Bad Romance: The 90s Movies You Need To Watch This Valentines Day
The problem with romantic movies is that they can often be cliché and predictable. Girl meets guy, they have problems and then they end up together at the end. Watching one of these makes me want to stick candy floss in my eyes in order to feel something.
This love story format worked when movies were still a new thing and we weren’t bored by the same old fairytale. But now, I’m surprised at how many screenwriters still write scripts that are better used as a care bear’s toilet paper. I know that some people do love these kinds of stories, but some people are also wrong.
Underneath all the Pretty Womans and Wedding Singers, I remember that there were some pretty good alternative love stories in the ’90s that aren’t a knock-off of Shakespear’s Much Ado About Nothing. So here are six alternative 90s romance movies that won’t make you want to vomit rainbows.
Natural Born Killers, 1994
Screenplay by Oliver Stone, Quentin Tarantino, David Veloz & Richard Rutowski
Natural Born Killers is a social commentary on how the media portrays mass murderers. But, at its penetrated heart, the story is about a couple in love. Despite having a slight habit of beating people to death, they love each other and would never let anyone keep them apart. Cute.
Foxfire, 1996
Screenplay by Elizabeth White
Angelina Jolie in the 90s did it for me. And she did it for this girl gang too. A group of misfits befriend the mysterious Jolie and fall a little bit in love. Jolie falls in love back… well, with only one of the girls. The story is taken from Joyce Carol Oats’ novel about girl crushes and teenage angst.
True Romance, 1993
Screenplay by Quentin Tarantino & Roger Avary
Tarantino penned another dark love story and, this time, director Tony Scott has taken it and has thrown in a load of famous faces. Christian Slater, Christopher Walken, Brad Pitt, Gary Oldman, Samuel L Jackson… the cast list reads like the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. True Romance follows a con and a prostitute who fall in love (far too quickly), steal cocaine and are hunted by a mob. Very Tarantino.
Cruel Intentions, 1999
Screenplay by Roger Kumble
Although Roger Kumble went on to direct more clichéd movies like Just Friends and The Sweetest Thing, his 1999 movie was about manipulation, jealousy and incest- the perfect themes for a love story. ’90s sweetheart Sarah Michelle Gellar plays a twisted little rich girl who’s brother is infatuated with her. Ew.
Léon: The Professional, 1994
Screenplay by Luc Besson
In this tale, a 12-year-old girl falls in love with an emotionless hitman. Before you say, Natalie Portman is far too young, the bond between the couple is touching (no… not in that way). I also am a sucker for aesthetically pleasing films which French director Luc Besson is a pro at.
Lolita, 1997
Screenplay by Quentin Tarantino & Roger Avary
If you couldn’t stomach Léon, then this one may be a little too much for you. The story of Lolita is taken from one of my favourite books by Vladamir Nabokov. A man falls in love with the 13-year-old Delores. And while this man is definitely classed a raging paedophile, his love for Lolita pushes him to the edge of madness. It’s both endearing and sickening all at once but at least it makes you feel something.
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