The 1990s brought a surge of films that impacted or drew focus to the Black experience. From blockbuster hits to fan favorites, these films are worth rewatching again and again. While some explore the struggles of African American life in the 20th century, others are breakthroughs in film as they portray women’s sports, black romance, and other Black narratives rarely told.
Today, we have the aid of social media to spread awareness about a wide swath of films. Back in the 1990s, this was not the case. So, we’re bringing you movies from the ’90s era that featured narratives about the Black experience. We broke down the films into four categories: Blockbusters, Cult-Classics, Fan Favorites and Critically Acclaimed. While this list is not exhaustive, we think it’s a solid place to start.
“I think that it is very important that films make people look at what they’ve forgotten.” - Spike Lee.
For a time in the 90s, a Black character in a movie wasn’t a novelty. Black movies centred on and starred us. We weren’t tokenized and were rarely relegated to the status of “best friend” or sidekick.
Black movies of the 1990s told diverse stories. This was a time of iconic directors, producers and screenwriters - from Spike Lee, John Singleton and the Hughes brothers to Ice Cube. Black actors who still light up our screens today played characters with depth and told stories that painted a full picture of Black humanity. From comedies to family dramas to Rom-Coms and yes gritty dramas and historical pieces - we were representing on screen.
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Here are some of the best African American movies of the 90s, categorized for your viewing pleasure:
Best Black Films of the 90s|Top 12 Black Films Ranked
Blockbusters
These films achieved significant box office success and resonated with a wide audience.
Sister Act I and II (1992 and 1993)
Sister Act I: Directed by Emile Ardolino. Starring Whoopi Goldberg, Kathy Najimy and Maggie Smith. When a worldly singer witnesses a mob crime, the police hide her as a nun in a traditional convent in California where she has trouble fitting in. The original Sister Act made a good amount of money at the box office in 1992. So good, that the sequel was released a year later.
Sister Act II: Directed by Bill Duke. Starring Whoopi Goldberg, Kathy Najimy, Maggie Smith and Barnard Hughs. The sisters are back, as Deloris (Whoopi Goldberg) becomes a music teacher to help a parochial school doomed for closure. If Deloris can shape the rowdy kids into a real, respectable choir, maybe they can save their school from closing at the hands of a cold-hearted administrator.
While not critically acclaimed, Sister Act II is a feel-good movie about the power of music and community. Highlighting music from some of the great Black performers of the 20th century, like Aretha Franklin, it pays homage to a set of music important to the Black community and all of America alike.
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Whoopi Goldberg shines as Deloris Van Cartier, a sassy lounge singer. When she witnesses a crime Deloris is placed in protective custody in a convent.
Returning as Deloris Van Cartier, Whoopi Goldberg stars in this sequel which sees her once again donning a nuns habit. But this time her antics are needed to help a struggling inner-city school.
Starring Whoopi Goldberg as Deloris Van Cartier/Sister Mary Clarence, the film sees her returning to her nun persona to help a struggling inner-city Catholic school. Deloris takes over as the music teacher and transforms the unruly students into a talented choir, helping them find their voices while bringing joy and hope to the school.
Sister Act is a heartwarming and humorous film that combines elements of comedy and music, as Deloris (played by Whoopi Goldberg) and a convent of nuns come together to create joyful and memorable performances while facing danger from the mob.
Sister Act Movie Poster
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BAD BOYS (1995)
Bad Boys: Directed by Michael Bay. Starring Will Smith, Martin Lawrence and Lisa Boyle. Two detectives are given five days to track $100 million dollars worth of heroin that was taken from station headquarters. The story gets even messier as they are also tasked with protecting a murder witness.
Bad Boys was Michael Bay’s directorial debut in feature films, and it’s easy to see his fingerprints all over it. While Bay’s presence is important, it’s really the chemistry between the two leading actors (Smith and Lawrence) that made it smash hit and prompted two sequels.
