What does it mean for a movie to “age well”?
Some films, like Casablanca or The Godfather or Psycho, are instant hits in their time and maintain their popularity over the decades. Others might not perform as well in their initial run but eventually grow into beloved canonical favorites; something like It’s a Wonderful Life or Blade Runner would fit the bill for that sort of scenario. One could say that both of those kinds of movies “aged well.” (They’ve certainly aged better than me; have you seen how gray my hair is getting? It’s brutal.)
Then there are films that were big successes in their day that don’t hold up to scrutiny years or decades later. Occasionally these movies aren’t just critical and commercial favorites, they’re even Oscar winners. (For Best Picture no less!)
Today’s list at ScreenCrush is all about those kinds of movies, the ones released in the 1990s that maybe haven’t aged quite so well. These films are the type that make you say “That movie got good reviews? Really?”
In addition to listing and describing my 12 picks below, I’ve also included their Rotten Tomatoes scores, all of which are fresh with one notable exception that I will explain. If you still enjoy these hit ’90s movies, that’s totally fine. Beauty is forever in the eye of the beholder. Just ask my wife; she says I still look good even though I am not aging well at all.
Bad ’90s Movies That Got Great Reviews
These popular 1990s films did bafflingly well with critics and audiences.
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The Best Action Movie Every Year of the 1990s
From 1990 to 1999, here’s the best action movie released each year.