From Cher Horowitz to Mallrats: 10 '90s Teen Movies Remain Essential Viewing Today

Growing up without easy answers

Teenagers in the '90s could damage their social standing before lunch, without a group chat to alert them. They could also spend hours at a shopping mall without anyone tracking their location.

Hollywood increasingly gave young people stories of their own. Some films let teen characters be selfish, obnoxious or foolish without quickly correcting them, while filmmakers such as John Singleton explored different experiences of growing up in America. The films ranged from the glossy world of Clueless to the disturbing realism of Kids.

Cher learns to look beyond herself

Amy Heckerling’s Clueless reworks Jane Austen’s Emma around Cher Horowitz, a Beverly Hills teenager who confidently tries to arrange other people’s happiness. Alicia Silverstone plays Cher as funny and well-meaning, but her plans begin to unravel as she realizes that others have feelings and wishes of their own.

The movie’s humor remains sharp, and its fashion still stands out. Beneath Cher’s self-assurance, the film follows her growing self-awareness and the complicated social rules of high school. It also lets a girl enjoy fashion without presenting her as unintelligent.

A night that drifts along

Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused follows Texas teenagers on the last day of school in 1976. Freshmen try to avoid embarrassment while older students party, and Matthew McConaughey plays Wooderson, a man still lingering around high school. The ensemble also includes future stars Ben Affleck and Parker Posey.

The classic rock soundtrack supports a story more interested in teenage social dynamics than in a complex plot. Its characters want to avoid spoiling the night, even as events grow unruly. The film allows them to waste time, treating that aimlessness as part of being young.

Mall life and music work

In Mallrats, Jason Lee and Jeremy London play Brodie and T.S., two recently dumped young men who spend an afternoon at the mall complaining about their relationships. Jay and Silent Bob add to the chaos, while the film’s comic-book references and irreverent dialogue helped it become a cult favorite after a disappointing theatrical release.

The characters are slightly older than teenagers, though their behavior often suggests otherwise. The film finds charm in their lack of productivity and recalls a time when a mall visit could simply be a mall visit, perhaps with a chance encounter with Stan Lee.

Empire Records centers on employees at an independent music shop who learn their workplace may become part of a corporate chain. The account of the film ends while describing their response to that possibility, so it does not provide further details.