Favourite Xennial movie?
Posted by puma_pantss@reddit | Xennials | View on Reddit | 168 comments
Alright, my wife is as indecisive as ever and I've run out of ideas (She doesn't know what she does want to watch, but absolutely knows what she doesn't want to watch, as evidenced by how many vetoes she puts on my suggestions).
I love movies, but recent ones just don't cut the mustard (I don't like comic books, so that knocks out about 90% of current movies) so I'd like some suggestions of 80/90s underrated gems (I asked someone else and they tried to justify Tropic Thunder being underrated... come on...)
She's in a comedy mood, but if you have one near and dear that doesn't fit the bill, by all means.
chancemyhrt@reddit
Two that I think are underrated are Go and Wonder Boys.
PercentageRoutine310@reddit
Can’t Hardly Wait (1998)
A lot of actors in it are technically Xennials.
Jennifer Love-Hewitt, b. 1979
Ethan Embry, b. 1978
Lauren Ambrose, b. 1978
Charlie Cosmo, b. 1978
Jaime Pressly, b. 1977
Jason Segel, b. 1980
Chris Owen (The Sherminator), b. 1980
Jennifer Lyons, b. 1977
Clea Duvall, b. 1977
Cameos….
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/cant-hardly-wait_n_3421913/amp
Melissa Joan Hart almost made the Xennial cut but she was born in 1976. She never got credited for that role. Her, Jenna Elfman, and Jerry O’Connell. It was surprise cameos galore. Jennifer Elise Cox (b. 1969, older than Christine Taylor) was supposed to be in it as a crowd surfer but it didn’t make the final cut.
“Would you like to touch my penis?”
“You know who else I like that didn't get much play? Velma from Scooby-Doo. She was cool. She was a hip, hip lady.”
The movie came out in 1998 and assuming the American Pie cast reps the class of 1999, most of the characters were born in 1980, the year I was born but in Dec which put me in 1999. Seth Green is actually the oldest among the main cast, born the same year as his good friend, David Faustino, and most of the cast from the original Saved by the Bell which is 1974.
Another good Xennial movie is Go (1999) if you were into that raver shit back in the day like I was. Timothy Olyphant was great in it. I was initially going to say Clerks (1994) but that feels more Gen X than Xennial. Speaking of Kevin Smith, I really want to watch The 4:30 Movie. It’s a Kevin Smith that nobody watched last year. Another good Xennial movie is 8-Bit Christmas (2021). It captured how we used to think and talk perfectly during the late 80s. It’s my favorite Christmas movie surpassing Home Alone.
“I'm a loser. I broke up with the hottest girl in school, my friends all sold me out... and somebody in there just called me a f*g!”
“Yeah. So look, don't make the same mistake I did, okay? Because if you really want to be with him, then you get back on that phone and you call Barry Manilow, and you tell him how you feel.”
“Speaking of which, you still with that Amanda chick? She was a prize piece if I ever saw one.”
[Lying to Trip] “Yeah. [Scoffs] Me and Amanda. Definitely. Yep.”
“You're lucky, bro.”
“I sure am.”
“Stay with her. It's the best advice I can give you.” [Farts] Oh, that, and bring rubber flip-flops in the shower. I got warts all over my feet.”
“Take it easy, Trip! Trip McNeely! All right...”
crazycatlady331@reddit
I saw that in theaters the day after I graduated. Perfect timing.
Also killer soundtrack.
HelicopterIll1905@reddit
Clue
crazycatlady331@reddit
Clueless.
Vegskipxx@reddit
Tim Curry at his peak
HelicopterIll1905@reddit
Sub_Zero_Fks_Given@reddit
Less
ReadyLaugh7827@reddit
grind
PanickingPotatoe@reddit
Can't Hardly Wait, Empire Records, 10 Things I Hate About You to name a few.
TheDangDeal@reddit
So I Married an Axe Murderer
This I believe fits the “underrated” aspect of your query.
If you like punny movies, and not completely over the top Mike Myers, this is the one.
SmogMoon@reddit
Perfect Xennial movie. One of my favorites.
Ambitious-Snow9008@reddit
HEED! MOVE! I adore this movie.
