The 25 most underrated movies from the 1990s

“Tremors” is more than “that horror movie Kevin Bacon was in when he was young.” It’s a high-quality horror-comedy that is certainly bolstered by an actor of Bacon’s caliber being in the cast. There have, of course, been five direct-to-video sequels. Those aren’t necessarily good, but they speak to the quality of “Tremors” that would lead to such an idea.

When you think of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, you may think of “Sleepless in Seattle” or “You’ve Got Mail.” The one that gets overlooked is “Joe Versus the Volcano.” While the film is a little awkwardly quirky at times, it’s a magically-realistic romantic comedy featuring not one, not two, but three performances by Meg Ryan.

“Gremlins” is not underrated. It’s properly rated as being an ‘80s Christmas classic. “Gremlins 2” is essentially a “Looney Tunes” movie with gremlins and mogwai in it. The whole thing is absolutely absurd, and it’s great. “Gremlins 2: The New Batch” is one of the best sequels, and it’s a delightful comedy with a lot of fun, memorable bits.

Another horror-comedy bolstered by a quality cast. This time around, it’s Jeff Daniels in the lead role, and then John Goodman in a scene-stealing secondary role as an aggro exterminator. As you might guess from the title, spiders play a major role in “Arachnophobia.” While those actually afraid of spiders may want to skip it, it’s otherwise got plenty of monster movie moments mixed in with some solid humor.

This is also a romantic comedy with plenty of magical realism in it, but with Steve Martin in the primary role. Take some Shakespeare, some Los Angeles satire, and some romance and you get “L.A. Story.” Martin plays a restless weatherman who starts getting life advice from a freeway billboard. It’s got some “The Jerk”-style touches, but it has much more heart to it.

There has already been some reclaiming of “The Rocketeer” as an overlooked film, but it was enough of a flop back when it was released that there is still an argument to make for letting people know this is one worth seeing. It’s a retrofuturist superhero tale about a man in 1938 Los Angeles that finds a prototype jetpack and uses it to fight crime. There’s Howard Hughes, there’s Nazis, there’s a lot of old-school style we really appreciate.

We will make an argument we’ve made around these parts before: “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” the movie is better than the show. It’s a better take on the material, one that realizes it should be silly fun. It’s also the version where there is a hook to Buffy being tasked with being a slayer. She’s a shallow Valley Girl named Buffy! That’s the whole point! The movie is a full-on delight, and we’ll take it over the show any day of the week.

We get “The Evil Dead II” being polarizing. It’s a gnarly horror-comedy. “Army of Darkness,” the third film in Sam Raimi’s trilogy, is more palatable for a wide audience. It’s less gory, and it’s a lot more comedic. Ash, played indelibly by Bruce Campbell, has been sent back in time where he is tasked with fighting the Deadites and saving a kingdom. Groovy, indeed.

“Hot Shots!” came out in 1991, and it’s good. It’s a funny spoof movie. However, the sequel, “Part Deux” is better. That’s usually not the case with these spoof comedies. The reason it works is that it does something different. Instead of being a fairly direct parody of “Top Gun,” “Part Deux” is a parody of Rambo and characters of that ilk. It’s broad in scope, and equally broad in humor. This movie is so dumb, and that is a high compliment.

When it comes to 1994, you hear, and have heard, so much talk about “Forrest Gump” and “Shawshank Redemption” and “Pulp Fiction.” We’d argue “Quiz Show,” also nominated for Best Picture, is better than all three of those inescapable movies. Now, part of that owes to the fact we’d have all three of those on a list of the most-overrated movies of the 1990s, but “Quiz Show” is also a really good version of an Oscar-style period drama.

They tried the “Let’s poke gentle fun at an old sitcom we grew up on” thing over and over in the 1990s. Most of them are middling to bad. “The Brady Bunch Movie” is very good. It’s cast well, it has clever observations on “The Brady Bunch,” but it also pays fun homage to the original show. It actually has ideas beyond “Look! A movie based on that show! Isn’t that so random!?” The sequel is even watchable!

Nicole Kidman is a venerated actor with an Oscar. Her best performance? We’d say it is “To Die For.” Gus Van Sant’s pitch-black satire is one of those movies that has only grown more relevant in many ways. Kidman plays a seemingly cheerful woman in New Hampshire who is obsessed with getting on television and becoming a celebrity. She’s willing to do pretty much anything to make that happen. Kidman is fantastic, and against type, and a young Joaquin Phoenix also shines as a teenager Kidman’s character uses her feminine wiles to manipulate.

When people think about the career of Wes Anderson, they may first think of the rightfully-venerated “The Royal Tenenbaums,” or the overrated “Rushmore.” Better than “Rushmore,” though, is Anderson’s first movie, the underrated “Bottle Rocket.” It’s easy to understand why this one has fallen under the radar to those not all-in on Anderson. It was made on a low budget by unknowns. Not just Anderson, but his film’s stars, brothers Luke and Owen Wilson. The movie isn’t as meticulous as Anderson has grown, but otherwise everything you like about him is in “Bottle Rocket.”

