movies

Gen Z haven't seen these 38 iconic movies and millennials are... concerned.

Nothing will make the generational divide in an office more evident than bringing up an iconic movie that came out in the '90s.

To some, a certain movie could be sacred; an impactful part of their upbringing, a film they think about as often as the Roman Empire... or more so. 

To others – typically a younger subsection – they have no clue what we're talking about, why some of the older women are fighting, and why one grown millennial woman is in tears on the floor.

The following movies are just a few very important examples of films that millennials cherish, but according to a quick survey of the office, the majority of Gen Z have never seen, or in many cases, have never heard of. Welp.

Send this list to your local Gen Z today – it's a crucial part of their education. 

1. The Craft.

The one that was played at all teenage girls' sleepovers throughout the '90s and early '00s. If you didn't attempt to lift your friend with your fingertips while chanting 'light as a feather, stuff as a board', did you even have a childhood?

It's four witches trying to navigate high school politics. The fashion is beyond iconic, turning being a witch into a style trend.

Light as a feather, stiff as a board. Image: Columbia Pictures.

ADVERTISEMENT

2. The Hairy Bird (aka All I Wanna Do or Strike!).

It was released under many names, but in Australia it was known as The Hairy Bird – and frankly, it's a feminist masterpiece, with '90s queen Kirsten Dunst playing a headstrong student at an all-girls boarding school merging with a boys' school in the 1960s.(The horror!)

This film birthed its own langauage. I still say "Up your ziggy with a wa-wa brush" to this day. 

3. Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.

My childhood would have been very different without this film. I certainly would have annoyed my parents a lot less by routinely performing Whoopi Goldberg's opening performance.

ADVERTISEMENT

And yes, we are strictly talking about Sister Act 2 here. The original was good enough, but the sequel was on a whole other level. 

It must also be noted that one of the Gen Zs in the office who HAD seen this piece of film history asked if there was a Sister Act 1... Millennial hearts skipped a beat that day, but we're all okay now, thanks for asking. 

4. The Virgin Suicides.

A Sophia Coppola piece of art. Kirsten Dunst is back again (she was big in the '90s), this time as a one of five sisters living with strict Catholic parents. Given the title (and the book the film is based on), it's clear the movie doesn't have a happy ending. But hey, Josh Hartnett is also in it at peak hotness.

5. Ever After.

Drew Barrymore plays Cinderella. End of. 

6. Fear.

Let's be real: the main thing this film is known for is Reese Witherspoon having an orgasm while riding a rollercoaster. The soundtrack is also so damn excellent.

7. The First Wives Club.

This movie literally brought me up. I reenacted the slapping scene with friends. I religiously performed 'You Don't Own Me' with the iconic trio's trademark dance moves. I aspired to be all of these stong, resilient, fabulous women.

These gals were future goals. Image: Paramount Pictures.

ADVERTISEMENT

8. Runaway Bride.

Julia Roberts reunited with Richard Gere post-Pretty Woman to play a bride who constantly flees from her weddings. In the poster, she's wearing a wedding dress and sneakers. What more do you need to know?

9. Cool Runnings.

If you grew up in the '90s, Cool Runnings was a very big deal in your life. A disgraced coach, played by John Candy (another icon of the era), starts the first Jamaican Bobsled Team. I mean, you don't get better than that. 

And let's not forget the film's life-changing mantra: "I see pride! I see power! I see a badass mother who don't take no crap off of nobody!"

ADVERTISEMENT

10. Death Becomes Her.

Goldie Hawn and Meryl Streep invoke the dark arts to win over the affections of the most mediocre man to ever live. A must-see, obviously.

11. Now and Then.

Now THIS is my entire childhood wrapped up in one film. Four friends, flashbacks from childhood to adulthood, lots of trauma, all the feels, Devon Sawa (??) – this film had it all.

12. Twister.

1996 was a big year for cursed movies about tornados. There was Devon Sawa's Night of the Twisters, which does hold a special place in my heart (because, Devon Sawa), and then the much bigger budgeted and Helen Hunt-led Twister. This movie was HUGE.

13. Encino Man.

If you've ever heard someone mutter "squeezing the juicy, buddddddy!", then this, my friends, is the ingenius source material. From a time when Pauly Shore movies reigned supreme and Brendan Fraser was the most handsome man on screen (still true), this tale of two teens and a cave man is sensational.

Classic. Image: Hollywood Pictures. 

ADVERTISEMENT

14. Set It Off.

Four women team up to rob a bank, and it's important to mention that three of these women are Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah and Vivica A. Fox. A real cultural reset.

15. Practical Magic.

If The Craft made me want to be a witch as a teen girl, Practical Magic made me want to be a witch as a grown woman. Nicole Kidman alongside Sandra Bullock, midnight margairtas, resurrection... just so much fun.

