The 100 Greatest movies of the 1990s #27. Casino (117 Viewers)

[Dr. Octopus]

I just couldn’t get past the idea that youngish Helen Hunt was attracted to old man Jack.

He was rich.

 

[TripItUp]

I just couldn’t get past the idea that youngish Helen Hunt was attracted to old man Jack.

REAL TALK

Entire movie was awkward.

 

[TripItUp]

I liked As Good As It Gets. I watched it again maybe 2-3 years ago. It’s overstated here here but I still liked it a lot.

Is it in your top 40? 100?

 

[B Maverick]

Has anybody ever thought to themselves "Amistad and As Good as it Gets are great movies, I think I'll rewatch them they were so good"

The answer is a definitive "No"

Guess it depends on how you define "great" and if re-watchability factors into that definition or your rankings.

 

[TripItUp]

Replace great with good, and I'll say yes. Id watch both of them again.

Is it in your top 40? 100?

 

[dgreen]

I just couldn’t get past the idea that youngish Helen Hunt was attracted to old man Jack.

REAL TALK

Entire movie was awkward.

Yes, “awkward” is probably a good description of what I felt when I watched it. Of course, I was also in my young 20s and a pretty shallow dude so maybe there was some depth I just didn’t appreciate at the time.

 

[TripItUp]

Guess it depends on how you define "great" and if re-watchability factors into that definition or your rankings.

Fair enough. Rewatchability is a big part of my rankings, doesn't seem to be as big of a factor for Timmy.

 

[El Floppo]

Replace great with good, and I'll say yes. Id watch both of them again.

Is it in your top 40? 100?

Amistad might crack 100. but top 40 or 100 isn't limiting my rewatches.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

Love Clerks

• Dante Hicks: 37! My girlfriend sucked 37 *****!
• Customer with Diapers: In a row?

Edit - how does that escape the language filter? Self edited.

I wasted my Clerks joke responding to the Tombstone ranking

 

[ConstruxBoy]

This is more of a countdown of movies I should never watch again.

 

[zamboni]

Thinking about my reactions to As Good as It Gets and Jerry Maguire - I just don't like Cuba Gooding outside of Boyz, and even there I thought Cube out acted him. Offhand I can't think of a movie besides Boyz that he is in that I would want to watch today. I'm sure I am missing something.

I agree with this. Liked him in Boyz but even there IMO he was no more than the third best actor behind Cube and Fishburne.

 

[TripItUp]

I liked “As Good as it Gets”. I watched it multiple times when I came across it. Haven’t seen it in maybe 25 years but I’m guessing it holds up.

Does it crack your top 100?

 

[TripItUp]

I guess I'm still pissed 30 years later that my then girlfriend convinced me to see As Good as it Gets in a theatre.

 

[dgreen]

Is the 90s generally considered a good, bad, or average decade for movies?

 

[El Floppo]

Is the 90s generally considered a good, bad, or average decade for movies?

Yes

 

[TripItUp]

Is the 90s generally considered a good, bad, or average decade for movies?

I rate the 80, 90s, 2000s, equally

good side thread

 

[Dr. Octopus]

I liked “As Good as it Gets”. I watched it multiple times when I came across it. Haven’t seen it in maybe 25 years but I’m guessing it holds up.

Does it crack your top 100?

Of the 90s? Maybe…I’m not great at creating a list in my head, but it would certainly be lower. I could name 25 movies from Tim’s list, so far, that would be above it.

I think the movie was funny and touching at parts and I liked Nicholson and Kinnear’s relationship and the actors had good chemistry.

 

[TripItUp]

Of the 90s? Maybe…I’m not great at creating a list in my head, but it would certainly be lower. I could name 25 movies from Tim’s list, so far, that would be above it.

I think the movie was funny and touching at parts and I liked Nicholson and Kinnear’s relationship and the actors had good chemistry.

great actors, I'll give you that. Story and general screenplay left a lot to be desired for me. Kinnear was really good and probably made the movie watchable for me.

 

[Keith R]

30. As Good As It Gets (1997)

Directed by: James Brooks

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear

Synopsis: Relationship builds between an eccentric novelist and a struggling waitress.

Just like Amistad, was overrated back then and appears to be overrated now.

Trip's Official Ruling: Substantially Overranked (not in my top 100)

The flip side of Forrest Gump Oscar bias - AGAIG is one of a handful of movies that were more deserving of the Best Picture Oscar than the eventual winner, so we tend to overvalue it a bit due to being the victim of an Oscar robbery.

