Decades before what constitutes comedy morphs into a heavy, highly cynical, and often acerbic outlook on the world, we used to get silly but jolly fun comedy movies meant for the masses. Riotously funny, whip-smart, and electrically performed, these are the Top 5 comedy movies from the 90’s.
Home Alone (1990)
The Chris Columbus-directed family comedy is practically a Christmas tradition now. If you’ve been living under a rock, the movie stars Macaulay Culkin as a kid accidentally left behind at home by his family and then having to defend his house against two burglars, played by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern. Following is a series of booby trap-laden hijinks soundtracked to Christmas’s greatest hits.
The film owed its success to two figures behind the scene. The first is director Chris Columbus, who’s no stranger to family-friendly fares, particularly involving child actors. With his adeptness at directing kids, he would go on to make another film on this list and, eventually, the first two Harry Potter movies. Secondly, the film is nothing without John Hughes’ firecracker writing. Best known for his 80’s teen dramas, Home Alone was his most family-oriented story yet. Still, he imbued the movie with his trademark snarky dialogues, suburban family predicaments, and his favorite Chicago setting. Topping it off was the pitch-perfect casting of Macaulay with his sparkly eyes and mischievous grin.
Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
Featuring one of the most epic Robin Williams performances of all time, how can it not be one of the best 90’s comedies, if not of all time? From beginning to end, the film gave you non-stop laughs, thanks to the witty verbal jokes and slapstick comedy, many no doubt improvised by Robin himself. If you’ve ever seen the outtakes, director Chris Columbus (told you he’s going to show up again!) must’ve either had a ball choosing among his ad-libs or torn his hair out in confusion because they were all just that good.
In Mrs. Doubtfire, Robin Williams played a recently-divorced voice actor pretending to be a senior Scottish nanny so he could spend more time with his children. To do that, he donned probably the best prosthetic makeup in cinema history; though, what really livened up the performance was the actor’s pitch-perfect voice impersonation of an old British lady.
Hilarious as it was, the movie is notable for its unconventional (for its time) portrayal of a divorced family in a PG-rated film. It didn’t go the traditional route of saccharine ending for the ex-couple, instead opting for a more realistic conclusion where they adapted to a new family dynamic by the end.
Dumb and Dumber (1994)
1994 was a banner year for Jim Carrey. The year saw the releases of three of his best-known works: The Mask, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, and Dumb and Dumber. To both break through and become an A-list simultaneously is a lightning-in-a-bottle occasion, but it’s Jim we’re talking about! While all three movies are iconic, Dumb and Dumber is the only one where he got a worthy tandem with Jeff Daniels. Together, they played two dimwitted roommates who accidentally got involved with the mafia.
Jim is Jim, the future A-list comedian who showed his class. His rubbery face delivered a million expressions; his physical comedy was second to none. Thankfully, Jeff Daniels – who was at that point largely known as a dramatic actor – could hold his own opposite him.
The movie’s got all of directors Farrelly Brothers’ trademark crude humor, but Jim and Jeff’s dynamic duo simply elevated it.
Clueless (1995)
Female-focused movies are often relegated to second-rate positions in the pantheon of the greats, but when one shines as bright as Clueless… Ignoring it? As if!
Clueless is a modern adaptation of the Jane Austen novel Emma. Alicia Silverstone is Cher Horowitz, a rich and popular high schooler in Beverly Hills who finds delight in matchmaking those around her. But when her machination goes way too far, she’s forced to confront her judgment and face whatever fear she buried underneath her perfectly curated wardrobe.
The film is quite distinct in that it’s the rare modern film that never villainized its feminine heroine for being girly. Her vanity is balanced by a nurturing nature as well as her whip-smart comebacks. It’s also impressive how director Amy Heckerling seamlessly transposed Austen’s Regency-era characters into Beverly Hills Gen-Xers. The story is timeless, but the execution contributed much to its cult status: the fashion, the slang, Paul Rudd – this movie had everything!
Rush Hour (1998)
In Rush Hour, action superstar Jackie Chan played a Hong Kong police inspector sent to Los Angeles to rescue the kidnapped daughter of a Chinese ambassador. He got paired with a loudmouthed LAPD detective, played by Chris Tucker. Despite their initial misgivings, the duo ended up working well together.
The combination of Jackie’s calm, capable cop and Chris’ talkative but overconfident American counterpart prove to be dynamite. The film spawned two more sequels, all widely received at the box office. Nonetheless, the first one remained the best in terms of the simple but effective concept and fresh East-meets-West comedy.
