Only 90s Guys Will Pass This Old School Movie Quiz
- by Dylan Dembrow
- – on
- in Movies and TV
Are you a dude that grew up in the '90s. If so, there's a good chance you remember life before high-speed Internet and a time when you had to answer the home phone with no idea of who was on the other line. Sounds pretty terrifying, doesn't it? But the upside is that you grew up in a decade that turned out some pretty awesome movies.
For instance, if you've ever looked at the list of IMDb's top 250 movies of all time, you'd be surprised at how many '90s movies have made it into the top 20 alone. These include The Matrix, Fight Club, The Shawshank Redemption, and Pulp Fiction, just to name a few. And while these movies can certainly be enjoyed by anyone, they're definitely more skewed toward male audiences.
Unlike the 1980s, which turned out a plethora of movies where the heroes and villains were easily distinguishable from one another, the '90s often highlighted morally ambiguous characters -- which in the end made for a more complex viewing experience. Sure, you probably wouldn't want to spend any real time with Tyler Durden or the criminals in any Tarantino movie. But that doesn't stop them from being endlessly enjoyable on the big screen.
So let's take a trip back a few decades and see how well you remember these awesome '90s movies!
What iconic structure gets blown up by the aliens in Independence Day?
Released a day before America’s Independence Day in 1996, this film centers around a large scale attack on Earth waged by a race of hostile extra-terrestrials. The film follows a number of characters as they deal with an ongoing crisis, including a fighter pilot, a scientist, and the President of the United States. The film stars Will Smith as Captain Steven Hiller during a time when Smith was quickly becoming one of the most bankable action stars in Hollywood. The result was one of the highest-grossing movies of all time.
What is the first rule of Fight Club?
Despite this movie still having a strong cult following nearly 20 years after its release, for whatever reason, Fight Club was not well received upon its theatrical debut as it garnered overwhelmingly negative reviews and a lackluster box office performance. The film stars Edward Norton as an unnamed narrator alongside Brad Pitt’s Tyler Durden, as the two men question what it is to be a man in our modernized, cushy existence and decide to form a bare-knuckle fighting club to feel alive again.
Name the movie.
Though this may have been the first film that actor Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg teamed up for, it was far from the last. This 1998 film follows a platoon of American World War II soldiers as they’re sent on an unusual mission to rescue a fellow soldier and return him safely back to the States. The film has one of the most harrowing opening sequences as we watch the troops hit the beaches of Normandy during the D-Day invasion, which would later go on to win Spielberg his second Oscar for Best Director.
What are the names of these two hitmen from Pulp Fiction?
Maybe the most influential movie of the ‘90s came out of director Quentin Tarantino. Pulp Fiction may not have been Tarantino’s first movie, but it certainly earned him more recognition than Reservoir Dogs as the film went on to be nominated for a string of Academy Awards. Though it would eventually lose to Forrest Gump for Best Picture of the Year, it did end up taking home the award for Best Original Screenplay thanks to Tarantino’s lighting fast and pithy dialogue, which is especially captured so well when these two hit men play off one another.
What is the Dude’s drink of choice in The Big Lebowski?
The ‘90s turned out a number of super cool character in movies including The Usual Suspects, Pulp Fiction, and Fight Club. But none of them can hold a candle to the laid-back protagonist of this 1998 Coen Brother film. Here, Jeff Bridges plays Jeffrey Lebowski, who is better known as the Dude — or even His Dudeness, Duder, or El Duderino “if you’re not into the whole brevity thing.” This movie is endlessly quotable and infinitely re-watchable. So is this is your kind of comedy, you certainly know what the Dude’s beverage of choice happens to be.
In American Pie, when do the guys all want to “do the deed” by?
The high school guys in American Pie are only interested in one thing, and one thing only: doing the deed with the opposite sex before they’re sent off to college. Therefore, they decide to make a pact with one another that they’ll help each other reach the goal by the time this very specific occasion comes and goes. The American Pie film launched a successful series and a number of sequels and spin-offs, not to mention a plethora of other raunchy teen comedies that tried to follow in its footsteps.
Name the movie.
