Special Report

75 Best Movies of the 1990s

Charles Stockdale

Published: March 15, 2018 9:23 am

Last Updated: April 14, 2020 10:52 am

The 1990s were a transformative time for American cinema. Audiences were treated to a new wave of independently produced films by now world-famous directors such as Quentin Tarantino, Richard Linklater, and Joel and Ethan Coen. These directors created a number of films that are beloved classics, less than 30 years after their releases.

Additionally, a number of filmmakers who had already established themselves by the 90s – Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Clint Eastwood among them – created some of the most successful movies of their careers with major studio backing.

24/7 Wall St. has determined the best films of the decade by creating an index based on user ratings from the Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes. These films cover every year of the decade and span genres from drama to comedy to animation.

Click here to see the 75 best movies of the 1990s.
Click here to see our detailed findings and methodology.

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

75. Groundhog Day (1993)
> Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
> Director: Harold Ramis
> Starring: Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott
> Domestic box office: $70.91 million

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Source: Courtesy of New Line Cinema

74. Metropolitan (1990)
> Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
> Director: Whit Stillman
> Starring: Carolyn Farina, Edward Clements, Chris Eigeman
> Domestic box office: $2.94 million

Source: Courtesy of Miramax Films

73. Fresh (1994)
> Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
> Director: Boaz Yakin
> Starring: Sean Nelson, Giancarlo Esposito, Samuel L. Jackson
> Domestic box office: $8.09 million

Source: Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

72. Barton Fink (1991)
> Genre: Comedy, Drama, Thriller
> Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
> Starring: John Turturro, John Goodman, Judy Davis
> Domestic box office: $6.15 million

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Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

71. The Iron Giant (1999)
> Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure
> Director: Brad Bird
> Starring: Eli Marienthal, Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Aniston
> Domestic box office: $23.16 million

Source: Courtesy of Miramax

70. The Crying Game (1992)
> Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance
> Director: Neil Jordan
> Starring: Stephen Rea, Jaye Davidson, Forest Whitaker
> Domestic box office: $62.55 million

Source: Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures

69. Boys Don’t Cry (1999)
> Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama
> Director: Kimberly Peirce
> Starring: Hilary Swank, Chloë Sevigny, Peter Sarsgaard
> Domestic box office: $11.53 million

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Source: Courtesy of Gramercy Pictures

68. King of the Hill (1993)
> Genre: Drama, History
> Director: Steven Soderbergh
> Starring: Jesse Bradford, Jeroen Krabbé, Lisa Eichhorn
> Domestic box office: $1.30 million

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

67. A Simple Plan (1998)
> Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
> Director: Sam Raimi
> Starring: Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, Bridget Fonda
> Domestic box office: $16.31 million

Source: Courtesy of TriStar Pictures

66. Donnie Brasco (1997)
> Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama
> Director: Mike Newell
> Starring: Al Pacino, Johnny Depp, Michael Madsen
> Domestic box office: $41.91 million

Source: Courtesy of Gramercy Pictures

65. The Big Lebowski (1998)
> Genre: Comedy, Crime
> Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
> Starring: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore
> Domestic box office: $17.50 million

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Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

64. True Romance (1993)
> Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance
> Director: Tony Scott
> Starring: Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper
> Domestic box office: $12.28 million

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

63. The Green Mile (1999)
> Genre: Crime, Drama, Fantasy
> Director: Frank Darabont
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan, David Morse
> Domestic box office: $136.80 million

Source: Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

62. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
> Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance
> Director: Tim Burton
> Starring: Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest
> Domestic box office: $56.36 million

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Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

61. The Sixth Sense (1999)
> Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
> Director: M. Night Shyamalan
> Starring: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette
> Domestic box office: $293.51 million

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

60. Apollo 13 (1995)
> Genre: Adventure, Drama, History
> Director: Ron Howard
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon
> Domestic box office: $173.84 million

Source: Courtesy of Gramercy Pictures

59. Dazed and Confused (1993)
> Genre: Comedy
> Director: Richard Linklater
> Starring: Jason London, Wiley Wiggins, Matthew McConaughey
> Domestic box office: $7.99 million

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Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

58. Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)
> Genre: Biography, Drama
> Director: Steven Zaillian
> Starring: Joe Mantegna, Ben Kingsley, Max Pomeranc
> Domestic box office: $7.27 million

