Nostalgia is all that the people are looking for now. As unprecedented and chaotic as the new decade of the 20s has become, more and more people confess that other than chasing after the latest science-fiction or futuristic film that shows a period of flying cars, they want to snuggle into bed and watch the films of their childhood.
The 90s was an era when all of our favorite icons reigned, the time when we had to dial a code on the bulky computer on our desk so we could get the internet for half an hour. Reese Witherspoon, Julia Roberts, Colin Firth, and the beloved Drew Barrymore, who is considered to be the queen of 90’s movies.
And if you’re like everyone else and wish to reminisce about the wholesome movies you watched in your childhood, then scroll through this list for some of our highly recommended 90s movies on Netflix you would love!
The Big Lebowski (1998)
Genre: Comedy
Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Writer: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Cast: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julliane Moore
Running time: 1 hr 45 min
IMDB: 6/10
When hot-shot Jeff Lebowski is mistaken by some criminals to be the multi-millionaire by the same name, he gets involved in a chase around L.A because they want him to pay back a loan, they assume he has to provide them but refuses to.
So Lebowski partners with his long-time best friend Walter, and they both investigate a missing rug belonging to the millionaire, which was worth a fortune and could also keep the debtors away from him. Also, he discovers that the millionaire’s wife, Alyssa, has been missing for a while, so he also conducts a nationwide search for her.
Croupier (1998)
Genre: Crime
Director: Mike Hodges
Writer: Peter Mayersberg
Cast: Clive Owen, Nick Redding, Nicholas Ball
Running time: 1 hr 30 min
IMDB: 7/10
Aspiring writer Jack feels like his life is going nowhere: his novel isn’t coming out successful. He was just fired from his job as a teacher, and there are no jobs available for humanities students in this economy.
Desperate, he applies for the position as a croupier, and to his surprise, he begins loving the adventurous pace and the amount of money it brings. With life going well, Jack breaks off with his longtime girlfriend Marion and starts seeing someone new who encourages him to take a further step in the world of gambling. Can he take such a risk?
Total Recall (1990)
Genre: Crime
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Writer: Philip K. Dick, Ronald Shusett, Dan ‘O Bannon
Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone, Michael Ironside
Running time: 1hr 45 min
IMDB: 6/10
Douglas is an ordinary man with a family and has a regular job as an engineer. But he continues to have recurring dreams of going to Mars for a dangerous mission. He takes a vacation to Hawaii, where he attends an organization that sells implanted dreams. There he realizes that he is actually a top-secret soldier who has a mission to go to Mars and seek an advanced weapon that could fall in the wrong hands.
Howards End (1992)
Genre: Drama
Director: James Ivory
Writer: E. M Forsterer, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson
Running time: 2 hr 10 min
IMDB: 8/10
Set in the Victorian ages of Britain, where society was divided into classes, the upper class considered themselves far more superior and advanced than the Basts, who were the working class. John is a composed and dignified businessman who is grieving the death of his wife. He is shocked when he receives his wife’s will, and her only request is that he hands over her property to a widowed working-class woman and her children.
Back to the Future Part III (1990)
Genre: Adventure
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Writer: Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale
Cast: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Mary Streenburg
Running time: 1 hr 50 min
IMDB: 5/10
We cannot make a list of the best ’90s movies on Netflix without including this one! An accident strands Marty and Emmett in 1950 while attempting to go back in the 1800s to save Doc Brown from being murdered. With the clock ticking and the chance the portal could shut down forever and leave them stranded in the Old West, the two must quickly figure out a solution before Thugs attack emmet.
Dances with Wolves (1990)
Genre: Drama
Director: Kevin Costner
Writer: Michael Blake
Cast: Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene
Running time:1 hr 50 min
IMDB: 6/10
John Dunbar is one of the best soldiers working in the CIA and has done tours in countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. His next big mission is to travel to the West to break groups of protests led by Native Americans. When he gets there, the more he comes to interact with their groups and figures out how the military is snatching their land and water sources, he begins joining their protest against the American military and the CIA.
My Best Friend’s Wedding’ (1997)
Genre: Drama
Director: P.J Hogan
Writer: Ronald Bass
Cast: Julia Roberts, Dermond Mulroney, Cameron Diaz
Running time: 2 hr 30 min
IMDB: 8/10
Since college, Julianne and Nick have been best friends and tried to date once but decided they were better off as friends. Both of them make a pact that if they are single by the age of 30, they will marry each other. When Julianne finds out that Nick is getting married, she flies back to California to do everything she can to stop the wedding since she realizes that she is too in love with Nick to let him go.
