40 Favorite Films of 1993
by Blue_Leaf | created - 12 Sep 2014 | updated - 01 Aug 2018 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. And the Band Played On (1993 TV Movie)
PG | 141 min | Drama, History
The story of the discovery of the AIDS epidemic, and the political infighting of the scientific community hampering the early fight with it.
Director: Roger Spottiswoode | Stars: Matthew Modine, Alan Alda, Patrick Bauchau, Nathalie Baye
Votes: 10,999
2. Bad Boy Bubby (1993)
Not Rated | 114 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Bubby has spent thirty years trapped in the same small room, tricked by his mother. One day, he manages to escape and, deranged and naive in equal measures, his adventure into a modern and nihilistic life begins.
Director: Rolf de Heer | Stars: Nicholas Hope, Claire Benito, Ralph Cotterill, Syd Brisbane
Votes: 15,015
Top 1000
3. The Blue Kite (1993)
140 min | Drama, History
The lives of a Beijing family throughout the 1950s and 1960s, as they experience the impact of the Hundred Flowers Campaign, the Great Leap Forward, and the Cultural Revolution.
Director: Zhuangzhuang Tian | Stars: Tian Yi, Wenyao Zhang, Xiaoman Chen, Liping Lü
Votes: 3,257 | Gross: $0.36M
Top 1000
4. A Bronx Tale (1993)
R | 121 min | Crime, Drama
An intense drama about a boy torn between his tough, hard-working father and a violent yet charismatic crime boss.
Director: Robert De Niro | Stars: Robert De Niro, Chazz Palminteri, Lillo Brancato, Francis Capra
Votes: 160,981 | Gross: $17.27M
5. The Cement Garden (1993)
Not Rated | 101 min | Drama
Four children live with their terminally ill mother. After she dies, they try to hold things together. In their isolated house, they begin to deteriorate mentally, whilst they hide their mom's decomposing corpse in a makeshift concrete sarcophagus.
Director: Andrew Birkin | Stars: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Andrew Robertson, Alice Coulthard, Ned Birkin
Votes: 5,327 | Gross: $0.32M
6. Clean, Shaven (1993)
Not Rated | 79 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
After a man suffering from schizophrenia is released from a mental institution, he attempts to get his daughter back from her adoptive family.
Director: Lodge Kerrigan | Stars: Peter Greene, Alice Levitt, Megan Owen, Jennifer MacDonald
Votes: 6,021
Top 1000
7. Cronos (1992)
R | 94 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
A mysterious device designed to provide its owner with eternal life resurfaces after four hundred years, leaving a trail of destruction in its path.
Director: Guillermo del Toro | Stars: Federico Luppi, Ron Perlman, Claudio Brook, Margarita Isabel
Votes: 33,110 | Gross: $0.62M
8. Dave (1993)
PG-13 | 110 min | Comedy, Romance
An uncanny Presidential lookalike named Dave is recruited by the Secret Service to become a momentary stand-in for the President of the United States.
Director: Ivan Reitman | Stars: Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Frank Langella, Kevin Dunn
Votes: 56,817 | Gross: $63.27M
9. Dazed and Confused (1993)
R | 103 min | Comedy
The adventures of high school and junior high students on the last day of school in May 1976.
Director: Richard Linklater | Stars: Jason London, Wiley Wiggins, Matthew McConaughey, Rory Cochrane
Votes: 199,317 | Gross: $7.99M
10. Dottie Gets Spanked (1993 TV Short)
30 min | Short, Comedy, Drama
An artistic six-year-old boy in 1960s America is obsessed with The Dottie Show. His father is concerned about the show's sexual influence, especially the boy's fascination with a spanking scene.
Director: Todd Haynes | Stars: J. Evan Bonifant, Barbara Garrick, Julie Halston, Robert Pall
Votes: 967
Top 1000
11. Ethan Frome (1992)
PG | 99 min | Drama, Romance
A new pastor arrives in a stark Vermont village and is intrigued by crippled, misshapen Ethan Frome living on an isolated, hardscrabble farm with his sickly wife Zeena.