The first of the blockbuster movies (this one was directed by Michael Bay) that started a three-film franchise follows Miami detectives Mike Lowry and Marcus Burnett, who must track down millions of dollars worth of stollen drugs in order to save the narcotics division at their station.
MEN IN BLACK (1997)
Men in Black: Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld. Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith and Linda Florentino. Unknown to most people, the MiB is an agency tasked with surveillance of extraterrestrials on earth. Agent “K” (Jones) recruits an NYPD Officer, now Agent “J” (Smith) to join the MiB. They track down an alien in New York who is trying to steal an energy source called “The Galaxy” from earth.
Another popular Will Smith movie of the ’90s, Men in Black has been deemed the “best New York Movie of the ‘90s.” It doesn’t take itself too seriously, but the special effects were stellar for the time.
BLADE (1998)
Blade: Directed by Stephen Norrington. Starring Wesley Snipes, Stephen Dorff and Kris Kristofferson. If you like superhero movies, this one is for you. Blade is a half-mortal, half-immortal vampire hunter out to avenge his mother’s death. He becomes a “protector of the human race” as he tries to rid the world of vampires.
If you thought Black Panther was the first Black, Marvel superhero to hit the cineplex, guess again. Blade is considered the first really successful Marvel feature film. As we know, Marvel has since taken over the universe (well, almost) and Blade was its beginning.
Blade is an American superhero who marked the inception of the Blade franchise. The film is celebrated for bringing the Marvel Universe back to life on the big screen.
Cult-Classics
These films may not have been mainstream hits, but they have garnered a dedicated following over the years.
CANDYMAN (1992)
Candyman: Directed by Bernard Rose. Starring Virginia Madsen, Xander Berkeley and Tony Todd. Two grad students researching superstitions in Chicago end up with a lot more than they bargained for. Helen Lyle (Madsen) learns about an urban legend of a “hook-wielding figure” who many believe is responsible for a local murder. Helen begins to believe them when a mysterious man matching the Candyman’s description begins stalking her.
What might like look a typical horror film, Candyman is actually a racially charged film with a deep commentary on Black American culture. Set in the Cabrini-Green housing project, Candyman focuses on the aversion to blackness and dismissal of Black urban poverty in America. The actual Candyman is the undead son of a former slave. It has stood a testament to the demonization of Black men in America.
This story of a knife-wielding psychopath, played by Tony Todd, is just the urban legend they are ready to watch.
While researching the urban legend "Candyman" for her thesis, grad student Helen Lyle unknowingly summons the hook-handed murderous spirit that plagues Chicago's Cabrini-Green housing project. She soon discovers that Candyman is very real, and he begins to haunt her.
Candyman Movie Poster
POETIC JUSTICE (1993)
Poetic Justice: Directed by John Singleton. Starring Janet Jackson, Tupac Shakur and Regina King. After her boyfriend is murdered, Justice (Jackson) deals with her grief and pain by writing poetry. Her friend, Iesha (King), gives her a ride to Oakland so she can attend a convention and get her poetry the recognition it deserves. Along the way, Justice falls for Lucky (Shakur).
While its stars were well-known in the 1990s, the supporting cast of Poetic Justice was not. Though we know Regina King and Joe Torry’s names now, their breakout roles in this romantic drama served as stepping stones for greater success in their careers.
Jackson plays Justice, a poet mourning the loss of her boyfriend, who goes on a road trip from South Central L.A. to Oakland.
In another beloved John Singleton film, Janet Jackson is Justice, a hairdresser whose grieving her late boyfriend through poetry. While catching a ride to a convention with her best friend Iesha and her boyfriend, Justice meets Lucky (Tupac) who could be her second chance at love.
POSSE (1993)
Posse: Directed by Mario Van Peebles. Starring Mario Van Peebles, Stephen Baldwin and Charles Lane. A group of Buffalo Soldiers is sent on a suicide mission to intercept gold from enemy troops during the Spanish American War, but the mission is a farce, an attempt by a white officer to betray them. They end up shooting their way to justice, protecting a small town from a corrupt white sheriff.