TheDangDeal@reddit
Look at that thing it’s like Sputnik, large and spherical, yet pointy at parts!
Ambitious-Snow9008@reddit
It’s like an orange on a toothpick!
TheDangDeal@reddit
Oh he’s going to cry himself asleep on his gigantic pillah!
Ambitious-Snow9008@reddit
I cannot upvote this enough 😂😂😂 now I need to watch this movie.
The best part is him breaking Anthony LaPaglia
TheDangDeal@reddit
If you’re more in a music/drama mood Crossroads. The Ralph Macchio one from the 80’s, not the Brittany Spears one. It’s blues music primarily, so you should like that as well.
Pure romance with a little whimsy…Don Juan DiMarco. I have yet to see a couple watch this movie without being more romantic afterwards.
Bluevanonthestreet@reddit
Princess Bride
snowboard7621@reddit
Ever After. Something for everyone.
yourlittlebirdie@reddit
Empire Records is such an Xennial movie IMO.
SuspendedDisbelief_3@reddit
Damn the man!
Stop_Already@reddit
Save the empire!!
Stop_Already@reddit
Is that why I love this movie so much???!!!?!?
Happy-Case-7209@reddit
Superb.
Msbartokomous@reddit
This. I was a huge empire records fan and still try to get the young people in my life to watch it. It’s just such a great feel-good 90s movie.
Jonestown_Juice@reddit
I just watched it last night and... it doesn't hold up lol. It's terrible.
Honestly it's always been terrible. It was a huge flop, critics hated it, etc. I think the soundtrack is the only reason it's held in such high esteem. That and Liv Tyler.
The movie is just what corporate bigwigs though "alternative teens" were.
High Fidelity is the superior record store movie.
norfizzle@reddit
I was unsure until this:
Unequivocally correct.
yourlittlebirdie@reddit
hands over ears la la la I can’t hear you!
HotChair6580@reddit
BugEquivalents@reddit
April 8th is Rex Manning Day 💜
CelticSith@reddit
Say no more...
OtterGoodTopic@reddit
...Mon amour
dbzmah@reddit
And not underrated
Nonsenseinabag@reddit
I don't feel that I need to explain my art to you, Warren.
ButterscotchAware402@reddit
My name isn't fucking Warren
yourlittlebirdie@reddit
The long arm of the law has embraced our dear friend Warren.
LLemon_Pepper@reddit
"Empire Records, open till midnight...."
"MIDNIGHT!!!"
Is burned into my brain
Deep-Interest9947@reddit
This is my favorite as well
dunsdidthehare@reddit
Had to consult my old IMDB ratings, i barely watch movies anymore but I'll still cosign these, off the beaten path but not too far:
Comedies: Waiting for Guffman, A Fish Called Wanda, Little Nicky, Kingpin, Manhattan Murder Mystery, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Indie dramedies? Party Girl, Kicking and Screaming, Haiku Tunnel, Trust, Henry Fool Rushmore, Crooklyn, Topsy Turvy, Slacker, Down by Law, Clockwatchers, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, The Wood, Withnail and I, Death to Smoochy, American Movie, Go!
puma_pantss@reddit (OP)
Although I've seen a lot of these, I have to tell you.. we watched Waiting for Guffman last week, Withnail and I, Party Girl and Kingpin are all on our "To watch" list. Unfortunately, we're in Canada and none of the streaming sites we have list them. But soon!! (Also, Death to Smoochy is criminally underrated.)
dunsdidthehare@reddit
Yeah some are hard to find streaming in US too, Criterion has some of these covered I think. I fell in love with cinema working in the A/V dept. of my college so had a lot of access to classics, then Blockbuster Gold pass then Netflix DVD which seemed to have absolutely everything in one place, how times have changed
puma_pantss@reddit (OP)
I still have a fairly respectable VHS collection, so I'm sure I could find them in a dollar bin somewhere (still hurts to know how cheap VHS are considering how much money I spent on them in college)
Oraistesu@reddit
Lighthearted and underrated?
Raising Arizona is right at the top of the list for me. Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter are absolutely incredible. It's my favorite Coen Brothers movie, but it's often overlooked in favor of Fargo, The Big Lebowski, and O Brother Where Art Thou?