16. Center Stage.

Following a group of ballerinas trying to make it in the competitive world of professional dance, this movie is worthy watching for the final dance sequence alone. Jamiroquai has never hit so hard.

17. The Mask.

Somebody stop me! While Jim Carey's Ace Ventura has somehow broken through to Gen Zers, somehow The Mask has fallen through the cracks. It's absurd excellence.

18. Remember The Titans.

I don't enjoy sports movies, but this sports film makes me feel things. It tells the true story of a segregated Virginian school integrating white and black students for the first time, and the football team that brought the community together.

ADVERTISEMENT

19. My Girl.

If we were were to pinpoint the source of an entire generation's trauma, they will say it started with a particulrly devastating scene in My Girl. This is a spoiler-free zone, but let's just say that I've never trusted a 'kids' movie' since.

Oh hey, baby Macaulay Culkin and Anna Chlumsky. Image: Columbia Pictures.

ADVERTISEMENT

20. How Stella Got Her Groove Back.

Angela Bassett plays a 40-year-old stockbroker who holidays in Jamaica and finds herself in a fling with Taye Diggs. Whoopi Goldberg is there at some point too. I mean, just watch it if you haven't, kay?

21. Junior.

Arnold Schwarzenegger gets pregnant with Emma Thompson's baby. That's all the info you need.

22. The Object Of My Affection.

Ooft, just the memory of this one still brings tears to the eyes of many a millennial! This was Jennifer Aniston in her romcom queen era, and for this film, she falls for her gay best friend, who is played by Paul Rudd. Flawless.

23. The Full Monty.

You haven't lived until you've watched six unemployed steel workers turn themselves into amateur male strippers. The Full Monty walked so that Magic Mike could run.

24. The Baby-Sitters Club.

This movie will slap you in the face with teenage nostalgia, as a group of teen girls navigate hosting a daycare camp for children, as inspired by the iconic series of books.

25. The Brady Bunch Movie.

The way pop culture now sees The Brady Bunch is largely shaped by this parody movie, rather than the original cheesy sitcom that aired through the 1970s.

From the line 'Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!' to 'Sure, Jan', this hilariously loose and absurd take on The Brady Bunch should get all the praise in the world. And yes, I still remember the kissing scene between Marcia and Greg from A Very Brady Sequel.

Image: Paramount Pictures. 

ADVERTISEMENT

26. Blast From The Past.

The two biggest leads of the '90s – Brendan Fraser and Alicia Silverstone – team up to play romantic leads in this time-travel comedy.

27. Sliding Doors.

It's like a choose your own adventure for Gwyneth Paltrow – plus there's the iconic soundtrack which features Aqua's 'Turn Back Time' and who could resist that?

28. The Fifth Element.

This bonkers sci-fi film had our generation in a chokehold, giving us all unrealistic expectations of what the future will look like for humanity. (I hope Bruce Willis is there.)

ADVERTISEMENT

29. Anaconda.

It's a really big snake. Jennifer Lopez is in it.

30. Sense and Sensibility.

Pride and Prejudice gets a lot of praise, both the BBC series starring Colin Firth and the 2005 film with Matthew Macfadyen. But this iconic adaption of Jane Austen's other iconic novel, starring the era's best – Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet and Alan Rickman – is just as heartwarming.

Image: Sony Pictures. 

ADVERTISEMENT

31. The Man In The Iron Mask.

Leonardo DiCaprio plays two characters – the evil King Louis XIV of France and his twin brother –and goes to battle with the three musketeers.

32. Disturbing Behaviour.

Katie Holmes was in her bad gurl era in this film, playing opposite hottie-of-the-time James Marsden in this psychological thriller set in high school.

33. I Know What You Did Last Summer.

Scream gets a lot of credit for reviving the slasher, but this horror movie truly deserves more praise. Especially for the performances of Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe and Freddie Prinze Jr. 

34. Meet Joe Black.

Brad Pitt plays Death, who has taken the human form of a man named Joe Black. He makes a deal with Anthony Hopkins to have a chance to live a human life. Yup, it's as weird and wonderful as it sounds.

35. City of Angels.

Speaking of weird, remember when Nicolas Cage played Meg Ryan's literal guardian angel? And there was that really good song by the Goo Goo Dolls that played? And then it ended in the silliest way imaginable that made us all sob?

You didn't imagine that. It happened.

Image: Warner Bros. 

ADVERTISEMENT

36. The Faculty.

Elijah Wood and Joshua Harnett star in this high school thriller about a bunch of students who become controlled by aliens. Usher is also in it... for some reason.

37.  Pleansantville.

Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoonlive get stuck inside a 1950s sitcom, as their world turns black and white. For such a weird premise, this movie will give you all the feelings.

38. Shakespeare in Love.

There's a reason Gwyneth Paltrow won an Oscar for this, playing the romantic partner of playwright William Shakespeare. 

Feature image: New Line/Paramount Pictures/Touchstone.