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Movies and TV for the '90s teen
By an Amazon.com customer
Reality Bites (10th Anniversary Edition)Reality Bites (10th Anniversary Edition)
Buy new: $9.99 / Used from: $1.47
This film defined the teen and young adult angst that early 90's movies loved to explore. Being young sucked, according to these films. Featuring then-teen idols Winona Ryder and Ethan Hawk.
The Real World - The Complete First Season - New YorkThe Real World - The Complete First Season - New York
Buy new: $27.99 / Used from: $13.20
MTV gave birth to reality TV (about 10 years before "Survivor") with this popular series. More young adult angst, only in real life.
My So-Called Life - The Complete Series (w/ Book)My So-Called Life - The Complete Series (w/ Book)
Buy new: $35.49 / Used from: $33.99
Yep, more early '90s teen angst. I never got into this since I thought it was too dramatic at the time, but Claire Danes is wonderful, and a lot of teens loved this short-lived, but acclaimed, series.
Wayne's WorldWayne's World
Buy new: $9.49 / Used from: $0.79
"Pary time!" "Excellent!" "Schwing!" This movie invented a whole new vocabulary for the '90s teen, who used it ad-nauseum (including myself). Though it has no teen angst, it features lots of early '90s grunge fashions.
In Living Color - Season 1In Living Color - Season 1
Buy new: $24.49 / Used from: $6.38
Sort of like a black SNL, this show gave birth to the careers of Jim Carrey, the Wayans brothers, and Jennifer Lopez (who was a Flygirl). The comedy was far more daring than anything on TV today. Very "un-PC", but very funny and groundbreaking!
Beverly Hills, 90210 - The Complete First SeasonBeverly Hills, 90210 - The Complete First Season
Buy new: $22.49 / Used from: $10.96
Even rich kids from Beverly Hills had problems! When the rest of the nation was experiencing a recession, this show provided a nice escape into a world where 16 year olds drove BMW's and had the latest designer clothes (we're talking CHANEL, not Abercrombie). But they still had to deal with sex, drugs, and the embarrassment of wearing the same prom dress as your friend.
Saved by the Bell - Seasons 1 & 2Saved by the Bell - Seasons 1 & 2
Buy new: $14.49 / Used from: $7.43
This was the show most 90's teens watched and were addicted to, but hated to admit it. It was always on after school when nothing else was on, so why not? Now the show has become sort of a pop-culture icon.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air - The Complete First SeasonThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air - The Complete First Season
Buy new: $25.49 / Used from: $7.97
A popular teen rapper by the name of Will Smith got his big acting break with this hilarious TV comedy. Turns out, Will was a talented actor and very funny!
Clarissa Explains It All - Season OneClarissa Explains It All - Season One
Buy new: $17.49 / Used from: $14.78
I don't remember a lot about this show (I haven't seen it since it first came out), but I remember that every teen girl wanted to be just like Clarissa, who was well-dressed, cool, and smart to boot.
Blossom: Seasons 1 & 2Blossom: Seasons 1 & 2
Buy new: $29.99 / Used from: $23.70
Another show in the same vein as "Clarissa", this one is about a teen girl living with her father and two older brothers. But she definitely held her own among the boys. Blossom was also a trendsetter (who could forget the "Blossom hat"?) and her brother Joey became a teen heartthrob.
Full House - The Complete Series CollectionFull House - The Complete Series Collection
Buy new: $135.99 / Used from: $99.99
Though this came out in the late 80's, it actually reached its peak popularity in the early '90s. The kids who watched it in the 80's grew into teens who watched it in the '90s, essentially growing up with the Tanner girls. Though often cheesy, it was very addicting.
Boy Meets World - The Complete First SeasonBoy Meets World - The Complete First Season
Buy used from: $99.99
This sweet and funny comedy series starred Fred Savage's little brother Ben. Lots of funny and memorable characters, but for the life of me I can't remember any of the plot.
Doogie Howser Collection - Seasons 1 - 4Doogie Howser Collection - Seasons 1 - 4
Buy used from: $435.00
I totally had a crush on a very young Neil Patrick Harris, who stars as a genius teen doctor. Doogie unofficially became the first blogger on TV when he ended each episode with a journal entry written on his early '90s DOS computer.
Parker Lewis Can't Lose: The Complete First SeasonParker Lewis Can't Lose: The Complete First Season
Buy new: $42.49 / Used from: $25.98
This quirky teen comedy has the same style as "Scrubs" - funny sound effects, unique characters, and no laugh track. Definitely groundbreaking for the time. "Synchronize Swatches!"
Billy Madison (Widescreen Special Edition)Billy Madison (Widescreen Special Edition)
Buy new: $12.49 / Used from: $5.00
Adam Sandler kicked-off his movie career with this film about a lazy rich kid who has to go back to school and complete every single grade from K through 12th. Though not my favorite Adam Sandler film (that would be "Happy Gilmore" and "The Wedding Singer"), it introduced us to his unique and wacky sense of humor that lives on to this day.
