You’d figure that with the glut of streaming services available, we’d have easy access to some of the best movies from the past. Alas, that’s not the case, especially the further back in time we go.

It’s easy to find just about every movie from the 2010s and even the 2000s, but when it comes to forgotten ’90s movies that were popular at the time, you may be out of luck.

As a result, some of these movies, no matter how big a box office success or critically acclaimed they were, are unfortunately not at the forefront of today’s pop culture when it comes to the best 1990s movies. With that in mind, we wanted to bring these films back to the forefront of conversations.

To compile this list, we considered movies that had bankable casts or saw box office or critical success that are no longer discussed today as often as other classics from the decade.

The Pelican Brief

Based on the novel by John Grisham, The Pelican Brief stars Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington in a legal thriller about the assassination of two Supreme Court justices.

It grossed nearly $200 million at the box office during a time when John Grisham’s stories were as bankable as the stars who appeared in them. Speaking of which…

A Time to Kill

How’s this for star power: the 1996 adaptation of John Grisham’s 1989 novel features Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson, and Matthew McConaughey in one of his earliest roles.

Oh, and Joel Schumacher was the movie’s director.

The Client

Two years before A Time to Kill, Joel Schumacher directed another John Grisham adaptation.

The Client stars Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones and is one of the best-reviewed films based on a John Grisham novel, only lagging behind 1997’s The Rainmaker.

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Courage Under Fire

One possible reason why Courage Under Fire isn’t as well known by viewers today is a lack of resonance with the film’s setting.

Starring Denzel Washington and Meg Ryan, the movie takes place during the Persian Gulf War. It also lacks iconic dialogue that became part of mainstream pop culture, similar to A Few Good Men.

Indecent Proposal

With Demi Moore’s recent success for The Substance, you’d figure that her filmography would get more recognition, particularly 1993’s Indecent Proposal.

However, despite making over $250 million at the box office, the film was panned by critics, with some arguing against the movie’s anti-feminist story.

Disclosure

How about another Demi Moore movie, especially since many younger readers may not realize how big a star she was in the 1990s.

This time, she’s co-starring alongside Michael Douglas, another huge star in his own right, in the movie based on the Michael Crichton novel. Wow, that’s a ’90s era trifecta which grossed $214 million at the box office.

The Firm

Okay, let’s sneak in one more John Grisham story. We can make an exception for Tom Cruise, who stars alongside Gene Hackman, Ed Harris, Holly Hunter, and Gary Busey.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the movie grossed over $270 million at the box office in 1993: the cast has incredible mainstream appeal and Grisham was a dominant force at the box office in the ’90s. Despite all that success, though, it’s not often talked about among Cruise’s past work.

Primal Fear

I still can’t believe this was Edward Norton’s first movie. It’s a testament to his skill as an actor for him to pull off such an impressive performance, notably that twist ending.

While Norton wasn’t a mainstream star quite yet, you better believe that Richard Gere and Laura Linney were in the ’90s.

Sleeping With The Enemy

Hot off the success of 1990’s Pretty Woman, Julia Roberts stars in 1991’s Sleeping with the Enemy, based on the Nancy Price novel of the same name.

While it was a dud with critics, ranking among one of her worst-reviewed movies ever, audiences turned out to make it a box office success, helping it make over $175 million, breaking the then opening weekend record previously held by Aliens. If you needed any more proof about Julia Roberts’ star power in the ’90s, there you go.

Message in a Bottle

Before The Notebook wooed moviegoers, another Nicholas Sparks novel captured their hearts. Hey, it’s not just John Grisham novels making it big in the ’90s!

Message in a Bottle, starring Kevin Costner and Robin Wright, was a box office hit, defying the odds following poor critic reviews, to gross nearly $120 million. Yet when it comes to Nicholas Sparks adaptations, it’s rarely mentioned in the same breath as The Notebook.

City of Angels

That’s not the only 1990s romance movie that moviegoers forgot. This one stars Meg Ryan and Nicolas Cage. That’s right, Nic Cage! He’d even win a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor!

As someone who grew up in the ’90s and was big into pop music at the time, this movie was everywhere alongside the Goo Goo Dolls’ smash hit “Iris.” It dominated at the box office, too, grossing $200 million.

Ransom

Once upon a time, Mel Gibson was one of the biggest actors in Hollywood. Case in point: 1996’s Ransom, based on the 1956 film Ransom!

Oh, and it had Ron Howard directing. That’s a pretty big ’90s combo that helped it gross an impressive $310 million at the box office. However, due to Giboson’s off-screen controversies over the years, it’s fallen out of pop culture.

Fear

Not every film we’re talking about today was an instant hit at the box office in the ’90s. Case in point, 1996’s Fear, which has since become a cult classic.

Yet when I describe the movie’s cast, you’ll be wondering why it’s not a streaming mega-hit: Wahlberg was even nominated for an MTV Movie Award! One major reason why it’s not better known today: it’s not available to stream anywhere outside of renting the film from Prime Video.

Backdraft

I’m convinced that if Backdraft were released today, people wouldn’t shut up about the movie.

An ensemble cast led by Kurt Russell and William Baldwin, all giving incredible performances, and rave reviews helped the movie not only become a box office hit but also earn three Academy Award nominations. Today, however, not a peep, aside from a direct-to-video sequel in 2019.

Kindergarten Cop

I was shocked to learn that Kindergarten Cop was not only streaming, but streaming on Peacock, a service I use on a regular basis as an avid 30 Rock re-watcher and WWE fan.

Given the number of times I watch and quote Jingle All The Way, you’d figure an algorithm would recommend this to me, especially since Arnold Schwarzenegger is fantastic in it, but alas.

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