The 20 year’ers are so nice, I’m doing them twice.
****
Sure, time flies when you’re having fun, but it’s still hard to believe that it’s been 20 years since these pop culture-defining movies and shows broke onto the scene.
In fact, there’s so much good stuff celebrating the two-decade anniversary that I had to double up on my shout outs. So, here’s Volume One: my first five favorites from the class of 1997.
Titanic
The movie that launched a thousand proverbial pop culture ships by sinking the most infamous one of all, Titanic was the film I had seen the most times in the theatre up to that point (three!) and it slayed me on every. single. outing. The three-hour-plus opus made mega stars out of Leo and Kate (no last names necessary), gave Celine Dion the biggest chest-thumping hit of her career (her heart WILL go on, dammit!) and had young couples everywhere pledging “I’ll never let go” to each other decades before another ice-laden movie’s blockbuster song urged us all to do just the opposite. So ignore Elsa, and keep hoping that someday Jack draws you like one of his French girls.
My Best Friend’s Wedding
With Julia Roberts’ boxy shoulder-pads-are-a-THING fashions and a pre-Will & Grace depiction of the swish-and-dish token gay friend, this movie is probably the most dated of the bunch while also being one of the most fun romantic comedies of the era. From its delightfully frothy madcap energy to surprising emotional resonance—all taking place against a backdrop of the best angles of my new hometown, Chicago—it will always be remembered as the flick that made a renewed hit out of ‘I Say a Little Prayer (For You)’ and dared to make ‘America’s Sweetheart’ semi-unlikeable. In fact, test audiences were so put off by Julia’s character, Jules, and her crazytown antics that the original ending had to be reshot to give her a softer landing that leveled off her not-so-great behavior over the previous two hours. So, after a spin around the dance floor with Rupert Everett, all’s well that ended well—complete with a lavender bridesmaid’s dress, because, obviously: 1997.
Daria
I’m not saying that I was exactly a ‘Daria’ when the MTV show debuted mid-stream in my teen years. I wore less black, was (slightly) less cartoonish and brooded in a way that wasn’t a full-throated rejection of the entire high school population (on most days). But man, I could relate to how Daria and her BFF, Jane, navigated the pitfalls of the most awkward time in most of our lives with deftly dour humor that had a sharp edge for sheer survival. A revival has been rumored in the 15 years since the series’ 2002 TV movie finale, Is It College Yet?, but no official word. To the MTV programmers out there who haven’t made this happen yet, I only have one thing to say: You’re standing on my neck (la la la la la).
Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion
The movie that spawned a million Post-It jokes also produced the most fun and real on-screen female friendship since Thelma and Louise, trading that pic’s dirty tees for Wet Seal’s chinciest looks, Brad Pitt for Alan Cumming, and the whole drive-a-car-off-a-cliff ending for a chic helicopter ride to happily ever after. The movie became a cult classic, though, because of the enormous heart beneath its hollow bombshell exterior, thanks in huge part to iconic performances by the ever-fabulous Lisa Kudrow and Mira Sorvino (plus Janeane Garofalo’s turn as Daria-in-the-flesh-with-avengance, Heather Mooney). That, and also because it’s timelessly hi-larious.
Good Will Hunting
As a native Bostonian, this movie has always held a special place in my haaht. But as a beautifully rendered independent picture released at the height of the art house invasion with an Oscar-winning script from two soon-to-be-celebrity hometown boys (Matt and Ben coming in hot!) and beautiful Oscar-winning performance from funnyman Robin Williams (RIP), it transcends geographical bias as a modern classic. In honor of the kind of accent-drenched, smaht a** insult only a true Bay Stater can deliver, here’s one of my favorite moments from the movie. How do you like dem apples?