Source: Courtesy of The Samuel Goldwyn Company

57. The Secret of Roan Inish (1994)
> Genre: Drama, Family, Fantasy
> Director: John Sayles
> Starring: Jeni Courtney, Eileen Colgan, Mick Lally
> Domestic box office: $6.10 million

Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

56. Quiz Show (1994)
> Genre: Biography, Drama, History
> Director: Robert Redford
> Starring: Ralph Fiennes, John Turturro, Rob Morrow
> Domestic box office: $24.82 million

55. Being John Malkovich (1999)
> Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
> Director: Spike Jonze
> Starring: John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener
> Domestic box office: $22.86 million

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54. Short Cuts (1993)
> Genre: Comedy, Drama
> Director: Robert Altman
> Starring: Andie MacDowell, Julianne Moore, Tim Robbins
> Domestic box office: $6.11 million

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

53. JFK (1991)
> Genre: Drama, History, Thriller
> Director: Oliver Stone
> Starring: Kevin Costner, Gary Oldman, Jack Lemmon
> Domestic box office: $70.41 million

Source: Courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films

52. Big Night (1996)
> Genre: Drama, Romance
> Director: Campbell Scott, Stanley Tucci
> Starring: Tony Shalhoub, Stanley Tucci, Marc Anthony
> Domestic box office: $11.88 million

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Source: Courtesy of New Line Cinema

51. Boogie Nights (1997)
> Genre: Drama
> Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
> Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Julianne Moore, Burt Reynolds
> Domestic box office: $26.40 million

Source: Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

50. Waiting for Guffman (1996)
> Genre: Comedy
> Director: Christopher Guest
> Starring: Christopher Guest, Fred Willard, Catherine O’Hara
> Domestic box office: $2.92 million

Source: Courtesy of Focus Features

49. Dead Man Walking (1995)
> Genre: Crime, Drama
> Director: Tim Robbins
> Starring: Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, Robert Prosky
> Domestic box office: $39.39 million

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Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures / IMDB

48. Aladdin (1992)
> Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
> Director: Ron Clements, John Musker
> Starring: Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, Linda Larkin
> Domestic box office: $217.35 million

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

47. Sense and Sensibility (1995)
> Genre: Drama, Romance
> Director: Ang Lee
> Starring: Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, James Fleet
> Domestic box office: $43.18 million

Source: Courtesy of Sony Pictures

46. One False Move (1992)
> Genre: Crime, Drama
> Director: Carl Franklin
> Starring: Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, Cynda Williams
> Domestic box office: $1.54 million

Source: Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

45. Howards End (1992)
> Genre: Drama, Romance
> Director: James Ivory
> Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, Vanessa Redgrave
> Domestic box office: $25.97 million

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Source: Courtesy of United Artists Pictures

44. Richard III (1995)
> Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi, War
> Director: Richard Loncraine
> Starring: Ian McKellen, Annette Bening, Christopher Bowen
> Domestic box office: $2.60 million

Source: Courtesy of Focus Features

43. Happiness (1998)
> Genre: Comedy, Drama
> Director: Todd Solondz
> Starring: Jane Adams, Jon Lovitz, Philip Seymour Hoffman
> Domestic box office: $2.81 million

Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

42. Toy Story 2 (1999)
> Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
> Director: John Lasseter, Ash Brannon, Lee Unkrich
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack
> Domestic box office: $245.85 million

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Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

41. Rushmore (1998)
> Genre: Comedy, Drama
> Director: Wes Anderson
> Starring: Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Olivia Williams
> Domestic box office: $17.11 million

Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

40. Ed Wood (1994)
> Genre: Biography, Comedy, Drama
> Director: Tim Burton
> Starring: Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker
> Domestic box office: $5.89 million

Source: Courtesy of TriStar Pictures

39. Husbands and Wives (1992)
> Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
> Director: Woody Allen
> Starring: Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Sydney Pollack
> Domestic box office: $10.56 million

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Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

38. Jurassic Park (1993)
> Genre: Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller
> Director: Steven Spielberg
> Starring: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum
> Domestic box office: $402.45 million

Source: Courtesy of Lions Gate Films

37. Gods and Monsters (1998)
> Genre: Biography, Drama
> Director: Bill Condon
> Starring: Ian McKellen, Brendan Fraser, Lynn Redgrave
> Domestic box office: $6.39 million

