90s Indie Movies
by cthdrls | created - 17 Feb 2015 | updated - 11 May 2015 | Public1990s American movies. Indie, under-the-radar or at least marginal in popularity and/or content. Particularly those interested in art and filmmaking; capitalism and politics; youth culture, subculture and the disenfranchised and marginalised.
- Instant Watch Options
- Genres
- Movies or TV
- IMDb Rating
- In Theaters
- Release Year
- Keywords
1. Slacker (1990)
R | 97 min | Comedy, Drama
A day in the life of Austin, Texas as the camera roams from place to place and provides a brief look at the overeducated, the social misfits, the outcasts and the oddballs.
Director: Richard Linklater | Stars: Richard Linklater, Rudy Basquez, Jean Caffeine, Jan Hockey
Votes: 23,461 | Gross: $1.23M
2. 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: 199,333 | Gross: $7.99M
3. Gridlock'd (1997)
R | 91 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Two friends try to kick their drug addiction after a friend dies from an overdose, when they try to enroll in a detox program, things quickly go wrong.
Director: Vondie Curtis-Hall | Stars: Tupac Shakur, Tim Roth, Thandiwe Newton, Charles Fleischer
Votes: 16,589 | Gross: $5.48M
4. 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: 47,373 | Gross: $6.11M
5. Smoke (1995)
R | 112 min | Comedy, Drama
A Brooklyn smoke shop is the center of neighborhood activity, and the stories of its customers.
Director: Wayne Wang | Stars: Harvey Keitel, William Hurt, Giancarlo Esposito, José Zúñiga
Votes: 38,081 | Gross: $8.35M
6. Blue in the Face (1995)
R | 83 min | Comedy
Brooklyn Cigar Store is a neighborhood hangout in Brooklyn with Auggie Wren/H.Keitel as center. Some people are interviewed about Brooklyn, spiced up with statistics on Brooklyn.
Directors: Paul Auster, Wayne Wang, Harvey Wang | Stars: Harvey Keitel, Lou Reed, Michael J. Fox, Roseanne Barr
Votes: 10,092 | Gross: $1.28M
7. Trees Lounge (1996)
R | 95 min | Comedy, Drama
Tommy is an unemployed mechanic who spends most of his time in a bar (Trees Lounge) in a small blue collar town. He seems to always be thinking, "If only X then I could stop drinking".
Director: Steve Buscemi | Stars: Steve Buscemi, Carol Kane, Mark Boone Junior, Bronson Dudley
Votes: 17,585 | Gross: $0.70M
8. Another Day in Paradise (1998)
R | 101 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
In the hope of a big score, two junkie couples team up to commit various drug robberies which go disastrously wrong, leading to dissent, violence, and murder.
Director: Larry Clark | Stars: James Woods, Melanie Griffith, Vincent Kartheiser, Natasha Gregson Wagner
Votes: 9,205 | Gross: $1.03M
9. SubUrbia (1996)
R | 121 min | Comedy, Drama
A group of suburban teenagers try to support each other through the difficult task of becoming adults.
Director: Richard Linklater | Stars: Giovanni Ribisi, Steve Zahn, Jayce Bartok, Amie Carey
Votes: 10,655 | Gross: $0.73M
10. Kicking and Screaming (1995)
R | 96 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A bunch of guys hang around their college for months after graduation, continuing a life much like the one before graduation.
Director: Noah Baumbach | Stars: Josh Hamilton, Eric Stoltz, Samuel Gould, Catherine Kellner
Votes: 15,155 | Gross: $0.70M
11. Roadside Prophets (1992)
R | 96 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Two strangers meet on the road and travel through Nevada on motorcycle to find an elusive spot where they can dump another man's ashes.
Director: Abbe Wool | Stars: John Doe, Adam Horovitz, David Anthony Marshall, Judyth Thurman
Votes: 1,430 | Gross: $0.15M
12. Living in Oblivion (1995)
R | 90 min | Comedy, Drama
This ultimate tribute to all independent filmmakers takes place during one day on the set of a non-budget movie.