What guy doesn’t love a good buddy cop movie? While the Lethal Weapon series may have ruled the ‘80s and and early ‘90s, this ongoing franchise was huge during the last ‘90s and early 2000s. It stars Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker as two cops from opposite sides of the world who are forced to partner up in an attempt to rescue the kidnapped daughter of the Chinese consul. The film is the perfect mix of martial arts action and fast-talking humor. So if you grew up in the ‘90s, you can no doubt name this buddy comedy.
“What’s in the box!?”
Maybe the most iconic question from any movie ever comes from the 1995 film Seven, starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. The film follows a rookie detective and his almost-retired partner as they track a serial murderer who basis his kills off the seven deadly sins. The film was directed by David Fincher, who has covered the topic of serial killers in a number of his other projects, including The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Zodiac, and Mindhunter. Suffice it to say, this ‘90s movie is not for the faint of heart.
What is Neo’s real name?
Neo goes by many names throughout the Matrix trilogy, including the One — which just so happens to be an anagram of Neo. But do you remember what his name is while he’s still hooked up to the Matrix? The character is played by Keanu Reeves, though the directors originally wanted Will Smith for the leading role — which would have made for a very different movie indeed. The first film in this trilogy no doubt changed action movies for years to come, though the second two installments were largely a letdown story-wise.
What do the criminals rob in Reservoir Dogs?
Reservoir Dogs may not have gotten as much love as Quentin Tarantino’s follow-up film Pulp Fiction, but this 1992 crime caper certainly showed that the writer/ director already had a lock on his signature style. The film follows a group of armed robbers who suspect that there is a rat amongst them after the job takes a turn for the worst. However, the audience is never actually shown the robbery, leaving us to try and figure out what happened from each character’s biased recollection.
Name the movie.
Who would’ve thought that a movie about two stoners sitting on a stoop over the course of one day would have been this entertaining? But that exactly what we got with this 1995 film, which was written by Ice Cube who stars alongside comedic actor Chris Tucker. The two play Craig Jones and Smokey, respectively, two lazy characters who must come up with $200 to pay a drug dealer by the time the day ends. The film has been followed up by two sequels with a third currently in the works.
What is the name of Russel Crowe’s character in Gladiator?
Don’t get us wrong, Gladiator is a great movie, but did it really deserve to take home five Academy Award in 2000, including Best Picture and Best Actor? We’ll leave that for you to decide. But what Gladiator surely is, is an intense action film that keeps you rooting for the hero from start to finish. The film mirrors some of the historical epics from Hollywood’s Golden Age, as we watch a well-respected character be diminished to a prisoner who is forced to fight for his life only to rise up from the ashes once again.
What does Samuel L. Jackson’s character say while trying to reboot the power in Jurassic Park?
Samuel L. Jackson might seem like one of those actors who’s been famous as long as he’s been alive. But the ‘90s were really the first decade where he gained any notable recognition. He appeared in a number of small roles in big movies, including Goodfellas, True Romance, and Jurassic Park, before he ultimately stole the show in 1994’s Pulp Fiction. In Jurassic Park, he played Ray Arnold, the chief engineer on the island. So do you remember this iconic line for when things start looking grim for the survivors?
Name the movie.
Much like Friday, this is yet another stoner comedy to come out of the 1990s, which also just so happens to take place over the course of one 24-hour time period. Though the film may have been released in 1993, it actually takes place in 1976 Texas during the last day of school and the first night of summer vacation for a group of high schoolers. Despite the generational gap, this film proved that no matter the decade, the lives and wants of high schoolers have mostly stayed the same over time.
True or false: Goodfellas is based on a true story.
While The Godfather may always be considered the king of mobster movies, modern day audiences might find the pace of this 1972 masterpiece to be a bit on the slow side. In which case, you might find yourself more thoroughly entertained by Martin Scorsese’s 1990 mobster film Goodfellas. The film stars Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, and Joe Pesci as three mobsters who work for the Gambino family throughout the 1970s. And though the movie may still be over two hours long, it moves at a breakneck speed.
What model Terminator is Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character in Terminator 2: Judgment Day?
Often considered one of the greatest action movies of all time, Terminator 2: Judgment Day found Arnold Schwarzenegger suiting up once again to play the eponymous character — except this time around, he happened to be on the right side of the equation. Here, the Terminator finds himself up against an even more advanced model sent back from the future as he tries to protect John Conner, a teenager who will later go on to lead the resistance against the machines in the future. So do you happen to remember which “inferior” model of Terminator the hero is?