Director: John Madden | Stars: Liam Neeson, Patricia Arquette, Gil Rood, Tate Donovan
Votes: 2,281 | Gross: $0.30M
12. Farewell My Concubine (1993)
R | 171 min | Drama, Music, Romance
Two boys meet at an opera training school in Peking in 1924. Their resulting friendship will span nearly 70 years and endure some of the most troublesome times in China's history.
Director: Kaige Chen | Stars: Leslie Cheung, Fengyi Zhang, Gong Li, You Ge
Votes: 33,110 | Gross: $5.22M
13. Fearless (1993)
R | 122 min | Drama, Thriller
A man's personality is dramatically changed after surviving a major airline crash.
Director: Peter Weir | Stars: Jeff Bridges, Isabella Rossellini, Rosie Perez, Tom Hulce
Votes: 24,545 | Gross: $7.00M
14. Fire in the Sky (1993)
PG-13 | 109 min | Biography, Drama, Fantasy
An Arizona logger mysteriously disappears for five days in an alleged encounter with a flying saucer in 1975. His co-workers endure ridicule and contempt as they are wrongly accused of murder.
Director: Robert Lieberman | Stars: D.B. Sweeney, Robert Patrick, Craig Sheffer, Peter Berg
Votes: 28,400 | Gross: $20.10M
15. Groundhog Day (1993)
PG | 101 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
A narcissistic, self-centered weatherman finds himself in a time loop on Groundhog Day.
Director: Harold Ramis | Stars: Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott, Stephen Tobolowsky
Votes: 684,730 | Gross: $70.91M
16. Heaven & Earth (1993)
R | 140 min | Action, Biography, Drama
During the Vietnam War, a Vietnamese woman struggles hustling on the streets, where she comes face to face with those involved in the conflict around her.
Director: Oliver Stone | Stars: Hiep Thi Le, Tommy Lee Jones, Haing S. Ngor, Bussaro Sanruck
Votes: 15,114 | Gross: $5.86M
17. Household Saints (1993)
R | 124 min | Drama
Unsettling drama about three generations of Italian-American women struggling to get by in post-World War II New York's Little Italy.
Director: Nancy Savoca | Stars: Tracey Ullman, Vincent D'Onofrio, Lili Taylor, Judith Malina
Votes: 976 | Gross: $0.57M
18. The Joy Luck Club (1993)
R | 139 min | Drama
The life histories of four East Asian women and their daughters reflect and guide each other.
Director: Wayne Wang | Stars: Tamlyn Tomita, Rosalind Chao, Kieu Chinh, Tsai Chin
Votes: 18,226 | Gross: $32.86M
19. Kalifornia (1993)
R | 117 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A journalist duo goes on a tour of serial-killer murder sites with two companions, unaware that one of them is a serial killer himself.
Director: Dominic Sena | Stars: Brad Pitt, Juliette Lewis, Kathy Larson, David Milford
Votes: 58,165 | Gross: $2.40M
20. Menace II Society (1993)
R | 97 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A young street hustler attempts to escape the rigors and temptations of the ghetto in a quest for a better life.
Directors: Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes | Stars: Tyrin Turner, Larenz Tate, June Kyoto Lu, Toshi Toda
Votes: 64,422 | Gross: $27.90M
21. Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
PG-13 | 111 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Young lovers, and soon to wed, Hero and Claudio conspire to get verbal sparring partners and confirmed singles, Benedick and Beatrice, to wed as well.
Director: Kenneth Branagh | Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Keanu Reeves, Kate Beckinsale
Votes: 51,964 | Gross: $22.55M
22. Naked (1993)
Not Rated | 131 min | Comedy, Drama
An unemployed Mancunian vents his rage on unsuspecting strangers as he embarks on a nocturnal London odyssey.
Director: Mike Leigh | Stars: David Thewlis, Lesley Sharp, Katrin Cartlidge, Greg Cruttwell
Votes: 43,915 | Gross: $1.77M
23. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
PG | 76 min | Animation, Family, Fantasy
Jack Skellington, king of Halloween Town, discovers Christmas Town, but his attempts to bring Christmas to his home causes confusion.
