The Ultimate ’90s Guilty Pleasure Movies

The movies of the 1990s were dominated by disaster films, the first CGI blockbusters, and the early rumblings of cinematic universes. It was the decade that introduced filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Nolan, and Paul Thomas Anderson; the era that made movie stars of Keanu Reeves, Nicole Kidman, and even Adam Sandler.

None of the names will be discussed today.

Instead, let’s look at some of the unfairly maligned films of the 1990s — or maybe they’re fairly maligned, but we love them anyway. These are 12 of our favorite ’90s guilty pleasures.

Not that I feel especially guilty about enjoying any of the dozen titles listed below. I’ve long since lost my sense of shame, or my willingness to pretend I like or dislike something based on any broader sort of public consensus. You get old enough, you stop caring about stuff like that. Life is too short to feel guilty about enjoying Sidney Lumet erotic thrillers and Mel Brooks horror comedies.

Nonetheless, these films are generally considered disappointments, flops, or even outright embarrassments, hence the “guilty pleasures” appellation. They’re listed in descending order of their average score on Letterboxd, where anything below a three-star average would be considered at least a mildly negative score.

A few movies on this list score quite a bit below that. But I like ’em anyway. And it’s okay if you do too. (Don’t worry, I won’t tell. Your secret is safe with me, the person who posts down every thought that enters his head on the internet.)

READ MORE: 25 ’90s Movies That Should Have Been Bigger