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

36. Hamlet (1996)
> Genre: Drama
> Director: Kenneth Branagh
> Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Julie Christie, Derek Jacobi
> Domestic box office: $4.41 million

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

35. Forrest Gump (1994)
> Genre: Drama, Romance
> Director: Robert Zemeckis
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise
> Domestic box office: $330.25 million

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34. The Insider (1999)
> Genre: Biography, Drama, Thriller
> Director: Michael Mann
> Starring: Russell Crowe, Al Pacino, Christopher Plummer
> Domestic box office: $28.97 million

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

33. Heat (1995)
> Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
> Director: Michael Mann
> Starring: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer
> Domestic box office: $67.44 million

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

32. In the Name of the Father (1993)
> Genre: Biography, Drama
> Director: Jim Sheridan
> Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Pete Postlethwaite, Alison Crosbie
> Domestic box office: $25.01 million

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Source: Courtesy of New Line Cinema

31. American History X (1998)
> Genre: Crime, Drama
> Director: Tony Kaye
> Starring: Edward Norton, Edward Furlong, Beverly D’Angelo
> Domestic box office: $6.72 million

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

30. The Truman Show (1998)
> Genre: Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi
> Director: Peter Weir
> Starring: Jim Carrey, Ed Harris, Laura Linney
> Domestic box office: $125.62 million

Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

29. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
> Genre: Animation, Family, Fantasy
> Director: Henry Selick
> Starring: Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara
> Domestic box office: $75.08 million

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Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

28. Boyz n the Hood (1991)
> Genre: Crime, Drama
> Director: John Singleton
> Starring: Cuba Gooding Jr., Laurence Fishburne, Hudhail Al-Amir
> Domestic box office: $57.50 million

Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

27. Beauty and the Beast (1991)
> Genre: Animation, Family, Fantasy
> Director: Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise
> Starring: Paige O’Hara, Robby Benson, Jesse Corti
> Domestic box office: $218.97 million

Source: Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

26. Miller’s Crossing (1990)
> Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
> Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
> Starring: Gabriel Byrne, Albert Finney, John Turturro
> Domestic box office: $5.08 million

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

25. Lone Star (1996)
> Genre: Drama, Mystery
> Director: John Sayles
> Starring: Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Peña, Stephen Mendillo
> Domestic box office: $13.27 million

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Source: Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

24. Fight Club (1999)
> Genre: Drama
> Director: David Fincher
> Starring: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Meat Loaf
> Domestic box office: $37.03 million

Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

23. The Straight Story (1999)
> Genre: Biography, Drama
> Director: David Lynch
> Starring: Richard Farnsworth, Sissy Spacek, Jane Galloway Heitz
> Domestic box office: $6.20 million

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

22. The Remains of the Day (1993)
> Genre: Drama, Romance
> Director: James Ivory
> Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, John Haycraft
> Domestic box office: $22.95 million

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Source: Courtesy of Miramax Films

21. Sling Blade (1996)
> Genre: Drama
> Director: Billy Bob Thornton
> Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Dwight Yoakam, J.T. Walsh
> Domestic box office: $24.48 million

Source: Courtesy of Miramax Films

20. Good Will Hunting (1997)
> Genre: Drama
> Director: Gus Van Sant
> Starring: Robin Williams, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck
> Domestic box office: $138.43 million

Source: Courtesy of New Line Cinema

19. The Player (1992)
> Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama
> Director: Robert Altman
> Starring: Tim Robbins, Greta Scacchi, Fred Ward
> Domestic box office: $21.71 million

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Source: Courtesy of New Line Cinema

18. Se7en (1995)
> Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
> Director: David Fincher
> Starring: Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey
> Domestic box office: $100.13 million

Source: Courtesy of DreamWorks Pictures

17. American Beauty (1999)
> Genre: Drama
> Director: Sam Mendes
> Starring: Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch
> Domestic box office: $130.10 million

Source: Courtesy of New Line Cinema

16. Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
> Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
> Director: James Foley
> Starring: Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin
> Domestic box office: $10.73 million

15. The Usual Suspects (1995)
> Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
> Director: Bryan Singer
> Starring: Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri
> Domestic box office: $23.34 million

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Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

14. Before Sunrise (1995)
> Genre: Drama, Romance
> Director: Richard Linklater
> Starring: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Andrea Eckert
> Domestic box office: $5.54 million

