Ever wondered why people are so nostalgic for the 90s? Seeing just a speck of what might look like it could have come from that era makes people all giddy and excited? What's that all about? Well, I think it's because that decade in the film was one of the most inspirational. You can accuse the 50s of being all about musicals, or the 70s with being all about gangster films, but the 90s were all about inspirational stories.
Here are some that stand out to this day.
Mona Lisa Smile
"Mona Lisa Smile," contrary to its name, is not about living a happy life. it's about taking risks reaching out to a life that's way more fulfilling than what seems the be the idyllic route. In the 1950s, women were taught that becoming housewives to rich men was the pinnacle of their womanhood. Julia Roberts's 'Katherine Watson,' an art professor, proves otherwise. Here, she challenges her students, played by the likes of Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, and Maggie Gyllenhaal, to go above and beyond what's expected of them and be the women they want to be. Not what society already expects them to be.
Titanic
More than a famous love story between people belonging to different social classes, "Titanic" was all about taking risks. All throughout the film, Kate Winslet's 'Rose' took as many risks as she can to survive a harrowing boat ride (and that's even before the damn thing sank!). She took the risk to decide to jump overboard, to be drawn naked, and to entrust her life to someone she just met yet. And while these risks didn't always give her the results she wanted, her journey throughout the movie was the most important one of all. That's how she survived and waited 84 years to tell her story!
Good Will Hunting
A genius janitor turning his life around to live a happier and more fulfilling life with his partner? If that's not inspiring, I don't know what it is. "Good Will Hunting" is perhaps one of the best-known feel-good movies from the 90s. You feel good seeing Matt Damon's 'Will' finally accept that he's more than what he makes himself out to be. You feel calm knowing there are people out there like Robin Wiliams's 'Dr. Sean Maguiere' looking out for the underdogs. It's always their stories of redemption that's most inspiring to watch on screen!
A Bug’s Life
Animated films are almost always inspirational. It's their main objective after all—to inspire kids to be better and have hope. But what's most inspiring about "A Bug's Life is the unconventionality of it all. The way the Ant Kingdom relied on Flik, a relative nobody, to look for help. The way the outcast circus bags got accepted into the kingdom as saviors and eventually living up to such titles. And the fact that the little guys, working together, can defeat even the most aggressive of grasshoppers. This amazing film about tiny creatures had one of the biggest hearts of any Disney film!
If you’re looking to feel inspired, look back into these classic 90s flicks. They’ll surely motivate you to be better and never lose hope!
