say you watched Friday dozens of times on VHS. But that was VHS. The odds are that you didn't actually see it in theaters, because the Ice Cube/Chris Tucker classic only made about $23 million, placing it outside of the top 50 in 1995. 

Being John Malkovich (1999)

79 movies made more money than Being John Malkovich in 1999. Including movies like Baby Geniuses, Mystery Men, Superstar, The 13th Warrior, and The Martian. Are those movies all better than Being John Malkovich? Of course not. 

Before the best movies from the 2000s were allowed to run, the cinematic classics from the 1990s had to walk. (Well, except for Forrest Gump.) The 20th century closed out with a decade of cinematic spectacles as Hollywood embraced bigger budgets, the early days of CGI, and a new breed of superstars like Brad Pitt, Reese Witherspoon and Keanu Reeves.

From great ‘90s sci-fi movies like Jurassic Park to beloved ‘90s family films like Toy Story to chilling thrillers and hilarious comedies, just about any genre fan can feel represented by the era's best. Can the same be said for music, TV and literature? (I'll be too busy watching Speed again to research that.) So grab your long-dead Tamagotchis and scented markers and join us in celebrating the best of the best that the ‘90s had to offer.

• This list was compiled by the bulk of CinemaBlend's editors and writers, who gave 0-5 scores to an overall list of around 300 movies, with all of the final scores averaged out to determine the final ranking of 100.

How We Put This List Together

• Around 300 entries from a vast variety of 1990s films , which fit the bill of being culturally relevant and critically respected, were gathered using a combination of staff recommendations, movie guides and further research. The entries were tracked in a spreadsheet, where the majority of our staff then went through a multi-level voting process, with scores assigned based on personal opinions. A base number of viewers was also required for entries to make the cut, and lowest scores were then eliminated, in the style of scoring figure skating. The movies were then ordered from 1-100 based on the final average scores, with a variety of staff members writing the movie-celebrating entries. 

100. The Fifth Element (1997)

Luc Besson's The Fifth Element is a seriously wild movie. The sci-fi adventure has become a bona fide genre classic. Even though parts of the film were frustrating to make, those efforts clearly paid off, leaving us with one of the most fun space rides to date with an A-level cast including Milla Jovovich, Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, and Chris Tucker in arguably his spaciest performance. Anyone who may have forgotten how fun and bonkers it is should grab a multi-pass and return immediately. 

99. Dumb and Dumber (1994)

Jim Carrey may have enjoyed the most successful year for any comedian in 1994, and Dumb and Dumber is a major part of that unprecedented run. After the wildly successful Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and The Mask, the Saturday Night Live reject gave an iconic performance as Lloyd Christmas in the Farrelly Brothers’ breakout comedy alongside Jeff Daniels’ Harry Dunne. Everything about the movie simply works in spite of itself. The chemistry between its stars, the balance of over-the-top humor and more subtle jokes, and the most annoying sound in the world work together to create an unparalleled and game-changing experience. 

98. The Blair Witch Project (1999)

The Blair Witch Project may not have been the first to bring a cinéma vérité approach to the horror genre, but through extremely savvy marketing and lore-building, the no-budget flick became one of the most profitable films of all time, spawning a franchise of film sequels, comics, a video game, and beyond. And all without an actual “witch” to tease in the trailers. One of the ‘90s most polarizing efforts, BWP’s “something from nothing” approach makes it as influential as anything else from the decade.

97. Mulan (1998)

What can be said about Mulan that has yet to be talked about? Released at the tail end of the famed Disney Renaissance through the ‘90s, Mulan was the animated film that defined a generation of young women, inspiring many to always fight for their honor and never back down, even when everyone in the world says otherwise. The music is excellent as the voice-acting takes you to another world, and the animation easily pulls viewers in, but it’s the themes that stay with audiences forever.

96. The Wedding Singer (1998)

More than just a wonderful romantic comedy, The Wedding Singer is a standout title in Adam Sandler’s early career. In the 1990s, Sandler was known for his goofy characters on Saturday Night Live and in goofy movies like Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, and Airheads, but The Wedding Singer was an opportunity for him to show he could do work with a bit more gravity. There’s an argument to be made it paved the way for him excelling in films like Punch Drunk Love and Uncut Gems. And the power of Sandler + Drew Barrymore can never be denied.

95. Death Becomes Her (1992)

There’s a scene in Death Becomes Her that pretty much sums up the Robert Zemeckis film’s greatness – as Goldie Hawn’s Helen sits and leans back, the handle of a shovel slips perfectly through the hole in her torso. Meanwhile, Meryl Streep’s Madeline gracefully takes a seat while clutching her hair atop her head, in order to keep it from flopping forward against her broken neck. It’s dark, it’s twisted, it’s hilarious, and for 1992, the special effects are impressive. Bruce Willis’ Ernest being dragged along for the ride caps off the excellent trio of characters, in this eternally underrated comedy.

94. Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

Four years after already penning one of the all-time great romantic comedies (Rob Reiner’s When Harry Met Sally), the late Nora Ephron directed a landmark rom-com of her own with Sleepless in Seattle. The second of three movies co-starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, this genre staple features an incredible story about a woman who goes to great lengths to be with the man she loves, a man whom she’s never met and only knows from a call-in radio show. It’s charming, witty, earnest, and the best kind of enchanted realism. 

93. Jackie Brown (1997)

Quentin Tarantino’s third directorial effort, Jackie Brown kicks off with Pam Grier’s money-smuggling flight attendant trekking to work to the tune of Bobby Womack’s “Across 110th Street,” helping it stand apart from the testosterone-enhanced violence of his first two features. And while the star-studded flick does dip into the filmmaker’s favored crime genre tropes, Jackie Brown hinges more on character study than sheer plot machination, and provides career-high performances from Bridget Fonda, Robert Forster, and Grier herself. And in that way, it’s arguably the most empathy-worthy project from Tarantino’s career.

92. Happy Gilmore (1996)

Depending on who you talk to, Adam Sandler’s '90s comedies are either near the peak of the genre or near the pits of low-brow comedy. We know where Shooter McGavin's opinions would lie, but we lean toward raising our clubs and pucks to Sandler’s story about a failed hockey player taking the world of professional golf by storm, all for his grandma. I’ll always laugh at Happy Gilmore’s titular hero going toe-to-toe with the late game show host Bob Barker, and the wild story of how he got involved is as great as the on-screen fisticuffs.

91. Casino (1995)

It’s hard to pick a favorite when talking about the best mob characters that Robert De Niro has played, though I’d argue Sam "Ace" Rothstein is as good as it gets. Unlike many other gangster movies tethered to dark alleys, Casino zeroes in on the mafia’s stranglehold of the glitzy and glamorous Las Vegas in the 1970s. It’s further bolstered by excellent directing from master craftsman Martin Scorsese and a supporting cast with legends like Sharon Stone and Joe Pesci. A fantastic movie that doesn't shy away from deeply upsetting moments. 

90. Forrest Gump (1994)

Despite all the cringey and parody-fueling moments in Robert Zemeckis' Forrest Gump --- never forget the Weird Al classic "Gump" --- Tom Hanks' history-making and country-crossing simpleton remains one of the 1990s most enduring movie heroes. With a stacked cast of pros, from Sally Field to Gary Sinise, Forrest Gump's popularity was evident from both its boffo box office, its huge success at the Oscars and beyond, and just how many quotes from this movie have permanently nestled themselves into pop culture. 

89. A Few Good Men (1992)

Courtrooms are a natural fit for high drama, and A Few Good Men has some of the best courtroom scenes in cinema history. Aaron Sorkin’s first screenplay, based on his own stage play, is missing many of the elements that would later define his writing, but that’s not a bad thing here. The battle between Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson has become iconic, but even outside of that near-perfect scene, A Few Good Men is full of incredible characters, smart dialogue, and memorable moments. It’s perhaps one of Cruise’s most criminally overlooked performances.

88. Pretty Woman (1990)

Pretty Woman is definitely one of Julia Roberts's best movies in a wildly impressive career, but it's also one of the best ‘90s rom-coms. The film's sleazy-on-paper tale, which follows a rich businessman hiring a Hollywood escort to be his date to several social events, is a charmer thanks to its stellar leads. The film vaulted Roberts into an even bigger star, while making romantics everywhere swoon at the idea of a wealthy millionaire like Richard Gere coming out of nowhere to sweep them off their feet – if only, amirite?

87. As Good As It Gets (1997)

I miss Jack Nicholson. I miss James L. Brooks. I miss emotional, character-driven comedies that excelled thanks to outstanding performances from A-list talent. Nicholson, Helen Hunt, and Greg Kinnear weave magic in this sweet story about strangers forming friendships over low-stakes but relatable dramas. Studios craving IP don’t back movies like this anymore. But when they did, and when actors could sink their teeth into the material, this one was as good as they got. 

86. The Sandlot (1993)

There are ‘90s sports movies that are kid-pleasers, and then there is The Sandlot, the 1993 coming-of-age story about a ragtag group of kids living what could be the best summer of their lives. There's so much to love about this small-stakes baseball tale, from its timelessness to its life lessons to incredible characters like Scotty Smalls, Benny Rodriguez, Ham Porter, and so many others, there’s just so much to love about this classic sports film. To quote the Great Bambino, “Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.” In this case, we're calling our shot: The Sandlot is one of those legends. 

85. Can't Hardly Wait (1998)

Can’t Hardly Wait combines an "everybody's recognizable" ensemble cast with the classic house party setting and a killer soundtrack to give us one of the most epic teen movies of all time. The plot centers around Ethan Embry’s Preston, who needs to profess his love for Amanda (Jennifer Love Hewitt) at the graduation party, now that she is finally single after being dumped by Mike (Peter Facinelli). But plots are for dorks, and the 1998 comedy epitomizes the teen angst of the late 20th century in an honest and hilarious way.

84. You've Got Mail (1998)

You’ve Got Mail arrived in 1998 when just about everybody would have recognized the title as the AOL greeting message. This was the third movie to pair Tom Hanks with Meg Ryan, with writer/director Nora Ephron bringing her magic romantic comedy touch to the story of two business rivals who unwittingly fall in love via online chat. Hanks and Ryan channel the same chemistry that was a hit years earlier with Sleepless in Seattle, and it doesn't require having lived through the AOL era to appreciate the level of classic rom-com energy that makes this a winner. 

83. Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)

In a decade filled with all-time great Robin Williams movies, there’s something particularly tender and very much unforgettable about Chris Columbus’ Ms. Doubtfire. Underpinned by the heartbreak of having less time than ever with his three kids as his divorce looms, voiceover actor Daniel Hillard hatches a plan to form a new character in an elderly housekeeper named Mrs. Doubtfire to get more time with them. Not only does his new secret identity make for some hilarious moments that very much play to Williams’ strengths as a comedy actor, Mrs. Doubtfire is also a touching film that takes a grounded approach to parent separation. 

82. Edward Scissorhands (1990)

The most Tim Burton movie ever to Tim Burton, Edward Scissorhands is, on one bladed hand, a weirdly heartwarming horror movie, but on the other bladed hand, an endlessly frightening family film. The suburban Frankenstein homage is bolstered by stellar performances from Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder and Dianne Weist, with each bringing grounded authenticity to this wildly fantastical fable. (Yes, even the pity-provoking Depp.) The cherries on top of this macabre cake are Vincent Price, in his final major film role, and Burton-familiar composer Danny Elfman. And the eye-popping hedge art and ice sculptures don’t hurt.

81. American History X (1998)

Long before debates about The Snyder Cut, star Edward Norton, director Tony Kaye, and New Line Cinema engaged in a very loud and sometimes public squabble over American History X. The final cut we got, which Kaye publicly disavowed, is a brutal, almost two-hour look at modern white supremacy that’s shot partially in black and white. It netted Norton an Oscar nomination and has individual moments as strong as anything on this list, but it also occasionally loses pace and has always left fans wanting to see Kaye’s original 95-minute cut, which remains unreleased following the film’s disastrous production

80. Aladdin (1992)

It’s easy to look at Aladdin and celebrate the work of the great Robin Williams, and justifiably so. Only animation could truly uncork the man’s absolutely manic comedy style. But focusing only on Williams overlooks the work of amazing animators who created the Genie and everything else, since it's a testament to their skill that the animation is able to keep up with Williams and the high-flying scenes. Musical sequences like “A Friend Like Me” and “A Whole New World” show another form of animated beauty and have become just as iconic on their own as the Genie himself.

79. That Thing You Do! (1996)

By the time he wrote, directed, and co-starred in 1996’s That Thing You Do, Tom Hanks was already an acting powerhouse. So it was a bit of a surprise to see the Academy Award-winning actor delivering a tale about the wild ride that so many one-hit wonders of the ‘60s endured. Initially, the story of The Wonders (Johnathon Schaech, Ethan Embry, Steve Zahn, and Tom Everett Scott) and their roller-coaster journey wasn’t a smash success, but decades later, That Thing You Do is a well-regarded mini-cult classic that can still leave audiences with songs in their hearts.

78. Trainspotting (1996)

While it wasn’t his directorial debut, Danny Boyle’s adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting was the flick that put the man on the map. Following the lives of a group of Scottish drug addicts and friends, a cast including Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle, and Kelly MacDonald landed their start as the stars of tomorrow. Through a narrative that’s both darkly comic and frightfully serious, Trainspotting ushers its heroin addicts through life's struggles in grounded and trippy ways. Establishing Boyle’s skills in telling a conventional story through unconventional means, it’s a powerful statement for its director and the message he’s trying to convey.

77. Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)

The Die Hard formula survived the transition to the “buddy cop” genre (at least initially) with Bruce Willis’ iconic John McClane being forced to team up with a good samaritan (Samuel L. Jackson) and solve a bunch of riddles around Manhattan to prevent bombs from going off. Many consider With a Vengeance to be the best in the Die Hard series, though it’s blasphemy to put ANY of them ahead of John McTiernan’s original. Still, this one moves like a freight train, Willis and Jackson have remarkable chemistry, and Jeremy Irons is a sinister villain with a satisfying twist of a motivation to take McClane down. 

76. Titanic (1997)

Titanic was an event in itself when it arrived in theaters, with James Cameron’s film ambitiously bringing to screen the story of the ill-fated ship, depicting the journey across the Atlantic with incredible visuals that give us a sense of what it might have been like aboard the ship during that terrible night. At the center of it all is the love story of Rose (Kate Winslet) and Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio), who manage to find each other, despite their differing social classes, and never let go. Considering how many millions of dollars it earned from repeat audience viewings, its "classic" status is unsinkable.

75. Men in Black (1997)

One of the biggest sci-fi hits of the decade, Men In Black holds a special place in the hearts and minds of both space and comedy nerds. Even though it initially took some convincing to land Will Smith for the role of Agent J., Steven Spielberg (as producer) managed to re-catch lightning in a bottle with the actor coming off of Independence Day. And as unpredictable as it seemed at the time Smith and Tommy Lee Jones made for an extremely fun and combative pairing in the rest of the Men in Black film franchise.

74. The Fugitive (1993)

When it comes to movies based on old TV shows, it doesn’t get much better than The Fugitive. There’s no way around it, this 1993-defining film straight-up rocks and is still just as great more than 30 years after its release. Watching one of Harrison Ford’s most iconic characters go to great lengths to clear his name after being wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife never gets hold, and the same can be said about Tommy Lee Jones’ Academy Award-winning performance as the U.S. Marshal tasked with capturing the elusive fugitive.

73. Run Lola Run (1998)

Outside of sci-fi adventures, time loops aren’t often used as storytelling devices, and 1998’s thriller Run Lola Run absolutely proves why this is a shame. While the story isn’t explicitly a looping band of time, we do get three different versions of writer/director Tom Twyver’s story. Centered around lovers Lola (Franke Potente) and Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu), each variation has one thing in common: they have 20 minutes to score 100,000 Deutschmarks, or Manni is dead. New twists and pitfalls arrive, keeping that premise fresh each time, right up until the end. 