(FWIW, there are two other Oscar noms who lost to the eventual winner that I personally rate much higher than AGAIG and I'm hoping to see them both show up on this list)

 

[dgreen]

Because of As Good as it Gets, I will always know how to spell “conscience”. Not sure why that’s a scene I remember.

 

[Ilov80s]

I liked As Good As It Gets. I watched it again maybe 2-3 years ago. It’s overstated here here but I still liked it a lot.

Is it in your top 40? 100?

Wait I actually did this with KP so I can look and I put it at…47. Looking at the list now, I think I had it maybe 20 spots too high.

 

[BLOCKED_PUNT]

A movie can be good without being memorable but a movie being memorable or quoteable doesn't necessarily make it good either.

 

[TripItUp]

Although I think Hunt is a tremendous actor, I don't consider this her best role and was surprised she won the Oscar for this.

 

[Ilov80s]

Of the 90s? Maybe…I’m not great at creating a list in my head, but it would certainly be lower. I could name 25 movies from Tim’s list, so far, that would be above it.

I think the movie was funny and touching at parts and I liked Nicholson and Kinnear’s relationship and the actors had good chemistry.

great actors, I'll give you that. Story and general screenplay left a lot to be desired for me. Kinnear was really good and probably made the movie watchable for me.

I’m a sucker for that kind of movie. Broadcast News, Terms of Endearment. I love James L Brooks and his balance of humor and real human pathos.

 

[Don Quixote]

Is the 90s generally considered a good, bad, or average decade for movies?

I think the 90s were good — much better than the 80s. Rise of independent film led to a lot of films that would not have been made only a decade earlier.

 

[General Malaise]

Has anybody ever thought to themselves "Amistad and As Good as it Gets are great movies, I think I'll rewatch them they were so good"

The answer is a definitive "No"

I've never seen Armistad but enjoyed As Good as it Gets very much. Have watched it a few times.

But I love Jack and I have terrific taste and like movies made for intelligent people.

 

[Ilov80s]

Amistad is very serious and a very important story but the movie to me lacks something.

 

[General Malaise]

I just couldn’t get past the idea that youngish Helen Hunt was attracted to old man Jack.

Yeah, well when it came out, we were younger and sure, it felt strange. Now we are all Jack's age and it provides hope that we'll be okay after our 2nd divorces.

 

[Ilov80s]

I just couldn’t get past the idea that youngish Helen Hunt was attracted to old man Jack.

Yeah, well when it came out, we were younger and sure, it felt strange. Now we are all Jack's age and it provides hope that we'll be okay after our 2nd divorces.

More likely than ever probably.

 

[General Malaise]

Is the 90s generally considered a good, bad, or average decade for movies?

I think the 90s were good — much better than the 80s. Rise of independent film led to a lot of films that would not have been made only a decade earlier.

This.

 

[BLOCKED_PUNT]

I do remember liking as good as it gets but when I was thinking about what movies might be here I didn't think of it.

 

[Ilov80s]

Is the 90s generally considered a good, bad, or average decade for movies?

I think the 90s were good — much better than the 80s. Rise of independent film led to a lot of films that would not have been made only a decade earlier.

Yeah I would say 90s is considered one of the best decades ever. Right?

 

[General Malaise]

There's going to be some absolute banger 90's movies that miss this list. Been going through some of them and there's no way Tim includes them.

 

[BLOCKED_PUNT]

I mean, Anna Nicole Smith married a 90 year old so is Helen Hunts character really that odd? Recently I said that movies like Her and Ex Machina are kinda odd that the guy(s) fell for AI so atleast Helen Hunt fell for something human.

 

[General Malaise]

Is the 90s generally considered a good, bad, or average decade for movies?

I think the 90s were good — much better than the 80s. Rise of independent film led to a lot of films that would not have been made only a decade earlier.

Yeah I would say 90s is considered one of the best decades ever. Right?

I think so, but it's also the decade many of us in here were moving from adolescence to adulthood, the first time many of the movies we watched involved topics germane to our own lives. We were kids in the 80s and by the aughts many of us were having kids.

So the 90s is a decade that marked our journeys into independence and we could identify with many of the characters in many of the films as they too struggled with things like finances, love, sexuality, infidelity, addiction and trying to find purpose and meaning. At least for me.