Westerns are generally characterized by all-white heroes in typical cowboy garb. Posse challenges those conventions, taking the African American perspective on the Wild West. Posse tells a story that is often forgotten in the history of the West, but it wasn’t done with much style, most critics claim, earning it a cult following but not much favor by most audiences.
Mario Van Peebles carries on the family tradition his artist father, Melvin Van Peebles, started with the acclaimed blaxploitation Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song, which heralded a new era of black-focused films.
JACKIE BROWN (1997)
Jackie Brown: Directed by Quentin Tarantino. Starring Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson and Robert Foster. Jackie Brown (Grier) is caught smuggling money for an arms dealer. The two detectives tell her she can skip jail time if she helps them bring down her boss, but she has other ideas. She attempts to double-cross both the detectives and her boss and make off with the money herself.
Known as Tarantino’s most underrated film, Jackie Brown is called a “misunderstood movie.” After following Pulp Fiction, it seemed like a departure because of its lengthy emotional characterizations, but it has claimed enough loyal followers to make it a cult classic.
Fan Favorites
These films were beloved by audiences, often for their humor, heart, or relatable characters.
BEBE’S KIDS (1992)
Bebe’s Kids: Directed by Bruce W. Smith. Starring Faizon Love, Vanessa Bell Calloway and Robin Harris. An animated film about everyone’s idea of a terrible first date, Robin Harris (Love) invites the beautiful Jamika (Calloway) and her well behaved son (Collins) to go to an amusement park. But when they meet the next day, Harris is surprised to find three more children-the rambunctious and ill-behaved children of Jamika’s friend, Bebe.
While most critics gave it meh reviews at best, Bebe’s Kids drew a lot of laughs and was a favorite among fans. The story is actually based on the comedy sketches of Robin Harris. This film was just the beginning for director Bruce Smith, who would later create Disney’s The Proud Family and animate The Shadow Man in The Princess and the Frog.
SET IT OFF (1996)
Set It Off: Directed by F. Gary Gray. Starring Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifa and Vivica A. Fox. After a bizarre connection with a bank robber, four women down on their luck organize their skills to start robbing banks and create the lives they dream of. If he can do it, so can they, right? But mistrust begins to break apart their relationships, and with a detective on their heels, the women must decide what really matters most.
While advertised as a thriller, the character development of these women brings a level of drama that sets it apart. An honest look at the economic struggles of its characters makes it a study on real life and more than just another bank heist movie.
Four friends turn to bank robbery as a means of escaping poverty and oppression in Los Angeles.
Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Vivica A. Fox, and Kimberly Elise star in this thrilling heist drama.
Set It Off Movie Poster
LOVE JONES (1997)
Love Jones: Directed by Theodore Witcher. Starring Larenz Tate, Mia Long and Isaiah Washington. In this love story set in the middle of Chicago, two African Americans meet at a club and instantly hit it off. But despite their mutual interests and romance, Nina (Long) moves to New York and tries to mend her relationship with her ex. With their future as a couple in jeopardy, Darius (Tate) does his best to win her back.
One of the first successful films to feature a Black romance, the story was unique in that its characters were not in the middle of struggle and strife, like most movies featuring Black characters.
Larenz Tate and Nia Long star in this cult classic romantic drama about two lovebirds - a poet and a photographer who fall in love in Chicago.
BAPS (1997)
BAPS: Directed by Robert Townsend. Starring Halle Berry, Natalie Desselle Reid and Martin Landau. Two aspiring young waitresses fly to Los Angeles to raise money for their dream business-a salon that brings in soul-food dining-through a music-video audition. Through a series of unusual events, the two become friends with the video director who teaches them how to become a Black American Princess (BAPS).
While critics called it “trashy chic,” this comedy was popular with audiences in the late ’90s. It was bashed in reviews for “leaning into stereotypes about Black women,” but for the audience, it was intended for-it was hilarious and just the right amount of goofy.