72. Swingers (1996)

Long before he directed major projects like Iron Man and The Mandalorian, Jon Favreau wrote and starred in the Doug Liman-directed Swingers. This comedy follows Favreau’s Mike Peters, a comedian who’s getting over a bad breakup and moves to Hollywood to find success in the midst of the ‘90s swing revival. The witty back-and-forth dialogue between Favreau and his co-stars, including Vince Vaughn and Heather Graham, and the simple, yet effective story of moving on to better horizons make Swingers one of the most underrated comedies of this decade. It's just so money, baby. 

71. Malcolm X (1992)

For his 1992 “Spike Lee Joint,” the legendary Do The Right Thing filmmaker made his dream come true to make a biopic about one American Civil Rights Movement figure, Malcolm X. It not only remains among the best works of Lee’s incredible filmography, but it’s flat-out one of the best biography movies ever made. That’s all without mentioning a particularly powerful performance by Denzel Washington, who disappears into the figure and brings great intrigue and nuisance to Malcolm X across decades of his life. Spike Lee’s biopic stands tall as an enduring portrait of an important man in a pivotal moment in U.S. history.

70. Friday (1995)

Franchise lead and rap legend Ice Cube teamed up with Chris Tucker to create one of the best "sit back and kick it" movies in movie history. Spawning a line of sequels, the O.G. Friday boasts an awesome cast that also includes the late John Witherspoon, and understandably caught on with a certain kind of stoner comedy-loving crowd, but has become an all-encompassing cult classic. Even beyond its on-screen greatness, Friday also turned "Bye, Felicia" into everyday jargon. 

69. Miller's Crossing (1990)

Joel and Ethan Coen didn’t waste time demonstrating their eclecticism in their careers, breaking out with the phenomenal neo-noir Blood Simple in 1984 ahead of a 180-degree tonal pivot with 1987's gonzo comedy Raising Arizona. Then they kicked off the 1990s with one of the great modern gangster movies in Miller's Crossing. Gabriel Byrne’s Tom Reagan leading John Turturro’s Bernie Bernbaum into the woods to be murdered is the movie’s iconic moment, but it’s the brilliant chaos that spins out from Tom’s decision at the end of the sequence that cements this tense slice of art's place on this list.

68. Rushmore (1998)

Rushmore is often referenced for a lot of things. It was the first Wes Anderson movie to find more mainstream success. The critical acclaim Bill Murray received for his performance helped push him toward the more independent, critically acclaimed movies that defined his later career. It was the debut of Jason Schwartzman. All of those are reasons to celebrate the movie, but none are reasons why it’s on this list. It’s here because it’s an endlessly watchable slice of weirdness that holds up decades later. It’s some of the best career work of everyone referenced, and in its own offbeat way, it’s downright hysterical. 

67. South Park: Bigger, Longer, And Uncut (1999)

In 1999, with South Park at the height of its cultural powers, Matt Stone and Trey Parker took one of the biggest gambles anyone could have ever imagined. Producing the R-rated, animated musical that was South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut, the pair doubled down on their uniquely dirty humor. Everything from parenting culture to Les Miserables got sent up, thanks to songs that were catchy but also not safe for work. Not every TV show survives a feature-length expansion, but South Park thrived in theaters, especially when it called the very parental uproar its release would inspire to a tee.

66. Misery (1990)

What does a creative owe to their fans? It’s a complex question that author Stephen King horrifyingly examined with his remarkable 1987 novel Misery, and three years later, director Rob Reiner adapted the work into a remarkable and unsettling film. The Oscars don’t typically support the horror genre, but Kathy Bates’ turn as Annie Wilkes was unignorable – as she remains one of the meanest villains of the ‘90s.. Though in Bates’ shadow, James Caan delivers an equally excellent turn as captive author Paul Sheldon, and the weaving of tension as he keeps his mind on options for escape is perfection.

65. Clerks (1994)

Kevin Smith famously maxed out credit cards and stretched a production budget of just $27,000 to make his first movie, 1994’s Clerks. Sure, the acting is hit or miss, and the editing isn’t perfect, but that only adds to the charm of the movie. It’s also really, really funny. It’s got some of the most quotable lines of any movie from the era, and they all shine through, despite the limitations of the budget. Clerks has become the stuff of legend in Hollywood, sparking dreams of would-be filmmakers everywhere and with good reason. 

64. Galaxy Quest (1999)

What if you found out that the fantastic adventures in your favorite sci-fi TV weren't so fake after all, such as in Galaxy Quest? Tim Allen plays a washed-up actor who, along with his former co-stars (played by Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, and more), experience their cancelled, cult favorite series for real, thanks to an alien race that believes their televised adventures are "historical documents" and are desperate for their help. The concept makes for a clever, hilarious commentary on Trekkie culture, but also manages to be just as exciting as any Star Trek episode or movie spin-off could ever be.

63. Thelma and Louise (1991)

Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis have made dozens of memorable movies, but even if they had just made Ridley Scott’s Thelma & Louise, they’d have a space carved out for them in cinema history. It’s regarded as a keystone title in the history of feminism in film, and it makes you fall in love with the titular leads as they go on the run from the law. And it should go without saying that the final moments will forever be remembered as an indomitable moment of 1990s pop culture.

62. Primal Fear (1996)

Courtroom dramas were big in the ‘90s, and Primal Fear in 1996 is a prime example of why. Richard Gere plays the pompous attorney Martin Vail, who volunteers to represent a young Aaron Stampler (Edward Norton in his first screen role) after he is accused of brutally murdering a beloved archbishop. The movie takes an unexpected turn when Aaron is discovered to have a split personality named Roy, and the dark twist that comes to light after an explosive courtroom scene remains one of the wildest movie endings ever.

61. Home Alone (1990)

I'm pretty sure Home Alone has hit classic Christmas movie territory because you always know it's the holiday season when this movie is causing a clatter on your TV screen. Following a child accidentally left home alone during Christmas and who has to defend his home from burglars, Home Alone captures the happiness of the season while adding a bit of chaos – especially with all those serious injuries that probably would have killed Marv and Harry in the real world. It'd be a fun time even without Catherine O'Hara and John Candy's SCTV reunion, but is all the better for it.

60. Leon (The Professional) (1994)

Luc Besson seems to be motivated by big sci-fi ideas in films such as The Fifth Element, Lucy, and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. On the flip side of Besson’s coin, though, are these stripped-down crime thrillers (Nikita, The Family), and none were more effective than Leon. The film heralded the arrival of young Natalie Portman, who proved she could appear convincingly as basically anything on screen. But also, Gary Oldman walks away with the picture, playing an unhinged and drug-addicted DEA agent looking to kill Portman’s character, much to the chagrin of professional hitman Jean Reno.  

59. Office Space (1999)

There’s a scene in Office Space where all the workers are assembled for an all-hands meeting. Above the boss’ head, there’s a banner printed that says Is This Good for the COMPANY? The question is underlined and COMPANY is in weird light blue font for unclear reasons. It’s somehow both utterly ridiculous and one of the most relatable things I’ve ever seen. In a way, it’s a perfect explanation for why some people, myself included, love Office Space so much. It’s one long series of hysterical if-you-know-you-know-moments, and watching other people live through and comment on that same misery feels so cathartic. 

58. Reservoir Dogs (1992)

There are few filmmakers in cinematic history who made as an audacious splash with their first feature as Quentin Tarantino, who was immediately recognized as a tremendous upstart talent following the premiere of Reservoir Dogs at the 1992 Sundance Film Festival. With its spellbinding non-linear storytelling, sharp-as-knives dialogue, and violent shocks, it is recognized as a perfect archetype of Tarantino’s strengths as a writer/director, and it is remembered for inspiring a whole generation of filmmakers and its lasting impact on genre cinema.

57. Apollo 13 (1995)

Apollo 13 may be best remembered in pop culture for the iconic line “Houston, we have a problem," but the 1995 film accumulated nine Academy Award nominations for a reason. Boasting a stacked cast that includes Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris, and Kathleen Quinlan, the movie dramatizes the true story of the failed 1970 lunar mission, and the ending sequence is no less suspenseful nearly thirty years later than it was in the ‘90s. The effects mostly stand up to this day; but even where they don’t, the performances sell the story entirely.

56. The American President (1995) 

Before Aaron Sorkin created The West Wing, he wrote The American President, which saw one of the most respected movie presidents, Andrew Shepherd (Michael Douglas), fall for feisty environmental lobbyist Sydney Ellen Wade (Annette Bening). Could a widowed president ever court a girlfriend in an election year? Sorkin’s snappy dialogue shows why it wouldn’t be easy, as the two become tabloid fodder, and even bigger trouble awaits when their political agendas don’t align. Both lead actors give absolutely charming performances in this 1995 political rom-com directed by Rob Reiner.

55. True Romance (1993) 

The first screenplay Quentin Tarantino ever sold in Hollywood was 1993’s True Romance, and it became an offbeat cult classic when combined with Tony Scott’s slick direction. Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette are perfect as the flawed lovers and the rest of the cast, which includes Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt, Michael Rappaport, Val Kilmer, Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Sizemore, James Gandolfini, just to name a few, are all brilliant. It’s one scene, however, between Dennis Hopper and Christopher Walken, that steals the whole show and deserves its own placement in cinema history.

54. Unforgiven (1992)

This might be the quintessential Clint Eastwood Western – which says a lot when you realize that the man helped to define the genre, dating all the way back to his days on television (in Gunsmoke). With Unforgiven, an older Eastwood figured out how to comment on the evolution of the Western, and reflect on the moral quandaries several cowboys faced over the course of their lawless lives. This marked the beginning of a contemplative stage of Eastwood’s career, and redefined the boundaries of the Western for storytellers that followed. 

53. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Not only is The Nightmare Before Christmas one of the best stop-motion movies of all time, but it was also a game-changer within the animation industry. The movie -- following the story of Jack Skellington turning Halloween Town into Christmas Town and trying to take over the role of Santa Claus -- has become a cultural icon. Not only is the movie celebrated during the Halloween season, but it's also become one of the best animated Christmas movies and has a wildly popular fan base – go to Disney World during Halloween and Christmas and see how popular this movie is. 

52. Natural Born Killers (1994)

Few movies in the last decade of the 20th century caused a stir quite like the big screen adventure of Mickey and Mallory Knox in Oliver Stone’s demented crime saga Natural Born Killers. Fans of the TV show Cheers got to witness a whole new side to Woody Harrelson, and he makes for one-half of an absolutely ferocious on-screen pair partnered with Juliette Lewis. Though it was only released in 1994, it is a title to point to when aiming to epitomize a certain spirit in 1990s pop culture.

51. The Rock (1994)

It is still totally bonkers to think that the mid-’90s gave us a Michael Bay action movie in which Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage got to mesh their wildly different talents. A movie that helped pencil in the blueprint for what we know as modern Bayhem, The Rock is a solid cocktail of action, comedy, and drama tied together with a surprisingly poignant message. None of that gets lost in the shuffle, either, even as the shuffle keeps viewers glued to their seats until the very last scene. You can bet this quotable, adrenaline-charged classic is still friendly with the prom queen.

50. Boyz n the Hood (1991)

Relatively few directors made great movies on their first try, and the late John Singleton did just that with 1991’s Boyz n the Hood. Set in South Central Los Angeles, the film centers on three young men, whose paths begin to diverge as they steadily approach adulthood. Singleton, who also wrote the Oscar-nominated drama, provided a nuanced look at life in a low-income neighborhood. 

In doing so, he shed light on gang violence, systemic racism, and other elements that still negatively impact many communities today. For better or worse, this well-acted and directed film is as timeless and relevant as they come.

49. The Sixth Sense (1999)

While the ending twist may have helped put the film and its director, M. Night Shyamalan, on the map near the close of the decade, The Sixth Sense is so much more than those final, incredible moments where all of the pieces fall into place (in a scene that comes after we think the story has been mostly resolved). 

What elevates The Sixth Sense to ‘90s movie greatness is the combined efforts of the stellar performances of Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette, and Olivia Williams; of the music combined with the fantastic shots; of the use of the Philadelphia backdrop. Every scene taps into something dark, scary, heartbreaking or humorous, and the best go for a little bit of all of those things at once. 

48. Get Shorty (1995)

What is the best Elmore Leonard adaptation? There are many candidates that qualify for consideration, including Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown, Steven Soderbergh’s Out Of Sight and the TV series Justified, but Barry Sonnenfeld’s Get Shorty is my uncontested contender for the title. 

It’s a dark, cynical, and hilarious take on the film industry where a shylock finds himself right at home in Los Angeles, and it brims with exceptional characters – from John Travolta’s Chili Palmer to Gene Hackman's skeezy producer Harry Zimm, to James Gandolfini's stuntman-turned-heavy Bear. The sequel that came out a decade later, 2005’s Be Cool, is dreadful, but that has thankfully not tainted its predecessor’s stellar legacy as one of the great “Hollywood on Hollywood” movies. 

47. The Rocketeer (1991) 

Believe it or not, The Rocketeer is a comic book movie. In the wake of the blockbuster success that was Batman, studios scrambled to get their own piece of that four-paneled pie; leading a pre-Marvel Disney to adapt Dave Stevens’ pulpy ‘30s throwback. Hoping this movie would be the studio’s answer to Bat-mania, director Joe Johnston’s picture suffered in the obscenely crowded summer of 1991. 

Over time, fate has been kinder to the Billy Campbell and Jennifer Connolly adventure, as it developed into a cult classic much like the original Tron. Even if audiences didn’t flock to it at first, the message was never lost, because the quality was always there. Best experienced with a heart full of nostalgia and courage, The Rocketeer's mere existence is worth celebrating. 

46. Audition (1999)

Few movies start off as unassuming as the psycho-horror Audition, whose first half sits among the legendarily prolific Takashi Miike’s most restrained directorial efforts. The story begins with Ryo Ishibashi’s widower Shigeharu Aoyama re-entering the dating world in the least natural way possible: via auditions with women who believe they’re vying for an acting role. 

Things progress in an almost mundane manner as Shigeharu becomes more attracted to the quiet and seemingly reserved Asami (Eihi Shiina), but with enough peeks into her home life to send red flags waving. What makes Audition a unique ‘90s treasure is when the wheels fall off for its dread-flooded final act, in which Asami teaches Shigeharu a torturous lesson in stringing women along. Don't try this at home.

45. Point Break (1991)

Comically manly, but in the best ways possible, Point Break is the 1990s encapsulated. Clean-cut FBI agent Johnny Utah (tremendous character name) loses himself undercover when he tries to infiltrate a gang of surfers (tremendous plot twist) who may be posing as former presidents of the United States and robbing banks. What an awesome plot. And what an awesome movie. 

Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze are the Yin and the Yang of Southern California cool, tapping directly into the “Brah” of it all while also delivering unforgettable action set pieces – notably, a skydiving chase without parachutes. Credit most of this to director Kathyrn Bigelow, who eventually won her Best Director Oscar for 2010’s The Hurt Locker. 

44. Clueless (1995)

We’ve seen movies put a new spin on old classics before, but rarely has the result been as entertaining as Clueless, Amy Heckerling’s take on Jane Austen’s Emma. Alicia Silverstone stars as Cher, a beautiful and rich Beverly Hills high school fashionista who decides she wants to use her popularity for the betterment of humanity. 

The 1995 coming-of-age comedy — which also stars Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy, Paul Rudd and more — still stands up today with its iconic looks and quotable dialogue (not to mention Cher’s inspiring speech comparing refugees to guests at her father’s garden party). And has there ever been a movie takedown more savage than Tai calling Cher “a virgin who can’t drive”? As if! 

43. L.A. Confidential (1997)

Once upon a time, the noir detective story was a staple of film, but fewer and fewer examples have emerged with each decade that passes. So when a movie like Curtis Hanson's L.A. Confidential comes around, you really begin to wonder why we don’t see more of these. 

It’s an absolutely incredible film that likely would probably be better remembered if it hadn’t come out the same year as Titanic. On top of everything else, the film introduced Russell Crowe and Guy Pierce to U.S. film audiences, and for that alone, it should be recognized, but it also won Kim Basinger an Oscar for a reason.