So while I sure did enjoy movies like Forrest Gump or Independence Day, movies like Swingers, As Good as it Gets etc really resonated with me. Movies about real people dealing with real issues and the struggle for identity and acceptance.

I didn't need more car chases or explosions. I needed films to speak to me and the 90s delivered these in droves.

 

[northern exposure]

30. As Good As It Gets (1997)

Directed by: James Brooks

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear

Synopsis: Relationship builds between an eccentric novelist and a struggling waitress.

Just like Amistad, was overrated back then and appears to be overrated now.

Trip's Official Ruling: Substantially Overranked (not in my top 100)

Maybe. But, Helen Hunt.....amirite??

 

[Zow]

30. As Good As It Gets (1997)

Directed by: James Brooks

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear

Synopsis: Relationship builds between an eccentric novelist and a struggling waitress.

(Asked how he writes women so well.) I think of a man, and take away reason and accountability. - Jack Nicholson as Melvin Udall

Not that I’m any kind of romcom specialist but if I had to rank the all timers this might be towards or at the top of the list. Nicholson plays a guy who is a bigot, a chauvinist, also with some sort of autism or Asperger’s and for all that is actually likable. Hunt is even more likable and Greg Kinnear offers perhaps his best actining performance. This is a really smart, well done movie.

Odd, as I never understood the movie and find it pretty dumb. Maybe I'll have to watch it again as I've accrued more life experience.

When I watched it I was a testosterone charged teenager and just remember thinking that Hunt's character could have done so much better.

 

[Zow]

30. As Good As It Gets (1997)

Directed by: James Brooks

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear

Synopsis: Relationship builds between an eccentric novelist and a struggling waitress.

Just like Amistad, was overrated back then and appears to be overrated now.

Trip's Official Ruling: Substantially Overranked (not in my top 100)

Maybe. But, Helen Hunt.....amirite??

The wet t shirt, braless scene made me feel jumpy%quo.

 

[Zow]

Is the 90s generally considered a good, bad, or average decade for movies?

I think the 90s were good — much better than the 80s. Rise of independent film led to a lot of films that would not have been made only a decade earlier.

Yeah I would say 90s is considered one of the best decades ever. Right?

I think so, but it's also the decade many of us in here were moving from adolescence to adulthood, the first time many of the movies we watched involved topics germane to our own lives. We were kids in the 80s and by the aughts many of us were having kids.

So the 90s is a decade that marked our journeys into independence and we could identify with many of the characters in many of the films as they too struggled with things like finances, love, sexuality, infidelity, addiction and trying to find purpose and meaning. At least for me.

So while I sure did enjoy movies like Forrest Gump or Independence Day, movies like Swingers, As Good as it Gets etc really resonated with me. Movies about real people dealing with real issues and the struggle for identity and acceptance.

I didn't need more car chases or explosions. I needed films to speak to me and the 90s delivered these in droves.

Yeah, I agree with this - except As Good as It Gets came out before I hit adulthood as I'm a little younger than you and most here. It didn't resonate with me at all.

Maybe I need to give it another shot.

 

[BLOCKED_PUNT]

Be prepared to hit the roof when you see Bullets over Broadway, Wild Wild West, Stop or My Mom Will Shoot!, Kazaam and Hook ranked in the top 30

I liked Hook and I think its a classic

Oh.....wow.

Well, I suggest you never watch this clip, and for sure, avoid fast forwarding to the 11 minute mark. Siskel and Ebert took a well deserving dump all over this one.

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Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

I’m torn on Hook.

I was 8 when it came out and it’s one of the first movies I can recall seeing in the theater. I remember really enjoying it and watched it plenty when it came out on video. Quite possibly my favorite movie between between 8-11.

About a month or two ago I showed it to my kids for family movie night as my kids are around that same age. I pumped it up a bit and was excited to watch it bc it had been probably 30 years between viewing. To my surprise, it was terrible. Many of the characters were unlikeable (looking at you, Tink and Rufio). I started to worry about my kids not liking it but they did.

As an adult, this movie just isn’t good. But as a kid, when one isn’t trained to look for flaws and doesn’t have the adulthood experience, it’s good.

