What's not to love about three action heroes in dresses? Might have been a gimmick but it worked!
The nineties shaped a generation of kids that were far cooler and nonchalant than their garish parents with everything seemingly the antithesis of the seventies and eighties. Gone were the colourful tight clothes, big hair and shoulder pads, replaced with a permanent eye-roll, baggy dark garms and a sense of listlessness and angst.
Recent Channel 4/HBO hit, It’s A Sin finished up in the early 90s and by that time where gay culture changed forever. These films are meme-worthy classics that will crop up in conversation without you even realising where it’s from. Prepare to go ‘ohhhh THAT’S where that’s from’ as you progress through the list…
11 of the best 90's movies...
Edward Scissorhands (1990) – Make sure you bring you tissues for this one. Johnny Depp pre-cancellation turns out a tender and heart wrenching performance in one of Tim Burton’s masterpieces. Winona Ryder (Stranger Things, Beetlejuice) plays his love interest, a part she recently took on again this year for a Super Bowl ad for Cadillac for also starring Timothée Chalamet as ‘Edgar’ Scissorhands, their son.
Clueless (1995) – A movie that epitomises the 90s on so many levels. A meme ready film before they even existed. Alicia Silverstone is rich LA high school girl perfection in director Amy Heckerling’s modern day adaptation of Jane Austin’s Emma. With a gay main character that’s neither a stereotype nor a plot device, Clueless was ahead of its time and does its source material proud.
Death Becomes Her (1992) – This black comedy has gone down as a gay cult classic, inspiring drag queens and comedians alike. With the top tier cast of Goldie Hawn and Meryl Streep who turn to dark magic to maintain their beauty and fulfil their selfish needs, the film overflows with memorable moments. Two Hollywood divas doing actual supernatural battle with Oscar winning special effects, it’s not to be missed.
We still can't quite believe Angie Jolie let Brad go...
Interview With The Vampire (1994)- As with most decades, vampires come in and out of fashion and in the 90s, this was the pinnacle of bloodsucking schlock. Starring Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and then child star Kirsten Dunst, this adaptation of the Anne Rice blockbuster book got mixed reviews on release. Now it has a gay cult following and the dynamic of Pitt and Cruise as a parental unit to Dunst cannot be emphasized enough.
Serial Mom (1994) – Beverley Sutfin (Kathleen Turner) has a secret. She’s the perfect housewife but behind closed doors she’s a foul-mouthed sex-crazed murderer! Legendary direct John Waters goes full blown crazy with the comedy as black as the night and it’s sublime. Why Kathleen Turner never won an Oscar for this we’ll never know. PUSSYwillows!
Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert (1994) – One of the most seminal LGBT films ever made and still as fresh today as ever. Before RuPaul’s Drag Race, this was a story about real drag in Australia. Camp, absurd, hilarious and touching. The film made stars of Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce and even spawned a hugely successful musical which no doubt will be throwing sparkles on the stage after they’re allowed to open again.
To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything Julie Newmar (1995) – The much derided but much-loved American remake of Priscilla above. At the time they wanted to get macho action stars to play drag queens so cast Patrick Swayze and Wesley Snipes in the lead roles. They put in dedicated and actually very heart-warming performances giving the road movie an unexpected depth. While purists claimed it pales in comparison to Priscilla at the time, it now has a deserved cult following.
Miaow! Certainly the best Catwoman to grace the silver screen
The Birdcage (1996)- The perfect adaption of the original La Cage Aux Folles see Robin Williams and Nathan Lane take up the roles of a gay couple who on and perform in a gay club in Miami. What follows is a farce of epic proportions with a superstar supporting cast and script full of zingers. Lane and Williams make a convincing and tender couple, holding the whole thing together with stellar performances.
Beautiful Thing (1996) – Gay coming of age films are no new thing but the subtlety, the performances and the script (adapted from the play of the same name) are all sublime. By turns heart-warming and heart breaking, it’s like watching someone else’s private experience and empathising fully. It gives you ALL the feels and reflects a moment in time you won’t forget in a hurry.
Batman Returns (1992) – Thought of by some as one of, if not THE best, Batman movie. Far more camp and funny than the Christopher Nolan trilogy, this Tim Burton sequel to his own Batman (1989) ups the ante on all fronts. Two words make this film the classic it is; Michelle. Pfeiffer. Her Catwoman is one of the greatest on-screen characters of all time. A laugh riot from start to finish and a creepy turn from Danny DeVito as The Penguin make this a classic.
Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion (1997) – High School related films were all the rage in the late 90s. Romy & Michelle are loser shop girls that vow to go to their High School reunion and show the bullies just how successful they are, even if it means lying. Lisa Kudrow and Mira Sorvino hit all the right comedy notes and with a spot-on supporting cast including Jeanine Garofalo and Alan Cumming, it’s a reunion you don’t want to skip.