42. The Hunt for Red October (1990)

While The Hunt for Red October was a huge success when it hit theaters in 1990, it took years for people to see it as a classic. It’s not a flawless movie. Sean Connery, as amazing as he is, plays what appears to be a Scottish Russian, not changing his accent at all. The underwater scenes of the special effects submarines, while praised at the time, have not aged well, either. Accents aside, the actors are all superb here. 

Alec Baldwin as Jack Ryan, Tim Curry, Sam Neill, Scott Glenn, James Earl Jones, Stellan Skarsgård, Fred Thompson, Courtney B. Vance, and everyone else are all amazing, and John McTiernan’s direction is snappy and perfectly paced. This is THE submarine movie. 

41. The Green Mile (1999)

Considered one of the best Stephen King adaptations of all time, The Green Mile is a fantasy drama directed by Frank Darabont, telling the story of a wrongly convicted man and his time at a prison in the 1930s and the strange supernatural events that follow his arrival. 

I feel like The Green Mile is just one movie everyone should watch at least once. It's a classic for a reason, featuring all-time career performances from Tom Hanks, Sam Rockwell, and Michael Clarke Duncan. The Green Mile will capture your heart and crush it into a million pieces by the end – and might just make one admire the horror-driven Stephen King all the more for writing such an emotional story. If you're not ugly sobbing by the end of this, you may not be watching it right. 

40. The Truman Show (1998)

Easily considered one of Jim Carrey’s best movies, The Truman Show – which is about a man who realizes his reality isn’t real – uses its star’s signature over-the-top sense of humor and physicality to make you laugh. Then his dramatic skills come to the forefront as you take this journey with Truman, and you feel all the emotions as it becomes clear that this comedy is more of a searing satire.

Overall, this film is about Truman coming to terms with the fact that the world’s been watching him live in a simulated reality, and it gives us all an example of how exploitative social media can be. That’s why The Truman Show is not only one of the best movies of the ‘90s, but it’s also one of the more relevant films when it comes to the present. 

39. Waiting for Guffman (1996)

Waiting for Guffman is mockumentary gold. Christopher Guest and his group of comedic geniuses — Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Parker Posey, etc. — bring the sleepy berg of Blane, Missouri to life, with the audience watching as a motley crew of community theater actors put on a musical about their town. 

The stakes get higher when Guest's Corky St. Clair tells everyone a Broadway production house is coming, and "we may be going to Broadway." The songs are insane, the cast is unhinged, and this movie is heaven; even more so for those who are personally familiar with the madcap process of staging plays. 

38. Dazed and Confused (1993)

It’s really hard to make a comedy that stands the test of time, yet as we get older, Dazed and Confused stays the same age, er, quality. Director Richard Linklater’s love letter to his teen years in Texas transcends generations and keeps fans coming back again and again. Sure, it’s the 1970s, but teenagers (and adults) of any generation can relate. 

Of course, it also helps that so many huge stars got their first big break in the movie, including Matthew McConaughey in his first role. Ben Affleck, Parker Posey, Cole Hauser, Anthony Rapp, Rory Cochrane, Nicky Katt, and the rest of the cast are amazing. Everyone can point to one character and say “I knew someone just like that in high school!”

37. The Matrix (1999)

It’s hard to put into words just how mindblowing The Matrix was when it first came out. Of course, the successive sequels somewhat diminished the franchise’s legacy as a whole, though make no mistake, the first movie is just as much of a thrill in the modern era as it was back in 1999. 

Keanu Reeves is the ultimate leading entity in the Wachowskis' game-changing mega-blockbuster, making every move look as cool as can be. Because of the filmmakers' work on this neo-classic (no pun), people will forever be cursed with the idea that everything we’re doing in life is a simulation, and that we’re all slowly and secretly being harvested in pods for energy by robotic overlords. Great movie, though.

36. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

Two years after Jim Henson’s death, son Brian Henson directed arguably the only truly great Muppets release of the entire 1990s: The Muppet Christmas Carol. (Excluding the final two years of Muppet Babies.) Based on the Charles Dickens novel that has spawned countless numbers of adaptations, the holiday film is anchored on the human side by Michael Caine’s Ebenezer Scrooge, and on the felt-covered side by Kermit and Miss Piggy’s Bob and Emily Cratchit, with Gonzo as Dickens himself. 

Though it doesn’t offer any huge adjustments to the source material, the Muppets make everything twenty-fold more charming, and Statler and Waldorf’s ghostly jam “Marley and Marley” is among the best of any original Muppet tunes. Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without this movie.

35. City Slickers (1991)

There are plenty of laughs to be had in Ron Underwood’s Western comedy City Slickers, and while that’s a safe bet for any of Billy Crystal’s best movies, what sets this one apart is its enormous heart. 

Crystal’s Mitch Robbins, along with pals Phil and Ed (Daniel Stern and Bruno Kirby, respectively) are all suffering midlife crises of sorts when they embark on a cattle drive across the Southwest. It was refreshing to see the men open up to each other about their childhoods, relationships, and what matters most in life. Jack Palance gives an Oscar-winning performance as Curly, and the $124 million it earned at the domestic box office made it one of the top 5 movies of 1991.

34. The Birdcage (1996)

Robin Williams was a brilliant comedian, a supernova of personality that could command our attention with his hysterical stream-of-conscious thoughts. But Williams, to me, truly shined bright when he downplayed his natural comedic energy to either try serious drama (Good Will Hunting, Dead Poets Society), or to support an equally brilliant comedic performance – as he did with Nathan Lane in The Birdcage.

While broad and flamboyant at times, The Birdcage captures the heart of a family rallying behind their beautiful son (Dan Futterman) who is getting engaged to a Conservative girl (Calista Flockhart). Williams and Lane, as an on-screen couple, are tender, touching, funny, sweet, and perfectly paired in this special gem of a film.

33. Princess Mononoke (1997)

As someone who has watched every single Hayao Miyazaki movie, there's something about Prince Mononoke that speaks deeply to my soul. While I possibly think Spirited Away is Miyazaki's best film, and I have a love for Howl's Moving Castle, this is a movie that has changed the way I view the world. 

Princess Mononoke follows the story of a young prince who discovers that the gods of the forest are upset at the humans for consuming their precious resources. While the anime film itself has breathtaking animation and a story that pulls you in; both are equally sating while leaving a desire for more. Truthfully, this is the one movie that speaks on human consumption in simple ways that everyone should be required to watch.  

32. Groundhog Day (1993)

By all accounts, the creative process behind Groundhog Day was not easy. The film was originally conceived as a darker, more philosophical movie with independent sensibilities. That’s what Bill Murray liked. Director Harold Ramis saw it as more of a good-natured and broad comedy. So they fought about it, plaguing the shoot with delays, rewrites and enough acrimony to sever their friendship for decades. 

Amidst that disharmony, or perhaps even because of that disharmony, the two comedy masters compromised and created a perfect blend of the two: a broad and funny romantic comedy that’s weird enough and dark enough to feel totally original. 

31. Scream (1996)

With A Nightmare on Elm Street and its two best sequels already under his belt (among many other frightfests), Wes Craven made horror franchise lightning strike twice with the post-modern whodunit slasher Scream, and it kept striking across two eras of sequels. Led by one of the ‘90s greatest scream queens in Neve Campbell, the 1996 classic became such a blueprint for Hollywood horror that the inciting film doesn’t feel anywhere near as novel as it did when audiences first sat down thinking they were about to watch “a Drew Barrymore movie.” 

But that opening remains chilling AF, David Arquette’s Deputy Dewey remains a loveable dork alongside Courteney Cox’s hardcore bitch Gail Weathers, and Ghostface’s pop culture-tinged massacre has only become more relevant in an ever-connected world.

30. Cape Fear (1991)

I was way too young when I watched Cape Fear for the first time. I was experienced with plenty of slasher or jump scare style horror movies and figured I’d be fine. Wrong. Cape Fear is an entirely different type of scary than what I was used to. 

With a prime Martin Scorsese at the helm and a fantastic all-in performance from Robert De Niro, it’s a relentlessly creepy and unnerving take on slow-burn vengeance. It haunted my sleep for weeks as a kid, and during an adult rewatch decades later, its themes of religion, underage sexuality, criminal justice and moral relativism were every bit as disturbing. 

29. Being John Malkovich (1999)

Being John Malkovich may not be the very best ‘90s movie, but it may very well be the strangest that still qualifies as a great time. The premise itself — that a door exists allowing others to enter the mind of another person — is odd enough, but for the person whose brain is invaded to be celebrated actor John Malkovich? 

That brilliant choice somehow gives the otherwise impossible story a slight jolt of realism, and it all comprises a cinematic experience that should not be missed. It’s also a movie full of incredible performances, as Malkovich plays a fantastic version of himself, while John Cusack and Cameron Diaz play against type about as much as possible.

28. Dave (1993)

Probably the funniest movie that uses the presidential line of succession as a plot device, Ivan Reitman’s Dave is a hilarious, charming, and oddly sentimental exploration of politics in the early 1990s. There’s just something about Kevin Kline’s portrayal of Dave Kovic that makes this movie about a presidential impersonator becoming the Commander-in-Chief so innocent and pure, especially when compared to the political climate we live in 30-plus years later. 

Whenever I revisit Dave every couple of years, it feels like opening a time capsule to the final decade of the 20th century with its optimism and promise of a better future. 

27. A League of Their Own (1992)

A League Of Their Own is too busy with meaningful character development and telling an awesome baseball story to go for jokes all the time, but on a per-attempt basis, I would put it up against almost any comedy ever made. Director Penny Marshall has a wonderful tonal sense of when her actors should play it straight, when they should add in a little humor, and when they should drunkenly pee for thirty seconds. 

The result is one of the best sports movies of all time, one that delivers all those laughs but also plays it straight enough to give viewers fantastic and relatable plots about friendship, sisterhood, and what it means to thrive and find your own space.

26. The Iron Giant (1999)

The Iron Giant is Brad Bird's heartstrings-pulling story about a young boy who befriends a massive alien robot in 1957, and it proves that a movie bombing at the box office doesn’t mean it can’t still become a cinematic classic. Though its theatrical run didn’t even make back the initial budget, thanks to its home video rollout and stellar word-of-mouth buzz, it’s now considered one of the best animated movies of all time. Rightly so, because this is one of those movies that remains timeless no matter when it’s being viewed. 

Watching Hogarth teach the Giant about life on Earth and urge him to overcome his original purpose of being a weapon never gets old. The Iron Giant remains arguably Vin Diesel’s best movie from before the Fast & Furious franchise's launch, and co-stars like Eli Marienthal, Jennifer Aniston, Harry Connick Jr., and Christopher McDonald also shine.

25. Toy Story 2 (1999)

I remember that Toy Story 2 was the first film that made me uncontrollably sob – like fat tears rolling down my face and having a stuffy nose for hours afterward, and I'm sure I'm not alone there. A sequel to Toy Story, which took the world by anthropomorphic storm with its industry-revolutionizing animation, the follow-up adventure was released in 1999, and follows Woody after he is accidentally sold to a toy collector. There, he meets companions from a former TV show that he had no idea about – a show all about him. (And Joan Cusack's Jessie, of course.)

The Toy Story 2 voice cast is stellar, and the animation was a huge step forward in CGI films, but the heart-wrenching story of love, friendship, and so much more is what made Toy Story 2 one of the best Pixar films out there – and yes, I still cry during, "When Somebody Loved Me."

24. Election (1999)

How did Reese Witherspoon not win an Oscar for her performance as Type-A goodie two-shoes Tracy Flick, the textbook overachiever who bites off more than she can chew by running for student government president? It’s possible that we have come to realize that Witherspoon might just BE Tracy Flick in real life. 

But at the time, she was a tornado of talent matching Matthew Broderick beat for beat, bringing to life the sharp school-set satire in director Alexander Payne’s screenplay. Election has as much to say about the greed and immaturity powering politics many years after its release – at every level – as it did back in 1999, which is yet another reason why it remains special.

23. Magnolia (1999)

While not the highest-ranked Paul Thomas Anderson film on this list, Magnolia is a film to be marveled at for its phenomenal ambition. The Los Angeles-based epic juggles the stories of nearly a dozen protagonists who are not only dealing with a wide variety of personal conflicts and demons but are all linked to one another in the stunning cinematic tapestry. 

As the hyper-misogynist motivational speaker Frank T.J. Mackey, Tom Cruise delivers one of his most brilliant turns, and Julianne Moore’s pharmacy monologue is flooring, but the reality is that every member of the ensemble – including Philip Seymour Hoffman, William H. Macy, Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, and many more – deliver some of the best work of their respective careers. Further considering the frogs and the stunning performance of Aimee Mann’s “Wise Up,” it’s indelible cinema.

22. Tombstone (1993)

I don’t think you could ask for a more star-studded cast for any genre of film, much less a Western. 1993’s Tombstone is blessed by a top-notch cast including Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, the late Bill Paxton, Michael Biehn, Stephen Lang, the late Powers Boothe, Thomas Haden Church, Michael Rooker, Charlton Heston, and many more, making it an instant classic in the Western genre. 

The story behind how this film came to be, along with many behind-the-scenes facts, is bizarre enough, but the struggles resulted in one of the best cowboy films of all time. And one that has stood the test of time against a similar movie released around the same time, Kevin Costner's Wyatt Earp.  

21. Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Beauty and the Beast was the first animated film to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, and decades later, it’s still clear that was the right call. The movie is beautiful, with early computer animation enhancing some of the most visually stunning hand-drawn shots in the medium’s history. It also has one of the best soundtracks of any Disney musical, if not any musical, full stop. This is Howard Ashman’s greatest achievement as a songwriter. 

But beyond even that, the two title characters are about as three-dimensional as any animated characters ever were. It may be a tale as old as time, but Beauty and the Beast is one the audience gets wrapped up in from the first notes to the last. It’s the definition of Disney magic.

20. The Usual Suspects (1995)

No one saw the twist ending coming. Trust me. No one. It caught audiences off guard completely, exactly the way it crashed down like a ton of bricks on Chazz Palminteri's cop. He finally understood who Keyser Soze was, and we all rushed right back into theaters to watch the puzzle snap into place all over again. 

But The Usual Suspects is more than just its “dropped shoe,” miraculous as that reveal is. The cast of colorful criminals assembled by director Bryan Singer played off of each other wonderfully, with many of them defaulting to the natural leader in Gabriel Byrne, but still finding ways to steal the spotlight every now and then. (Benicio Del Toro mumbling under his breath in the jail lineup belongs in the conversation of funniest five-minute performances, ever). As twisty crime thrillers go, few are tighter and more entertaining than this.

19. Boogie Nights (1997)

Introductions can make or break anything in this world. Careers, reputations, even the flow of a movie can be bungled if you don’t know how to open. Writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson must have known that when he made Boogie Nights, because when he introduced that picture to the world, he gave himself one hell of a calling card. 

Following young Dirk Diggler (Mark Wahlberg) in his journey through the underground of porn films, we see a man still growing up in an industry that feels as young as he is. An ensemble drama boasting the likes of Don Cheadle, Julianne Moore, Heather Graham, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Boogie Nights is a cautionary tale with style and tension to burn. Good luck ever listening to “Sister Christian” without having flashbacks to this big, bright, shining star that still manages to break hearts and crack jokes with everyone it meets.

18. Good Will Hunting (1997)

Good Will Hunting is one of those films that changes you forever once you watch it. Starring Matt Damon and Robin Williams, the drama follows a young janitor at MIT who's discovered to be a secret math genius. The premise itself isn't as catchy as some of the other big-time blockbusters of the 1990s, without aliens, robots or crazy action fights, but Good Will Hunting is a film that leaves its message imprinted on audiences long after the credits roll. 

A story of perseverance, hope, and so much more, this movie gave movie fans one of Robin Williams's best roles and catapulted the careers of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. (You gotta like them apples.) This kind of film teaches you that sometimes, the people you meet turn you into your best self, so we just have to be fearless enough to go out there and find them. 

17. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Anthony Hopkins is fantastic in The Silence Of The Lambs, and every positive thing you’ve ever heard about his performance is deserved and probably an understatement. He’s that engrossing, but with all due respect, The Silence Of The Lambs isn’t his movie. It’s Jodie Foster’s movie, hingeing on her career-best performance here as Clarice Starling, which just gets better with every rewatch. 

Foster finds the perfect balance between uncertain and determined. She lets her FBI trainee lead character feel the weight of every obstacle, whether it be sexism, personal loss or physical danger, and then she pushes forward. With relentless determination, she just keeps going and that one step at a time, careful momentum gives the film its narrative structure and allows director Ted Demme to create one of the 90s best and most memorable movies.

16. Fargo (1996)

Joel and Ethan Coen have crafted films both stoically grounded and ludicrously fantastical in their long and storied careers, with Fargo possibly the one straddling both of those lines with the greatest of ease. The faux-kidnapping-gone-wrong and the ensuing investigation are smart story beats, and were enough to win the Coens the Best Original Screenplay Oscar, if fairly rote for the genre in general. But it’s the cast, the Minnesota location, and the singular nature of being a snow-white noir that make Fargo one of the greatest films of the decade. 

The always affable William H. Macy is aces as a man being eaten alive by guilt, opposite the gosh-darn excellent police skills of Frances McDormand’s Marge Gunderson, with Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare as the pair of amoral criminals making everyone’s lives (and deaths) worse. Fargo is a chilling masterpiece, and it’s got nothing to do with the weather. 

15. My Cousin Vinny (1992)

Even though one of my colleagues claims her testimony was incorrect in the film, I will still stand before the court and argue that Marisa Tomei, Joe Pesci, and their cast of supporting characters make My Cousin Vinny guilty as hell of being one of the best comedies of all time.

The film is widely used in an educational capacity to showcase one of the few times that a court case is mostly portrayed accurately through a film, and to be honest, the wordplay coupled with the main character/judge dynamic is something to write home about.

14. Saving Private Ryan (1998)

For years, veterans would be the first to say that cinema's depiction of combat — especially that of World War II — is a cakewalk compared to the real thing. Because few films offered a truly accurate portrayal of the hellish, soul-crushing conditions soldiers faced, at least before the release of Saving Private Ryan.

This story of a U.S. military captain (played by Tom Hanks) tasked with leading his crew on a mission to bring a family's last living son home is easily one of Steven Spielberg’s best movies (the second to earn him a Best Director Oscar) and is widely considered to have been unjustly robbed of the Best Picture honor (which went to Shakespeare in Love that year). From the landmark D-Day sequence to the heartbreaking final act and every unforgettable moment in between, it is one of the harshest films you could ever experience, but the passion and craftsmanship put into makes for a grand reward. 

13. The Big Lebowski (1998)

I’m a Lebowski, you’re a Lebowski, we’re all Lebowskis who love the Coen brothers’ The Big Lebowski, even if its massive fandom wasn’t automatic. It was only a moderate success in the spring of 1998 when it sauntered into theaters on the heels of the Coen’s winning their first writing Oscar for Fargo a year earlier. Reviews at the time were middling, as was the audience reaction. 

Then, over the next couple of years, The Big Lebowski turned into a bonafide cult craze. Pages have been written about its status as such, but too often overlooked is what makes the movie so lovable. It’s quotable, it’s silly, and the plot is the ultimate shaggy dog story with a ridiculous McGuffin — the Dude’s rug — but as it goes for the Dude’s living room, the whole movie ties together just brilliantly. It’s world-class storytelling and the performances from Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, and the rest of the cast are perfect.  

12. Schindler's List (1993)

Sometimes what makes a movie from a particular era great is how it represents its time, but some movies would be considered an important work of art in any decade. Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List is one of those that transcends eras. The film is great in all the traditional ways: Liam Neeson gives a career-making performance as Oskar Schindler, an Industrialist who saved the lives of hundreds of Jews during World War II. The supporting performances are equally strong. It’s beautifully filmed. 

But beyond that, Schindler’s List is an important movie, offering audiences a sobering look at the tragic events of World War II through a character based on a real-life survivor that many were not even aware of before the movie's release. Schindler’s List is one of those movies that you don’t forget after having seen it, and it may be Steven Spielberg’s greatest achievement.

11. Toy Story (1995)

More than 25 years after moviegoers were first introduced to Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Bo Peep, and the rest of Andy’s collection, it can be easy to forget just how big the impact John Lasseter’s Toy Story had when it hit theaters in 1995. It’s the film that put Pixar on the map, and while it sadly helped kickstart the downfall of hand-drawn animation in lieu of CGI, it also paved the way for three of the greatest Hollywood sequels to ever be produced. Tom Hanks’ Woody and Tim Allen’s Buzz are an all-time great animated duo, sharing hallowed space with Bugs & Daffy and Tom & Jerry, though obviously with a lot more heart than what short-form characters are allowed.

The Toy Story franchise hinges a lot on childhood memories, nostalgia, and maintaining a sense of fun in life as one gets older, and this first film delivers the most distilled take on that idea, with Andy still attached in some way to his inner child. Life, as it were, gets way more depressing for the toys as he gets older, which perhaps is why Toy Story rewatches are all the more enjoyable in comparison.

10. Philadelphia (1993)

 Philadelphia is not only a well-made movie, but is first and foremost an important movie. LQBTQ+ rights were non-existent at the time, as the movie highlights and one cannot discount the role this movie, directed by Jonathan Demme, had in awakening the general public not only to the plight gay people faced at the time but the discrimination people with HIV/AIDS faced as well when it was released in 1993. Tom Hanks’ portrayal of a gay man with AIDS who is fired from his job won the actor his first Oscar and for good reason, he’s amazing. Equally amazing is Denzel Washington, who plays Hanks’ character’s (Andrew Beckett) lawyer, Joe Miller. 

Miller, like most people in 1993 when Philadelphia was released, is scared of Beckett and AIDS, because he, like many, didn’t understand it. It’s Miller’s reaction that resonates with audiences. After watching Beckett get asked to move to a “private room” at a library, Miller realizes the discrimination is similar to that faced by African-Americans in the United States, and by the end of the film, he touches Beckett’s lesion-covered face, after learning the truth about AIDS. It’s a powerful moment that still reverberates today. 

9. Fight Club (1999)

So many “futuristic” sci-fi movies from years past have failed to successfully depict modern society and behavior, but David Fincher’s Fight Club now feels it was adapted from some of Nostradamus’ naughtier quatrains, instead of Chuck Palahniuk’s 1996 novel. Seemingly both a love letter to, and a cautionary tale about, nihilistic anti-consumerism and anarchy, Fight Club features one of cinema’s most convoluted love triangles in Edward Norton’s spine-lacking unnamed narrator, Brad Pitt’s ultra-male Tyler Durden, and Helena Bonham Carter’s impulsively erratic Marla Singer. A demented character study in part, the movie oozes testosterone both before and after the titular underground brawls come together, and maybe even oozes a bit of estrogen when Meat Loaf’s Bob is around. 

For all of the smart and discussion-worthy topics that are tackled with face-pounding glee, Fight Club is, unfortunately, the kind of movie whose natural sheen has been somewhat tarnished by a fanbase who lost the point of the satire, but still holds so many visual and verbal treasures for those outside such bubbles. Especially for any new viewers who manage to go into it without knowing what kicks off the final act. It’s hard to think of a ‘90s movie with a more story-heightening ending, and The Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind?” remains an inarguably perfect needle drop.  

8. Pulp Fiction (1994)

Pulp Fiction changed the rules of Hollywood moviemaking. That’s no exaggeration. Before Quentin Tarantino fired a shotgun blast through the screen with his nonlinear gangster picture, there was a chasm separating big-budgeted studio films and independent cinema that usually thrived on the film festival circuit before making its way to art house theaters. In the years following Pulp Fiction, studios, actors and audiences chased talent and inspiration, wherever it could be found. 

The irony of Pulp Fiction blazing so many trails is that the movie itself is a pastiche of well-worn genres that Tarantino pored over while working the counter of a video shop. He’s paying homage to countless, gratuitous stories that had come before it. Only, Pulp Fiction built on the buzz created with Reservoir Dogs to attract a constellation of stars: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Christopher Walken, Ving Rhames, and Bruce Willis. Pulp Fiction remains one of the best scripts you will ever read, crisscrossing itself at various intersections and packing repeated surprises (usually of the violent nature). But it was Tarantino’s powerful voice, and his use of soundtrack, that had clones copying his style for decades… and still, to this day.  

7. Jurassic Park (1993)

Anticipation for Jurassic Park began years before its release in the summer of 1993. Michael Crighton sold the rights to the film before he finished the book and because Steven Spielberg was the director who acquired it, the hype started early. Then, in June 1993, it finally hit theaters and was an absolute cultural sensation. Critics loved it, praising the unbelievable special effects and realism of the dinosaurs. Speilberg and the team at ILM broke so much new ground in creating the creatures that it changed how movies were made. Audiences loved it even more and showed up at theaters in hordes. Jurassic Park broke every box record there was to break. It had the biggest opening day, the biggest opening weekend, and finally, it became the highest-grossing movie of all time.

Jurassic Park also earned a slew of awards, mostly for its technical achievements, but that doesn’t mean the acting performances were bad, they were fantastic. Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Sir Richard Attenborough are all perfect in their roles. Finally, there’s the score by John Williams, which remains one of the most iconic of all time. 

6. Se7en (1995)

The film that rescued David Fincher’s career from the stench of Alien 3, and proved that the versatile music director could apply his grungy, moody, techno-acid style to a feature-length nightmare. It’s easy to say now that Fincher was destined to be a contemporary, visionary genius of a filmmaker. But prior to The Social Network, Zodiac, and Fight Club, we needed to see some evidence. Consider this disturbing plunge into the moral sewers to be Exhibit A in the case for Fincher’s mastery. 

Se7en is routine in many ways. It’s set in a rainy and nondescript city, which feels like San Francisco but could be anywhere. It follows odd-couple cops (Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt) tracking a mysterious serial killer who cunningly stays one step ahead of them. But the performances are remarkable, including Gwyneth Paltrow as Pitt’s loving and innocent newlywed, plucked and moved to the grimy city so her husband can do his job. The film’s riveting conclusion – which benefits from the icy calm delivery of Kevin Spacey as John Doe – elevated Se7en above most others in the genre. Now, when someone asks, “What’s in the box?” you don’t have to say, “Gwyneth’s head.” Just tell them the box contains an unforgettable masterpiece. 

5. Heat (1995)

Look at just about every list breaking down the best heist films ever made and the movie you’re probably going to see the most is Michael Mann’s 1995 crime epic, Heat. With some of the most iconic (and loudest) robbery and shoot-out sequences, the first on-screen pairing of Al Pacino and Robert De Niro (both were in The Godfather Part II but appeared in different timelines), and an incredible cat-and-mouse story that uses Los Angeles as a backdrop better than any other film, there’s so much to love about this legendary film.

On top of all of that, Heat has become one of the most influential films of all time in the nearly 30 years since its theatrical release. Watch movies like The Town, Widows, and even The Dark Knight, and you’ll see how Mann’s thriller was so influential. Hell, even the Grand Theft Auto franchise has taken aspects of the movie to create some of the most action-packed video game moments of all time.  

4. The Lion King (1994)

1994’s The Lion King is perhaps the most effective entry in the Disney Renaissance era when it comes to combining gorgeous animation, original songs, and a story that continues to pack a punch decades later. As the coming-of-age story for cub-turned-king Simba, the film delivers arguably the most famous Disney death with the demise of Mufasa, and Scar’s villain song is both incredibly catchy and incredibly chilling. Aladdin lyricist Tim Rice joined forces with Elton John for the songs, while Hans Zimmer composed the score, earning The Lion King an Academy Award for Best Original Score, while “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” won for Best Original Song.

The Lion King was a massive commercial hit, becoming the highest-grossing traditionally animated film and holding that record to this day. The original movie also has a legacy that has extended to two TV shows, two direct-to-video sequels, and the 2019 CGI remake that was massively successful for Disney, although divisive among fans of the original animated version. Plus, there’s a generation of adults who learned about coups and succession crises thanks to Mufasa, Scar, and Simba back in the ‘90s. What’s not to roar with love about? 

3. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

Taking what he learned from making The Terminator and the two movies that followed (Aliens and The Abyss), James Cameron gave audiences not just a sequel in July 1991, but a game-changer of a film that completely rewrote the summer blockbuster and the action genre as we know it. While The Terminator was a small-scale sci-fi thriller about a futuristic cyborg sent back in time to kill a waitress before she could give birth to humanity’s last hope against extinction, T2 was a massive epic with numerous iconic action sequences and CGI that still holds up decades later.

The movie also gave us one of the best on-screen heroes with Arnold Schwarnegger’s T-800, a reprogrammed Terminator sent back not to kill John Connor but to protect him from the more advanced and more lethal T-1000, a character that remains an all-time villain. It is hard to imagine a timeline where Terminator 2: Judgment Day doesn’t exist, but luckily that’s a reality we don’t have to experience. 

2. Goodfellas (1990)

Of everything that Goodfellas is in part — a mobster saga, a crime drama, an ensemble biopic, etc. — it can’t properly be boxed into such a limited description, though it’s certainly safer to use fewer words when the Gambino crime family’s around, lest Joe Pesci’s Tommy DeVito lose his temper. Based on reporter (and eventual co-screenwriter) Nicholas Pileggi’s 1985 Wiseguy: Life in a Mafia Family, the film rides on the back of Ray Liotta’s Henry Hill, whose idea of the American Dream is to be living it up as a made man, but realizes over and over again how hard such a goal is to attain when everyone else around is just as hungry and ruthless. 

In many ways, it’s a perfect counterbalance to The Godfather saga, sharing similarities such as memorable food scenes and a stacked cast (with some mutual actors like Robert De Niro and Frank Sivero). But unlike Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpieces, Goodfellas was far less successful at the Oscars, with only Pesci taking home the gold, despite plenty of accolades earned elsewhere. Like much of Scorsese’s work, it’s only become more appreciated with time, and easily stands out as one of the best movies not just of the ‘90s, but of any era. 

1. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

“Get busy living, or get busy dying” may be the better remembered quote from Frank Darabont’s The Shawshank Redemption, but it’s the line that Red (Morgan Freeman) says in the final moments of the film that sums up the heart and soul of this story. Not only is The Shawshank Redemption our #1 pick for the best ‘90s movies, but it’s also easily one of the best adaptations of a Stephen King story – in this case, the novella, Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption.

The movie follows Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), a banker who’s wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife and her lover, and sent to prison. For a movie that doesn’t shy away from the brutality this character experiences throughout his years behind bars – both at the hands of some of his fellow inmates, and the warden and guards – The Shawshank Redemption never loses sight of that ultimate message of hope – the thing that Andy clings to every step of the way. It’s there in the friendships he makes, and in the moments of happiness Andy manages to find. And it’s there in the final words Red says in the closing narration: “I hope.” 

Whatever kind of movie you like, Texas has one for you. From teen comedies to horror movies to westerns, of course, Texas will provide. Not only do many of our favorite stars hail from Texas, but dozens of movies have been filmed in, or at least set in, the Lone Star State and its many landscapes. Here is a list of our favorites. 

Dazed And Confused

When it comes to teen comedies, Dazed and Confused ranks near the top of the list of the best ones. The hilarious movie was filmed in Austin and takes place there in the 1970s. Not only is high school football one of the most important activities in the movie, but the famous Moon Tower location is a real place, too. 

Friday Night Lights

Texas' passion for high school football is second to none in the United States and there is no better high school football move than Friday Night Lights. Based on a true story, the movie follows the 1988 Permian High School Panthers season, in Odessa, TX.  

The Last Picture Show

Director Peter Bogdanovich's The Last Picture Show is one of quite a few movies set in Texas to receive a Best Picture nomination. The coming-of-age movie is set in the small town of Anarene, TX. While the town is fictional, its name is taken from the name of a ghost town in northern Texas. It's based on a book by one of Texas' favorite sons, writer Larry McMurtry. 