I had a similar experience. I was 6 when it came out. I may not have seen it right when it came out but I very likely saw it when I was in that same 7-8 age range. It's not as good as Goonies but for us 90's kids it might be our Goonies. I ended up rewatching it a few months ago and yeah, it wasn't as good as I remembered but I still liked it. Nostalgia is a hell of a drug. I generally like the new take on Peter Pan and I liked the dynamic between the father and the son. And I just really like this scene. I'm just a fan of Robin Williams so that's probably another reason why I liked it.

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

I mean, Anna Nicole Smith married a 90 year old so is Helen Hunts character really that odd?

Yeah but the 90yo was a real hottie.
Im not inclined that way, but i wouldnt have kicked him out of bed for eating crackers
Who could blame poor Anna Nicole?

 

[ConstruxBoy]

This is more of a countdown of movies I should never watch again.

Just to clarify, not faulting Tim's effort. Just his taste.

 

[General Malaise]

30. As Good As It Gets (1997)

Directed by: James Brooks

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear

Synopsis: Relationship builds between an eccentric novelist and a struggling waitress.

(Asked how he writes women so well.) I think of a man, and take away reason and accountability. - Jack Nicholson as Melvin Udall

Not that I’m any kind of romcom specialist but if I had to rank the all timers this might be towards or at the top of the list. Nicholson plays a guy who is a bigot, a chauvinist, also with some sort of autism or Asperger’s and for all that is actually likable. Hunt is even more likable and Greg Kinnear offers perhaps his best actining performance. This is a really smart, well done movie.

Odd, as I never understood the movie and find it pretty dumb. Maybe I'll have to watch it again as I've accrued more life experience.

When I watched it I was a testosterone charged teenager and just remember thinking that Hunt's character could have done so much better.

Could she?

 

[timschochet]

29. The Big Lebowski (1998)

Directed by: The Coen Brothers

Starring: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Sam Elliot, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi

Synopsis: After a slacker is mistaken for a millionaire, he is hired to free the millionaire’s wife from a hostage situation.

Nihilists! **** me! I mean, say what you want about the tenets of National Socialism, dude, at least it’s an ethos. - John Goodman as Walter Sobchak

I probably really messed up the synopsis for this one. It sounds convoluted. But this is one of the films on this list, like Fight Club and Becoming John Malkovich where the plot matters less than the overall feel…which is quite bizarre. But awesome. So many great lines in this film. I hate the ****ing Eagles! (Speaking of music the soundtrack is great too.)

 

[Gr00vus]

Lebowski would be in my top 5 for the decade for sure. Possibly #1.

 

[Hastur]

29. The Big Lebowski (1998)

Directed by: The Coen Brothers

Starring: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Sam Elliot, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi

Synopsis: After a slacker is mistaken for a millionaire, he is hired to free the millionaire’s wife from a hostage situation.

Nihilists! **** me! I mean, say what you want about the tenets of National Socialism, dude, at least it’s an ethos. - John Goodman as Walter Sobchak

I probably really messed up the synopsis for this one. It sounds convoluted. But this is one of the films on this list, like Fight Club and Becoming John Malkovich where the plot matters less than the overall feel…which is quite bizarre. But awesome. So many great lines in this film. I hate the ****ing Eagles! (Speaking of music the soundtrack is great too.)

Can't believe this came out 27 years ago. A buddy and I chilled out the other day while sipping on white russians.

 

[Dan Lambskin]

Lebowski would be in my top 5 for the decade for sure. Possibly #1.

I didn’t love it the first time I saw it I think it gets better every time I watch it

 

[Zow]

Lebowski would be in my top 5 for the decade for sure. Possibly #1.

Same here. One of my favorite.

I understand Tim's ranking though.

 

[Dan Lambskin]

This countdown needs some Jonny Lee Miller soon

And no not that one

 

[New Binky the Doormat]

29. The Big Lebowski (1998)

Directed by: The Coen Brothers

Starring: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Sam Elliot, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi

Synopsis: After a slacker is mistaken for a millionaire, he is hired to free the millionaire’s wife from a hostage situation.

Nihilists! **** me! I mean, say what you want about the tenets of National Socialism, dude, at least it’s an ethos. - John Goodman as Walter Sobchak

I probably really messed up the synopsis for this one. It sounds convoluted. But this is one of the films on this list, like Fight Club and Becoming John Malkovich where the plot matters less than the overall feel…which is quite bizarre. But awesome. So many great lines in this film. I hate the ****ing Eagles! (Speaking of music the soundtrack is great too.)

29?

"Your out of your element Donnie"