Many people love to rewind time and bask in the nostalgic atmosphere of another decade. The 90s is one of those idealized decades, known for the boom of hip-hop and grunge music, a rise in the relevancy of celebrities and pop culture, and more. The entertainment industry also boomed during this time with beloved sitcoms, action films, and romantic dramas releasing and staying relevant throughout the years.
Streaming platforms like Netflix, of course, want to highlight recent releases, including some of their own original series and films. But even the entertainment giant recognizes the draw of including these older films in its massive catalog. Pop on some Nirvana and cruise along as we go over the 20 best 90s movies to watch on Netflix.
20 Unspeakable Acts (1990)
Unspeakable Acts is a drama that discusses tough but important issues. Based on a true story, this heartbreaking film is set in the 80s in California with a daycare at the forefront. Two child psychologists are brought in to interview children at the daycare once it’s believed that sexual abuse has taken place. While the film can be hard to watch at times, it will also fire up your emotions witnessing how much resistance and hurdles are placed in the prosecutor’s way in search of justice.
19 Vampires (1998)
Vampires is one of many works by filmmaker John Carpenter. This late-90s movie blends elements of a western, horror, action, and drama to propel this engaging story. Jack Crow grew up in a religious environment and has their support to be one of the head vampire hunters. His parents and members of his crew were killed by vampires, so his hatred for them runs deep. Jack is determined to defeat the head vampire and forms a new group of vampire hunters. Not only is traversing the world of vampires perilous, but Jack will soon learn that his band of unsteady allies are perhaps just as dangerous.
18 The Cable Guy (1996)
The Cable Guy may not be one of Jim Carrey’s most popular movies, but that doesn’t mean it’s not good and doesn’t deserve a watch. When most people call a handyman or plumber, they don’t expect said worker to weasel their way into their lives. That’s certainly not what Steven, a newly single guy, expected when he decided he could use some television to keep him distracted from his life’s woes. Cable guy Chip (Carrey) appears friendly and a bit eccentric upon first meeting, but soon grows obsessed with befriending Steven, and starts a dark and twisted journey for the two of them.
17 Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino’s first movie, Reservoir Dogs, is a crime thriller centered around a jewelry heist. The film has a large cast of characters, with eight criminals coming together to pull off the robbery. However, when their plan doesn’t go as smoothly as they expected, resulting in injuries, deaths, and members of the gang disappearing, they start to believe it was more than just bad luck. With suspicions of a traitor among them, now they (and the audience) have to discover who among them is the rat. Featuring lots of violence, Reservoir Dogs may not be for everyone, but with its nonlinear format actively engaging audiences, it has become a staple in the crime genre.
16 Cliffhanger (1993)
The 90s sure loved their action films, and Cliffhanger was another great contribution. Gabe Walker is a mountain climber who lost his love for the sport after he attempted to save his friend’s girlfriend while they were stranded in the Colorado Rockies. Gabe has decided to forgo his hobby, but is drawn back into it when he receives a call about another group of climbers that need rescuing. Upon arrival at the scene, Gabe realizes the call was a trap and is forced into a plan to locate the large sum of money these thieves stole from the U.S. Treasury.
Given the desolate state he's in, it would be easy for him to give up and let the criminals have their way with him. But since Gabe's girlfriend is also in danger, he must tap into his bravery and get them out of the situation. Cliffhanger gives you the nail-biting moments of any great thriller alongside breathtaking mountain shots.
15 In the Line of Fire (1993)
Frank Horrigan (played by Clint Eastwood) is a Secret Service agent who feels an extreme amount of guilt surrounding the assassination of JFK. So, when he starts receiving a series of calls from another person set on killing the President, there’s a part of Frank who wants to redeem his perceived past mistakes. There are many characters in the movie, many working for various government agencies with the supposed singular goal of securing the safety of the president and citizens. However, it becomes clear that not everyone's motives are pure.