“The Rock” was a hit, but it’s also easily dismissed as a Michael Bay movie. We get it. Bay directed “Pearl Harbor” and all those “Transformers” movies. You might assume this is a brain-dead, annoying action flick that didn’t merit such success. It’s one of Bay’s best movies, though, arguably the best. Sure, it’s a little silly, and a little dumb, but there’s more coherence and better acting than you usually get from a Bay flick.

“Emma” had the misfortune of being released the year after “Clueless.” That movie is a loose adaptation of “Emma” and it rules. It was a huge hit and a cultural sensation, and “Emma” star Gwyneth Paltrow wasn’t a big name just yet. However, this is a quality adaptation of the Jane Austen novel. You've watched “Clueless” a dozen times. You can watch “Emma” once.

We considered Tim Burton’s “Ed Wood,” but over time that one has gotten a good bit of recognition. It’s the Burton movie people who don’t consider themselves Burton fans will often point to as, “But ‘Ed Wood’ is good, though, I’ll give him that.” “Mars Attacks!” is much more ensconced in cult-film territory, and while it deserves that level of enthusiasm, it’s also just a fun, insane bit of filmmaking. Jack Nicholson plays two roles and is having the time of his life! Michael J. Fox plays a jerk! Yes, it is surface-level strange, but embrace the weirdness and enjoy the ride.

We get it. There have been a lot of movies about hitmen, and in the last couple years we’ve gotten good movies about how a hitman would have to be a socially-incapable maniac (David Fincher’s “The Killer”) and about how hitmen for hire don’t actually exist (Richard Linklater’s “Hit Man”). This is not just a movie about a hitman with a heart, but one going to his high school reunion. Are you rolling your eyes? We understand it, and we will say this: “Grosse Pointe Blank” is great. Give it a shot.

Lisa Kudrow didn’t find the film success of Jennifer Aniston, or even Courteney Cox, but she has some diamonds in the rough in her filmography. Romy and Michelle thread a needle as characters. They are dumb, and a bit vain, but still sympathetic. As such, their story of trying to impress at their high school reunion has you both laughing at them and rooting for them. Kudrow is good in it as well, even if she was destined to return to television.

A movie from the ‘90s where Sylvester Stallone plays a cop? It has to be an empty-calorie action flick, right? Totally skippable unless you want something silly and bloody to watch? Not so fast! “Cop Land” is a drama written and directed by James Mangold, who has given us movies like “Logan” and “Ford vs. Ferrari.” This is a serious, weighty film where Stallone does indeed play a cop, but a cop in a small New Jersey town where he’s mostly asked to look the other way when it comes to all the NYPD members who essentially live in a planned community they expect to control. Then, one day, Stallone decides not to look the other way any longer.

The ‘90s were odd, and spotty, for Bill Murray. In the mix, though, we get this overlooked farce. The title, of course, is a riff on “The Man Who Knew Too Much.” Murray plays a well-meaning doof whose brother sets him up with an immersive theater experience to get him out of his hair. However, while Murray is part of this experience, he gets mixed up in an actual espionage event, but of course continues bumbling through it. By and large, “The Man Who Knew Too Little” pulls off that high-wire act.

We called “Pulp Fiction” overrated earlier, but Quentin Tarantino’s follow-up “Jackie Brown” is underrated. It’s actually one of his best films, and definitely his best ‘90s movie for our money. Tarantino is relatively restrained helming this Elmore Leonard adaptation, and both Pam Grier and Robert Forster get to shine in this crime film with a lot of rumination on getting older.

Whit Stillman’s ‘90s trilogy is all underrated, but the best movie of those three is “The Last Days of Disco.” Stillman’s whole thing was quippy comedies of manners involving Yuppies and the idle rich. This particular movie centers on a New York disco that has seen better days, and also better management. It’s a distinct style and tone, but a fun one.

Another Joe Dante movie! “Small Soldiers” is family-friendly, but it’s not just for kids. You can watch it as an adult and enjoy it, especially if you share Dante’s affinity for film history. “Small Soldiers” is not all that dissimilar from “Gremlins,” but with less violence and a bit more humor. It’s not as good as “Gremlins,” mind you, but it is good.

Unexpectedly, we also have two Joe Johnston movies on this list. “The Rocketeer” is also a Johnston film. It’s easy to imagine a period drama about a working-class kid becoming interested in rocketry being pleasant but forgettable, but “October Sky” is quite well-made. It helps that it is based on a true story and is rich in detail, and it also helps that the kid in question is played by Jake Gyllenhaal.

Don’t dismiss “Dick” because of its silly premise. Embrace it because of its silly premise, which it executes delightfully. “Dick” is a comedic retelling of the Watergate scandal, but in this version, two ditzy-but-kind teenagers are the ones largely responsible for taking down Richard Nixon. Pair it with “All the President’s Men” sometime.