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7 “Terrible” Movies Every 90s Kid Secretly Loved
Was there ever a better decade to be a kid than the 1990s? We had technology, but not too much technology, and peak programming across movies and television. Though there are plenty of ’90s family movies that have earned the status of “classic” and stand the test of time, there are plenty that didn’t. And though they may have been deemed “terrible” by the adults in our lives or even our own peers, that didn’t stop us from enjoying them. We just may have done it in secret. Here are our top seven guilty movie pleasures for every ’90s kids.
7) Flubber
The late, great Robin Williams has a formidable filmography, but we don’t expect Flubber to make any of his “best of” lists. Williams plays a professor who invents a strangely elastic, strong, and sentient substance that he deems Flubber in order to save the college that employs him. Yet given that Flubber seems to have a mind of its own and a greedy businessman wants the substance for his own purposes, hijinks ensue. Though the 1997 film was a box office success and critics praised Williams’ performance, the movie was panned for its script, subpar effects, and slapstick humor. If you were a ’90s kid, however, Williams could do no wrong, and Flubber‘s broader, baser humor was nothing short of hilarious.
6) Heavyweights
The plot of Heavyweights would never fly today, given its shaming around food, exercise, and weight loss, but the camaraderie, camp atmosphere, and absolutely unhinged performance from Ben Stiller make us ’90s kids reflect on it fondly. Camp Hope is essentially a “fat camp” for boys, yet its owners encourage their campers to drop pounds by being active and having fun. That is, until it’s taken over by fitness entrepreneur Tony Perkins, played by a sublimely campy (pun intended) Stiller. Despite the now-problematic premise and the fact that it bombed at the box office when it was released in 1995, we still watched Heavyweights over and over again for its lovable protagonists and their ability to triumph over a cruel adult.
5) Inspector Gadget
Critics and diehard fans decried 1999’s Inspector Gadget for not staying faithful to its source material, the 80s animated series of the same name, but we ’90s kids were too busy being enthralled by the effects and spectacle of the movie. Inspector Gadget had an impressive cast, with Matthew Broderick playing the titular character, a police officer saved from near-death when a scientist inserts a whole range of gadgets into his body, and Rupert Everett as his villainous tycoon counterpart, Dr. Claw. But we were delighted by the wisecracking Gadgetmobile, the killer millennial soundtrack, and the anticipation of never knowing what would come out of Inspector Gadget’s body next as he adjusted to his new bionic state.
4) Model Behavior
Part of the “Wonderful World of Disney” Sunday night made-for-TV movies, Model Behavior would be a run-of-the-mill, largely forgettable modern adaptation of The Prince and the Pauper if it hadn’t been for one key piece of casting: the boy band heartthrob Justin Timberlake. Maggie Lawsons plays both Alex and Janine, a nerdy high school student and a fashion model who switch places when they have a chance meeting and realize they share an uncanny resemblance. Timberlake, in his film debut, plays a fellow teen model who ends up falling for Alex’s normal girl charm. Sure, Model Behavior wasn’t exactly groundbreaking cinema, but it delivered enough wish fulfillment with Timberlake and a normal girl stepping out of her life into instant fame for the flick to earn a special place in our hearts after it premiered in 2000.
3) Good Burger
Okay, so maybe basing an entire film off of a sketch from a children’s variety show isn’t a recipe for success, but we loved the Good Burger movie nonetheless when it hit theaters in 1997. Kenan Thompson plays a slacker teenager who has to get a summer job quickly to pay off a debt he owes after getting into a car wreck, and Kel Mitchell plays his delightedly dim-witted sidekick. The pair teams up to save the burger joint from going out of business when the latest franchise of a mega fast food chain sets up shop across the street from Good Burger. While critics may not have gotten Good Burger, we loved seeing some of our favorite characters from All That light up the big screen and can still quote the movie’s famous catchphrase, “Welcome to Good Burger, home of the Good Burger, can I take your order?”
2) Air Bud
A golden retriever that can play basketball shouldn’t work, but it does in Air Bud. Though the filmmakers tried to explain the canine star Buddy’s preternatural ability to play basketball with his backstory as an escape circus dog, it still doesn’t quite fall into the realm of reality. As kids, though, we weren’t particularly concerned with the viability of the logistics when Air Bud came out in 1997, and instead, cherished the film for its feel-good vibes and heartwarming depiction of bonding with man’s best friend.
1) Monkey Trouble
Another kids’ movie, another unrealistic animal sidekick. In Monkey Trouble, young Eva feels ignored when her parents welcome a new bundle of joy to the family, a baby brother. She finds the attention and companionship she’s seeking in Dodger, a monkey she adopts. Except Dodger happens to be a trained pickpocket on the run from his scheming former owner. It’s up to Eva to save them and reform Dodger. Like Air Bud, the film doesn’t really come anywhere close to reality and performed modestly at the box office, but we loved Monkey Trouble for the creative and imaginative way it spoke to a nearly universal experience kids go through, how to cope when a new sibling arrives, as well as encouraging us to see the good in others.
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