Director: Henry Selick | Stars: Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O'Hara, William Hickey
Votes: 375,013 | Gross: $75.08M
24. A Perfect World (1993)
PG-13 | 138 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A kidnapped boy strikes up a friendship with his captor, an escaped convict on the run from the law, while the search for him continues.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Kevin Costner, Clint Eastwood, Laura Dern, T.J. Lowther
Votes: 86,880 | Gross: $31.16M
25. The Piano (1993)
R | 121 min | Drama, Music, Romance
In the mid-19th century a mute woman is sent to New Zealand along with her young daughter and prized piano for an arranged marriage to a farmer, but is soon lusted after by a farm worker.
Director: Jane Campion | Stars: Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill, Anna Paquin
Votes: 95,111 | Gross: $40.16M
Top 1000
26. The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom (1993 TV Movie)
R | 99 min | Biography, Comedy, Thriller
Wanda Holloway tries to hire a hitman (through her ex's brother) to kill either or both a cheerleader and her mother. With the intended victims out of the way, Wanda's daughter gets the ... See full summary »
Director: Michael Ritchie | Stars: Holly Hunter, Beau Bridges, Swoosie Kurtz, Elizabeth Ruscio
Votes: 1,443
27. Prime Suspect 3 (1993)
104 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Assigned to a Vice squad, Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison (Dame Helen Mirren) investigates a child murder and discovers a sinister link to the police.
Stars: Helen Mirren, Tom Bell, Karen Tomlin, David Thewlis
Votes: 3,999
28. Red Rock West (1993)
R | 98 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Upon arriving to a small town, a drifter is mistaken for a hitman, but when the real hitman arrives, complications ensue.
Director: John Dahl | Stars: Nicolas Cage, Dennis Hopper, Lara Flynn Boyle, Craig Reay
Votes: 25,167 | Gross: $2.50M
29. The Remains of the Day (1993)
PG | 134 min | Drama, Romance
A butler who sacrificed body and soul to service in the years leading up to World War II realizes too late how misguided his loyalty was to his lordly employer.
Director: James Ivory | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, John Haycraft, Christopher Reeve
Votes: 84,380 | Gross: $22.95M
30. Ruby in Paradise (1993)
R | 114 min | Drama, Romance
A young woman struggles for independence and identity in a small Florida tourist town.
Director: Victor Nunez | Stars: Ashley Judd, Todd Field, Bentley Mitchum, Allison Dean
Votes: 3,265 | Gross: $1.00M
31. Rudy (1993)
PG | 114 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
Rudy has always been told that he was too small to play college football. But he is determined to overcome the odds and fulfill his dream of playing for Notre Dame.
Director: David Anspaugh | Stars: Sean Astin, Jon Favreau, Ned Beatty, Greta Lind
Votes: 69,048 | Gross: $22.75M
32. The Scent of Green Papaya (1993)
Not Rated | 104 min | Drama, Music, Romance
A Vietnamese servant girl, Mui, observes lives within two different Saigon families: the first, a woman textile seller with three boys and a frequently absent husband; the second, a handsome young pianist with his fiancée.
Director: Anh Hung Tran | Stars: Nu Yên-Khê Tran, Man San Lu, Thi Loc Truong, Anh Hoa Nguyen
Votes: 9,979 | Gross: $1.91M
Top 1000
33. Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)
PG | 109 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
A prepubescent chess prodigy is encouraged to harden himself in order to become a champion like the famous but unlikable Bobby Fischer.
Director: Steven Zaillian | Stars: Joe Mantegna, Ben Kingsley, Max Pomeranc, Joan Allen
Votes: 42,398 | Gross: $7.27M
Top 1000
34. The Secret Garden (1993)
G | 101 min | Drama, Family, Fantasy
A young, recently-orphaned girl is sent to England after living in India all of her life. Once there, she begins to explore her new, seemingly-isolated surroundings, and its secrets.