Throughout the film, Frank’s mental tenacity is challenged, putting him in scenarios where his morality and loyalty are questioned. In the Line of Fire is a classic cat-and-mouse game and a solid political thriller tying in real historical events.
14 Stuart Little (1999)
With some of M. Night Shyamalan’s more recent titles like Old, it could be difficult to wrap your head around the same filmmaker having hands on the children’s comedy Stuart Little. Based on an E.B. White novel, this movie follows a young boy named George who is hoping for the perfect little brother when his parents go out to adopt a child. But when they return home with a talking mouse instead, it’s safe to say it takes him a while to adjust (not to mention the family cat). Although Stuart finds love in his new family, he starts to question his origins and recruits George to help him find his mouse family.
13 Heat (1995)
Heat is a crime film that brought in two mega-stars from the 70s: Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. Neil McCauley is the leader of a band of criminals who begin the film stealing over $1 million. But the robbery ends up turning fatal, after a domino of reckless actions initiated by one of his crew members who later ditches them.
Vincent Hanna (De Niro) is a LAPD officer who is set on putting an end to the crimes happening, though he’s often distracted by his rocky relationship with his family. There are many individuals on both sides in this film and you never know exactly who to trust, including the main characters themselves.
12 Starship Troopers (1997)
Stills of Starship Troopers may give the impression that it’s a serious, militaristic action film when instead it's a satirical military sci-fi. The story is set in the future where the government is extremely strict and oppressive. Johnny is a teenage boy who enlists in the military, specifically the unit involved in interstellar combat. The film follows Johnny’s journey as he trains to become a soldier and how he becomes wrapped up in the conflict with an alien species of bugs. The film is a bit weird, sure, but provides a fresh perspective in the science fiction realm where many of the films begin to bleed together.
11 The Last Days (1998)
Switching gears with a documentary, The Last Days gives a voice to five Holocaust survivors from Hungary. The individuals recount their experience during the last year of World War II after their country was invaded and occupied. Even if you’ve studied a lot about the war, hearing the different experiences these people went through is sure to resonate.
The film even talks about their lives post-war, as they each forged their own paths despite the harrowing experiences they lived through. Despite covering such a dark time in world history, the resilience of the survivors provides a sense of hope for a better future.
10 Titanic (1997)
A classic in the romance genre, Titanic is over three hours yet still manages to keep viewers glued to their seats. Documenting the infamous real-life sinking of the RMS Titanic ship, the film’s main focuses are the fictional characters of Jack and Rose. Jack is a poor artist who thinks he’s the luckiest man on earth when he wins tickets to board the Titanic. Rose is a teenage girl from a wealthy family dissatisfied with her sheltered life and the conventions she’s forced to uphold. The two instantly connect, but their love story is upended by an iceberg.
9 Léon: The Professional (1994)
Léon: The Professional is a story about a professional cleaner living in Little Italy. By “cleaner,” he means assassin or hitman. Due to his profession, Léon keeps to himself. That is until a young girl named Mathilda shows up at his door after her entire family is murdered. This broken but resilient little girl shocks him even further when she expresses interest in taking up the same line of work as Léon. This unlikely alliance breeds a series of events that teach both characters lessons about family, love, and loyalty.
8 Hook (1991)
Fans of Peter Pan and all its secondary characters will enjoy Hook, an adventure film following Peter in his adulthood. Peter Banning has lost all the whimsy and imagination he possessed when he was Peter Pan, a part of his childhood he has all but forgotten. Now, he's a lawyer who spends so much time working that he's lost much of his identity outside of his job. Though he has forgotten his past, his enemies from that time have not forgotten him.
So, when Captain Hook kidnaps his children and brings them to Neverland, Peter is forced back into this world. In recent years, there's much talk online of embracing and healing your inner child, and this film is a perfect reminder that we all have a piece of our younger selves within us.
