9 Underrated '90s Movies You Need To Watch RIGHT NOW
- Kaitlin Cranor
- Mar 12, 2019
- 10 min read
Updated: Jul 11, 2024
Whatever happened to Jonathan Taylor Thomas?!
I know, I know—school, normal life, blah, blah, blah... but you know what? I miss him! He is a main character in 3 of the 9 movies on this list, and his guest appearance on Last Man Standing just wasn't enough.
Where you at, JTT?! It's time for a comeback!
But, I digress.
Nostalgia can be nice, but it can also feel like a vicious kick to your heart-crotch when you're almost 31 years old and your beloved decade just isn't receiving the credit it deserves (despite the fact that scrunchies are back and as useless as ever).
So, I decided to dig up some lost and forgotten gems of the '90s, and came up with a list of 9 (for now) underrated movies that you should add to your "marathon-worthy flicks" list, pronto.
Each film inclusion features a brief introduction, a plot synopsis written in poem form (I don't know), highlights, and a memorable quote.
Or, if none of that interests you, feel free to skip to the trailers.
1. Man of the House (1995)
Starring: Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Farrah Fawcett, Chevy Chase, George Wendt
Not to be confused with the 2005 film of the same title, Man of the House was probably the first film that got me thoroughly hooked on JTT (not that I wasn't already in love, thanks to Home Improvement.)
Poetic Synopsis:
Ben and his mom have a perfect routine.
Then she wants to remarry—Ben thinks that's obscene.
Meets the try-too-hard guy in his lame business suit
And develops a plan to make mom's new man scoot.
He convinces poor Jack to join him in some hangouts
For kids and their fathers—a little like Boy Scouts.
If dorky enough, he hopes Jack will just leave
And his mother will hate watching darling Ben grieve.
But as friendships develop, Jack hopes he can learn
To show Ben that he's different—here for the long term.
Highlights:
An unconventional rain dance set to C+C Music Factory's "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)"
Another epic soundtrack addition in the form of "Return to Innocence" by Enigma (who does not get any royalties from that song because they messed up big)
Memorable Quote:
(Ben and Jack are cornered and the bad guys are trying to decide how best to kill them.)
BEN: "If you were really clever, you'd wrap us up in wet rawhide so that when it dried out, it'd mash up all our bones and squeeze our internal organs out through our orifices like a tube of toothpaste."
(Bad guys look disgusted and Jack just stares.)
BEN: (to Jack) "I saw it on 'America's Most Wanted.'"
2. A Little Princess (1995)
Starring: Liesel Matthews, Eleanor Bron, Liam Cunningham
If you haven't seen it (nope, actually even if you have), you're in for a tear-jerker. Just watching the trailer gets me all choked up.
This film adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic story is not to be confused with the Shirley Temple version. First of all, it wasn't made in 1939 and second of all, I haven't seen that version (although I adore Shirley Temple).
Poetic Synopsis:
Sara has always been told she's a princess.
Her father does all that he can to enforce this.
When he enlists to fight in the war
Sara's sent to a school where her mom learned before.
The girls love her instantly—well, all but one.
They admire her spirit and good sense of fun.
Then, one day, tragedy blows her whole world apart—
News her father had died breaks her once-joyful heart.
Now an orphan and homeless, she lives as a servant
Though somehow, incredibly, hope remains fervent.
Highlights:
Sara's stories about India, which are always magical and filled with color and beauty
Epic soundtrack edition by Patrick Doyle called "Kindle My Heart" (It's near the end of the movie and you will cry.)
Memorable Quote:
(Sara is outlining her father's face with her finger.)
CAPT. CREWE: "What are you doing? Memorizing me by heart?"
SARA: "No... I already know you by heart."
3. Casper (1995)
Starring: Bill Pullman, Christina Ricci, Malachi Pearson
My dad introduced me to Casper the Friendly Ghost cartoons when I got up too early on Saturday mornings. It was a special treat since my sister and I weren't allowed to watch very much TV while we were growing up.
I was 7 and my sister was 5 when we saw the movie in theaters, so we were a little too young to fully appreciate it yet, but we sure thought the glow-in-the-dark Casper hand puppets from Pizza Hut were cool (I wish I could find mine)!
Also, I probably should have included Devon Sawa in the "starring" line, but contrary to popular belief, he did not actually voice the lovable and friendly ghost, and is really only in about 45 seconds near the end of the film. (I think he's also a little salty about it, but c'mon dude, you got to share a smooch with Christina Ricci!)
Now to be fair, I do not deny that the sight of Sawa descending the staircase to Jordan Hill's "Remember Me This Way" gave me the same goosebumps as every other girl my age and I was not sorry that they cast him. Still, it's interesting how much the actual voice actor (Pearson) looked like Casper and I wonder if it hurt his feelings a little.