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

Who would've guessed in 1974 that the low-budget slasher flick, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre would become one of the most successful and influential movies of all time? It has spawned a franchise with nine entries, inspired countless young filmmakers, and invented tropes that are still leaned on today. As the name implies, it does, of course, take place in Texas. 

No Country For Old Men

One of the best Westerns is the Coen Brothers' No Country For Old Men. Set in dusty West Texas, the movie oozes Texas, just like Fargo oozes Minnesota. It helps that a West Texas native, Tommy Lee Jones, plays the perfect role for him, a Texas sheriff on the hunt for all the bad guys running around his county. 

For A Few Dollars More

It's no surprise that some of the best Westerns of all time have been set in Texas, even the ones that are filmed in Spain, like For a Few Dollars More starring Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef. Set in and around the El Paso area, it's hard to believe it wasn't shot in the Lone Star state. 

The Iron Claw

The Von Erich family was the first family of professional wrestling, and the Dallas-based World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) was the alliance the family is most associated with. Patriarch Fritz was born in Texas, and while his five wrestling sons, Kevin, David, Kerry, Mike, and Chris (who wasn't included in The Iron Claw ) weren't all born in the great state, they were all raised there and it's where most of The Iron Claw takes place.  

Office Space

Office Space feels like it takes place anywhere, or nowhere in particular. The movie is universal, but it actually takes place in Texas, where it was also filmed, mostly in and around Austin. 

Blood Simple

Joel and Ethan Coen were raised in Minnesota, but they've often looked to the southern U.S. for inspiration, including for their first movie, Blood Simple, in 1984. Like others on this list, it was filmed in and around Austin, TX. 

Bonnie And Clyde

Only a state like Texas could birth a legend like Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. The real-life Parker was born in the tiny town of Rowena, TX, while Barrow in the country outside Dallas. The movie Bonnie and Clyde, starring Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty, takes place kind of all over the south, but Texas is a big part of it. 

The 24th

With the ongoing global pandemic at its height in the summer of 2020, The 24th flew under the radar and that's too bad. It tells the true story of Black World War I veterans returning from Europe only to face the racism and bigotry of the Jim Crow south in Houston. The soldiers hit their breaking point and the result is an armed conflict against the Houston police that eventually leads to the execution of some of the soldiers for mutiny. It's an underrated film that more people should see. 

Sicario

Technically only part of Sicario takes place in Texas, more specifically the Texas-Mexico border in El Paso, but it's such an intense scene, and so crucial to the movie, that it belongs on this list. The shootout at the border is the best part of Denis Villeneuve's film. 

Boyhood

Houston, TX is home to the groundbreaking Richard Linklater film Boyhood. Filmed over 12 years, it's a movie like no other as audiences watch Mason grow up, in real time. It's no surprise that Texas native Linklater set another of his films in the great state. 

Reality Bites

Reality Bites may not feel like a Texas movie, but it is. It takes place in Houston, though the city and the state take a backseat to the story. The Ben Stiller-directed flick is a Gen X touchstone that really could have taken place anywhere, but Houston is home. 

Bottle Rocket

Set in Texas, starring Texans, and directed by a Texan, can anything get more Texas? Wes Anderson's debut film is much more straight forward than his later films, after he nailed down his particular style, and plays out more or less like a traditional heist movie, but it's worth watching, especially for Luke and Owen Wilson's film debuts, which they kill. 

True Stories

It's no surprise that Talking Heads frontman David Byrne would make a strange and, frankly, cool movie, even if at times it just feels like a set of weird music videos. True Stories is, however, set in the fictional town of Virgil, TX, not New York City, as you might expect from Byrne. 

Hell Or High Water

Nothing says Texas like a couple of bank robbers being pursued across the state by a Texas Ranger. Hell or High Water, from the mind of writer Taylor Sheridan, might feel the most like Texas of any movie on this list. Jeff Bridges is brilliant, and while Chris Pine might be a little pretty to sell the idea of his character being desperate enough to rob banks, his performance is perfect. 

Ghost Rider

About a year before the Marvel Cinematic Universe was born with the first Iron Man, Marvel Entertainment released Ghost Rider with Nicolas Cage. Set in Texas, its fun to think about how history could have been different if the idea for the MCU had come just a little earlier. 

Happy, Texas

This one is easy, it says it right there in the name, Happy, Texas. This surprisingly funny film takes place in the titular town and features some wonderful performances by Steve Zahn, William H. Macy, and Jeremy Northam. It flies under the radar but comes highly recommended. 

The Highwaymen

The Highwaymen, starring Woody Harrelson and Kevin Costner as Texas Rangers, is the other side of the Bonnie and Clyde story, focusing on the two lawmen pursuing the homicidal bank robbers. While it's a far from perfect movie, the performances are great, and the film oozes "Texas."

The Positively True Adventures Of The Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom

Football may be king in Texas, but only slightly lower on the list of important things is cheerleading. The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom highlights just how crazy people can get, telling the true story of Wanda Holloway (Holly Hunter), who tries to put out a hit on her daughter's high school cheerleading rival. Bring it on. 

Rush

Based on a true story and set in Smith County, TX, Rush is an intriguing movie and a very hard watch. It tells the story of undercover police officers, played by Jason Patric and Jennifer Jason Leigh who get in so deep, they become criminals and addicts themselves. Today, the film is most remembered for its soundtrack written by Eric Clapton and featuring his hit "Tears in Heaven."

The Outlaw Josey Wales

Clint Eastwood starred in, and directed, The Outlaw Josey Wales, which follows a Missouri farmer-turned-outlaw in Texas as he's pursued by just about everyone, including the Texas Rangers. It's one of the best Westerns ever made. 

The Old Man & The Gun

What could very well be Robert Redford's final movie, as he's said in the past, The Old Man & the Gun tells the true story of bank robber and escape artist Forrest Tucker. Tucker was a career criminal whose final arrest, as depicted in the movie, happened in Texas, where he later died in prison. 

Old Yeller

If you didn't tear up a little immediately upon reading the name of this film then you likely haven't seen Old Yeller. It's a cultural touchstone, ingrained in the minds of movie lovers everywhere, and it all takes place in Texas. It's almost 70 years old now, but it's still making kids (and their parents) cry today. 

The Searchers

John Wayne, John Ford, and Texas. It's a trio that defines the Western genre and while there are a few movies that combine the three, the best is probably The Searchers. Set in West Texas about a decade after the end of the Civil War, Wayne defines what it is to be a Western star and John Ford defines what the genre can be at its best. It's natural that the Texas desert be the backdrop. 

Jason's Lyric

Jada Pinkett-Smith was a rising talent when she starred alongside Allen Payne in 1994's Jason's Lyric. Set in an impoverished neighborhood in Houston, Lyric (Pinkett-Smith) and Jason (Payne) fall in love and try to escape their violent families with mixed results. It's not a perfect movie, but it is powerful at times. 

Paris, Texas

Sometimes movies are really more about their setting than anything else, and Paris, Texas is one of those movies. Texas is almost like another character in this Sam Sheppard-penned movie from 1984. Starring Harry Dean Stanton, Dean Stockwell, and Nastassja Kinski, the Palme d'Or winner is set in the panhandle town of Happy.

Miss Congeniality

Who can forget the epic conclusion of Miss Congeniality, when Gracie (Sandra Bullock) almost wins a beauty pageant in San Antonio? The surprise smash, a take on My Fair Lady, has become a beloved film over the years and it's easy to see why, as it's charming and fun and full of classic lines.  

Cloak & Dagger

It seems over the last 40 years, many have forgotten about Cloak & Dagger, starring Dabney Coleman and E.T. star Henry Thomas, and that's too bad. It's a really fun kids movie full of exciting action and intrigue, but with an easy enough story for kids to actually follow. Filmed and set in San Antonio, it's a movie that is ripe for a remake. 

Talk Radio

Oliver Stone has made a lot of hard-hitting movies in his career, not the least of which is JFK, which obviously takes place partly in Texas. One of his more underrated movies, though, is Talk Radio starring Eric Bogosian as a radio shock jock who meets with a tragic end. It's loosely based on the true story of Alan Berg, who was a radio host in Denver, but this film is set in Dallas. 

Rollerball

There are a lot of movies about Texas, but only a few are science-fiction, like Rollerball. James Caan, in one of his best roles, stars in this cult classic set in...2018 Houston (the movie came out in 1975). The dystopian future is ruled by corporations and the sport of Rollerball serves as a bread and butter circus for the masses. Actually, maybe it's not that far off from reality. Yikes. 

Everything is bigger in Texas, as they say, and the Lone Star state definitely has an outsized role in American society and that includes the movies that are set in the state, as this list can attest to. 

Back in 1993, acclaimed director Richard Linklater gave audiences Dazed and Confused, one of the best high school movies of all time. Its plot was simple, as it revolved around a group of ‘70s teens and their shenanigans on the last day of school. A lot stars, who would eventually become big names, were a part of the ensemble flick, including Ben Affleck, who played high school bully Fred O’Bannion. Linklater actually believes that Top Gun: Maverick's Glen Powell -- who he's collaborating with for the fourth time on the film Hit Man -- is very similar to a younger Affleck and explained the "big" reason why.

Richard Linklater and Glen Powell are Texas natives, who are filming movies in their home state compared to Hollywood. Having previously collaborated for Fast Food Nation, Everybody Wants Some!! and Apollo 10 1⁄2: A Space Age Childhood before Hit Man, they've gotten to know each other quite well. After working with the 35-year-old actor for four films, the Boyhood director told Men’s Health that he believes Powell is similar to Ben Affleck due to their serious passion for the craft of acting:

You could argue that it's definitely beneficial to cast actors who take their careers seriously. Making a film is a collaboration, one that sees an actor play a role as envisioned by the director. And it doesn't matter how big the production is, one must bring their A-game. It's certainly interesting to hear that the filmmaker sees parallels between these two actors, but it actually makes sense. Glen Powell is surely on the rise, and few would argue that Good Will Hunting star has crafted some incredible stories in the cinema sphere. He thinks big, to say the least.

One of Ben Affleck's best movies is easily Dazed and Confused, in which he played the role of Fred O’Bannion perfectly. The then-20-year-old played a high school senior who took pleasure in butt-paddling incoming freshmen. His targeting of these young teens made the scene in which the freshmen boys dump paint on O’Bannion one of the best moments of geeks beating the bullies in a movie. A little behind-the-scenes fact for you on the coming-of-age film is that Affleck’s role as O’Bannion is so iconic that his character’s paddle is mounted to a wall inside Austin’s famous Top Notch Hamburgers. He truly made in impact and, now, the Top Gun: Maverick star is looking to make his mark.

In Richard Linklater and Glen Powell’s fourth collaboration Hit Man, the actor plays a college professor who poses as an undercover hitman to assist authorities. Things get a little tricky, however, when a woman, played by Adria Arjona, is in serious need of the his help. Something I love about the Oscar-nominated director is his ability to explore different genres and willingness to cast up-and-coming actors. With Powell on the verge of solidifying his leading man status (most recently pivoting back to the rom-com genre with Anyone But You), I see this talented actor’s career going nowhere but up. 

It appears Glen Powell and Ben Affleck are among the big-thinking actors in Richard Linklater’s book. With his keen talent for finding ambitious young actors, it’s no wonder this indie director is responsible for introducing Hollywood to a number of today’s A-listers. As for his latest movie, Hit Man will receive a theatrical release and will also be available to Netflix subscription holders, as the streamer bought the distribution rights. A release date has yet to be announced for it. In the meantime, you can watch Powell in the 2023 new movie release Anyone But You, which is in theaters now. 

Music can sometimes make or break a scene in a movie, but there are some films that take that idea to the next level and feature soundtracks that take on a life of their own. Sometimes they are an amazing way to reflect on a feature’s best moments, and other times, they produce a very special vibe on their own.

While far from exhaustive, this is a list of movies that take their use of music to special levels and both inspired and produced fantastic soundtracks.

Reservoir Dogs

More than just a collection of needle drops from the movie, the Reservoir Dogs soundtrack is distinctive in that it’s curated as though it’s beaming the radio show featured in the film: K-Billy’s Super Sounds Of The '70s. From George Baker Selection’s “Little Green Bag” to Harry Nilsson’s “Coconut,” every song is a delight – but the true centerpiece is Stealer’s Wheel' “Stuck In The Middle With You."

Tron: Legacy

There’s only one issue with the Tron Legacy soundtrack, and that’s that it is too short. Daft Punk made its debut as film composers for the 2010 sci-fi sequel, and listening to it instantly immerses you in The Grid. The highlights are the two tracks in the middle of the track listing: “End Of Line” and “Derezzed.”

High Fidelity

You’d expect any movie about the influence and power of music to have an influential and powerful soundtrack, and that’s one of the many great aspects of Stephen Frears’ High Fidelity. As depicted in the film, “Dry The Rain” immediately instigates curiosity about The Beta Band; Bob Dylan’s “Most Of The Time” is used to brilliant effect as John Cusack’s Rob Gordon reflects on his greatest relationship in the pouring rain; and Jack Black’s performance of “Let’s Get It On” (as part of Barry Jive And The Uptown Five) is unforgettable.

The Social Network

Arguably the best movie of the 21st century partially earns that credit because it has arguably the best film score of the 21st century. The music for David Fincher’s The Social Network let the world know that Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are among the best composers on the planet, and that was properly recognized with an Academy Award. The soundtrack sucks you in with “Hand Covers Bruise” leading to “In Motion,” and by the time "In the Hall of the Mountain King" hits, your mind is wholly blown.

Drive

Everything about Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive is a feast for the ears. The movie’s sound design and editing is genius, and there is a terrific blend of score and needle drops on the soundtrack. Composer to Cliff Martinez delivers an endlessly cool atmosphere, but the true MVPs here are "Nightcall" by Kavinsky feat/ Lovefoxxx, "A Real Hero" by Electric Youth College, and "Under Your Spell" by Desire.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Though Beck is the primary inspiration of the fictional band Sex Bob-Omb in Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and the source of some amazing original songs, the entire soundtrack is an wide-ranging wonder that at one moment rocks with The Black Lips'  “Katarina” but then hypnotizes with T. Rex's “Teenage Dream." It should also be noted that the cover of “Black Sheep” sung by Brie Larson is even better than the Metric recording.

The Graduate

Easily one of the most iconic soundtracks of all time is the music of Mike Nichols’ The Graduate – and there’s an argument that it’s one of the best albums of all time. “The Sound of Silence,” “Mrs. Robinson”, “April Come She Will,” and “Scarborough Fair/Canticle” by Simon & Garfunkel will forever be tied to the classic coming-of-age story of Dustin Hoffman’s Benjamin Braddock.

True Romance

How amazing is the soundtrack to Tony Scott’s True Romance? It only takes hearing a couple notes played on a marimba to identify Hans Zimmer’s “You’re So Cool” and reflect on one of the badass movies of the 1990s. The score is also brilliantly paired with the thumping beat of Nymphomania’s “I Want Your Body” (memorably used during the confrontation with Gary Oldman’s Drexl Spivey) and the soothing sounds of Robert Palmer's “(Love Is) The Tender Trap."

8 Mile

Eminem was at the height of his powers in 2002 when he starred in Curtis Hanson’s 8 Mile, and equally as anticipated as the semi-biographical film was the soundtrack that would accompany it. Fans were most definitely not disappointed, as the tracklist is outfitted with excellent Marshall Mathers originals (including “Lose Yourself” “8 Mile” and “Rabbit Run”) alongside killer contributions from D12, 50 Cent, Nas, and Macy Gray.

Star Wars

This list could be primarily populated with the music of John Williams, but Star Wars deserves special recognition if not simply because of how many of the tracks register as iconic. The blast of trumpets that start the film with the title card is by itself an important piece of cinema history, and everything that follows is magic.

Almost Famous

With a personal history that includes time as a writer and editor at Rolling Stone, Cameron Crowe knows a thing or two about music, and that deep knowledge is beautifully reflected in his semi-autobiographical hit Almost Famous. The soundtrack is a stellar arrangement of songs from some of the 20th century’s greatest artists, including Simon & Garfunkel, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Cat Stevens and David Bowie, but the most memorable track, of course, is Elton John's “Tiny Dancer."