7 The Negotiator (1998)
If you ever wanted to get a behind-the-scenes look into the life of a hostage negotiator, check out The Negotiator. Here we follow two lieutenants, Danny and Chris, of the Chicago Police Department. Danny seems to have a great life — he's happily married and respected at his job. You can imagine the panic he feels when he's not only accused of murdering his partner but also of embezzlement. He goes on the run and eventually does engage in illegal activities in order to prove his innocence. Chris is brought in to negotiate with a fellow negotiator, and the subsequent events are highly tense and full of action.
6 Groundhog Day (1993)
Weatherman Phil Connors of Groundhog Day is one of those people who make you wonder why they just don't find another job. He has thinly veiled contempt for pretty much anything and anyone around him. Phil's latest assignment is to cover the Groundhog Day festivities and soon finds himself waking up on February 2nd repeatedly.
Phil at first uses these endless do-overs as opportunities to banish all self-control since he knows he won't face the consequences. However, this becomes old and Phil starts to wonder if he could use this time to better himself.
5 Victim of Beauty (1991)
Victim of Beauty (also known as Nightmare in Columbia County) is based on a true story and shows the ugly side of the beauty pageant world. A serial killer sets his sights on a pageant winner and kidnaps her. The sick individual goes even further by taunting the family with phone calls. The young girl's story is sad and heartbreaking on its own, but is given more emotional weight with the involvement of her sister Dawn. Working closely with the police, Dawn is willing to act as a decoy for the killer in hopes that it'll lead to Shari.
4 Liar Liar (1997)
Being cursed to only say the truth would be difficult for anybody, let alone a lawyer named Fletcher who established his career by lying. His tendency to lie goes beyond his career, as he also has a habit of fibbing to his ex-wife and son. Fletcher realizes just how much he falls into lying, whether it's little white lies or massive fabrications. As Liar Liar is a comedy, viewers are in store for the calamitous effects of his body's rejection of dishonesty. And because Jim Carrey stars in the lead role, it has all the hallmarks of his distinctive comedic style.
3 Matilda (1996)
Matilda is a comedy film featuring an extraordinary little girl that teaches us that sometimes our true families are not the ones we were born into. Matilda has felt othered by her parents and older brother pretty much since the day she was born. Since she couldn't connect with them, she resorts to connecting with books and begs her parents to finally let her enroll in school. They acquiesce, and although she loves her teacher and her new friends, the cruel principal of the school poses a different problem.
This principal causes harm to her students emotionally and physically, something Matilda is all too familiar with. As Matilda bonds with Miss Honey, she also starts to develop the telekinetic powers she's kept under wraps since she was a baby. And perhaps the evil adults in her life will finally be taught a lesson.
2 Girl, Interrupted (1999)
Girl, Interrupted is a drama based on the life of woman who went into a psychiatric hospital. In the late-60s, 18-year-old Susanna Kaysen is suffering from mental health issues. She ends up overdosing on various substances and is checked into a psychiatric hospital. Susanna gets to know the other young girls and women in the ward, but it's Lisa who draws her in most.
Lisa is a sociopath and offers Susanna much needed friendship, but also encourages reckless behavior that may end up doing more harm than good. Girl, Interrupted provides an unflinching depiction of mental hospitals during that time, as well as challenges the character's and audience's preconceived notions regarding mental health in women.
1 Jumanji (1995)
Jumanji is an action-adventure film based on a children's picture book from the 80s. The film starts by showing us a young boy named Alan in 1969, who discovers an enchanted board game called Jumanji. Alan and his friend Sarah start to play, and, eventually, Alan is sucked into the game with Sarah narrowly escaping.
Flashing-forward over two decades, we meet two siblings who move into Alan's former house after their parents died. They find Jumanji and begin playing it, which leads to the reemergence of Alan, as well as creatures from the game. If the two kids want to return everything to normal, they must recruit Sarah and complete the game. Of course, Sarah is reluctant to revisit the game that caused her anguish over the years, but seeing her old friend Alan may be motivation enough.
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