Entertainment

22 Of The Most Obscure Movies From The '90s

by Johnny Brayson
Updated: 
Originally Published: 
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The '90s had an enormous impact on the movie industry. So many of the biggest, most culturally important, and most acclaimed movies in history hailed from the decade. It was the age of Titanic and Forrest Gump, Jurassic Park and The Matrix, and the Disney Renaissance. But for every memorable movie of the decade, there are several more that have been forgotten about, which is why I wanted to track down the most obscure movies from the '90s. Many of these films star familiar faces and have intriguing premises, but for whatever reason, they didn't catch on with audiences. And in case you're wondering, no, there will be no genie movie starring Sinbad on the list.

What you will find, however, are a bunch of films that will either make you say, "Wow, I totally forgot about that movie," or, "Wow, I've definitely never heard of that movie before." In some cases, you might even say, "What are you talking about? That movie is a classic, I still watch it all the time," in which case I will call you a liar. Just kidding. Obviously there's a chance you've heard of a couple of these, but very few people are going to be familiar with all of them. So to see how many you know, take a look below at 22 of the most obscure movies of the '90s.

1'Camp Nowhere'

No, it's not Heavyweights... it's better.

Stream Camp Nowhere here.

2'Matinee'

This movie is deserving of a much bigger cult following.

Stream Matinee here.

3'PCU'

This college comedy, starring David Spade and Jeremy Piven, seems like an '80s holdover that somehow got made in 1994.

Stream PCU here.

4'The Amazing Panda Adventure'

The title pretty much tells you what to expect, especially the "amazing" part.

Stream The Amazing Panda Adventure here.

5'Strange Days'

The '90s were some strange days, indeed.

Stream Strange Days here.

6'Rob Roy'

Not to be confused with Braveheart (not that anyone would).

Stream Rob Roy here.

7'French Kiss'

Meg Ryan made approximately 1,463 romantic comedies in the '90s. This is one of her least memorable.

Stream French Kiss here.

8'Picture Perfect'

This movie tried hard to capitalize on Friends' popularity in 1997, utilizing both Jennifer Aniston and the show's title font.

Stream Picture Perfect here.

9'Singles'

Despite its obscurity, this may be the most '90s movie of all-time. Clueless looks modern by comparison.

Stream Singles here.

10'Freeway'

Reese Witherspoon shows some early flashes of greatness here.

Stream Freeway here.

12'Set It Off'

Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett, and Vivica A. Fox rob a bank... it's not the start of a joke, that's the plot.

Stream Set It Off here.

13'Forever Young'

This romantic fantasy starring Mel Gibson was a pretty big box office hit, but was then seemingly scrubbed from the public's conscious like the correct spelling of The Berenstain Bears.

14'Very Bad Things'

Jon Favreau singlehandedly made swing music a thing in the '90s.

Stream Very Bad Things here.

15'The Spanish Prisoner'

A Steve Martin drama. The Jerk this is not.

16'Gattaca'

This sci-fi flick with a dynamite cast actually received great reviews.

Stream Gattaca here.

17'Red Rock West'

Neo-noir and Nic Cage. This could only exist in the '90s.

Stream Red Rock West here.

18'Meteor Man'

The '90s had a black lead in a superhero movie way before Black Panther.

19'Zero Effect'

Bill Pullman is the best private investigator in the world. Surprised this didn't become a huge franchise.

Stream Zero Effect here.

20'Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samurai'

It's a hip hop/samurai/gangster movie from Jim Jarmusch. Why isn't this more well-known?

Stream Ghost Dog here.

21'Ladybugs'

Rodney Dangerfield coaches a girls soccer team. It's like A League of Their Own, accept not at all.

Stream Ladybugs here.

22'That Darn Cat'

It's my favorite movie ever... I've never seen it, who am I kidding?

Stream The Darn Cat here

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