Summary
Suburban life was sold as the dream of the traditional nuclear family, but if movies are to be believed, the suburbs were also a hotbed for angst, lust, and murder.Movies of the 1990swere especially interested in exploring themes that uncovered the darker underbelly of the shiny beacon of middle-class life, piercing its pristine veil for its audience of disaffected youth. These films revealed thatbeneath the surface of the manicured lawns and the white picket fences lay a world of hidden desires and moral decay.
These films offered a stark contrast to the idyllic image of suburban life, revealing hidden struggles and sinister secrets lurking beneath the surface. Frompsychological thrillersto satirical comedies,filmmakers used the suburban setting as a backdrop to explore complex characters and societal issues, challenging viewers to question the true cost of maintaining the facade of perfection. The following 10 movies are prime examples of how cinema of the ’90s twisted the concept of suburban bliss into something far more malevolent and thought-provoking.
15 Best Cult Classics That Perfectly Capture The 1990s
These cult classic movies are the perfect visual representation of the 1990s, each one offering a unique and influential perspective of the era.
10Clerks (1994)
Boredom In The Suburbs
Kevin Smith’sClerksis a film that captured suburban life from behind the counter of a local convenience store.The film tapped into the ennui and boredom of a generation who were promised the world but find themselves stagnatingas young adults, having not gone much further in their lives than they’d once dreamed of. It called out the trappings of suburban life, and the repetition of menial work, but also the friendships and bonds that form around their small bubble of existence.
Shot on an extremely low budget,Clerksbecame a surprise success and spawned two sequels, three Jay and Silent Bob spin-off movies, a TV pilot, a short-lived animated series, comic books, and a making-of biopic. It also launched Smith’s career, and he has since gone on to write and direct other films, some of which similarly explore aspects of middle-class suburban life, like his 1995 comedy,Mallrats. Smith is returning to the suburbs in hisupcoming filmThe 4:30 Movie,although it appears this time it’s with a much lighter and nostalgic perspective than his debut.
Clerks
Cast
Clerks follows Dante and Randal, two clerks working at adjoining convenience and video stores. The film explores their mundane yet eventful day-to-day life as they engage with customers, play rooftop hockey, and navigate personal relationships, characterized by sharp wit and casual banter.
9Apt Pupil (1998)
Nazi Neighbors In The Suburbs
Apt Pupilis anadaptation of a 1982 Stephen King novellathat tells the story of a teenage boy, Todd Bowden (Brad Renfro) whose fascination with Nazism leads him to discover that his neighbor, Kurt (Ian McKellen), was a Nazi commandant at a concentration camp and a fugitive war criminal.The film delves into the hidden lives of suburbanitesand the past lives many ordinary-seeming people may have led, and warns not to judge a book by its cover. As Todd’s obsession grows, the veneer of suburban safety unravels, revealing a disturbing reality beneath.
“As Todd becomes increasingly fascinated by Kurt’s horrific past, the film portrays a disturbing transformation that disrupts the facade of suburban normalcy.”
Apt Pupilis a chilling exploration of the dark connections between past atrocities and present-day suburban tranquility. As Todd becomes increasingly fascinated by Kurt’s horrific past, the film portrays a disturbing transformation that disrupts the facade of suburban normalcy. Singer’s direction and powerful performances from Renfro and McKellen bring a palpable tension to the narrative,highlighting that evil can lurk behind the most benign appearances.
Apt Pupil
Apt Pupil is a psychological thriller directed by Bryan Singer, released in 1998. The film follows a high school student named Todd Bowden who discovers that his elderly neighbor is a fugitive Nazi war criminal and becomes increasingly entangled in the dark legacy of the man’s past.
8Pleasantville (1998)
Repression In The Suburbs
Pleasantvilleis a critique of the idyllic portrayal of 1950s suburban life that literally brought color to its black-and-white world. When modern-day siblings David (Tobey Maguire) and Jennifer (Reese Witherspoon) are transported into the monochromatic ’50s TV show,Pleasantville, their presence begins to unravel the town’s facade of perfection. As the siblings introduce new ideas and desires to the repressed suburbanites, the black-and-white world gradually transforms into color.The shift symbolizes the breaking of societal norms and embracing individuality, while also exposing the underlying dissatisfaction and repression in the seemingly perfect suburban life.
