The Internet is full of ‘90s kids lists. From what board games we played and what fashion trends were hip to what music we listened to and what TV shows we watched on Disney Channel, we define part of ourselves by what we thought was cool when we were growing up. As a member of the millennial generation, I can proudly say I indulged in far too much Hilary Duff and MTV’s The Real World. And I quoted way too many movies. Here are a few of the movies that ‘90s kids everywhere will quote from now to eternity.
1. The Notebook If you’ve never seen The Notebook, you probably either don’t own a TV or live under a rock. Although the plot of The Notebook is so well known it seems cliché, the story was new and moving when the film premiered in 2004. Noah and Ally quickly replaced Rose and Jack from Titanic as the most melodramatic, yet inspiring, couple in film. Who can walk in the rain anymore without wishing they had Ryan Gosling by their side for a steamy hook-up? The Notebook will always be the romantic film that made our generation believe in true love… Remember: “If you’re a bird, I’m a bird.”
2. Mean Girls Fetch may never happen, but Mean Girls quotes will forever. When Regina George stepped onto the screen with the rest of her Plastics crew, the world forever shifted. October 3rd, the Jingle Bell Rock and high school social dynamics will never be the same after Regina, Cady, Karen and Gretchen trademarked them in this teen classic. Mean Girls is to us what Pretty in Pink was to our mothers — just maybe with a little more sass. It should be remembered not only for its ridiculously quotable lines, but also because it marks a point in time when we could all still root for Lindsay Lohan. Unfortunately, she’s now as “grool” as army pants and flip-flops.
3. She’s The Man Amanda Bynes, a young Channing Tatum and a feminist plot line? She’s The Man meets all the criteria for a perfect film. Added bonus: It’s based on Shakespeare’s classic Twelfth Night, so now you really know you’ve got a winner. She’s The Man is the perfect girls night movie because it’s all about girl power. Bynes reminds us that we’re all just as smart, confident and athletic as one of the boys, and we get a few laughs along the way.
4. Step Brothers This list would not be complete without a Will Ferrell movie. From Anchorman to Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Will Ferrell repeatedly struck comedic genius in the 2000s. But his interactions as a step brother to John C. Reilly take the cake. I’ll never again be able to sing and not tell myself I sound like a mix of Fergie and Jesus or Instagram a picture on a boat without the caption “boats and hoes.” With its witty humor, ridiculous plot and memorable one-liners, Step Brothers is a film that make millennials everywhere crack up.
Whether you’re into comedy, romance or dramas, we all have a movie that helps define a little piece of who we are. What are some of the movies that you think define your generation, collegiette™?