Hook (1991)
Genre: Adventure
Director: Steven Spielberg
Writer: J.M Barrie, James V. Hart, Nick Castle
Cast: Julia Roberts, Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman
Running time: 2 hr 20min
IMDB: 5/10
Based on the popular children’s book “Peter Pan” by J.M Barrie, Captain Hook and his evil army have resurrected once more to kidnap Wendy and her siblings and hide them away on a secret island in Neverland. Peter Pan, an adult now, must adapt his old role as the hero to save Wendy and the rest of the children.
The Next Karate Kid (1994)
Genre: Action
Director: Christopher Caine
Writer: Robert Mark Kaine, Mark Lee
Cast: Hilary Swank, Pat Morita, Michael Ironside
Running time: 1 hr 40 min
IMDB: 6/10
Troubled kid Julia is kicked out of school when she punches the most popular girl in her class for making fun of her bangs. Julia detests her life at home because of her step-father and his obnoxious, chatty daughter, whom Julia is forced to share rooms with.
Her mother comes across the legendary Mr. Miyagi, who gives martial arts classes and trains children to become the next martial arts experts. Knowing this will be perfect for her, Julia’s mother enrolls her in the classes to learn martial arts.
Kicking And Screaming (1995)
Genre: Action
Director: Noah Baumbach
Writer: Bo Berkman, Noah Baumbach
Cast: Josh Hamilton, Eric Stoltz, Samuel Gold
Running time: 1 hr 50 min
IMDB: 7/10
College is over, and yet Grover and his friends can’t get out of the bubble that their days of fun and adventure are over, and now they have to become adults how to pay taxes and work 9-5 at their jobs.
Money Talks (1997)
Genre: Action
Director: Brett Ratner
Writer: Joel Cohen, Alec Sokolow
Cast: Charlie Sheen, Chris Tucker, Heather Locklear
Running time: 1 hr 30 min
IMDB: 5/10
A small town huckster finds himself being chased by the police and small gangs over a large debt he had not paid back. So by accident, he collides with the top news reporter of California and threatens to expose his secret pornography collection unless the offers the huckster protection for the time being.
Titanic (1997)
Genre: History, Romance
Director: James Cameron
Writer: James Cameron
Cast: Kate Winslet, Leonardo Dicaprio
Running time: 2 hr 51 min
IMDB: 9/10
In 1912, the luxurious “ship of dreams” Titanic was set to sail from Paris and reach New York in seven weeks and was carrying passengers from all classes and backgrounds. Rose is the daughter of a wealthy businessman who has led the family to poverty because of his gambling and alcohol addiction.
She has been forced by her mother to get engaged to Cal, a prosperous businessman who treats Rose cruelly and sets limitations on her. Unhappy with her prospects, Rose tries to jump from the ship. But, she meets a traveling artist Jack Dawson, who opens her eyes to the prospects beyond marriage, and shows her what true love looks like.
Hello Brother (1999)
Genre: Action
Director: Sohail Khan
Writer: Sohail Khan
Cast: Rani Mukherjee, Salman Khan, Arbaaz Khan
Running time: 2 hr 40 min
IMDB: 7/10
Sameed is a top criminal detective working in New Delhi and solving criminal cases. In a car accident one rainy night, he receives a heart transplant from a donor, who turns out to be a murdered man who was found dead in his room. Angry and seeking vengeance, the ghost of the murdered spirit follows Sameed and asks him to investigate the cause of his death and the people responsible for it.
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Genre: Horror
Director: Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sanchez
Writer: Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sanchez, Heather Donahue
Cast: Heather Donahue, Micahel C. Williams, Joshua Leonard
Running time: 2 hr 40 min
IMDB: 8/10
Josh is investigating his sister’s disappearance, and he finds out that she was last seen near the woods where a local legend surrounding the Blair Witch exists, a witch who lures people into her cabin and then makes one person stand in the corner while she kills the other. Armed with a video camera, maps, and a recorder to take interviews with the locals, Josh and two of his friends travel to a Maryland forest to investigate the Blair witch.
