So many great movies were released in the 1990s that a ton were bound to be overlooked, but some hidden gems from the decade are legitimate masterpieces. The ’90s was an extremely important decade for cinema, and there were numerous filmmaking booms happening at the same time. Blockbusters reigned supreme, but they weren’t the only thing around.

The rise of affordable home video in the late 1980s created an entirely new way to get movies to the consumer, and the home video market became a H๏τbed for excellent independent film in the ’90s. Decade-defining films like Clerks and Reservoir Dogs were produced on microscopic budgets, but gained a huge audience through video rentals.

Besides having a new way to release films, the 1990s was also a time of explosive new ideas, with plenty of films pushing the boundaries of what was possible on the big screen. While blockbusters like Jurᴀssic Park ushered in a new era of CGI effects, smaller films like The Blair Witch Project showed that bigger wasn’t always better.

Because media was expanding at an unprecedented rate in the ’90s, some great movies didn’t get the attention they deserved. Sometimes they missed their audience, or they were simply too far ahead of their time. Regardless, there are so many masterpieces from the 1990s, that viewers are still discovering hidden gems all these years later.

10

Barton Fink (1991)

The Underrated Classic From The Coen Brothers

Though the Coen brothers have been two of the most famous filmmakers of the last four decades, not all of their movies have been lights-out successes. 1991’s Barton Fink got stellar reviews, but didn’t grab viewers the way many of the later Coen brothers movies would.

The headiness and dour storytelling may have alienated audiences at the time. However, it’s worth rediscovering because of the brilliant performances from John Turturro and John Goodman, and the screenplay has razor-sharp wit. Production design rarely gets the spotlight, but Barton Fink truly captures the griminess of the past.

9

Living In Oblivion (1995)

A Movie About Making A Movie

During the height of the indie movie boom of the ’90s, Living in Oblivion captured the essence of what low-budget filmmaking is like. Set across the course of one disastrous day on set, the movie jumps back and forth in the timeline to set up and pay off many of the foibles of the cast and crew of the movie-within-a-movie.

Steve Buscemi is inspired as the exasperated director, and even the smallest role in the film has heart and humor. There have been plenty of movies about making movies, but none so raw and unflinching. Living in Oblivion is simultaneously hilarious and cringe-inducing, and it challenges the idea of artistic expression in film.

8

eXistenZ (1999)

A Bit Too Much Like The Matrix For Its Own Good

David Cronenberg experimented with a ton of new ideas in the 1990s, and eXistenZ was his direct response to the burgeoning technology of the day. Set within the confines of a state-of-the-art virtual reality game, the movie has many of the director’s body horror trademarks. The synthetic mixes with the biological in a goopy melding of man and machine.

Unfortunately, eXistenZ premiered in the same year as The Matrix, which shared some of its core concepts. Despite the similarities, the Cronenberg film is astoundingly fresh and original, and is arguably the better take on the virtual reality concept. The techno-fear-mongering is a bit cheesy by today’s standards, but the eXistenZ is still hauntingly effective.

7

The Last Days Of Disco (1998)

Whit Stillman’s Defining ’90s Film About A Different Era

Whit Stillman’s best film of the 1990s isn’t even about the decade in question. The Last Days of Disco is set in 1980, and follows two young women as they try their hand at life and romance in New York. The film brilliantly uses the death of the disco fad as an allegory for the characters’ transition into post-graduate adulthood.

Chloë Sevigny and Kate Beckinsale give one of their best performances, and Whit Stillman’s ultra-witty dialogue flows more naturally than in some of his other films. Instead of being somewhat isolating like Metropolitan, The Last Days of Disco is a warm romantic comedy that invites the viewer into the story.

6

Copycat (1995)

The Most Underrated Thriller Of The ’90s

There are numerous great thrillers from the 1990s, but Copycat is one that often slips through the cracks. Sigourney Weaver leads an all-star cast as a psychologist determined to stop a serial murderer before he strikes again. Made with all the slickness of films like Silence of the Lambs, Copycat is very much a product of its time.

Weaver is unsurprisingly strong in the lead role, but it’s Harry Connick Jr. who turns in a performance for the ages. There is a slow-building tension as the pressure mounts, and few psychological thrillers from any era excel so mightily at the psychological aspects of their fictional case.

5

Freeway (1996)

A Truly Twisted Fairytale Starring Reese Witherspoon

The 1990s were known for pushing the envelope, and Freeway is a perfect example of a film that wasn’t afraid to push ʙuттons. Playing out like a modern retelling of the story of Little Red Riding Hood, Freeway was one of Reese Witherspoon’s first movies, and it’s unlike any debut in cinema history.

The unflinchingly dark comedy thriller is a frank depiction of crime and punishment in the ’90s, making not-so-subtle commentary about criminal justice reform. Every frame is dingy and covered in sarcastic grime, and the acting by Witherspoon showed just what sort of career she would have in the next few years.

4

Strange Days (1995)

The Blade Runner Of The 1990s

There were a bunch of underrated science fiction films in the ’90s, but Strange Days is one example that is worth revisiting in the modern day. With neo-noir visuals and an intriguing plot about virtual reality, Strange Days has stood the test of time while other films from the era have aged poorly.

Director Kathryn Bigelow keeps a lot of plates spinning, and Strange Days is certainly a sci-fi movie with a lot going on at all times. The near-future technology is subtle and well-integrated into the plot, and Ralph Fiennes leads a strong ensemble cast. The movie’s commentary about policing is still starkly relevant today, and it deserves its cult classic status.

3

The Game (1997)

A Mind-Bending Roller Coaster Ride

Sandwiched between his two most popular movies, David Fincher directed The Game in 1997. The mystery thriller had all the makings of a box office hit, but largely failed to launch as a mainstream movie. Despite this, it has gained a following in the years since, and is finally respected as one of Fincher’s best.

The тιтular game is simple-but-effective, and each twist is dropped at just the right moment for maximum impact. Unlike other films with plenty of twists, The Game keeps delivering surprises right up the final frame, and even then it intentionally leaves questions. This has kept fans coming back for nearly 30 years, and it has spawned some imitators.

2

Bound (1996)

An LGBTQ+ Erotic Thriller From The Wachowskis

A few years before they would end the ’90s with a bang by directing The Matrix, the Wachowskis delivered an entirely different experience with Bound. Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon headline as lovers who decide to steal money from a gangster. The film stands on its merits as a thriller, though it has elements of romance and eroticism too.

The depiction of openly LGBTQ+ characters was still something of a rarity in the mid-’90s, and the duo are treated with respect. Instead of merely being erotic eye candy, Violet and Corky are fully realized characters with wants and desires that make the audience care. The filmmaking is also flashy and stylized, showing just what the Wachowskis were capable of.

1

But I’m A Cheerleader (1999)

A Tongue-In-Cheek Comedy About Sєxuality

Though it tackles a dark subject, But I’m a Cheerleader is one of the funniest movies of the 1990s. Set within the confines of a gay-conversion camp, the ensemble comedy pokes fun at conservative views towards the LGBTQ+ community with biting wit. Never destined for mainstream success, the movie caters specifically to its audience.

The low-budget film uses a lot of color to spice up the visuals, and its message remains important even 25 years later. Even though it got pretty bad reviews upon release, But I’m a Cheerleader is an important cornerstone of ’90s gay media, and one of the few underrated movies from the ’90s that deserves the label of masterpiece.