The Shining

Would the opening helicopter shots of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining have anywhere near the same kind of impact if it weren’t for the blaring synth-heavy score from composer Wendy Carlos? The answer is an obvious, “no,” and the same can be said of the rest of the music she made for the beloved horror film. The impact that the music has on the atmosphere of The Overlook Hotel is incalculable and it perfectly ratchets up tension and horror as Jack Nicholson’s Jack Torrance further descends into madness.

Do The Right Thing

Spike Lee wastes no time musically telling the audience what Do The Right Thing is all about, kicking off the powerful 1989 film with Rosie Perez pumping her arms, shuffling her feet and jamming to the sound of Public Enemy's “Fight The Power." It sets the table for what is an all-around exceptional soundtrack with additional hits including Perri's “Feel So Good” and Guy's “My Fantasy."

Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas

In Terry Gilliam’s fantastic adaptation of Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, dedicated fans of Gonzo legend Hunter S. Thompson will recognize hits directly mentioned in his beloved book, but the audible experience from the cinematic wonder also bends your mind with three wild Tomoyasu Hotei & Ray Cooper instrumental recordings and songs like "Mama Told Me Not to Come" by Three Dog Night and "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again" by Bob Dylan.

(500) Days Of Summer

What are the songs for falling in and out of love? That’s a question that demands a subjective answer, but director Marc Webb and his collaborators do a pretty incredible job curating that experience with the soundtrack for (500) Days Of Summer. Two songs by The Smiths are the big standouts – “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” and “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want” – but the eclectic track listing also features everything from The Black Lips, to Hall & Oates to Wolfmother.

Blade Runner

Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner is a visual spectacle, with the mind-blowing work of neo-futurist concept artist Syd Mead and the production team transporting audiences to a captivating vision of Los Angeles in the year 2019 – but taking the who experience to new levels is the dark, synth-centric score from Vangelis, which makes for a particularly special listen on a rainy day.

O Brother Where Art Thou

The soundtrack for Joel and Ethan Coen’s O Brother Where Art Thou would be included on this list if the only song it featured was The Soggy Bottom Boys’ “I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow” (performed by Dan Tyminski, Pat Enright, & Harley Allen), but the truth is that the entire film is filled with wonderful bluegrass, country and folk music that make for a gentle listen whenever the world is feeling stressful.

Shaft

The spectacular soundtrack for Gordon Parks’ Shaft is pure testament to the unyielding grooviness of Isaac Hayes. The “Theme From Shaft” is one of the greatest piece of movie music ever made, and the funky bass lines and horns in the score helps define Richard Roundtree’s titular detective as a king of cool.

Dazed And Confused

Released in 1993, Richard Linklater’s Dazed And Confused is recognized as one of the great films throwing back to the 1970s, and that’s accomplished through plot, costumes, production design, and definitely music. The legendary song that opens the film, Aerosmith's “Sweet Emotion," isn’t featured on the commercially released soundtrack, but the tracklist is packed with rock n’ roll royalty including Kiss, Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Foghat and War.

Empire Records

Rex Manning Day (a.k.a. April 8) most definitely isn’t the only day that cinephiles should celebrate the soundtrack for Allan Moyle’s Empire Records. It’s an awesome ‘90s throwback with alternative rock from bands like The Cranberries and Better than Ezra, but it hits its peak with Track 15: Coyote Shivers' “Sugarhigh."

Kill Bill Vol. 1

Want to feel like the coolest person in the world? All you need to do is throw on a pair of headphones, put on Tomoyasu Hotei's “Battle Without Honor Or Humanity," and go for a walk. It’s the highlight of Quentin Tarantino’s perfect soundtrack for Kill Bill Vol. 1, but every chosen track is a proper brain-melter – from the whistling in Bernard Herrmann’s “Twisted Nerve” to the hyper trumpets of Al Hirt’s “Green Hornet.” Just be careful listening to “Woo Hoo” by The 5.6.7.8's, as it will get stuck in your head for days.

Guardians Of The Galaxy

There are many great scores and themes for superhero movies, with John Williams’ work on Superman: The Movie and Danny Elfman’s music for Batman being examples that immediately spring to mind, but James Gunn crafted something extraordinary with his collection of carefully curated needle drops in Guardians of The Galaxy. From “Come And Get Your Love” by Redbone to “O-o-h Child” by The Five Stairsteps, you can put this album on loop for hours and never grow sick of it.

Inside Llewyn Davis

Anyone who has watched Oscar Isaac in film or television knows that he is a talented actor, but Joel and Ethan Coen’s Inside Llewyn Davis adds a whole new dimension to the performer – showing that he can really sing. The whole soundtrack is a true folk music-laden treat, but I would challenge anybody to listen to “Please Mr. Kennedy” by Justin Timberlake, Oscar Isaac and Adam Driver and not at least crack a smile.

Pulp Fiction

Many of the soundtracks listed here open with a bang, but in the fight to pick which one’s the best, it’s hard to vote against Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction and the crazy guitar skills of Dick Dale demonstrated with “Misirlou.” The album keeps those surfer vibes going with The Tornadoes’ “Bustin Surfboards,” The Revels’ “Comanche,” and The Lively Ones’ “Surf Rider,” but also mixed in is great soulful tracks like Al Green's "Let's Stay Together," Kool & The Gang's "Jungle Boogie" and Dusty Springfield's "Son Of A Preacher Man."

Garden State

The legacy of Zach Braff’s Garden State is mixed one, but far less controversial is the film’s marvelous needle drops – the album it spawned very much earning the Grammy it won for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album. It’s a fascinating collection of cerebral indie rock with two tremendously well-utilized songs by The Shins (“Caring Is Creepy” and “New Slang”) living alongside Zero 7’s “In The Waiting Line,” Cary Brothers’ “Blue Eyes” and Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Only Living Boy In New York.”

A Hard Day’s Night

Director Richard Lester’s A Hard Day’s Night was an essential part of Beetlemania in the 1960s, with the soundtrack being their third studio album and a key part of their place in music history. It’s 60th anniversary will be celebrated in 2024, and the titular song along with “Can’t Buy Me Love” remain an indelible part of pop culture.

Footloose

A big part of the intention of Herbert Ross’ Footloose is trying to get audiences to get up and dance, and while part of that effort is accomplished with fun on-screen choreography, the other half is an outstanding soundtrack. Obviously the titular track by Kenny Loggins is the headlining song, but "Let's Hear It for the Boy" by Deniece Williams, "Bang Your Head” by Quiet Riot and "Hurts So Good" by John Mellencamp all get your pulse racing.

This Is Spinal Tap

It’s one thing to make a funny rock and roll mockumentary, but it’s a completely different thing to make a funny rock and roll mockumentary that also truly rocks. Rob Reiner’s This Is Spinal Tap is very much that, as the full soundtrack of songs (all written by Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, Michael McKean, and Rob Reiner) is a roster of excellence – with standouts including “Tonight I’m Gonna Rock You Tonight” and “Gimmie Some Money.”

Waiting To Exhale

In the 1990s, R&B was one of the biggest genres in the music world, and with Whitney Houston being a major force behind it, it’s no surprise that the soundtrack for Forest Whitaker’s Waiting To Exhale (starring Houston) plays like an all-star assembly. Toni Braxton, Aretha Franklin, Brandy, TLC, Mary J. Blige, and more showcase their remarkable voices in the compilation, and Houston’s song "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" ended up winning the Grammy for Best R&B Song.

Trainspotting

In addition to supporting a stunning film that is reflected on as one of the best of its decade, the soundtrack to Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting is an experience unto itself – taking audiences on a journey through genres and time. The impressive significance of the work is illustrated in the fact that the album inspired its very own sequel (which came out 20 years before the release of Danny Boyle’s cinematic sequel, T2: Trainspotting)

Pretty In Pink

New wave music, particularly in John Hughes scripted/produced films, has a way of transporting listeners back to the 1980s, and that’s certainly part of the magic of Pretty In Pink. The eponymous song from The Psychedelic Furs is well joined on the soundtrack by great bands like INXS, Echo & The Bunnymen, New Order, and The Smiths.

Velvet Goldmine

The soundtrack for Todd Haynes’ Velvet Goldmine doesn’t feature any tracks by David Bowie despite the fact that he was a major influence for the film, but the album is still a tremendous celebration of glam rock full of originals and covers – with music from Lou Reed, T. Rex, the New York Dolls and more.

A truly great soundtrack can turn a good film into an excellent film, and an excellent film into a classic, and all of the titles listed here prove that fact.

High school and college movies and TV shows are staples of cinema. Everyone loves them and some of our most beloved classics fit into one or the other group. Of course, if your school was anything like mine, most movies and TV shows are entirely unrealistic. That doesn’t make us love them any less, but it makes us wonder what the giveaway would be if we were living in a movie or TV show. 

Massive House Parties

Ok, so there were a few big house parties in my high school years, but not every weekend, and none like the ones you often see in movies. We certainly never had a band like Love Burger play like they (almost) did in the classic teen flick Can’t Hardly Wait. We also never had a bunch of bikers crash the party like Weird Science. The only realistic movie was Dazed & Confused when Pickford’s parents found out about the party in advance and shut down the whole thing. 

Magical Proms

I had a blast at both my junior and senior proms. But it was just a dance in a theater at my school with minimal decorations and water as the only refreshment. It wasn’t anything magical, like you see in movies, with decorations clearly done by crack set designers and big-time bands, like Chuck Berry’s cousin in Back to the Future we just had a crappy rent-a-DJ that played '80s hip hop. And don’t even get me started on the undercover “prom” in Footloose that looks like professional party planners spent weeks setting it up. Where did the money for all those balloons come from? And no one actually lost their virginity after prom, did they?

Everyone Looks 25 Years Old (Or Older) 

Did everyone who went to your high school look like they had to have “flunked about nine grades” like Carolyn Mumford in 16 Candles? Yeah, me neither. We didn’t have anyone who looked like he was stressed out about his mortgage payments like Dylan McKay, played by legendary Luke Perry, did on Beverly Hills, 90210, either. Did anyone at West Beverly look like high school kids? And I know Rizzo in Grease is supposed to be the wise, street-smart one, but she looks old enough to have done time in prison (she’s still my favorite character though and Stockard Channing is an American treasure). 

All The Parents Look 35 Years Old And Are Never Around

While all the kids look 25, all the parents look way too young to be their parents. Like, for example, Amy Poehler in Mean Girls, who was just 33 when playing Rachel McAdams' mother (McAdams was 26). Or they look way too old. And that’s when they are around! What is it with parents constantly being out of town during the school year in the movies. I wish my parents went on luxury vacations and left me free to run the house when I was a teenager, like Tom Cruise’s parents in Risky Business or Emma Stone’s parents in Superbad. I wish. 

Everyone Is Worried About The Main Characters’ Problems

We live in a world of people suffering from “main character syndrome” but in our world, no one really cares about the main character. On-screen, however, it’s all anyone seems to care about. Yes, this is a bit obvious, but does every student need to have an opinion on the main character’s problems like they do in teen movies? In Cruel Intentions, for example, the entire school seems to be caught up in Kathryn’s drama, right up until the end. 

All The Time In The World Between Classes

This one drives me the most nuts. When I was in school, we had 5 minutes between bells. That was five minutes to get up from class, get to your locker, grab your books, and be in your seat for the next class. How is it that kids seemingly have hours between classes? Sure, Not Another Teen Movie is just making fun of teen movies, but they spend more time in the hallway than actually in class. On Saved By The Bell, there never seemed to ever be a bell, just shenanigans in the stairwell! 

Classes Only Exist For The Last Five Minutes Of A Period

When kids actually do make it to class, those classes all seem to exist for only the last couple of minutes and teachers are forced to yell out the homework assignments over the bustle of everyone rushing to the hallway to hang out for a while. My teachers had watches, they knew when the bell was going to ring, why was the teacher in Dazed and Confused struggling to get out her point in the last seconds of the school year? Even Indiana Jones seemed to only teach for the final few minutes of class, even when his students loved him! 

Everyone Is Always Hanging Out In Front Of School In The Morning

Another trope that drives me nuts is how many kids are just hanging out in front of school before the first bell. If I was on time for school, I was just on time and I certainly wasn't tossing around a football or playing hacky sack on the steps of school waiting to go in. No one was. We were all rushing to get in on time. No one at my school would have been there to laugh at Billy when he showed up in his Trans Am in Billy Madison. There wouldn't have been dozens of girls to choose from when Laney Boggs is chosen in that terrible bet in She's All That, either. 

The New Kid Gets Introduced Before Every Class

How many times did you get a new kid join in the middle of the year? How many times did that kid get dramatically introduced in class? Never? Yeah, didn’t happen to me either. That would be torture for a new kid, yet there it is, all over high school movies and TV shows. Like the slow-mo walk-in for Christian in the Gen X classic  Clueless. They certainly weren’t embarrassed by the teacher like Josie in Never Been Kissed.

Over The Top Pronouncements Of Love

Nothing says “teen flick” like an overly dramatic gesture of love and while we all may think about doing it, no one actually stands outside someone’s house with a boombox like John Cusack in Say Anything or Heath Ledger singing with the school band in 10 Things I Hate About You. How did the band learn “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You” so quickly anyway? Wouldn’t that take weeks of rehearsal? While we all love the way these scenes play out in movies, and they all bring a sweet tear to our eye, it’s never going to happen in real life, right?

Everyone Is In A Clique

Cliques exist in school, sure. There are the cool kids and the “math kids” and the football players and the greasers... ok, maybe not the greasers anymore. If your school’s cliques are so pronounced that everyone always sits at the same lunch table, every day, however, you need to evaluate if you’re living in an AI simulation of a movie. Mean Girls and Heathers have good examples of this in film,  but nowhere is this more clear, though less true, than the honest, realistic characters in The Breakfast Club mocking the whole idea as “A Brain... And An Athlete... And A Basket Case... A Princess... And A Criminal.” 

Everyone Fits A Stereotype

Speaking of cliques, another popular trope is that everyone in the movie fits exactly into one stereotype. Sure, it’s so movies can quickly develop a character. The jocks are always idiots, like in Revenge of the Nerds,  the cheerleaders are always mean, like Revenge of the Nerds and the good students are always nerds, as in Revenge of the Nerds. Well, I guess that movie is problematic for a few reasons (at least the nerds win). I don’t know about you, but when I was in school, the lines were way more blurred. The best athlete in my school was also student body president and starred in every musical. People don’t fit into boxes! 

Everyone Is In A Relationship

I don’t know about you, but the number of couples that were consistently together in my high school (and college for that matter), was pretty low. Mostly, it was a bunch of teenagers scamming each other and randomly hooking up at parties. In movies, however, it seems everyone is in a committed relationship, and those relationships are destined to last forever. From Marty McFly in Back to the Future to Ferris Bueller, everyone has found their soul mate. It’s no wonder because when we’re kids we all think love will last forever, though most of us find it more often it was fleeting when we look back. 

Your Freshman Year Roommate Is Your New BFF

I was friends with my freshman-year roommate in college for about a semester. We got along great, but as the year wore on, we found our social groups and our own friends. After freshman year, I don’t think we hung out once, while on TV like Max's breakout hit The Sex Lives of College Girls, everyone is immediately best friends with their roommates. The same thing happened when Denise Huxtable moved into her dorm on A Different World. It’s too bad we can’t all live with our best friends like they did. 

Everyone Is Dressed Like A Fashion Show

Yes, this too is a bit obvious, but just because the characters are on TV doesn’t mean they have to dress like they are going to a country club like the "richies" in Pretty In Pink, nor do even the most popular girls ever coordinate colors like Heathers and Mean Girls (those two sure have a lot in common). Most of the kids at my school showed up in tee shirts and jeans, once again, Dazed and Confused got this one right. 