Wow, I've already spent way too much time on this intro.
Back to the movie!
Poetic Synopsis:
Casper the ghost longs for friendship so bad
That he figures out how to get Kat and her dad
To come stay at the mansion he lives in alone
Save for his ghost uncles—at least, when they're home.
Kat's dad is a therapist for the departed—
It's sad to discover how that career started.
Doc Harvey craves contact with his dear, late wife
But he has much to learn about the afterlife.
Poor Kat just wants to stay put for awhile,
To make a few pals, and to see her dad smile.
She hopes that this move will be different than most.
Who knew that one day she'd make friends with a ghost?
Highlights:
An epic battle between Dr. Harvey and the "ghostly trio"
Some special effects that are actually pretty impressive for the '90s
Oh, and the soundtrack? Not that it needs saying, but I will anyway... James Horner is a genius. (If the music starting at 1:35 doesn't give you chills, are you even alive?)
Memorable Quote:
CASPER: "Kat?"
KAT: (falling asleep) "Mm-hm?"
CASPER: "If I were alive, would you go to the Halloween dance with me?"
KAT: "Mm-hm."
CASPER: "Kat?"
KAT: "Hm?"
CASPER: "Can I keep you?"
4. The Birdcage (1996)
Starring: Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Gene Hackman
Never a dull moment in this magnificent specimen of a movie. In fact, it was nearly impossible to choose just a few highlights because they're all amazing!
Poetic Synopsis:
"Meeting the parents" is often a step
Which requires some thought and a great deal of prep.
In the case of Armand and his just-betrothed son,
There is just a small hitch—well, perhaps a big one.
Armand owns a cabaret night club in town
Where his partner's the star with a sparkling crown.
His son and fiance are fully supportive
But fear that her parents won't be quite so sportive.
They want to avoid the inevitable quarrels
Resulting from such diverse viewpoints on "morals."
So Armand agrees to pretend to be straight,
and this task is a challenge right out of the gate.
Highlights:
Agador cleaning to Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine's "Conga" while dressed as "a combination of Lucy and Ricky"
Armand and Albert bickering
"Sweet and Sour Peasant Soup"
Epic soundtrack edition of "We are Family" by Sister Sledge
Memorable Quote:
ALBERT: "Whatever I am, he made me! I was adorable once—young and full of hope. And now look at me! I'm this short, fat, insecure, middle-aged THING!"
ARMAND: "I made you short?"
5. Jungle 2 Jungle (1997)
Starring: Tim Allen, Sam Huntington, Martin Short, JoBeth Williams
Did anyone not have a crush on Mimi-Siku? Because terrible name aside (For those of you who don't remember or haven't seen the movie, it means "cat piss" and he chose it himself.), he was one cute jungle boy!
Waaay better than Tarzan!
Poetic Synopsis:
Patricia and Michael are happily wed
Until Michael lets his career go to his head.
Patricia takes off to go live in the jungle
Before Michael has time to realize his bungle.
Years later, he wants to remarry and so,
He must track down Patricia in wild Lipo-Lipo.
It's been 13 years, and she's raised a teenager.
Turns out Mike's the father, so that news is major!
At 13, the tribe says his son is a man
Pending one grueling challenge—so they form a plan:
Mimi-Siku must follow his dad to the city
And bring back a flame from the Statue of Liberty.
Manhood at stake, not to mention his pride,
This adventure turns out to be one crazy ride!
Highlights:
Michael trying to adjust to a few days in the jungle
Mimi-Siku trying to adjust to a few days in the city
Michael having trouble remembering Mimi-Siku's name and calling him "Mitsubishi"
Memorable Quote:
(Michael is showing Mimi-Siku how to use a toilet.)
MICHAEL: Before you pee, you lift the seat; after you pee, you put the seat back down. Females in tribe start war over this. Many deaths.
6. I'll Be Home For Christmas (1998)
Starring: Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Jessica Biel, Adam LaVorgna
There's something to be said about a film whose transitions and punchlines are so seamlessly constructed that no part of the movie is boring and you don't even want to look at your phone while you're watching it.
This is that movie and I try to watch it every Christmas (if not also in July, because it's that good).
Poetic Synopsis:
Jake is a popular, likable guy
Good grades, cool hair, and a great girl, besides.
But Christmas is coming—If Jake had his druthers
He'd skip going home and avoid his step-mother.
He finagles two tickets to Cabo San Lucas
But Allie won't bite and he looks like a doofus.
So Jake promises that they'll drive home together
And that's when he learns that his luck is fair-weather.
See, Jake figured out how to "tutor some jocks"—
A fee for test answers—not quite orthodox.