Director: Tom DiCillo | Stars: Steve Buscemi, Catherine Keener, Dermot Mulroney, Danielle von Zerneck
Votes: 20,145 | Gross: $1.15M
13. Bandwagon (1996)
Not Rated | 103 min | Comedy, Music
Four young men hardly know each other, but here they are in the most volatile and tenuous of unions: a band. They find themselves hurtling through an exhilarating adventure on a collision course with self discovery, or self destruction.
Director: John Schultz | Stars: Kevin Corrigan, Steve Parlavecchio, Lee Holmes, Matthew Hennessey
Votes: 676 | Gross: $0.02M
14. Magnolia (1999)
R | 188 min | Drama
An epic mosaic of interrelated characters in search of love, forgiveness and meaning in the San Fernando Valley.
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson | Stars: Tom Cruise, Jason Robards, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Votes: 328,361 | Gross: $22.46M
15. The Low Life (1995)
R | 96 min | Drama
John came to Hollywood to get that one big break in life. Years have passed since and all he has to show for are a menial job, unpaid bills and airhead friends and he's getting sick of it all. Is there a way out of this downward spiral?
Director: George Hickenlooper | Stars: Rory Cochrane, Sean Astin, Kyra Sedgwick, Ron Livingston
Votes: 612
16. Singles (1992)
PG-13 | 99 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
A group of twenty-something friends search for love and success in grunge-era Seattle.
Director: Cameron Crowe | Stars: Bridget Fonda, Campbell Scott, Kyra Sedgwick, Sheila Kelley
Votes: 32,655 | Gross: $18.47M
17. Reality Bites (1994)
PG-13 | 99 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A documentary filmmaker and her fellow Generation X graduates face life after college, looking for work and love in Houston.
Director: Ben Stiller | Stars: Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, Janeane Garofalo, Steve Zahn
Votes: 53,613 | Gross: $20.98M
18. Floundering (1994)
R | 96 min | Comedy
In this scathing and subversive social comedy, life in post riot Los Angeles is dissected under the sardonic eye of John Boyz, an unemployed thirty nothing flounderer on Venice Beach who is... See full summary »
Director: Peter McCarthy | Stars: James Le Gros, Shaka, Zander Schloss, John Cusack
Votes: 1,384
19. Clerks (1994)
R | 92 min | Comedy
A day in the lives of two convenience clerks named Dante and Randal as they annoy customers, discuss movies, and play hockey on the store roof.
Director: Kevin Smith | Stars: Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Marilyn Ghigliotti, Lisa Spoonauer
Votes: 232,286 | Gross: $3.15M
20. Mallrats (1995)
R | 94 min | Comedy, Romance
Both dumped by their girlfriends, two best friends seek refuge in the local mall.
Director: Kevin Smith | Stars: Shannen Doherty, Jeremy London, Jason Lee, Claire Forlani
Votes: 128,829 | Gross: $2.12M
21. S.F.W. (1994)
R | 96 min | Comedy, Drama
An alienated and misanthropic teenager gains sudden and unwanted celebrity status after he's taken hostage by terrorists where his indifference to their threats to kill him makes news headlines.
Director: Jefery Levy | Stars: Stephen Dorff, Reese Witherspoon, Jake Busey, Joey Lauren Adams
Votes: 5,409 | Gross: $0.06M
22. Empire Records (1995)
PG-13 | 90 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
Twenty-four hours in the lives of the young employees at Empire Records when they all grow up and become young adults thanks to each other and the manager. They all face the store joining a chain store with strict rules.
Director: Allan Moyle | Stars: Anthony LaPaglia, Debi Mazar, Maxwell Caulfield, Rory Cochrane
Votes: 61,813 | Gross: $0.30M
23. High Fidelity (2000)
R | 113 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
Rob, a record store owner and compulsive list maker, recounts his top five breakups, including the one in progress.
Director: Stephen Frears | Stars: John Cusack, Iben Hjejle, Todd Louiso, Jack Black
Votes: 189,699 | Gross: $27.29M
24. Hype! (1996)
Not Rated | 84 min | Documentary, History, Music
Documentary covering the growth and subsequent overexposure of the Seattle "grunge" music scene in the early 90s
Director: Doug Pray | Stars: 7 Year Bitch, Valerie M. Agnew, Carrie Akre, Jeff Ament
Votes: 2,929 | Gross: $0.27M
25. Clockwatchers (1997)
PG-13 | 96 min | Comedy, Drama
The relationship between four female temps all working for the same credit company is threatened with the arrival of a new hire, who lands a permanent position one of the women was vying for.
