You ever look back at a year in film and realize it was stacked? Like, full-course-meal, classics-on-classics kind of stacked? Well, 1995 was that year. And believe it or not, every movie on this list turns 30 years old this year. Yep, three whole decades. So go ahead and let that nostalgia sink in while we run through some of the iconic, genre-defining, and lowkey underrated gems that dropped in ’95.
READ: 30th Anniversary: 15 Shows That Premiered in 1995
Higher Learning
John Singleton gave us a deep dive into race, identity, and college life with Higher Learning. With Omar Epps, Tyra Banks, Michael Rapaport, and Ice Cube leading the charge, the film wasn’t just bold—it was necessary. It remains a college movie with something real to say.
Losing Isaiah
Halle Berry and Jessica Lange gave us emotion in this raw custody drama. This one hits you in the gut—it’s messy, it’s complicated, and it sparks real conversation about motherhood, addiction, and race.
Major Payne
Damon Wayans as the no-nonsense, overly intense, hilariously unhinged Major Payne? Iconic. It’s still a go-to comfort watch. Directed by Nick Castle, this military-school comedy marched its way to $30M and still gets quoted like it came out yesterday.
Bad Boys
Michael Bay + Will Smith + Martin Lawrence = the beginning of a franchise that refuses to quit. Bad Boys was Bay’s feature directorial debut and blew up the box office with $141M worldwide. Action, comedy, chemistry—it had all of it, and then some.
A Goofy Movie
Look. If “Eye to Eye” or “Stand Out” doesn’t live rent-free in your head, were you even raised right? Directed by Kevin Lima, this Disney animated classic made $35M but became a full-blown cultural moment years later.
New Jersey Drive
Produced by Spike Lee and directed by Nick Gomez, this film told a real story—joyriding teens in Newark navigating poverty and police. It’s one of those raw, street-level stories that aged well.
Friday
Ice Cube and DJ Pooh wrote it. F. Gary Gray directed it. And Friday changed the game with a $3.5M budget and $27M return. A day in the neighborhood turned into a comedy classic and a whole cinematic universe.
Panther
Mario Van Peebles directed this dramatization of the Black Panther Party, based on a novel by his father, Melvin Van Peebles. A lesser-known but important film that went to tell the story Hollywood usually skips over.
Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh
Tony Todd returned in this sequel that dug deeper into the Candyman mythology. Still creepy. Still haunting. And still making you think twice about saying his name out loud.
Outbreak
Before folks were hoarding toilet paper and masking up, Outbreak had us stressed. A deadly virus, military secrets, and Dustin Hoffman and Cuba Gooding Jr. racing to save the day—it had all the ingredients for a 90s thriller.
Tales from the Hood
Clarence Williams III as the creepy funeral director? Iconic. Rusty Cundieff’s horror anthology tackled racism, abuse, and police brutality through wild, supernatural stories.
Boys on the Side
This feel-good tearjerker about three women on a cross-country trip gave us Whoopi Goldberg, Drew Barrymore, and Mary-Louise Parker at their best. It’s heartfelt, funny, and still underrated.
Jumanji
Robin Williams in his element. Directed by Joe Johnston, this fantasy adventure raked in over $262M worldwide and had every kid side-eyeing board games for a while. The legacy is still going strong.
Clueless
As if! Alicia Silverstone made fashion and feminism collide in the most 90210 way possible. Amy Heckerling’s modern-day Emma was peak ’90s and somehow still feels relevant, stylish, and quotable.
Virtuosity
Denzel Washington vs. a killer AI played by Russell Crowe. It was weird, wild, and a tech-noir thriller before the internet even hit its prime. Honestly? Kind of ahead of its time and remains a wild ride into ‘90s tech paranoia.
Waiting to Exhale
Whitney. Angela. Loretta. Lela. Four women navigating life, love, and letting go. Forest Whitaker directed, Babyface blessed the soundtrack, and we still ain’t over Bernadine lighting that car on fire.
Dangerous Minds
Michelle Pfeiffer as a former Marine teaching in a troubled school, backed by the late Coolio’s Gangsta Paradise song. Directed by John N. Smith, the film pulled in $179.5M worldwide. Even if you haven’t seen it, you’ve definitely heard “Gangsta’s Paradise.”
Mortal Kombat
Flawless victory at the box office: $122M global take for this Paul W.S. Anderson-directed video game adaptation. It might’ve been campy, but it hit for fans and inspired a reboot decades later.
The Tuskegee Airmen
This HBO film gave life to the story of the first Black military aviators. Laurence Fishburne, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Andre Braugher all showed up and showed out.
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar
Wesley Snipes, John Leguizamo, and Patrick Swayze, as three drag queens on a road trip? A bold, beautiful comedy that made over $47M and broke barriers with humor and heart.
Clockers
Spike Lee directed, Martin Scorsese produced, and Mekhi Phifer made his debut role, leading the cast in this gritty look at drug dealing and police corruption.
Devil in a Blue Dress
Denzel Washington as Easy Rawlins. Need we say more? Directed by Carl Franklin, this noir thriller gave us Don Cheadle stealing scenes early in his career.
Dead Presidents
The Hughes Brothers delivered a war story, a heist movie, and a critique on America all in one. Larenz Tate and Chris Tucker showed out, and the visual style? Iconic.
Vampire in Brooklyn
Wes Craven directed. Eddie Murphy starred. Angela Bassett did what she always does: ate and lets not forget the supporting cast that Allen Payne, Kadeem Hardison, and the late John Witherspoon that help lead this horror-comedy into cult classic-status over the years.
It Takes Two
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen plus Steve Guttenberg and Kirstie Alley? Peak ‘90s twin magic. It was basically The Parent Trap’s less chaotic cousin who had us wanting our own “can’t-eat, can’t-sleep, reach-for-the-stars, over-the-fence, World Series kind of stuff”
Money Train
Wesley Snipes + Woody Harrelson were back at it again in 1996 with this buddy-cop-heist flick that was a fun ride—literally.
Casino
Martin Scorsese. Robert De Niro. Sharon Stone. Joe Pesci. Casino made $116M and was a stylish, brutal, Vegas-set saga that deserves to be mentioned with the greats.
Heat
Al Pacino vs. Robert De Niro. Directed by Michael Mann. This tense cat-and-mouse action film was cinema gold and racked up $187M worldwide. That diner scene? A masterclass.
Othello
Laurence Fishburne took on the title role in this modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy, with Kenneth Branagh as Iago. It was a notable moment for classical Black representation.
A Little Princess
Directed by Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity, Children of Men), this beautifully shot fantasy drama may have underperformed ($10M against a $17M budget), but it’s one of the most visually stunning children’s films of the decade.
Die Hard with a Vengeance
Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson teaming up in the Die Hard sequel we didn’t know we needed. $366M worldwide made it the highest-grossing film of the year. Still a wild, fun ride.
So yeah, 1995 wasn’t just a good year—it was that year. Some films made millions, others made memories. But each one left its mark. Now the real question is: how many of these are you rewatching this year?
Let us know which ones still hit 30 years later.