Name the movie.
Before Get Out ended up winning the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay this past year at the Oscars, this was really the last movie in the horror genre to receive any real amount of critical recognition. The film stars Sir Anthony Hopkins as the extremely intelligent cannibal, Dr. Hannibal Lector. But the story is really about a young FBI trainee who is hot on the trail of the serial killer, known as Buffalo Bill — though she also ends up using the incarcerated Hannibal Lector for guidance.
What is the name of the killer in Scream?
Before The Cabin in the Woods perfectly parodied the horror genre, there was the 1996 film Scream, which found a group of high schoolers partaking in horrific crimes simply due to their love of horror movies. Despite already being a bit of a satire, this film (and many other horror films of the ‘90s) served as the basis for the 2000 film Scary Movie, which features a similar killer with the exact same mask. But do you know by which name this killer is referred to in Scream?
Name the movie.
If you love heist movies and intense shootouts then there’s no way you missed this 1995 crime epic — which has possibly one of the best shootouts ever recorded on film. The movie stars Robert De Niro as a professional thief and Al Pacino as the detective hot on his trail. But although both men find each other on opposite sides of the law, they can’t help but develop a strange respect for the commitment that each man has to their craft.
What is the name of the mysterious criminal behind it all in The Usual Suspects?
The first time you saw The Usual Suspects, you probably couldn’t wait to watch the movie a second time around thanks to its expertly crafted twist ended that reveals which character has been the criminal mastermind the entire time. The film centers around a group of thieves who are brought together to perform a job after they all unwittingly step on the toes of this infamous con artist. But little does the audience know that they’re also being conned all along, and that this mysterious figure is far from a shadow or a thing of legend.
What day can weatherman Phil Conners simply not stop living over and over again?
A number of Bill Murray’s movies are indeed hilarious, but the older you get, the more you realize that many of these on-the-surface comedies are actually serious examinations of the human condition. This movie may just seem like a story about a bitter weatherman who gets trapped in a time loop, but it’s actually about the effects that a negative personality can have on a person’s existence. The film was released on February 12th of 1993 and was written and directed by Harold Ramis. So do you know what day the movie centers around?
Name the movie.
Easily one of the most underrated action movies of the 1990s, this film stars Keanu Reeves as FBI rookie, Johnny Utah, who infiltrates of a group of surfers lead by Patrick Swayze’s Bodhi who may or may not be involved in a string of bank robberies. The film was directed by Kathryn Bigelow, who would later go on to helm a number of other films brimming with macho masculinity, including The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty. The film was recently updated for modern audiences, though it failed miserably without Reeves and Swayze at the center if it.
Where are Harry and Lloyd trying to get to in Dumb in Dumber?
You might remember from Dumb and Dumber that the Rocky Mountains should have been a lot rockier than the landscape Harry and Llyod see before them because these two dim-witted characters end up driving a sixth of the way across the country in the wrong direction. Thus, they must trade in their dog van for a moped to make it the rest of their journey, which is someplace warm, someplace where the beer flows like wine, and — most importantly — a place where the beautiful women instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano. So do you remember the destination?
What college is Will Hunting a janitor at in Good Will Hunting?
Released on December 5th of 1997, this film follows a young adult living in an impoverished area of South Boston who is actually a self-taught genius. Though he may mop floors by day, he stays up half the night educating himself until he has one too many run ins with the law and must undergo therapy sessions to stay out of jail. The character is played by Matt Damon in one of his first leading roles. In fact, Damon actually penned the script for the film alongside his real-life friend Ben Affleck.
Name the movie.
Speaking of Ben Affleck movies, this 1998 disaster film stars the actor alongside a number of other A-listers of the decade, including Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thorton, and Liv Tyler. The film follows a group of deep-core drillers who are sent to space to drill a hole in an asteroid that is on a crash course with Earth — threatening humanity’s very existence. The film was absolutely destroyed by critics upon its release, but that didn’t stop if from earning over a half a billion dollars at the box office.
What is Eddie Adams’ show biz name in Boogie Nights?