Director: Jill Sprecher | Stars: Toni Collette, Parker Posey, Lisa Kudrow, Alanna Ubach
Votes: 6,471 | Gross: $0.44M
26. Party Girl (1995)
R | 94 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A 20-something, irresponsible party girl is bailed out of jail by her librarian godmother. To repay the loan, she starts working at the library and gradually turns her life around.
Director: Daisy von Scherler Mayer | Stars: Parker Posey, Omar Townsend, The Lady Bunny, Lum Chang Pang
Votes: 6,735 | Gross: $0.47M
27. Bodies, Rest & Motion (1993)
R | 95 min | Drama
A fired TV salesman (Roth) abandons his girlfriend (Fonda) for the open highway. Encouraged by her best friend (Cates), the girlfriend has an affair with an idealistic local house painter (Stoltz) just as the boyfriend returns.
Director: Michael Steinberg | Stars: Phoebe Cates, Bridget Fonda, Tim Roth, Eric Stoltz
Votes: 2,492 | Gross: $0.76M
28. Gas Food Lodging (1992)
R | 101 min | Drama, Romance
A waitress lives with her two teen daughters in a trailer park in New Mexico. They all want a boyfriend.
Director: Allison Anders | Stars: Brooke Adams, Ione Skye, Fairuza Balk, James Brolin
Votes: 4,406 | Gross: $1.35M
29. Jump (1999)
R | 91 min | Comedy
As a suicidal man stands on a roof ready to throw himself off the building, his friends gather to try to convince him not to do it. Through the friends, his tale is told in flashback, leading up to his present state.
Director: Justin McCarthy | Stars: James Le Gros, Mark Rosenthal, Jessica Hecht, Michael McGlone
Votes: 157
30. L.A. Without a Map (1998)
Unrated | 107 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A British writer pursues a young actress to Hollywood and needs all the help he can get to win her love.
Director: Mika Kaurismäki | Stars: Tony Peers, Steve Huison, David Tennant, Margo Stanley
Votes: 2,643
31. Where the Day Takes You (1992)
R | 105 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
King is a young man, but he's already a veteran of life on the streets of Los Angeles. The leader of a group of runaways, King acts as a mentor to troubled kids such as gay hustler Little J and junkie Greg.
Director: Marc Rocco | Stars: Dermot Mulroney, Robert Knepper, Laura San Giacomo, Sean Astin
Votes: 3,908 | Gross: $0.39M
32. The Small Hours (1997)
90 min | Crime, Drama
Director: Derek Dunsay | Stars: Derek Dunsay, Shawn Andrews, Christopher Meloni, Lee Holmes
Votes: 20
33. Pump Up the Volume (1990)
R | 102 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
Mark runs a pirate radio station and causes an uproar when he speaks his mind and enthralls fellow teens.
Director: Allan Moyle | Stars: Christian Slater, Samantha Mathis, Anthony Luke Lucero, Andy Romano
Votes: 31,146 | Gross: $11.54M
34. Office Space (1999)
R | 89 min | Comedy
Three company workers who hate their jobs decide to rebel against their greedy boss.
Director: Mike Judge | Stars: Ron Livingston, Jennifer Aniston, David Herman, Ajay Naidu
Votes: 287,439 | Gross: $10.82M
35. Hackers (1995)
PG-13 | 105 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Teenage hackers discover a criminal conspiracy with plans to use a computer virus that will capsize five oil tankers.
Director: Iain Softley | Stars: Jonny Lee Miller, Angelina Jolie, Jesse Bradford, Matthew Lillard
Votes: 74,821 | Gross: $7.56M
36. Dark City (1998)
R | 100 min | Fantasy, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A man struggles with memories of his past, which include a wife he cannot remember and a nightmarish world no one else ever seems to wake up from.