The film’s narrative asks audiences to consider the true nature of perfection and conformity. SettingPleasantvillein a time period where the suburban American Dream was heavily sold to families allowed the film to delve into themes of censorship, freedom, and equal rights.The film ultimately suggests that suburban contemporary life is more open and accepting than the past, which may be true, butPleasantvilleis the only one on this list that sees the positives to modern suburban life, even if that’s achieved only by comparison to what came before.
Pleasantville
Pleasantville is a drama that explores themes of change and self-discovery, as two modern teenagers find themselves transported into a 1950s television show. The movie delves into social issues and individual freedoms, highlighting the contrast between the idealized past and the complexities of the real world. With its unique premise, Pleasantville offers a thought-provoking narrative on the impact of transformation on a seemingly perfect society.
7SubUrbia (1996)
“And, like all good films from the 90s,SubUrbia’s soundtrack was also incredible, with songs from Sonic Youth, Beck, and The Flaming Lips.”
Richard Linklater has become a master at keen observation of specific times and places and developing a story around authentic and relatable characters. InSubUrbia, Linklater follows a group of friends in their early 20s who hang out around the local convenience store andexplores the existential realization that their lives hold little meaning and there’s no hope in the future – classic Gen X. The film features standout performances from Giovanni Ribisi, Steve Zahn, and Parker Posey. And, like all good films from the ’90s,SubUrbia’s soundtrack was also incredible, with songs from Sonic Youth, Beck, and The Flaming Lips.
Like Smith,Linklater’s films also frequently revolve around outsiders struggling on the fringes of a norm-core middle-class suburban life. His first feature film,Slacker, similarly explores the lives of misfits feeling excluded from society, and served as inspiration for Smith’s filmClerks. Arguably,SubUrbiais the pessimistic counterpart to the director’s 1993 filmDazed and Confused, which followed a group of high school students in 1976 on their last day at school.
6Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995)
Puberty Is Hell In The Suburbs
Welcome to the Dollhousecan be a rough watch. Todd Solondz’s coming-of-age film is set in a lower-middle-class suburb in New Jersey, andlike any Solondz film, it doesn’t hold back from getting uncomfortable. The film follows Dawn Wiener (Heather Matarazzo in her debut feature film) as a shy and unpopular 12-year-old who is bullied at school, has an awkward crush on a popular high school boy, and struggles at home with a mother disinterested in Dawn but who instead fawns over her younger sister.
Solondz’s film, like another of his films on this list,Happiness, looks at suburban life with a dark disdain and deep suspicion.Welcome to the Dollhouseplays to the deepest paranoia of living in the suburbsand seems set on making viewers squirm with discomfort. The film is excellent, of course, and it became a surprise hit for its low budget, but it’s still a difficult one to watch, particularly without any sort of relief in its conclusion.
Welcome to the Dollhouse
An awkward middle schooler, Dawn Wiener, navigates the trials of adolescence in suburban New Jersey. Facing bullying at school and feeling neglected at home, she struggles to find her place. Her attempts to gain acceptance and attention lead to humorous and poignant encounters, reflecting the challenges of growing up.
5Serial Mom (1994)
Murder In The Suburbs
John Waters' satirical slasher film,Serial Momtakes a critical view of middle-class suburban perfection, uncovering its sadistic underbelly. AlthoughSerial Momwas a box office flopfor Waters, it has since become a cult classic, and is among Waters' best films. It follows the upper middle-class Sutphin family who live in a traditional, clean-cut suburban paradise. This Eden is gradually destroyed when the Sutphin matriarch, Beverly (Kathleen Turner), turns her obscene prank calls into a murder spree. And what drives Beverly to murder seems to be the minutiae of suburban nitpicking that would put even today’s HOAs to shame.
While satirical and farcical,Serial Momcuts deep into the heart of the suburbs with its criticisms of the expectations of perfection and how this form of repression causes those to implode within it.Waters masterfully uses dark humor to expose the absurdities and pressures of suburban life, creating a twisted take on the American Dream. The film’s biting satire and Kathleen Turner’s iconic and unhinged performance makeSerial Momamong the best of the dark suburban comedy genre.
Serial Mom
Serial Mom, directed by John Waters, portrays Beverly, an exemplary homemaker, whose deep intrigue with serial killers unsettlingly merges with her upstanding moral principles, creating tension within her idyllic family life.