But his antics end badly, for them and for him
And they all come to find him, stressed, angry, and grim.
It's "lights out" until Jake wakes up in the desert—
A headache, no money, a note in his t-shirt:
"Let's see you sweet talk your way out of this one."
Oh, and he's dressed like Santa—this oughta be fun!
Highlights:
Jake getting sick in a car full of "Tom Tom Girls"
Nolan upset that he "went and killed Santa"
Every scene involving Allie and Eddie. Or Jake and Eddie. Or all three of them.
The music supervisor—all of the song choices are perfect
Memorable Quote:
JAKE: "Hey, that's a Pathfinder—catch up with them!"
NOLAN: "Who's 'them?'
JAKE: "My girlfriend!"
NOLAN: (chuckles) "No kidding, all the way out here?... Wait a minute... Are you saying that's Mrs. Clause in there... with another guy? Mrs. Clause stepping out on Santa, letting some other guy down the chimney? Why that two-timing ho!"
7. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
Starring: Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, Larisa Oleynik, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, David Krumholtz
I was introduced to this modern rendition of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew in high school and have fond memories of reciting all the lines at warp-speed with one of my flag buddies on the band bus.
The rest of the band likely had fond fantasies of opening the doors and kicking us out while the bus was still moving. But, when every line is this quotable, it's hard not to memorize each one and relate it to everything high school-related.
Poetic Synopsis:
Kat is a girl that most everyone fears
She communicates mostly in angst and in sneers.
Her sister, Bianca, is simply adored
With all the good manners her dad can afford.
She wants to date badly—Kat couldn't care less
And their father would rather not deal with the stress.
But Bianca insists, so dad thinks of a plan
To ensure that he stays a well-rested, calm man.
His idea is fairly ingenious because
He decides that "Bianca can date— when [Kat] does."
Highlights:
Bianca and Kat bickering
Cameron and Michael bickering
Any scene that involves Patrick smiling
Memorable Quote:
(Michael is giving Cameron a rundown of the student body cliques.)
CAMERON: (stunned as Bianca walks by) "What group is she in?"
MICHAEL: "The "Don't-Even-Think-About-It Group." Bianca Stratford—she's a sophomore."
CAMERON: (passionately) "I burn, I pine, I perish!"
MICHAEL: "Of course you do."
8. Walking Across Egypt (1999)
Starring: Forrest, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Ellen Burstyn, Judge Reinhold, Mark Hamill
Pretty much no one outside of my family has ever seen this movie (trust me, I've checked), but it's super cute and it's unfortunate that it never really took off.
It's also based on Clyde Edgerton's novel of the same name. Which I didn't know until I wrote this post, and I'll probably need to read it, now.
Poetic Synopsis:
Old Mattie Rigsbee lives all alone
And her children both want to put her in a "home."
She finds a stray dog and gets stuck in her chair
So it's quite a relief once the dog catcher's there.
The two become friends as they chat over lunch
And she learns of his nephew who's in quite a crunch.
Young Wesley's in juvie and that breaks her heart.
She wonders if she can give him a fresh start?
Highlights:
Mattie teaching Wesley how to swim
Mattie discovering a gun in Wesley's bag while he's in the bath (doesn't sound funny, but trust me)
Memorable Quote:
WESLEY: (sinking into a bath) "God damn, this feels nice!"
MATTIE: "Young man, you will not take the Lord's name in vain in my house!"
WESLEY: "I'm not in the house, I'm in the tub!"
9. Galaxy Quest (1999)
Starring: Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, Daryl Mitchell, Sam Rockwell
My husband loves this movie and will undoubtedly question its placement ("Last?!"), but OCD is a powerful disease and this movie's release date (December 25, 1999) pre-determined its position, so...
Sorry, Hubby.
I was actually super skeptical about watching this movie since I could only remember trailers and never heard anything nice about it until I met my husband (6-ish years ago).
I was pleasantly surprised!
Poetic Synopsis:
A diverse group of actors used to be famous
Before they discovered just how fickle fame is.
Then a spaceship they board turns out to be real
And their acting is useless—what a raw deal!
They're supposed to be off to a sci-fi convention
But instead get involved with some alien tension.
The actors have some skills, so that's sort of helpful.
Washed up though they are, their new gig's sure eventful!
Highlights:
Alex's frequent panic attacks
Tommy's lamentable spaceship-steering skills
Memorable Quote:
GUY: (trying to interpret a tactical display) "There's a... red, uh...thingy... moving toward the green thingy."
JASON: (impatient) "What?"
GUY: "Red thingy moving toward the green thingy. I think... (getting panicky) I think we're the green thingy."
So... this post is over.
What are you still doing here?
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