Casey Chong with seven underappreciated teen movies of the 1990s…
The 1990s saw many teen movies spreading across different genres from comedies to horrors and thrillers. Commercially successful ones like Clueless, American Pie and Scream were all genre classics, but plenty of other teen movies went under the radar and were underappreciated at the time of their release. Here are seven underrated teen movies of the 90s worth checking out if you haven’t already…
Pump Up the Volume (1990)
“You ever get the feeling that everything in America is completely f****ed up?”
There goes the first line from Hard Harry played with conviction by Christian Slater in his career-defining performance, even though the movie itself wasn’t a huge hit at the time. He’s a nighttime pirate radio host and a one-man show of “Happy Harry Hard-On”. He talks about everything that particularly resonates with the teenagers from expressing dissatisfaction with the school system to encouraging the young generations to speak out and embrace their own destinies.
The story may be dated, given its analog approach during the pre-internet era, but the core of its thematic subject matters remains more relevant than ever when it comes to the freedom of expression. The only significant differences in today’s generation are the use of podcasts and social media platforms.
Slater even plays a role with dual identities, showcasing his versatility between Hard Harry the outspoken pirate radio host and Mark Hunter the introverted high school student. Writer-director Allan Moyle, who was no stranger to a coming-of-age teen drama after 1980’s Times Square, doesn’t shy away from complex and sensitive issues (a brief but hard-hitting moment of a caller played by Anthony Lucero talking about killing himself comes to mind).
Empire Records (1995)
Here’s another underrated 1990s teen-movie gem from Allan Moyle, which unfortunately came and went after a barely-there theatrical release back in 1995. Like his Pump Up the Volume five years earlier, Empire Records has since developed a cult following and among its re-discoveries stemmed from Gin Blossoms’ hit single, “Til I Hear It From You”. The movie takes place primarily in the titular independent record store, detailing the ups and downs of the young employees from their personal relationships to soul-searching and teen angst.
The movie is filled with then-up-and-comers including Liv Tyler, Renee Zellweger, Robin Tunney and Ethan Embry. Each character is given a distinct personality, particularly Tyler’s contemplative Corey Mason and Zellweger’s rebellious Gina. Not to mention there’s also a killer soundtrack from Dire Straits’ “Romeo and Juliet” to The Cranberries’ “Liar”, Dishwalla’s “Counting Blue Cars” and Toad the Wet Sprocket’s “Crazy Life”.
The Doom Generation (1995)
The Doom Generation marks the middle chapter of Gregg Araki’s Teenage Apocalypse trilogy after Totally F***ed Up and before concluding with Nowhere. An independently produced teen drama with elements of pitch-black comedy and thriller, the movie barely made an impact at the box office but it has since become a cult classic, thanks to Araki’s boundary-pushing direction in his explicit depiction of promiscuity and wayward 1990s youth culture.
Most of the movie’s success lies in the stellar young cast led by Rose McGowan, James Duval and Johnathon Schaech. Araki doesn’t back down when it comes to graphic violence, alternating between disturbingly funny (the talking severed head) and downright unflinching (the blood-soaked finale). The Doom Generation is equally notable for its distinct visual aesthetics with Araki’s brilliant use of vibrant colors (specifically red) and neon lighting, which reflect the three disillusioned young characters’ journey of copious sex, three-way relationships and facing troubles.
Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael (1990)
Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael feels like an odd one out coming from Jim Abrahams, given his works typically associated with parodies from Airplane! to The Naked Gun and Hot Shots! And yet, he manages to show a different side of himself in this teen dramedy starring then-It Girl, Winona Ryder. The latter, of course, is synonymous with playing rebellious teenage roles seen in Beetlejuice and Heathers. Here, she isn’t playing the titular character but rather a socially awkward teenager and a loner, who prefers to spend time feeding homeless animals than making friends.
Abrahams also delves into the celebrity obsession seen from the perspective of Ryder’s Dinky Bossetti, who grows increasingly fixated over the town’s popular resident, Roxy Carmichael, who’s been gone for so long. When the town learns that Roxy is slated to return home for a visit, Dinky suspects she might be her long-lost biological mother. Ryder is perfectly typecast for such a role and she is also backed by a strong supporting cast, notably Jeff Daniels as the resident who used to date Roxy for a brief time.
Idle Hands (1999)
A year before Devon Sawa led the first Final Destination, the then-up-and-comer delivered a game performance as Anton in Idle Hands, a lazy teenager who prefers to slack around watching TV and getting stoned with his buddies. So lazy and nonchalant that he doesn’t even realize his parents are already dead from the beginning. The highlight of the movie is Anton’s possessed hand that has a life of his own. Think The Hand or Evil Dead 2 and props to Rodman Flender for effectively combining tongue-in-cheek slasher horror with jet-black humor.
Idle Hands is a slacker teen comedy that unexpectedly turns someone unproductive like Anton into an unlikely hero, albeit with a few disastrous results. It’s darkly funny and aside from Sawa’s go-for-broke performance, the movie also features solid support from Seth Green and Elden Henson, who play Anton’s best friends, as well as Jessica Alba in one of her earlier roles as Anton’s longtime crush. The movie even boasts plenty of nifty practical effects.
Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999)
Way before Amy Adams went on to establish herself as one of the best actresses of her generation, she got her start in Drop Dead Gorgeous. A darkly humorous teen comedy that focuses on the participants of the small-town beauty pageant, director Michael Patrick Jann incorporates a mockumentary-style approach as he has a field day satirizing the price of fame, beauty and ambition. The comedy alternates between quirky and deadpan and it largely works, thanks to the overall game cast not only from Adams but also others like Kirsten Dunst, Denise Richards and Kirstie Alley.
Drop Dead Gorgeous even spices things up by adding in a pitch-black mystery thriller, where one by one the participants end up dead under mysterious circumstances. Shame that the movie failed to attract enough audiences at the time, grossing only $10.5 million on a $15 million budget. But Drop Dead Gorgeous has managed to gain a cult following in the years since its release.
Jawbreaker (1999)
A flop upon its release but gradually slipped into the cult-classic pantheon, Jawbreaker refers to the titular hard, round candy that may have been sweet but can be deadly. This occurs right from the darkly funny opening scene after a trio of popular high school girls (Rose McGowan, Rebecca Gayheart and Julie Benz) accidentally killed their friend (Charlotte Ayanna), who is gagged with a jawbreaker during a fake kidnapping gone awry. They try to cover up the murder, only for the meek outcast from their high school played by Judy Greer unwittingly find out about it.
What follows next is a series of pitch-black humor and how a big bully like Rose McGowan’s Courtney Shayne thinks she can control everyone without facing consequences. All the young cast is top-notch and the movie even culminates in a Carrie-like finale but minus the supernatural underpinning but equally mean-spirited nonetheless.
What are your 90s teen movie recommendations? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Casey Chong