Your Dorm Room Is As Big As An Apartment

This is another one that never seems to have any basis in reality. Again, I can point to The Sex Lives Of College Girls. Sure, it’s hilarious, but their dorm room in the first season is bigger than my first apartment. I barely had a closet, much less my own bathroom or a living room. In Gilmore Girls, Rory had not one, but two fireplaces in her dorm room at Yale. Although to be fair, that might actually be true of some of those old dorms at the Ivy League school, I wouldn’t know. 

You Show Up Alone For Your Freshman Year Of College

My mom took me to college. I was grateful to have her, even if I was embarrassed. I don’t don’t know anyone who showed up alone. It seems in movies, though, it’s pretty common for a freshman to just show up alone, usually with little in the way of stuff. In Every Wants Some! Jake shows up for school, by himself, with nothing, it seems, but one box and a small duffel bag, enough for a long weekend, but that’s about it. Traveling even lighter is Beca (Anna Kendrick) in Pitch Perfect. Not only does she arrive on campus by cab, she’s by herself with only one suitcase. That’s going to be a lot of trips to the laundry room. 

There are plenty of good reasons in the context of telling a good story for all of these tropes and weird occurrences for those living in movies and TV shows, and we don't really think of them much as we're watching. We keep streaming these teen movies and we love the characters, so odd things don't really stand out, but when you really think about how unrealistic things are sometimes, it can get bizarre. So be grateful you're living in the real world! 

Music transforms movies. I’m not talking about the score, or songs written for movies like anything Lin-Manuel Miranda does, but the great songs that when you hear them later on the radio or on Spotify, you can’t help but immediately think of a scene from the movie they made better and more memorable. These are the 21 movie songs that I can only associate with a specific scene in a movie. 

Bittersweet Symphony - Kathryn Gets Busted In Cruel Intentions

I’ll start here because the scene is just so fantastic. The building momentum of the strings in The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony” fits so well with the slow reveal of Kathryn (Sarah Michelle Gellar) getting her mean girl life turned completely on its head in Cruel Intentions. Not only is her reputation completely trashed, but she’s busted with the cocaine in her crucifix. I could watch the scene over and over with that music. It's a good thing the production paid the insane amount of money they did for the song; nothing else would've worked. 

Where Is My Mind - The End Of Fight Club

A perfect example of a classic track, in this case it's The Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind” blending into a dramatic scene that elevates the moment to new heights at the end of Fight Club. As the walls literally come down around The Narrator (Edward Norton) and Marla (Helena Bonham Carter), he tells her she’s met him at a very strange time in his life, as Pixies lead singer Black Francis asks everyone “Where is my mind?” Unless you see it in China, where the movie ends very differently. 

Layla - Covering Up The Heist In GoodFellas

“Layla,” by Derek and the Dominos was almost 20 years old when GoodFellas was released in 1990, but it still ends up in what I think is actually the best use of a popular song in a movie. In case you’ve forgotten, Jimmy (Robert DeNiro) is cutting all ties between him and the others involved in the Lufthansa heist. One by one, bodies are discovered in a montage as the piano-and-guitar coda of “Layla” plays over it. It almost makes murder look cool.  

The End - The Opening Of Apocalypse Now

There may be any opening scene in any movie that sucks you in quite like the opening scene of Francis Ford Coppola's masterpiece Apocalypse Now. The wide shot of the jungle being napalmed as the haunting beginning of The Doors' classic "The End" plays over it. Just as the music gets chaotic, so does the movie with Martin Sheen busting his hand open in his hotel room. Brilliant. 

Mr. Blue Sky - Opening Scene Of Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2

There are a whole bunch of music moments from Guardians of the Galaxy I could choose from the trilogy, as songs are, of course, a key component of the storytelling. For this list, I’ve chosen “Mr. Blue Sky” by the great Electric Light Orchestra that opens Vol. 2. It sets the tone for the movie perfectly. These movies are most of all about having fun, and there’s nothing more fun than this opening scene, and when I hear the tune, I always see Groot dancing. 

Fight The Power - Sal Destroys Radio Raheem’s Radio In Do The Right Thing

The use of Public Enemy’s “Fight The Power” in Do The Right Thing is anything but fun. After a long, hot, stressful day, Buggin’ Out (Giancarlo Esposito) and Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn) confront Sal (Danny Aiello) in his pizzeria while blasting the song from the boombox. Not only do the lyrics fit the scene well, but the chaotic nature of it adds a level of desperation to the argument that eventually leads to the tragedy that follows.  

Everything In It's Right Place - The Opening To Vanilla Sky

There's a very good chance that I would not have liked Vanilla Sky if not for the epic beginning of the movie with Radiohead's Everything In It's Right Place playing over the montage of Tom Cruise's character starting his day. The song has just the right amount of excitement mixed with forboding to set the tone for the whole movie. 

Stuck in the Middle With You - Mr. Blonde Cutting A Cop's Ear Off In Reservoir Dogs

Another movie that brilliantly uses music is Reservoir Dogs, and nowhere is that more true than the happy-go-lucky tones of Steelers Wheel’s “Stuck in the Middle With You” during the most violent scene of a very violent movie, when Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen) cuts off the ear of a cop he’d tied up and tortured. Something about the contrast between the sweet song and the ultra-violence just works. 

Goodbye Horses - Buffalo Bill Getting Dressed In Silence Of The Lambs

There is no way anyone, anywhere, hears the song “Goodbye Horses” by Q Lazzarus and thinks of anything except Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine) getting dressed and dancing in front of the mirror in The Silence of the Lambs. The scene is so iconic that I can’t help but shiver a little when I hear the song, no matter where I am. 

Time To Pretend - The Opening Of 21

The opening scene of 21, as the audience is taken on a quick tour of Boston and Cambridge by way of the Charles River is great. The music, "Time To Pretend" by MGMT fits perfectly. It's an upbeat song about having the time of your life, and it's about pretending to be someone else, just like the MIT blackjack team in the movie.

Old Time Rock And Roll - Tom Cruise Dancing In His Underwear In Risky Business

Bob Seger wrote “Old Time Rock and Roll” in 1979 and it became a moderate hit for him, but it was four years later when it was used as the music Tom Cruise dances in his underwear to in Risky Business that it became an American classic. How many times have you heard it and thought about dancing around in your underwear? I know I have, many times. 

O-o-h Child - Doughboy Gets Busted In Boyz N The Hood

“O-o-h Child” by the Five Stairsteps is a soul music standard, and when I hear it now, I immediately think about the scene in Boyz N the Hood, when Furious (Laurence Fishburne in a performance that should have gotten him an Oscar) is returning home after a nice day fishing with his son Tre. At first, the song is a nice moment for Furious, but in the context of the movie, it changes almost immediately when they drive by young Dough Boy’s house as he’s getting arrested. Things are going to get better according to the song, but they don’t, really. 

Hurricane - Wooderson Walks Into The Emporium In Dazed & Confused

I love Bob Dylan, but now whenever I hear his classic call for justice song, “Hurricane,” I can only think of how cool Wooderson (Matthew McConaughey) and Pink (Jason London) look as they stroll into the Emporium and meet up with the other characters just as the legendary night is getting underway. 

In Your Eyes - Outside The Window In Say Anything

An old crush once asked me if I’d ever stood outside a girl’s window and played a song on a jukebox like Lloyd (John Cusack) does in Say Anything. I told her no, but she would’ve been the first to know if I had. You simply cannot hear Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” without immediately picturing Lloyd with the radio above his head in front of his Chevy Malibu. 

The Times They Are A-Changin - Opening Credits Of Watchmen

I’m not going to debate whether Zach Snyder’s adaption of the graphic novel Watchmen is well done or not (it is). What I will debate is how great the opening scene is accompanied by Dylan’s “The Times They Are a-Changin.” 20 years ago it was unthinkable to me that I would think of anything but the 1960s when I heard that song, now all I see is the bloody Smiley Face button. 

Flower Duet - Clifford’s Death In True Romance

The most powerful use of music on this list comes from one of the best scenes in movie history. It’s when the “Flower Duet,” from the Léo Delibes opera Lakmé, is played over the True Romance scene between Dennis Hopper and Christopher Walken. The music swells as Hopper realizes that no matter what, this confrontation is going to lead to his death. It is an immensely commanding moment and while the music may be over 100 years old, it will, at least for me, be forever connected to this one amazing moment. 

Hip To Be Square - Paul Allen’s Murder In American Psycho

Do you like Huey Lewis and the News? If you do, and you’ve never seen American Psycho then you might think twice, because after you do, you will only associate their 1986 hit, “Hip To Square,” with one thing: the murder of Paul Allen (Jared Leto) by Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale). Try getting a reservation at Dorsia now! 

Sister Christian - Drug Deal In Boogie Nights

Maybe the most tense I’ve ever felt from a film scene is in Boogie Nights when Dirk (Mark Wahlberg) and the others attempt to con Rahad (Alfred Molina). The stress of the scene, with the fireworks going off and the incredible performance by Molina is enhanced by Night Ranger’s “Sister Christian.” I still get the jitters when I hear the song. 

Hurdy Gurdy Man - The First Murder Scene In Zodiac

Speaking of getting the willies, Donavan’s “Hurdy Gurdy Man” will never be the same for me after seeing it used in Zodiac. The way the volume rises on the song as the killer’s car approaches the soon-to-be-murdered couple, then fades as it pulls away, to the relief of the couple, only to rise again as he returns. Yikes! Brilliant!

Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) - Dream Sequence In The Big Lebowski

The Coen brothers are masters of using music to set the tone of their movies. In The Big Lebowski they up the ante by adding two musical vignettes, almost like music videos as dream sequences. The second, with the song “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)” has become so classic that when I saw Kenny Rogers in concert (who sings the song with his old band The Third Edition) he even acknowledged it’s what’s made the song so timeless. 

Tiny Dancer - The Bus Ride In Almost Famous

“Tiny Dancer” by Elton John is a great song to sing along to. When I’m hitting those high notes all by myself in the car, I feel just like the band Sweetwater in Almost Famous as they travel down the highway on tour in their big bus. It’s just a fun scene after a tense moment, which is perfect for that song. 

Pocket Full Of Sunshine - The Opening Scene Of Easy A

In Easy A Olive Penderghast (Emma Stone) declares “Pocket Full of Sunshine” by Natasha Bedingfield to be the “worst song ever” before she hears the earworm of a tune so many times that it becomes her favorite song. That’s kind of exactly how I feel about it, and now when I hear it, the guilty pleasure I enjoy is justified because Olive said it was okay to love it. 

Bohemian Rapsody - The Car Ride In Wayne’s World

You knew I couldn’t end this list without including “Bohemian Rhapsody” from Wayne’s World. I’ll fully admit Queen is not my favorite band, and this is not one of my favorite songs, but the scene is so classic that you can’t help but immediately be transported back to seeing it for the first time. Look, see? I’ll bet you’re banging your head right now.

You Should Be Dancing - The Famous Dance Scene In Saturday Night Fever

You can't have this list without including one of the best music movies of all time, and there is no way to here "You Should Be Dancing" by The Bee Gees without thinking of the icon scene of John Travolta taking over the nightclub. 

Shipping Off To Boston - Billy Goes Undercover In The Departed

There is no more iconic song about Boston than the Dropkick Murphys' "Shipping Off To Boston" so Martin Scorsese's decision to not only use it in The Departed but where uses it, as Billy (Leonardo DiCaprio) goes into jail to start his undercover work, is perfect. 

Tequila - The Bar Scene In Pee-Wee's Big Adventure

There are rumors that a time existed when the song "Tequila" by The Champs was known for some other than Pee-Wee Herman's famous dance in Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, but that's hard to believe. The scene is so iconic now, that it's all anyone thinks of, and it's sure to get people dancing like Pee-Wee. 

Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) - Dinner Scene In Beetlejuice

Harry Belafonte had a huge hit with "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)" back in the day, but it was Beetlejuice that opened it up to a whole new generation. That generation always associates with the amazing scene when the ghosts try to scare the new homeowners off. 

Also Sprach Zarathustra - The Opening Of 2001: A Space Odyssey

Composer Richard Strauss could never have predicted what would become of his music work, "Also Sprach Zarathustra" as conceived by the brilliant mind of director Stanley Kubrick. In 2001: A Space Odyssey, it probably becomes very different than what Strauss had in mind. It's so iconic today, that people usually refer to the music as "2001."

You Can't Always Get What You Want - The Funeral In The Big Chill

One of the things that makes the use of The Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want" so cool in The Big Chill is that instead of the choir that opens the original version before fading into the song, the movie does it on organ. It's perfect and now the only way I ever want to hear it. 

I Got You Babe - The Alarm Clock In Groundhog Day

If there are two things I hate in this world, it's alarm clocks and the Sonny & Cher song "I Got You Babe." It's likely because I connect the two so closely in my mind because of Groundhog Day.

Lust For Life - Opening Scene Of Trainspotting

Director Danny Boyle using "Lust For Life" by Iggy Pop at the beginning of Trainspotting makes it one of the most bombastic openings ever and the chaotic music is perfect for the chaotic nature of the movie. 

These Days - Margot Gets Off The Bus In The Royal Tenenbaums

Wes Anderson has a deft touch when it comes music in his movies, and I love a lot of the songs he choses, but for my money, using Nico's "These Days" is probably the best. I love the song, and now I always picture Gwyneth Paltrow in her fur coat. 

Great film scores transform movies, but nothing transcends like a well-placed classic pop song like the ones on this list. There are so many more songs I could’ve chosen that I could have 100 more entries. Adding the right song at the right time is the easiest way to make me nostalgic for a time and place, and that includes on film and on television, as well. 

The nerds versus the jocks. The geeks vs. cool kids. It’s a tale as old as time, but especially since the 1980s. At least on film. Nerd culture may be winning today, but it wasn’t always that way, so here are some of the best movies where the geeks defeat the bullies.

The Nerds Beat The Jocks - Revenge Of The Nerds

Revenge of the Nerds has a LOT of problematic parts to it, but the core theme of the movie remains universal. The underdog nerds get picked on by the football-playing jocks so much that there is nothing left to do but beat them, and beat them at their own game. Sure, it takes the help of some of their national fraternity brothers, and it can easily be argued that much of what the nerds do in the college olympics is straight-up cheating. But hey, at least they use their brains to outwit the jocks' brawn. No one can say Booger cheated in the belching contest, though. 

Daniel Ruins Johnny’s Life - The Karate Kid

Daniel LaRusso in The Karate Kid is a quiet East Coast kid who is forced to move to LA where he has a hard time fitting in. In a moment of anger, he lashes out at the popular kid in school, Johnny Lawrence, which makes him a target for some vicious bullying by Johnny and his fellow Cobra Kais. It’s Daniel, of course, who gets the last laugh when he takes Johnny down at the Under 18 All-Valley Karate Championship, which, we’d later learn in Cobra Kai, completely ruins Johnny’s life. Which seems a little unfair of the Karate Kid movies, but nothing a few Coors can’t fix. 

Clifford Breaks Moody’s Nose - My Bodyguard

If you’ve never seen My Bodyguard, you’re not alone. If you’re of a certain generation, though, it was one of those movies that was on cable all the time in the mid-'80s, so you might not remember it well, but you remember it. The plot is pretty basic: a wimpy kid, played by Chris Makepeace, gets bullied by a greaser-type (Matt Dillion) and he enlists the biggest outcast in the school (Adam Baldwin) to help settle the score. It takes a while and some ups and downs, but finally, the wimp shows he doesn’t need the outcast and takes out the greaser with one solid punch. 

Cecile And Annette Expose Kathryn - Cruel Intentions

It’s hard to think of Reese Witherspoon as some kind of underdog, but that’s what her character, Annette, is compared to the alpha female at an elite private school played brilliantly by Sarah Michelle Gellar in Cruel Intentions. Together with Cecile (Selma Blair), an even quieter teenager at the school, they get revenge on the manipulative Kathryn by exposing all her dirty secrets and sexual exploits, not to mention her copious cocaine use. The final scene in the movie is one that should be in the canon of great moments on film as The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony” plays and Kathryn is embarrassed beyond belief. It’s incredibly satisfying.  