Director: Alex Proyas | Stars: Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly, William Hurt
Votes: 212,195 | Gross: $14.38M
37. My Own Private Idaho (1991)
R | 104 min | Drama
Two best friends living on the streets of Portland as hustlers embark on a journey of self discovery and find their relationship stumbling along the way.
Director: Gus Van Sant | Stars: River Phoenix, Keanu Reeves, James Russo, William Richert
Votes: 61,719 | Gross: $6.40M
38. Kids (1995)
Unrated | 91 min | Drama
A day in the life of a group of teens as they travel around New York City skating, drinking, smoking and deflowering virgins.
Director: Larry Clark | Stars: Leo Fitzpatrick, Justin Pierce, Chloë Sevigny, Sarah Henderson
Votes: 84,604 | Gross: $7.42M
39. Strange Days (1995)
R | 145 min | Crime, Drama, Sci-Fi
A former cop turned street-hustler accidentally uncovers a conspiracy in Los Angeles in 1999.
Director: Kathryn Bigelow | Stars: Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore
Votes: 78,397 | Gross: $7.92M
40. Deconstructing Harry (1997)
R | 96 min | Comedy
Suffering from writer's block and eagerly awaiting his writing award, Harry Block remembers events from his past and scenes from his best-selling books as characters, real and fictional, come back to haunt him.
Director: Woody Allen | Stars: Woody Allen, Judy Davis, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Stephanie Roth Haberle
Votes: 47,793 | Gross: $10.69M
41. Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999)
R | 116 min | Crime, Drama
An African-American Mafia hit man who models himself after the samurai of old finds himself targeted for death by the mob.
Director: Jim Jarmusch | Stars: Forest Whitaker, Henry Silva, John Tormey, Cliff Gorman
Votes: 96,920 | Gross: $3.31M
42. True Romance (1993)
R | 119 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
In Detroit, a pop-culture nerd steals cocaine from his new wife's pimp and tries to sell it in Hollywood, prompting the mobsters who own the drugs to pursue the couple.
Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer
Votes: 242,386 | Gross: $12.28M
43. Metropolitan (1989)
PG-13 | 98 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A group of young upper-class Manhattanites are blithely passing through the gala debutante season, when an unusual outsider joins them and stirs them up.
Director: Whit Stillman | Stars: Carolyn Farina, Edward Clements, Chris Eigeman, Taylor Nichols
Votes: 12,402 | Gross: $2.94M
44. The Doom Generation (1995)
R | 83 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Jordan White and Amy Blue, two troubled teens, pick up an adolescent drifter, Xavier Red. Together, the threesome embark on a sex-and-violence-filled journey through an America of psychos and quickie marts.
Director: Gregg Araki | Stars: James Duval, Rose McGowan, Johnathon Schaech, Cress Williams
Votes: 17,868 | Gross: $0.26M
45. 1991: The Year Punk Broke (1992)
Not Rated | 99 min | Documentary, History, Music
David Markey's documentary of life on the road with Sonic Youth and Nirvana during their tour of Europe in late 1991. Also featuring live performances by Dinosaur Jr, Babes In Toyland, The Ramones and Gumball.
Director: David Markey | Stars: Sonic Youth, Kim Gordon, Lee Ranaldo, Steve Shelley
Votes: 1,578
46. Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
R | 101 min | Crime, Drama
A pharmacy-robbing dope fiend and his crew pop pills and evade the law.
Director: Gus Van Sant | Stars: Matt Dillon, Kelly Lynch, James Le Gros, Heather Graham
Votes: 40,604 | Gross: $4.73M
47. Sleep with Me (1994)
R | 86 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Sarah, Joseph and Frank are BFFs. Joseph and Sarah get married but the evening before she tells Frank with a kiss that it could've been him. Frank continues to have a thing for Sarah.
Director: Rory Kelly | Stars: Craig Sheffer, Eric Stoltz, Meg Tilly, Lewis Arquette
Votes: 2,813 | Gross: $0.16M
48. Go (1999)
R | 102 min | Comedy, Crime
The aftermath of a drug deal as told from three different points of view.
Director: Doug Liman | Stars: Sarah Polley, Jay Mohr, Scott Wolf, Taye Diggs
Votes: 75,133 | Gross: $16.84M
Tell Your Friends