Redditors onr/movies, the largest film subreddit, recently got together to discuss the best movies that defined a generation. These are films that capture a specific moment in time and speak to the central experiences of a particular age group.
They came upwith some intriguing picks from across the last five decades. These movies serve as a kind of time capsule, reminding the viewer of what it felt like to live through a given period.
10’Mean Girls' (2004)
“Why are you so obsessed with me?“Mean Girlsis a vivid, hilarious study of high school rivalry, which left an indelible mark on pop culture. It remains a standout comedy of the 2000s, thanks to the amazing performances from then-budding stars likeLindsay LohanandRachel McAdams, and a killer script byTina Fey.
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“People I know still quote it. It’s so reflective and reminiscent of my own high school experience,” saiduser HotlineBirdman. “It really hits that mid-’00s feeling of the awkwardness of high school and the kinds of cliques that were being parodied.”
9’The Breakfast Club' (1985)
The Breakfast Clubis a quintessential coming-of-age movie and an ’80s classic. Set during a Saturday detention at Shermer High School, the film brings together five students from different social circles: the brainy Brian (Anthony Michael Hall), the popular Claire (Molly Ringwald), the rebellious John Bender (Judd Nelson), the athlete Andrew (Emilio Estevez), and the introverted Allison (Ally Sheedy).
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Initially, they view each other with skepticism, but as the day progresses, the kids begin to shed their preconceived notions and reveal their vulnerabilities, fears, and deepest secrets. “A Gen X staple. I was one year out of high school when I saw it. The Simple Minds song still has an emotional impact on me,” saidRedditor damndaryryghtor.
8’The Graduate' (1967)
Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) is a recent college grad, adrift and uncertain about his future. He has an affair with Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), the wife of his father’s business partner, before falling in love with her daughter, Elaine (Katherine Ross).The Graduateis a major work of New Hollywood, and it still feels surprisingly modern more than 50 years since its release.
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“The Graduateis the classic 60s movie even though it doesn’t have most of the 1960s clichés like hippies, drugs, war, or protests,” saiduser ProfessorEggDrop. “It does capture the undercurrent of what motivated those things though. Feeling overwhelmed by becoming an adult in a world that wants to define you into cookie-cutter roles.”
7’Napoleon Dynamite' (2004)
Jon HederisNapoleon Dynamite, an awkward and socially inept teenager living in the small town of Preston, Idaho. He befriends fellow misfits Pedro (Efren Ramirez), a new student from Mexico, and Deb (Tina Majorino), a shy girl who runs various small businesses to raise money for college. The trio embark on a series of misadventures, including Napoleon’s attempts to help Pedro win the class presidency.
“Napoleon Dynamitereally nails the irreverent weirdness of the early 2000s,” saiduser jakefrommyspace. “It broke all the movie recommendation engines. People either love it or hate it and there’s no telling which it’s going to be,” addedRedditor cutelyaware.
High school seniors Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera) have a simple objective: they need to buy alcohol for a party. However, endless obstacles block their way, leading to all kinds of shenanigans and madcap encounters. On release,Superbadwas a widely-quoted instant hit. Watching it now, it’s intriguing as a document of the late 2000s.
“Superbadis probably the most accurate picture of millennial high school partying that I can think of,” saiduser bookoocash. “It also is a perfect snapshot of how millennials talked to each other and how things were before smartphones and apps,” addedRedditor deleteallsocialmedia.
5’Heathers' (1988)
Heathersis an outlier among ’80s teen movies, in that it’s much darker and more satirical. It revolves around Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder), a smart and cynical high school student who becomes disillusioned with the toxic social hierarchy dominated by the popular girls known as the Heathers. When Veronica meets and falls for the rebellious outsider J.D. (Christian Slater), their shared contempt for the Heathers leads them down a path of deception, manipulation, and ultimately, murder.
“Heatherswas the bridge fromJohn Hughesmovies to movies likeSingles,Reality Bites, andEmpire Records,” saiduser crystalistwo. “I’m convinced that for several years […] every American girl was given a copy of Heathers on VHS and the first Violent Femmes album,” addedRedditor Fusion_Corp.
4’The Matrix' (1999)
The Matrixwas truly groundbreaking. It blended high-concept sci-fi and action in a way that was unlike anything else in the 1990s. So much of it remains a part of the zeitgeist, from the red pill and the blue pill to “Follow the white rabbit” to the continued anxiety about the dangers of technology.
“There was something decidedly new about it. It spoke to this iconoclastic, queer, anti-racist, anti-establishment energy that felt really palpable in the youth culture of the late ’90s,” saiduser charlie_ferrous. “And it intertwined this feeling with technology, the internet, for a generation that was pretty much the first raised fluently in computers.”
3’Fight Club' (1999)
The unnamed narrator (Edward Norton) is a discontented corporate worker suffering from insomnia. Seeking an escape from his mundane existence, he forms an unlikely friendship with Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), a charismatic and rebellious soap salesman. Together, they create an underground fighting club as a means to release their frustrations and find a sense of liberation. But as the club gains popularity, the lines between reality and fantasy blur.
“Fight Club[…] personifies that time period. There was an acute, mainstream counterculture of rebelling against the status quo, and recognizing that (American) society is set up for most people to fail.,” saidRedditor icedrift. “I think it speaks to the “end of history” feeling that existed in the ’90s. There was a fairly high level of economic prosperity, no existential threats after the Cold War ended, and people seemed to think, ‘Is this it? Is this our end goal?’,” saiduser charlie_ferrous.
2’Harry Potter' (2001-2011)
For kids born in the 90s and early 2000s, no film or book series looms larger thanHarry Potter.J.K. Rowlingcreated an immersive mythology that found millions of rabid fans. Its grip on the culture is still strong: theHogwarts Legacygame was a record-setting bestseller, and an HBO series based on the books is in development.
“Harry Potterfor the 2000s. Couldn’t be a kid and not hear about that,” saiduser dmastra97. “The end ofHarry Potteralso had a major influence on films as well, when they split the final book into two movies,” saidRedditor thegimboid.
1’Dazed and Confused' (1993)
Dazed and Confusedfollows a diverse cast of characters in a small Texas town on the last day of high school. It’s believable, funny, and deeply nostalgic, with terrific performances across the board andsome ofRichard Linklater’s very best writing. Not to mention, it’s the origin ofMatthew McConaughey’s catchphrase “Alright, alright, alright.”
Quentin Tarantinodubbed it the best movie of the 90s, saying “[it’s] maybe the only movie that three different generations of college students have seen multiple times.” “As a guy who was a high school freshman in 1979, that film completely nails everything from that era to the clothes to music,” saidRedditor GodFlintstone.
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