Peggy Sue Got Married. Kathleen Turner is an absolute delight, and you have fun appearances by very young Jim Carrey, Helen Hunt, and Nic Cage.
Top Secret! is an underrated Zucker Brothers movie (Airplane!, Naked Gun) starring Val Kilmer.
If you're in the mood for family-friendly action, I don't think The Rocketeer gets the love it deserves, and punching Nazis should never go out of style. Jennifer Connelly, Timothy Dalton, Alan Arkin are delightful. It also has an absolutely beautiful score, and some of the cinematography is really lovely.
Happy-Case-7209@reddit
Love Peggy sue got married as well!
ButterscotchAware402@reddit
I love Peggy Sue Got Married. It's a rare occasion I meet someone who's heard of it, let alone seen it.
throwra64512@reddit
The Jerk Top Secret Naked gun Tommy Boy Coneheads Buffy the Vampire Slayer Outside Providence Real Genius Weekend at Bernie’s UHF PCU airheads Friday
bluemitersaw@reddit
PCU
throwra64512@reddit
Excuse me, can you blow me where the pampers is?
CaptZombieHero@reddit
Falling Down
Star_Pen80@reddit
Robin Hood: Men in Tights
the-von-bomber@reddit
That's when I met Dave Chapelle for the first time. I have never not enjoyed his intellect and comedic ability.
JackBivouac@reddit
I still pump my shoes
Longjumping-Fact2923@reddit
We didn’t land on sherwood forest, sherwood forest landed on us!
Sub_Zero_Fks_Given@reddit
If we don't get no tolls then we don't get no rolls...............I made that up :)
BlueSnaggleTooth359@reddit
Night Of The Comet
SadieBelle85@reddit
Anything by Mel Brooks
icecreemsamwich@reddit
And John Hughes.
ChangeIndividual9555@reddit
The Last Dragon (1985) Disorderlies (1987) The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (1990)
sarcasticundertones@reddit
my cousin vinny
Present-Pudding-346@reddit
Reality Bites Romeo and Juliet (Danes ans Dicaprio)
GelflingMama@reddit
Of she likes Bill Murray and wants an ACTUAL underrated movie try What About Bob? It’s hilarious!
BBallsagna@reddit
Angus
RacerGal@reddit
My husband and I have started just rotating picks. No vetos. No time browsing, we both just have our queues. We just each pick every other movie. This is year 2 of doing it this way and it saves so much time, and gets both of us to watch things we might have otherwise not.
We combined it with a 52 movies per year goal, which has also been fun.
abuzz543@reddit
10 Things I Hate About You
norfizzle@reddit
The Big Lebowski
If I had to choose only one, this is it.
curlysgold44@reddit
Short Circuit, The Three Amigos, Dumb and Dumber
TransportationOk657@reddit
Aprowl@reddit
Sew. Sew like the wind, old one!
pushdose@reddit
Three Amigos is a nearly perfect movie. There’s very little if any wasted screen time in that film. Also, hilarious. Sure it’s goofy, but I think it holds up on account of being a parody of a genre.
Vegskipxx@reddit
I recently learned Lorne Michaels co-wrote the movie
Revolutionary_Gas551@reddit
Take my upvote! I came here to say Dumb and Dumber, but the other two are classics too.
pa18gr055@reddit
anything with Jim Carrey
sonny894@reddit
Real Genius
Overboard
Bird on a Wire
Best in Show
Snatch
I'm not sure what qualifies as a xennial movie but I stopped at 2000
gooch_norris_@reddit
The princess bride. Best movie ever
Oraistesu@reddit
Princess Bride an "underrated gem"?
> I do not think it means what you think it means.
gooch_norris_@reddit
Oh man I didn’t even see the word “underrated” when I was reading the post
RoundEarthCentrist@reddit
I didn’t either… I was all set to suggest Back to the Future and Romancing the Stone.
Ok_Acanthisitta2025@reddit
Airheads
the-von-bomber@reddit
I ain't farting on no snare drum.
fart_panic@reddit
Drop Dead Gorgeous, 1999.
jessid6@reddit
Say anything
ContactHonest2406@reddit
Empire Records.