Director: Agnieszka Holland | Stars: Kate Maberly, Maggie Smith, Heydon Prowse, Andrew Knott
Votes: 44,451 | Gross: $31.18M
35. Shadowlands (1993)
PG | 131 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
C.S. Lewis, a world-renowned Christian theologian, writer and professor, leads a passionless life until he meets spirited poet Joy Gresham from the U.S.
Director: Richard Attenborough | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Debra Winger, Julian Fellowes, Roddy Maude-Roxby
Votes: 20,436 | Gross: $25.84M
36. Short Cuts (1993)
R | 188 min | Comedy, Drama
The day-to-day lives of several suburban Los Angeles residents.
Director: Robert Altman | Stars: Andie MacDowell, Julianne Moore, Tim Robbins, Bruce Davison
Votes: 47,371 | Gross: $6.11M
Top 1000
37. Six Degrees of Separation (1993)
R | 112 min | Comedy, Drama, Mystery
An affluent New York City couple finds their lives touched, intruded upon, and compelled by a mysterious young black man who is never quite who he says he is.
Director: Fred Schepisi | Stars: Will Smith, Stockard Channing, Donald Sutherland, Ian McKellen
Votes: 22,550 | Gross: $6.41M
38. Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993)
Not Rated | 98 min | Biography, Drama, Music
A collection of vignettes highlighting different aspects of the life, work, and character of the acclaimed Canadian classical pianist.
Director: François Girard | Stars: Colm Feore, Derek Keurvorst, Katya Ladan, Devon Anderson
Votes: 3,916 | Gross: $1.57M
39. This Boy's Life (1993)
R | 115 min | Biography, Drama
The story about the relationship between a rebellious 1950s teenager and his abusive stepfather, based on the memoirs of writer and literature Professor Tobias Wolff.
Director: Michael Caton-Jones | Stars: Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Barkin, Jonah Blechman
Votes: 58,319 | Gross: $4.10M
40. Three Colors: Blue (1993)
R | 94 min | Drama, Music, Mystery
A woman struggles to find a way to live her life after the death of her husband and child.
Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski | Stars: Juliette Binoche, Zbigniew Zamachowski, Julie Delpy, Benoît Régent
Votes: 110,449 | Gross: $1.32M
Top 1000
41. The Wedding Banquet (1993)
R | 106 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
To satisfy his nagging parents, a gay landlord and a female tenant agree to a marriage of convenience, but his parents arrive to visit and things get out of hand.
Director: Ang Lee | Stars: Winston Chao, May Chin, Ah-Lei Gua, Sihung Lung
Votes: 17,126 | Gross: $6.93M
42. What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)
PG-13 | 118 min | Drama
A young man in a small Midwestern town struggles to care for his mentally-disabled younger brother and morbidly obese mother while attempting to pursue his own happiness.
Director: Lasse Hallström | Stars: Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, Juliette Lewis, Mary Steenburgen
Votes: 253,960 | Gross: $9.17M
43. What's Love Got to Do with It (1993)
R | 118 min | Biography, Drama, Music
The story of singer Tina Turner's rise to stardom and how she gained the courage to break free from her abusive husband, Ike Turner.
Director: Brian Gibson | Stars: Angela Bassett, Laurence Fishburne, RaéVen Kelly, Virginia Capers
Votes: 24,567 | Gross: $39.10M
44. Wide Sargasso Sea (1993)
NC-17 | 99 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
A young female landowner in 1840s Jamaica marries a just-arrived Englishman to avoid losing her property. All seems to be perfect, love arises, and happiness is on the way, but she is ... See full summary »
Director: John Duigan | Stars: Karina Lombard, Nathaniel Parker, Rachel Ward, Michael York
Votes: 2,207 | Gross: $1.61M
45. Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers (1993)
TV-PG | 29 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Gromit butts heads with a mysterious penguin lodger, who hatches a sinister scheme involving the ex-NASA Techno Trousers that have been modified by Wallace for walkies.
Director: Nick Park | Stars: Peter Sallis, Peter Hawkins
Votes: 57,377
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