Clueless (Special Whatever! Edition)Clueless (Special Whatever! Edition)
Buy new: $9.49 / Used from: $4.50
By the mid-90's, the recession was over and teen angst was out. Clueless ushered in a new era of the silly teen comedy, complete with its own vocabulary ("As if!" "Whatever!"). The fashions were ridiculous, but they were supposed to be.
The Brady Bunch MovieThe Brady Bunch Movie
Buy new: $12.49 / Used from: $2.85
The Brady family from the '70s gets plunked down in the '90s. A teen comedy in the same vein as Clueless, it's full of '90s pop culture references.
The Craft (Special Edition)The Craft (Special Edition)
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $1.59
Kind of a darker version of "Clueless" where a new girl in school joins a coven of witches and discovers her own powers.
Scream (Dimension Collector's Series)Scream (Dimension Collector's Series)
Buy new: $12.49 / Used from: $1.96
This revived the teen horror flick for the '90s. Unfortunately it's the only good one of the bunch.
William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet (Special Edition)William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet (Special Edition)
Buy used from: $7.95
Shakespeare became cool again thanks to Baz Lurman's trippy modernized adaptation, starring '90s teen idols Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo and Claire Daines as Juliet.
Welcome to the DollhouseWelcome to the Dollhouse
Buy new: $19.99 / Used from: $12.12
The '90s was also the era of the off-beat indy film. This dark comedy explores the perils of teen and pre-teen life as only a quirky, low-budget indy film can. A cult '90s teen favorite.
Friends - The Complete Series CollectionFriends - The Complete Series Collection
Buy new: $154.99 / Used from: $97.98
'90s teens loved watching this popular series and imagining that they, too, will someday live in cool apartments with their friends and hang out in hip coffee joints in Manhattan when they reached their 20s. As if.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Collector's Set (40 discs)Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Collector's Set (40 discs)
Buy new: $166.99 / Used from: $140.00
I was never into Buffy (didn't really like vampires), but it was a HUGE cult hit among '90s teens.
Beavis and Butt-head - The Mike Judge Collection, Vol. 1Beavis and Butt-head - The Mike Judge Collection, Vol. 1
Buy new: $18.49 / Used from: $4.48
Watching Beavis and Butthead was like watching MTV with your two best stoner friends. A guilty pleasure you hated to admit that you watched, but liked anyway. Full of '90s music complete with B & B's signature commentary.
Daria - Is It Fall Yet?Daria - Is It Fall Yet?
Buy new: $11.99 / Used from: $18.99
This Beavis and Butthead spinoff provided a quirky look at high school life. A college favorite of mine!
South Park - The Complete First SeasonSouth Park - The Complete First Season
Buy new: $22.49 / Used from: $4.23
The modern era of the "adults-only" cartoon was born with this profane yet hilarious animated series. Though we take it for granted now, it was groundbreaking and highly controversial at the time. Another college favorite!
Titanic (10th Anniversary Edition)Titanic (10th Anniversary Edition)
Buy new: $16.49 / Used from: $9.79
The best-selling movie of the '90s (and all time) was as big as the title ship itself: it was over 3 hours long, but teens didn't mind watching doomed teen lovers Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet over and over and over...
Girl, InterruptedGirl, Interrupted
Buy new: $12.49 / Used from: $1.98
'90s teen idol Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie (in her breakout role) star as two young women in a mental hospital. Teen angst was never so raw or heartbreaking.
The Blair Witch ProjectThe Blair Witch Project
Buy new: $7.49 / Used from: $1.48
This scared the crap out of every '90s teen and college student. Besides its realistic, home video approach to filmmaking, the movie was also noted for launching a viral internet marketing campaign, making some people believe the events of the movie were actually real. How naive we were in the '90s!
Dawson's Creek - The Complete Series (Seasons 1-6 Plus Series Finale)Dawson's Creek - The Complete Series (Seasons 1-6 Plus Series Finale)
Buy used from: $115.00
I couldn't stand this show (too melodramatic for my taste), but other '90s teens loved it, and it spawned many popular young stars at the time (like the future Mrs. Tom Cruise).
That '70s Show - The Complete SeriesThat '70s Show - The Complete Series
Buy used from: $180.00
The popular series that began in the late '90s introduced hot teen idols Ashton Kutcher, Topher Grace, and more. It may have taken place in the '70s, but the humor was all '90s
American Pie - Unrated (Widescreen Collector's Edition)American Pie - Unrated (Widescreen Collector's Edition)
Buy new: $14.98 / Used from: $0.53
With the Clinton sex scandal in full force, it was the perfect time to revive the raunchy teen sex comedy. As usual, a slew of others like it followed, but none as good as the original.