13 Amazing '90s Films That Only the Cool Kids Recall

      These memorable ’90s films that only the coolest kids recall played a significant role in shaping that time of youthful energy and relative wealth.

      We watched nearly all of them in cinemas. Naturally, opinions vary, so feel free to let us know if you think we overlooked any titles.

      Now, let’s delve into the ’90s films.

      Kids (1995)

      Shining Excalibur Films – Credit: Shining Excalibur Films

      It's difficult to express just how much buzz there was around Kids in 1995 due to its raw depiction of sex and drugs.

      What makes it unique among coming-of-age films from the ’90s is its departure from the high school setting — its characters are instead found on streets, in parks, in corner stores, and in homes when parents are absent, engaging in questionable activities.

      Directed by Larry Clark and penned by Harmony Korine when he was only slightly older than the teenage characters, Kids helped kickstart the careers of iconic Gen X actresses Chloe Sevigny and Rosario Dawson. It also features one of the best soundtracks ever, highlighted by Folk Implosion’s "Natural One."

      And just to clarify, that item Chloe Sevigny is holding in the photo? That’s a public phone. People had to scramble for change just to use a shared, grimy phone. When people reminisce about how everything was better in the ’90s, remember that this was a common way to reach your friends.

      Pump Up the Volume (1990)

      New Line Cinema – Credit: C/O

      Christian Slater stars as a pre-internet edgelord who utilizes a pirate radio station to express his teenage angst and spin some edgy music.

      Residing in a Phoenix suburb, he goes by Mark in the daylight, a reserved high school student who finds it tough to make friends. But at night, he transforms into a Gen X shock jock who criticizes parental hypocrisy and channels the poetic fury of… Leonard Cohen?

      That music choice illustrates that Harry is secretly a sensitive individual, more informed by sorrow than by anger. Pump Up the Volume is a compelling ’90s film that feels almost outdated as soon as the internet became mainstream — no one required a pirate radio station to voice untamed thoughts any longer.

      Yet, it’s hard not to identify parallels with our current lives, where we often act one way in real life and another online.

      Freeway (1996)

      Republic Pictures

      If you associate Reese Witherspoon primarily with leading lighthearted romantic comedies and family dramas, you need to check out Freeway and prepare yourself. This dark, distinctly ’90s adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood is one of our favorite largely forgotten dark comedies — a genre that truly thrived in the ’90s.

      In this film, Witherspoon plays an illiterate runaway escaping from authorities after her mother, a sex worker, is arrested along with her abusive stepfather, only to find herself in an even more dangerous situation when she accepts a ride en route to her grandmother’s home. Unbeknownst to her, she’s being pursued by the Big Bad Wolf, aka Bob Wolverton, a creep portrayed by a daring Kiefer Sutherland.

      The film boasts a wonderful supporting cast, including Den Hedaya, Amanda Plummer, Brooke Shields, Bokeem Woodbine, and Brittany Murphy.

      Produced by Oliver Stone, naturally.

      Can’t Hardly Wait (1998)

      Sony Pictures Releasing – Credit: Columbia Pictures

      Is Can’t Hardly Wait a movie for Generation X or Millennials? It features a lineup of rising Gen X stars, including Ethan Embry, Lauren Ambrose, Seth Green, Melissa Joan Hart, and the ever-present Jennifer Love Hewitt, who anchors the story.

      While its soundtrack screams Gen X — named after a Replacements song and featuring stellar tracks from Run-DMC and Guns N’ Roses — the characters find themselves on the defining line between two generations at the end of a relatively easygoing decade for suburban youth. Unbeknownst to them, they are about to encounter a much more daunting decade and world.

      It’s one of the most lighthearted and entertaining ’90s films, drawing inspiration from ’80s teen movies, but it’s also thought-provoking. We often reflect on Can’t Hardly Wait when considering those years where burdens were fewer, and all the self-made problems as you navigate the world.

      Its writers-directors, Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont, also crafted a brilliant Gen X satire featured on our list of Smart Movies Disguised as Dumb Movies.

      Dazed and Confused (1993)

      Gramercy Pictures – Credit: C/O

      A similar quandary: Is Dazed and Confused a film for Baby Boomers? Or for Generation X? It’s filled with Gen X actors, including Ben Affleck, Parker Posey, and Matthew McConaughey, yet it’s set on the final day of school in 1976, potentially placing