Source: Courtesy of TriStar Pictures

13. Terminator 2 (1991)
> Genre: Action, Sci-Fi
> Director: James Cameron
> Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong
> Domestic box office: $204.84 million

Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios

12. The Lion King (1994)
> Genre: Animation, Adventure, Drama
> Director: Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff
> Starring: Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones
> Domestic box office: $312.90 million

Source: Courtesy of Gramercy Pictures

11. Fargo (1996)
> Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
> Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
> Starring: William H. Macy, Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi
> Domestic box office: $24.61 million

Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

10. Toy Story (1995)
> Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
> Director: John Lasseter
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles
> Domestic box office: $191.80 million

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

9. Unforgiven (1992)
> Genre: Drama, Western
> Director: Clint Eastwood
> Starring: Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman
> Domestic box office: $101.16 million

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8. L.A. Confidential (1997)
> Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
> Director: Curtis Hanson
> Starring: Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce
> Domestic box office: $64.62 million

Source: Courtesy of DreamWorks Pictures

7. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
> Genre: Drama, War
> Director: Steven Spielberg
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore
> Domestic box office: $216.54 million

Source: Distributed by Miramax Films

6. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
> Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
> Director: Quentin Tarantino
> Starring: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen
> Domestic box office: $2.83 million

Source: Courtesy of Orion Pictures

5. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
> Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
> Director: Jonathan Demme
> Starring: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Lawrence A. Bonney
> Domestic box office: $130.74 million

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Source: Courtesy of Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

4. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
> Genre: Crime, Drama
> Director: Frank Darabont
> Starring: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton
> Domestic box office: $28.34 million

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Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

3. Goodfellas (1990)
> Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama
> Director: Martin Scorsese
> Starring: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci
> Domestic box office: $46.84 million

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

2. Schindler’s List (1993)
> Genre: Biography, Drama, History
> Director: Steven Spielberg
> Starring: Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley
> Domestic box office: $96.07 million

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Source: Courtesy of Miramax Films

1. Pulp Fiction (1994)
> Genre: Crime, Drama
> Director: Quentin Tarantino
> Starring: John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson
> Domestic box office: $107.93 million

Of all of the filmmakers whose films are featured on the list, the Coen brothers’ work is most represented with “Miller’s Crossing,” “Barton Fink,” “Fargo,” and “The Big Lebowski” included. The critical and financial success of each of these films is all the more impressive considering that the duo had only directed two features prior to their work in the 1990s – “Blood Simple” and “Raising Arizona.”

Well-represented directors also include Spielberg, who started directing in the 1960s and found great success beginning in the 1970s. He continued to release enduring works in the 1990s such as “Jurassic Park,” “Schindler’s List,” and “Saving Private Ryan.” “Jurassic Park” earned more than $402 million at the domestic box office – the most of all the films listed. Robert Zemeckis’ “Forrest Gump” earned the second most, grossing just over $330 million.

The success of these films was also boosted by the involvement of many of the decade’s most popular actors. Tom Hanks stars in six movies on the list. Johnny Depp and Morgan Freeman each star in three.

Independent films generally don’t do as well at the box office. However, many of the indie films of the 1990s did quite well considering their smaller budgets and frequent lack of corporate support systems. Notable indie movies on the list include “Reservoir Dogs,” “Being John Malkovich,” “Sling Blade,” and “Rushmore.” Multiple independent films, such as “Good Will Hunting,” “Se7en,” and “Pulp Fiction,” grossed over $100 million at the domestic box office.

Walt Disney Studios animated films also found success in the decade, six of which appear on the list. “The Lion King” ruled at the box office, grossing $312 million. Other Disney films of the decade include “Toy Story,” which brought in $192 million, and “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” which grossed the least amount with $75 million.

To determine the best movies of the 1990s, 24/7 Wall St. created an index based on each film’s Rotten Tomatoes average critic rating, Rotten Tomatoes’ average audience rating, and Internet Movie Database average user rating. To be considered, each film had to have at least 10,000 total user ratings between IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes and 10 approved Tomatometer critic reviews.

We averaged the user ratings from Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb and weighted by the number of votes for each. The combined user rating was then averaged with the Rotten Tomatoes critic rating. Box office data comes from IMDb and is not adjusted for inflation.