By Madison Kitch
Trends from the 80s and 90s are coming back with a bang in today’s culture. With everything from fashion to music, people look back on these time periods with fondness, especially the movies. From romance to action, well-known to not-so-well-known, here are the top five movies from the 80s and 90s.
The Princess Bride (1987)
“The Princess Bride” is a heartwarming movie that’s fanbase spans across generations. The charming scene, set in the fictional city of Florin, follows the love story of Westley (Carey Elwes) and Buttercup (Robin Wright), two people that realize they’re in love too late. Westley is a farm hand for Buttercup’s family farm during her teen years. She holds nothing but disdain for him until he leaves to find riches. He promises to find her, but he goes through many physically and emotionally draining tasks along the way including fencing and having his body stretched on a torture machine. This movie has perfect amounts of action, storybook romance and iocane powder for the whole family.
Clueless (1995)
A lot can be told about a person’s personality based on whether their favorite Cher is the singer or Cher Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone). In the teenage drama, Cher and her best friend, Dionne (Stacey Dash) are at the top of the Beverly Hills High School social ladder. Shallow and desired, Cher is bored with her rich, privileged life provided by her lawyer father. When the new girl and fashion wreck Tai (Brittany Murphy) move into town, Cher and Dionne decide it’s time for a makeover which leaves Tai more popular than Cher. Cher needs advice, and her ex-stepbrother Josh (Paul Rudd) is the best person to go to. As Cher starts to fall for him, things get complicated. This rom-com classic will have audiences rolling with laughter, but not so much that they won’t miss saying “awww” at the end.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
Director John Hughes had his reign of beloved teen films in the 80s, and that definitely didn’t stop with “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” This movie follows the exciting day of Ferris Bueller, a high school senior who decides he needs a break. Ferris calls in sick, “borrows” his best friend’s family Ferrari, and has one unforgettable day with his girlfriend after pulling her out of school on account of a grandma “dead”. The couple takes in what Chicago has to offer staying one step ahead of their skeptical principal. “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” allows students of all ages to dream of the impossible– successfully skipping school in epic fashion.
Back to the Future (1985)
“Back to the Future” was the highest-grossing film released in 1985 making $210 million in the U.S. alone. This movie follows the wild tale of Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox), a highschool kid with too much time on his hands and Dr. Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd), the town’s eccentric old guy. The beginning leads viewers through Marty’s average school day, but out of nowhere, Doc Brown tells Marty to go to an abandoned parking lot in the middle of the night. Doc Brown shows Marty his latest creation: a time-traveling Delorean. Marty takes it for a ride but accidentally goes back to 1955. While there, he learns about his family’s past and almost messes up his parent’s relationship forever. It’s up to Marty to keep his parents’ marriage on track and make sure he’s actually born. Midterm stress may be awful, but almost never existing stress is way worse.
Forrest Gump (1994)
“Forrest Gump” is a Tom Hanks’ classic set in the late 60s and 70s following the adult life of Forrest Gump, a man with an IQ of 75. After having corrective leg braces on during his childhood, Forrest discovers that he’s great at running. He heads to college to play football, but then he decides to serve in the Vietnam War. From being a national ping-pong star to running across the country for three years straight, Forrest does just about anything and everything. However, in the end, all he really wants to do is help his troubled childhood best friend, Jenny (Robin Wright). Watch Forrest go through life and feel free to laugh and cry along the way (it’ll happen).
It could be the cast chemistry or an amazing script, but all of these movies have something unique and special. Sit down, grab some snacks and a few friends, and watch these beloved movies. After all, they’re “classics” for a reason.