Much like Quentin Tarantino and Richard Linklater, writer/ director Paul Thomas Anderson was yet another one of the “VHS filmmakers” to come out of the 1990s. In other words, these were the first generation of movie makers that had grown up on VHS tapes, meaning that movies no longer had to be watched while they were in theaters or whenever they randomly aired on TV. Crazy to think there was once a time when movies couldn’t be watched whenever you wanted to.
In Speed, what speed can the bus not drop below before it explodes?
On its surface, the premise of Speed sounds absolutely ridiculous, as it revolves around a public transportation bus having to stay above a certain speed or else it will blow up. But under its execution, this non-stop action movie proved to be one of the best of the decade. The film stars Keanu Reeves as Jack Tavern, an LAPD cop who’s up against a bomb terrorist. Luckily, Jack has Sandra Bullock’s Annie Porter on his side to keep this bus plugging along over the correct speed. Which is...
Name the movie.
After director Jan de Bont turned out his first film with 1994’s Speed, he went on to helm this 1996 disaster flick, which centers on a group of researchers who are chasing tornados across Oklahoma during a particularly deadly season. The film was written by famed science fiction novelist Michael Crichton, who is probably best known for writing Jurassic Park. The film stars Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton as an estranged couple who reconvene at the begging of the film and ended up chasing the tornados together.
What are the name of the aliens in Starship Troopers?
Despite Starship Troopers receiving overwhelming negative reviews from critics upon its release, this 1997 film has gone on to become one of the biggest cult classics of the 1990s. Though it was loosely based on the pro-military novel of the same name by Robert A. Heinlein, the film is actually more of a scathing satire of the armed forces. Or is it? It’s actually quite hard to categories this film as to whether or not it’s trying to be 100% serious, or if it has its tongue firmly planted in its cheek the whole time.
What is the name of this tiny weapon from Men in Black?
The ‘90s were a big decade for Will Smith. First, he went from comedic sitcom star on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to action hero with 1995’s Bad Boys. Then he ended up saving the world from an alien invasion once in 1996’s Independence Day and again in Men in Black just a year later. Smith’s over-expressive personality was the perfect juxtaposition again Tommy Lee Jone’s placid persona, which went on to spawn two Men in Black sequels after the massive success of the original.
Name the movie.
Released on May 2nd of 1997, this film served as a spoof to the long-running James Bond series and found former SNL cast member Mike Myers playing the title character and secret agent — as well as a number of other characters in the film. On top of this, Meyers also wrote the movie and would go on to star in two sequels after the massive success of this one. While the film only cost a relatively small budget of $16.5 million to make, it went on to gross a collective box office total of $67 million.
What character did Jim Carrey play in Batman Forever?
The ‘90s may have been a good decade for action movies, teen comedies, and independent films — but it was not a very good decade for superhero movies. After two successful Batman movies starring Michael Keaton, the series began to spiral downhill fast during Val Kilmer and George Clooney’s time with the character. And if the hero was ridiculous, the villains were downright over the top, especially Tommy Lee Jones’s performance as the Two-Face alongside Jim Carrey’s portrayal of this character…
Name the movie.
Easily Tarantino’s most underrated film, this 1997 film was the writer/ director's follow-up to the critically acclaimed Pulp Fiction, and the only movie of Tarantino’s to be based on someone else’s work. But while the audience may have been expecting another movie as flashy as Pulp Fiction, they instead got this slow-burning crime caper which was heavy on character development and short on action. But that certainly doesn’t mean it’s not worth checking out. So have you seen this less-known '90s gem?
What is William Wallace’s final word in Braveheart?
Mel Gibson’s certainly experienced his fair share of controversy. So whether or not you can’t stand to watch him on screen, it’s still hard to deny that he’s a very talented director. After directing 1993’s The Man Without a Face, Gibson stepped behind (and in front) of the camera again for this 1995 historical epic, which follows the journey of the real-life Willam Wallace as he leads a revolt against the King of England until he is eventually captured and executed, giving us this final iconic moment.
Name the movie.
This 1996 film follows a down on his luck father and husband who arranged to have his wife kidnapped in the hopes that his wealthy father-in-law will pony up the ransom. Of course, being a Coen Brothers movie, you know that things are not going to go according to plan. On the trail of all of these criminals is the pregnant police chief Marge Gunderson, who isn’t nearly as dumb as her thick accent would imply. Though the movie claims this caper was based on a true story, the Coen actually made it up.