The End of Evangelion (1997)
Genre: Action
Director: Hideaki Anno, Kazuya Tsurumaki
Writer: Hideaki Anno
Cast: Megumi Ogata, Megumi Hayashibara, Yûko Miyamura
Running time:2hr 40 min
IMDB:8/10
Shinji Ikari sinks into profound despair after defeating the final Angel. When SEELE orders the JSSDF to launch a surprise attack on NERV’s headquarters, Gendo Ikari and Rei Ayanami evacuate to Terminal Dogma, where he begins to work on his own Human Instrumentality Project plans. Shinji’s sanity is eventually tested when he is forced to make a decision about humanity’s fate.
Fools Rush In (1997)
Genre: Romantic
Director: Andy Tennant
Writer: Joan Taylor, Katherine Reback
Cast: Matthew Perry, Salma Hayek
Running time: 1 hr 30 min
IMDB: 5/10
The best part about 90’s Netflix movies is when they included familiar faces like Matthew Perry. Alex and Isabel are exhausted from their jobs and their broken love lives, but when the two meet each other at a club, they recognize a spark and have a passionate one-night stand, after which they decide not to meet again. But Isabel soon finds out that she is pregnant, so she and Alex decide to marry.
After this, both of them realize that they have to deal with each other’s different lifestyles and family backgrounds, but their love still keeps reminding them to remain faithful to one another.
The Rugrats Movie (1998)
Genre: Animated
Director: Igor Kovalyov, Norton Virgien
Writer: David N. Weiss, J. David Stem, Arlene Klasky
Cast: Elizabeth Daily, Christine Cavanaugh, Kath Soucie
Running time: 2 hr 40 min
IMDB:5/10
The babies are taken on a trip to the Californian forests, where they play with the wild animals and eat delicious fruits. But Tommy Pickles is disappointed because he gets a new baby brother, which makes him the second favorite person in his family, and this thought keeps making him jealous. But when suddenly all the babies lose their parents and get lost in the forest, they have to team up to get back together.
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)
Genre: Drama
Director: Lass Hallstrom
Writer: Peter Hedges
Cast: Johnny Depp, Leonardo Dicaprio, Juliette Lewis
Running time: 1hr 50 min
IMDB: 8/10
John is a young man struggling to find a purpose for his existence. He lives in a slow Midwestern town with his mentally-slow brother, his two sisters, and his obese mother, who has turned them into a laughing stock in the entire town.
To escape from his hectic life and babysit his brother, he sneaks to Mrs. William’s house, with whom he is having a secret affair when her husband is gone. In the summers, a girl named Laura moves to his neighborhood and shows him what a fulfilling existence looks like.
Notting Hill (1999)
Genre: Drama
Director: Roger Mitchell
Writer: Richard Curtis
Cast: Hugh Grant, Julia Roberts, Richard McCabe
Running time: 1 hr 45min
IMDB: 7.3/10
There cannot exist a list of classic 90s movies on Netflix without including the one that features the iconic queen Julia Roberts. Bored book store owner William Thackner gets the surprise of his life when Hollywood icon Anna walks into his store one day and requests him to help her hide because she is escaping the paparazzi.
William lets her into his life by giving her a room in his house and introducing her to his family. Despite coming from different worlds, the two realize how well they fit into each other’s existence. But can they make it last?
Election (1999)
Genre: Drama
Director: Alexander Payne
Writer: Tom Perrotta, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor
Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Matthew Boderick, Chris Klien
Running time: 1hr 40 min
IMDB: 8/10
We know our readers who love to watch 90s movies on Netflix love the ones that feature the iconic Reese Witherspoon, so we’re including this one for all of her fans! Jim McAllister starts his new job at a high school as an English teacher.
He is immediately taken aback by the popular student Tracy Flick who raises her hand to answer every question and passes every test and exam, which irritates him. When the elections for the school president are approaching, and Jim notices that Tracy is working hard to ensure that she wins, he decides to challenge her by convincing the school jock Paul Metzler to also compete for the spot.
Conclusion
The 90’s movies take us back to a simpler time when everything was predictable and simple and when technology did not rule our lives the way it does now. If mention movies in the list isn’t available in your region, you can enjoy that movie by changing the Netflix region. We look to the movies we loved in our childhood and movie icons like Matthew Perry, Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt, and cartoons like Rugrats or Powerpuff girls and remember how enjoyable life was.
We hope when you scroll through the list of best 90s movies on Netflix we have recommended, you will catch the fever of 90s nostalgia and want to spend an entire day watching them!