4The Craft (1996)
Witches In The Suburbs
A lot of suburban teenage girls in the ’90s can relate to the premise ofThe Craft. During a time when feminism and female empowerment were becoming more mainstream, but society’s rules remained centered on men,The Craftexplored how to put power into the hands of those who felt powerless. The film explores numerous issues that teenage girls face in navigating adolescence and high school politics, and warns of the dangers of unmitigated power, particularly among those unprepared for the blowback from using said power for personal gain or revenge.
The battle for power inThe Craftunfortunately concludes with a message that only those born into power are strong enough to wield it, which arguably undermines some of its feminist tones, but this hasn’t detracted from the film becoming a popular cult classic.Re-watchingThe Craftin a modern context reveals that those middle-class suburban high school concerns linger across generations, which is why the film still holds up today. In 2020, a sequel to the film,The Craft: Legacy,was released, but it received mixed reviews.
The Craft
The Craft is a 1996 teen horror movie starring Robin Tunney, Neve Campbell, Fairuza Balk, and Rachel True. The Andrew Fleming-directed film focuses on a group of outcasts at an LA high school who practice witchcraft and create their own coven. The film received mixed reviews but was a surprise hit at the box office for Columbia.
3American Beauty (1999)
Lust In The Suburbs
Although Kevin Spacey’s films are now more difficult to watch since his fall from grace, it’s hard to deny thatAmerican Beautywas a film aimed at skewering middle-class suburban lifeand revealing it for its fake facades. When Sam Mendes' film first came out, it was met with great critical acclaim that earned it five Academy Awards. However, in the following decades, the film has faced backlash from critics revisiting what was once marked as a masterpiece, but in hindsight, claimed to be overrated and problematic.
Regardless,American Beauty’s focus on one privileged middle-class white man’s attempt to break free from the shackles of the veneer of a perfect life can be viewed as a dark look inside suburbia. Lester Burnham’s (Kevin Spacey) lust for escape and recapturing his youth is unfairly placed on the shoulders of his teenage daughter’s cheerleading friend, Angela (Mena Suvari). Buthis demise, too, is borne from the shackles of keeping suburban secrets, which, likeSerial Momsatirized, if kept repressed, will some day explode.
American Beauty
American Beauty, released in 1999, is a drama film directed by Sam Mendes. It follows the life of Lester Burnham, played by Kevin Spacey, a disillusioned suburban father undergoing a profound midlife crisis. Annette Bening co-stars as his ambitious wife, Carolyn. The film explores themes of beauty, desire, and existential ennui within the confines of American suburbia.
2Happiness (1998)
Beware Of Dads In The Suburbs
As already discussed in this list,Todd Solondz doesn’t hold back in his vicious portrayals of the darkness hidden within the perfect veneer of suburbia. Even the film’s title seems to be a comment on life in the supposed happy middle-classes.Happinesstells the stories of several members of a family in the suburbs and focuses primarily on certain aspects of their sex lives.
However,it seems Solondz’s film went too farin many respects for its portrayal of particularly controversial topics. This led to the Sundance Film Festival refusing to screen Happiness, being dropped from its distribution company, and only eventually getting a limited unrated release. While the film is well-made and the performances of Dylan Baker, Philip Seymore Hoffman, and Jane Adams are excellent,Happinessis especially difficult to watch because of the controversial themes.
1Pump Up the Volume (1990)
Teenage Angst In The Suburbs
These days,Pump Up the Volume’s protagonist, Mark Hunter (Christian Slater), would’ve had a mildly popular podcast or TikTok, but in the ’90s, it was an edgy pirate radio show broadcast from his parents' basement. Mark is a loner high school student by day, but at night he’s the anonymous DJ, Hard Harry, whotells his meager audience the hard truths about life as a teenager.After making some flippant remarks on air that turn out to have major consequences, a guilt-ridden Harry delivers an honest apology and encourages his listeners to face their problems rather than surrender to them.
Pump Up the Volumewas one of the earlier Gen X films that addressed the teenage and suburban angst of the times, even predating the peak of grunge music.
Pump Up the Volumewas one of the earlier Gen X films that addressed the teenage and suburban angst of the times, even predating the peak of grunge music. The film addresses the seriousness with which young people hold onto the issues in their lives and how easily dismissed they can be by adults. It faces suburban middle-class existence head-on, andultimately calls for young people to find their voice and take ownership of their own future.