TurdFerguson2OOO@reddit
Can't Hardly Wait
jessm307@reddit
Random assortment of movies I found funny:
Gotcha! 1985
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels 1988
The Three Musketeers 1993
Grosse Pointe Blank 1997
The last two are among my favorites.
Ahshitbackagain@reddit
Independence Day
Vegskipxx@reddit
OP said comedy
dbzmah@reddit
Yeah, that's underrated...
Stevey1001@reddit
Sneakers, Toy Soldiers, Single White Female, Pacific Heights, The Hand That Rocks The Cradle
jessm307@reddit
Sneakers has been a favorite since childhood. I have it on DVD and look forward to watching it with my son to see if it has intergenerational appeal or if I’m just nostalgic.
Reasonable-Wave8093@reddit
Agree! i watched these recently 🤣
West-Revolution8752@reddit
One of my kids name orginates from one of those movies!
Reasonable-Wave8093@reddit
will or River? a character name or actor name? or Rejects?
West-Revolution8752@reddit
Character name
Reasonable-Wave8093@reddit
Billy 😀
West-Revolution8752@reddit
Haha no, it was in the title :D
Reasonable-Wave8093@reddit
Now im realky confused! Rocky? Soldier? Sneaker? Whistle Stop?
West-Revolution8752@reddit
loool, no Nikita, but now I'm regretting it. The names your giving where obvious better
Reasonable-Wave8093@reddit
well i don’t believe you but i love Nikita. But that movie title would be “Little Nikita” w River Phoenix. i have a friend i nick name Nikita but no one gets it lol
Dark-Empath-@reddit
Fried Green Tomatoes is a helluva name!
Reasonable-Wave8093@reddit
lol im so confused
yourlittlebirdie@reddit
Sneakers is SO underrated.
Uncle-Buddy@reddit
Be a beacon?
Stevey1001@reddit
my voice is my passport, verify me
yourlittlebirdie@reddit
Every time I hear a bunch of geese making noise, I think of the "cocktail party" scene.
Stevey1001@reddit
lmao. Too many secrets
boommerz420@reddit
Ummmm goonies has to take the cake
Illustrious-Lead-960@reddit
You want an underrated gem? 200 CIGARETTES.
screechingeagle82@reddit
Dumb and Dumber
Intelligent_Gur_3632@reddit
Mallrats
Seven22am@reddit
I was going to go with Clerks/Mallrats and Reservoir Dogs/Pulp Fiction.
xt0rt@reddit
Xennial movie Mt Rushmore right here.
Well, mine at least.
Seven22am@reddit
Damn I forgot about Rushmore!
Itsnotjustcheese@reddit
Make it a full on marathon. Clerks, Chasing Amy, Mallrats, Dogma*, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
*not sure if it’s streaming again, but I def own the dvd…that I no longer have the ability to play.
I’ve heard Clerks 3 is a real mind fuck and haven’t ventured there yet so leaving it off the recommendation list.
Livid-Condition4179@reddit
Snootchie bootchies
Nonsenseinabag@reddit
That kid is BACK on the ESCALATOR!
Lord-Sinestro@reddit
That was my class quote 😆
MikeRoykosGhost@reddit
Hackers
Interesting_Boss_849@reddit
1986 Transformers the Movie, tear jerker when Optimus dies!!
TransportationOk657@reddit
This movie had awesome music!
dbzmah@reddit
It broke 4 year old me.
stormquiver@reddit
Spoilers!!!! (Kidding)
KASega@reddit
The Burbs
TransportationOk657@reddit
Love this movie. It's in my top 10
TransportationOk657@reddit
Big Trouble In Little China. My absolute, all time favorite movie!
The Fifth Elelment comes in at 2nd
mkm416@reddit
Center Stage
Obvious_Argument4188@reddit
Dazed and Confused
maen_baenne@reddit
FatReverend@reddit
Well if I were suggesting for a guy Demolition Man but for your wife, What's eating Gilbert Grape.
dbzmah@reddit
Neither are underrated
FatReverend@reddit
Wasn't paying much attention, didn't notice that requirement.
BananasPineapple05@reddit
How familiar are you all with '90s action movies? And can you handle violence?
