Top 10 Movie References Only '90s Kids Understand
#10: “I See Dead People”
“The Sixth Sense” (1999)
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If you’re trying to remember if they ever said “I see dead people” on “Six Feet Under,” then you don’t get the reference. If you think the line from “Scary Movie” was an original joke, then you don’t get the reference either. But us 90s kids sure do. M. Night Shyamalan’s blockbuster psychological thriller “The Sixth Sense” made Haley Joel Osment a star. And it made “I see dead people” a cultural reference that is as instantly recognizable by a 90s movie-going generation today as it was at the end of the previous century.
#9: “You’re killin’ me, Smalls”
“The Sandlot” (1993)
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Do you have a friend who, whenever you irritate or frustrate them, looks at you and says, “You’re killin’ me, Smalls?” Does it irritate and frustrate you because your name isn’t Smalls? Well, before you see them again you might want to watch the 1993 sports comedy, “The Sandlot.” The film takes place in the San Fernando Valley in 1962 and centers on a new kid in town - Scott "Scotty" Smalls - and his attempt to join the neighborhood sandlot baseball team. Smalls doesn’t quite fit in at first and on a couple of occasions his surprising ignorance of things exacerbates another kid, Ham Porter, to the point that his only response is… that’s right: “You’re killin’ me, Smalls.”
#8: Kat’s Poem
“10 Things I Hate About You” (1999)
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While many people think that telling someone how much you hate the way they talk to you, their haircut and the way they dress means you really don’t like them - us 90s kids know better. We know that it can also mean the complete opposite. That the thing we could hate the most is how much we don’t hate the person, “Not even close, Not even a little bit, Not even at all.” And you know who taught us that? Katarina "Kat" Stratford in “10 Things I Hate About You.” The movie also taught us that you can also go the more obvious grand-gesture route and sing them a song with the help of the school’s marching band.
#7: Matilda Practices Her Telekinesis
“Matilda” (1996)
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Have you ever come home to see your partner dancing around the living room to Thurston Harris’ “Little Bitty Pretty One” while pointing at random plants and lamps around the room? Don’t worry, they haven’t completely lost their minds - they’re just a kid of the 1990s. And as with many kids from said decade they grew up watching “Matilda” and loved the scene in the movie where she dances and practices her telekinesis by spinning pots and turning on and off the lights. And who among us 90s kids didn’t wish we could pour our cereal and milk with our minds?
#6: The Handshake
“The Parent Trap” (1998)
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Anyone who’s spent a good amount of time scrolling and clicking through YouTube has probably at one time or another come across “Parent Trap” handshake tutorial videos. If you scrolled right by barely registering what you saw, then you probably aren’t a 90s kid. Because those of us who grew up in that decade know exactly what those tutorials are referencing. Back before Lindsay Lohan was… well, whatever it is she’s doing now… she was endearing herself into our pop culture heart with “The Parent Trap.” And one of the best moments from that movie are the handshake scenes.
#5: “It Does Not Say ‘RSVP’ on the Statue of Liberty”
“Clueless” (1995)
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Has any 90s movie provided a generation with more quotables and references than “Clueless?” We still throw an “as if” into the conversation on a more-than-regular basis. And after “Gangsta's Paradise,” “Rollin' With My Homies” is our second favorite Coolio song because, well… you know. And we aren’t ashamed to admit that when having the immigration argument with our older, kinda-xenophobic uncle at Thanksgiving, we totally punctuated our pro-immigration argument with the fact that it doesn’t say RSVP on the Statue of Liberty. Thank you very much Cher!
#4: Holding Simba Up
“The Lion King” (1994)
In the pilot episode of “Modern Family,” Cam and Mitchell inform their family that they’ve adopted a baby girl. And by “inform,” we mean they present her to them in true Cam fashion, with music and lighting. While the scene is funny on its own, the joke only really registers if you get the reference to “The Lion King.” At the beginning of the Disney animated blockbuster, Simba is presented to the animals of the pridelands as the music swells. It’s a moment we 90s kids wore out our VHS copy watching over and over again. We were the ones laughing the hardest as Cam lifted Lily into the spotlight.
#3: “Life Was Like a Box of Chocolates”
“Forrest Gump” (1994)
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In 1993, if someone had asked you what life and a box of chocolates have in common you probably would’ve said something to the effect of, “I don’t know. That’s a dumb question.” However, just one year later, had the same question been asked to you, you would no doubt have known exactly how to respond. Because it was in 1994 that the movie “Forrest Gump” was released and that most classic of lines about life being like a box of chocolates became ingrained into our public consciousness. And in case you’ve never seen the film, it’s also the reason why, when we see someone running, so many of us feel the need to scream “Run, Forrest, Run!” at them.
#2: “I'm the King of the World”
“Titanic” (1997)
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There are two situations in which a kid from the 90s has to scream out “I’m the king of the world.” The first is whenever they’re attempting to jump their skateboard over Springfield Gorge. But as popular as “The Simpsons” was in 1990, it doesn’t compare to the cultural phenomenon that was “Titanic” in 1997 and throughout the rest of the decade. Which brings about the second scenario that requires the exclamation of the phrase in question. Being on a boat! A boat, a ship, pretty much any water-based vehicle that we can stand up in safely will do. Yes it’s cheesy, but we’re 90s kids and we can’t help ourselves.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
“Alrighty Then”, “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” (1994)
We Couldn’t Have Said It Better Ourselves
Woody & Buzz Fly, “Toy Story” (1995)
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“Big Mistake. Huge,” “Pretty Woman” (1990)
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“Show Me the Money!” “Jerry Maguire” (1996)
This Reference Had Us at “Show”
Sexy Pottery, “Ghost” (1990)
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#1: Hands on Cheeks Scream
“Home Alone” (1990)
The “Scream” movies were huge in the 90s, but there might be no bigger scream from said decade than Macaulay Culkin’s in “Home Alone.” You know the one where he pats aftershave on his face and it burns, so he screams? Well, if you grew up in the 90s you most definitely know it. Even if you’ve never seen the film, the image of Culkin with his hands on his cheeks and his mouth wide open adorned movie posters everywhere. And that was followed by VHS and DVD cases for years after that. All that to say, you put your hands on your cheeks and scream and we know exactly what you’re referencing.
Which is your favorite 90s movie reference? Let us know in the comments.