Jerry Earns The Bully’s Respect - Three O’Clock High

If there were a Mt. Rushmore of geeks beating bullies, Three O’Clock High would be on it. The movie is so rewatchable because it’s so relatable, yet fanciful. The tension that builds as the clock gets closer and closer to H-Hour – 3 p.m. – is so anxiety-inducing, that you have to keep watching, even when you know how it’s going to end. Starring Casey Siemaszko as Jerry, the geek, and Richard Tyson as Buddy the bully, the movie takes us through all the highs and lows as Jerry tries desperately to get out of the fight he’s been forced into by Buddy. Tick Tock, Jerry. 

Ralph Wails On Scut - A Christmas Story

Another classic moment in great bully defeats is in, of course, A Christmas Story. Scut Farkas (Zack Ward) has been harassing Ralphie (Peter Billingsly) and his buddies forever. Every day on their walk to school, they must run the gauntlet past Scut and his toadie, Grover. Finally, one day Ralphie snaps and amid a flurry of obscenities, smacks Scut around for what seems like way too long to cause just a bloody nose, but it works, and Ralphie finally rids himself of the harassment forever. As we learned in A Christmas Story Christmas, he also won Scut's respect. 

Chet Gets What He Deserves - Weird Science

One of the great bullies of the ‘80s was Chet in Weird Science. In a lot of ways, he’s the ultimate prototype of the big brother bully, constantly picking on Wyatt, played by Ilan Mitchell-Smith. Chet, played by the late, great Bill Paxon, pretty much doesn’t like anything about Wyatt and is never afraid to let him know it, or give him a towel to cover his women’s underwear. Finally, Lisa (Kelly LaBrock), the woman Wyatt and Gary (Anthony Micheal Hall) created, has had enough and turns Chet into a weird toad-like, fly-eating thing. It’s karmic justice for sure. 

The Freshman Dump Paint On O’Bannion - Dazed And Confused

Dazed and Confused has a lot of characters that you’d want to hang out with in high school and one that you wouldn’t. Fred O’Bannion (Ben Affleck) failed his senior year and it seems he only had two goals for his “super senior” year, play football and haze freshman. After taking out some anger on Mitch Kramer (Wiley Wiggins), Mitch and his buddies hatch a plan. They lure O’Bannion out of the Emporium and just as he’s about to wail on a couple of freshmen with his infamous paddle, the others satisfyingly dump a bucket of paint on him. It’s the last time we’d see O’Bannion in the movie, and you have to wonder what became of his night. 

George Saves Lorraine - Back To The Future 

One of the greatest geek getting back at the bully moments on film happens by accident. You see, it’s supposed to be Marty (Micheal J. Fox) in the car with Lorraine (Lea Thompson) outside the dance in Back To The Future, not Biff (Thomas F. Wilson). When George (Crispin Glover) opens the car door, he recoils in fear, as this is NOT how things were supposed to go. After taking a few punches, George girds his strength and takes Biff down. Audiences rejoice, Lorraine falls in love with the right person, and Marty’s siblings start reappearing on his photo (after George and Lorraine finally kiss, of course). 

The Kids Fight Back - Heavyweights

Heavyweights is a great, underrated summer camp movie. The camp for overweight kids has a new owner, Tony (Ben Stiller), who is a nightmare of a director that terrorizes the kids at the camp they previously loved under the old ownership. Finally, the kids snap, and enact revenge in a way only summer camp kids can. 

With a plan right out of Home Alone the kids trick Tony into getting trapped in a hole while on a hike and build a holding cell for their tormentor using a bug zapper to electrify it. Tony eventually escapes and knocks himself out trying to fight a camper’s father. The camp is saved from his dictatorship, and we learn not to put Twinkies on our pizza. 

Cinderella Saves A Slipper - Cinderella

There is no bigger classic in this genre than good old Cinderella. The Disney film may have come out almost 75 years ago, but it still resonates with kids today because everyone can relate to her. Cinderella loses one glass slipper at the ball, leading Prince Charming to declare he'll marry the woman whose foot fits. Even when her evil stepmother and witchy stepsisters do all they can to stop her from trying it on, she has the other slipper, which she'd hidden, and it fits, of course. So, they all lived happily ever after! Except for the bullies, naturally. 

Lana Gets Coned - The Princess Diaries

Lana Thomas (Mandy Moore) is a prototype of the popular cheerleader bully. She torments and harasses Mia (Anne Hathaway) mercilessly until one day Lana goes too far. As Mia and her friend, Jeremiah, sit and chat, Lana lays into both of them. Mia, who has found some confidence after learning she's royalty, calmly walks up to Lana, compliments her cheerleading outfit, and smears an entire ice cream cone on it. The other students erupt in cheer, chanting "Lana got coned!" and Mia wins the day, while later winning at life as the princess of Genovia. It's something the two stars still joke about today. 

Bastian Chases Away The Bullies - The NeverEnding Story

The bullies play a pretty small, but extremely crucial role, in The NeverEnding Story. You might not even remember that the three kids who bully Bastian (Barret Oliver) are even in the movie, but without them, we wouldn't have the beginning of the story. The reason Bastian discovers the bookstore and the book that leads to his amazing adventure is because he's hiding from the three little twerps. Bastian gets his revenge at the end, when he rides Falkor into New York City and chases the bullies into the dumpster where they first tossed him. 

There may always be bullies, unfortunately, but as long as there are people to stand up to them, the world will be a better place. Let's all take a lesson from our heroes here and, if you're the geek, always stand up for yourself. But, if you're the bully...well...take your just desserts and learn from your mistakes. 

It is one of the greatest high school comedies of all-time. Made in the ‘90s and set in the ‘70s, there are so many Dazed & Confused quotes that are timeless and universal.. Here are its best moments and funniest lines. 

“Alright, Alright, Alright” - David Wooderson

It’s impossible not to start with the most memorable, most quoted, most legendary line. Matthew McConaughey has almost built his career–or at least his public persona–on those three words. What’s even more amazing is that it was the first line he ever filmed in a movie and it was completely improvised, as McConaughey explained a few years ago to Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacreast.

“L-I-V-I-N.” - Wooderson

Wooderson plays the old, wise man in the movie too. As Randall “Pink” Floyd (Jason London) struggles to find meaning in life and in his future as the quarterback of the football team, Wooderson offers him his advice as they smoke a joint on the football field,

“You're in need of a serious attitude adjustment, young man.” - Coach Conrad

Pink’s crisis of conscience plays out throughout the movie. On one hand, he’s the most popular guy in school because he’s a football star, this is Texas, after all. On the other hand, he really just wants to hang out with his friends and catch Aerosmith this summer. The head coach of the football team, Coach Conrad (played by Terry Mross) let’s him know exactly how the team feels,

“Chasing the muff around” - Assistant Coach

As is usually the case, it’s the assistant coach who tries to relate best with the players and does so in the most awkward way. It’s awkward for the viewer, and hard to imagine how weird it must be for students hearing it. Before Coach Conrad lays into Pink, the assistant coach, played by Rick Moser, gets a little too personal,

“Martha Washington was a hip, hip, hip lady, man”. - Slater

One of the guys in the “other crowd” Pink is running with is Slater, portrayed by Rory Cochrane (who played another icon in a '90s movie, Empire Records). The classic hippie stoner. Like all high school stoners, he’s got his own philosophy on life, one that involves the founding fathers. After explaining that George Washington grew hemp, he lets everyone in another secret he’s hip too, 

“Just goin' at it” - Slater

Later, during the party at the moon tower, Slater keeps it a little more close to home as he looks out over Austin from the moon tower. He doesn’t just have answers, he’s got some questions too, 

“This place used to be off limits” - Slater

Slater’s also  got some advice to go with his philosophy, and some deviousness when messing with freshman. As Mitch Kramer (Wiley Wiggins) climbs the tower, Slater needs to know if Mitch will make it back down after “four or five beers.” 

“I've got my own ride" - Don Dawson

Slater isn’t the only stoner with some advice. Don Dawson (Sasha Jenson) has some dating advice for young Mitch Kramer after a sophomore girl shows some interest in the freshman. It’s advice Mitch follows successfully, 

“Dogged as many girls” - Dawson

Dawson also has some advice for Pink, as he tries to convince the quarterback to return next season. It has a little to do with football, but it’s so much more. Of course, it comes down to girls, 

“Okay guys, one more thing, this summer…” - High School Teacher

Of course, teachers play a small role in the movie too. While middle school teach Mr. Payne has the most memorable line (more on that next), it’s the teacher Dawson awkwardly hits on “played by Kim Krizan,” that offers her own advice to the kids ahead of the bicentennial summer of ‘76. It might be the biggest truth bomb in the movie, 

“Twenty-five of you ain't coming back” - Mr. Payne

Ah yes, Mr. Payne, played by Julius Tennon. The name says it all. While Mitch and his friends wrap up their last day of junior high, a few of the high school kids, including Pink and Benny (played by Rip himself, Cole Hauser), arrive to scare the soon-to-be-freshman with what’s about to come. Mr. Payne has no sympathy, laughing at the threats and telling the boys, 

“Wipe that face off your head” - Darla

Dazed & Confused launched a lot of careers, including Parker Posey’s. Posey’s Darla is the nastiest of the female seniors, relentlessly hazing the incoming freshmen girls, but it’s an almost throwaway line that is her funniest. After dumping ketchup and mustard on the girls and scream “AIR RAID”, it’s as the girls are heading out that one unnamed freshman pisses Darla off the most, 

“You are an embarrassment to the game of pool” - O’Bannion

Another career that didn’t exactly start with Dazed & Confused but is certainly one of Ben Affleck's earliest highlights. Affleck plays the worst bully in the school, but again, it’s a quick throwaway line that might be his best. As all the kids hang at The Emporium, O’Bannion dominates at a pool table, and delivers a line that has been echo for decades at pool halls across the country,

“Give me drugs, man.” - O’Bannion

It’s not just freshman he bullies either. O’Bannion also doesn't seem to like stoners very much either, being the good, Texas football player that he is. He angrily verbally assaults Slater outside the Emporium too, but Slater shrugs it off, of course, 

“I keep getting older” - Wooderson

Matthew McConaughey’s talent and charm is why many fell in love with him in Dazed & Confused, but really, his character is deeply flawed and downright creepy.

“Ditch the two geeks you're in the car with” - Wooderson

Wooderson has one particular girl on his radar, Marissa Rabisi’s character, Cynthia. Wooderson has a real thing for red-heads it seems. He isn’t impressed with her friends, and makes it known, 

“When He graduated we were like three years old” - Mike

After the proposal from Wooderson, Cynthia gets excited and starts primping her her. Her friends in the car are rightfully creeped, though she isn’t. In amazement, her friend Mike (Adam Goldberg) tells her exactly how she should feel, after she tells Mike she thought Wooderson was cute, 

“I wanna dance!” - Mike

The Equalizer cast member Adam Goldberg also has one of the great one liners of Dazed & Confused. After a long rant about the people he encountered at the post office, Mike has decided he doesn’t want to be a lawyer for the ACLU anymore. When his friend Tony (Anthony Rapp) asked what he wants to do, Mike surprised everyone by saying, 

“She called me a slut?” - Simone

Dazed & Confused is so timeless because so much of what happens, even though it’s 1976, could happen anywhere and at anytime. Like the way some of the girls take unfair shots at the others. After Simone (Joey Lauren Adams) discovers another girl has called her a “slut”, she has some choice words. But don’t worry, she’s not mad. 

“Give the beer back!” - Kevin Pickford

Kevin Pickford (Shawn Andrews) doesn’t have a lot of luck in the movie (aside from dating Milla Jovavich, just one of the romances, behind the scenes of the movie. After a quick run to the store to grab beer (and rolling papers and sunflower seeds), Dawson runs out of the store and tells Pickford to gun it, as though he’s stolen the beer (he didn’t). They get stopped by a townie with a gun who’s upset they played mailbox baseball with his mailbox. But with the gun to his head, Pickford pleads with Dawson, 

“Wrong Mr. Pickford all together” - Beer Delivery Guy

Of course, the events of the whole evening are set up when the beer delivery guy, played by John Swasey,  “bricks” when attempting to deliver kegs to Pickford’s house for the end of school party. Pickford’s parents who were planning on leaving town, catch what’s going on and decide to stay, altering everyone’s plans. The exchange between Pickford the the delivery guy is something that gets quoted all the time, at least in my circle, but these things happen… Ben.

“Top priority of the summer” - Pink

It’s kinda nuts to think this movie was set almost 50 years ago, and the top priority of the summer was driving up to Houston to get Aerosmith tickets. The legendary rockers announced in 2023 that they would be hitting the road for their farewell tour, so fans across the country were once again making tickets their top priority, just like Pink explains to his coach,

“It’s be a lot cooler of you did” - Wooderson

We have to end the list like we began, with an iconic line from Wooderson. A line that quite possibly got McConaughey the gig after doing it in his audition. After he and Pink pick up Mitch for the evening, Wooderson asks the freshman if he’s got a joint. When Mitch says no, Wooderson responds with one of the all-time most quotable lines, 

If you want to go down memory lane, you can check our list of favorite high school comedies, and you can be sure that Dazed & Confused will always be a part of any respectable list like this. Not only for the amazing amount of work that went into making the movie, and talent that assembled early in the careers, including writer and director Richard Linklater, but for all the timeless, quotable, and hilarious lines written and delivered by that talent. 

Unless you are the kind of person who easily gets fed up by high-temperature weather, swarms of pesky insects, and the sound of fireworks displays keeping you up at night, it is a shame that we only get to experience the summer just once a year. Luckily, we have the advantage of vicariously living out the season of barbecues, baseball, and - most importantly - no school, anytime time of the year with the magic of movies.

Of course, not every movie set during the summer is the best option to conjure the season’s best memories (see great summer horror movies). That is why we have compiled our favorite summer comedy movies, along with a tip on where to check them out on streaming or a digital rental or purchase, below - starting with one that is, arguably, the most essential of the bunch. 

The Sandlot (Amazon Prime, Disney+)

A lonely boy (Tom Guiry) discovers the joys of the season after making friends with a of group  baseball fanatics, who soon get themselves into a big “pickle” involving a prized baseball signed by Babe Ruth in the summer of 1962.

Why it is one of the best summer comedy movies: By presenting the story entirely from a child’s perspective, co-writer and director David Mickey Evans' 1993 family favorite captures most essential aspects of the summer with astonishing accuracy and achieves a spot among the best sports movies of all time, with credit due to the young The Sandlot cast’s wonderful performances.

Stream The Sandlot on Amazon Prime.
Stream The Sandlot on Disney+.

The Bad News Bears (Cinemax)

A beer-swilling former major leaguer (Walter Matthau) accepts a job as the coach for a team of young misfits whom he struggles to mold into real athletes to compete against the other extremely competitive teams in their California little league.

Why it is one of the best summer comedy movies: Long before The Sandlot, the quintessential movie about youngsters running the bases during the summer (but not so much for the love of the game, that is) was 1976’s The Bad News Bears - director Michael Ritchie and writer Bill Lancaster’s hilarious and even inspiring underdog story that is still remembered as one of the best baseball movies of all time.

Stream The Bad News Bears on Cinemax.
Rent (or buy) The Bad News Bears on Amazon.

Heavyweights (Disney+)

An 11-year-old (Aaron Schwartz) finds himself surprisingly excited to be the new guy at a beloved youth weight-loss camp for the summer, until he and his new friends learn the devastating news that it has been bought out and rebranded by a sadistic fitness guru (Ben Stiller) and his loyal crew of barbaric trainers.

Why it is one of the best summer comedy movies: Speaking of hilarious and even inspiring underdog stories, the charming and sometimes a bit dark 1995 family comedy, Heavyweights, is a story about being happy with who you are, but also learning how to improve yourself, that was co-written and produced by Judd Apatow and features a talented young cast (including future SNL cast member Kenan Thompson) alongside other future comedy superstars Stiller and Paul Feig.

Stream Heavyweights on Disney+.
Rent (or buy) Heavyweights on Amazon.