Because, for my money, Hot Fuzz is a 10/10 movie.
dbzmah@reddit
And rated thusly, not underrated
Oraistesu@reddit
Also released in 2007.
Yes, it calls back to a lot of 90's tropes, but it's not an underrated movie from the 90's.
SadieBelle85@reddit
The best of the Cornetto trilogy!
puma_pantss@reddit (OP)
I love Hot Fuzz, but we've already seen it. That said, she wanted something "light".
dbzmah@reddit
Hudson Hawk or Heathers. Same director, wildly different, yet entertaining plots.
11229988B@reddit
Idk if they count as xennial but
Dirty work
Almost heroes
Trick_Second1657@reddit
The OG Ninja Turtles movie. Doesn't get nearly enough credit. Rewatchable as fuck. I'm glad they made it PG-13.
MintTealGecko@reddit
Mallrats Empire Records and Airheads were watched together repeatedly as a trilogy on the weekends at my place in the late 90s, glad to see they all made this list
brzantium@reddit
Can't Hardly Wait
butt_honcho@reddit
My Blue Heaven
aseradyn@reddit
My Blue Heaven is a favorite
twirlerina024@reddit
Her Alibi! Tom Selleck is a successful novelist who lies to keep a beautiful woman (Paulina Porizkova, one of the big 90's supermodels) out of jail. She is released to his custody and some goons are after her. He writes James Bond-type books but is actually more of a meek, mild-mannered guy, and now he's suddenly thrown into a world of intrigue so things start to get wacky. It's a bit like Romancing the Stone but with the genders swapped. Formulaic and silly but fun.
kayla622@reddit
My personal favorites are: Waiting for Guffman, Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, The Brady Bunch Movie, My Cousin Vinny, and The Birdcage.
pa18gr055@reddit
I second the Birdcage. I watched that recently and it's really good.
upnytonc@reddit
Not from the 90s, but funny as hell and beyond relatable: This is 40.
LLemon_Pepper@reddit
24 Hour Party People
BabymanC@reddit
The last star fighter, flight of dragons, big trouble in little china.
More-read-than-eddit@reddit
Yes to big trouble in little china for sure
More-read-than-eddit@reddit
The 'Burbs
windmill-tilting@reddit
The Night Before starring Keanu and Lori Laughlin. Absolutely a fun ride.
TimeIsAPonyRide@reddit
Lisa Frankenstein! Yes, it came out in 2024, but hear me out: it’s set in the 80s, has a great vibe, is written by a xennial, and it’s such a fun & dumb comedy. I haven’t liked a movie this much in a long time.
Ok_Acanthisitta2025@reddit
Sandlot Now and Then
snot_cat@reddit
May i recommend the cinematic masterpiece that is Dead Alive?
It's a little slimey, but also hilariously awful
Amazing_Recording_31@reddit
American Pie
MartialBob@reddit
I have a lot of movies that I've loved over the years but I have one in particular that I would consider a uniquely Xennial movie, American Pie.
First, I'm the same age as the students in the movie. Second, this was a high school movie that felt like my actual high school. They talked the way we did. They weren't divided into the obvious cliques and none of them had their shit together.
Blackbird136@reddit
Office Space
BugEquivalents@reddit
You should watch Big.
shagy815@reddit
Suburbia.
OkPie8905@reddit
Poolhall junkies
Akiranar@reddit
Comedy: Clue, Ghostbusters, The Princess Bride.
Ibeepboobarpincsharp@reddit
Ravenous, Falling Down, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, Raising Arizona, The 13th Warrior, The Last Starfighter, Ernest Scared Stupid, The Man With Two Brains
GenWRXr@reddit
See no Evil Hear no Evil
Kurt_Vonnegabe@reddit
Mid-90’s should be mentioned.
dabeeman@reddit
scream is underrated
Reasonable-Wave8093@reddit
I love “Bad Grandmas” & Going in Style (both from 2017/18); from the 1990 i love VI Warshawski, The Hard Way, Where the Heart Is, and revisiting the Police Academy movies (on blu ray!) was fun! I also love the K-9 movies, yes the later ones too
oakleafwellness@reddit
Dazed and Confused, Office Space both hold a place in my heart since they are filmed in Texas.