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'Old' Movies Every Young Person Needs To Watch In Their Lifetime

Updated January 9, 2021 1.3m votes 31.0k voters 330.1k views372 items

List RulesVote up the best "old" movies that came out in the '80s and '90s - the ones you think everyone simply MUST watch.

If you're a younger millennial, you've probably heard your older friends and coworkers say things like "Hey, you guys!" or "Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?" or "He can't see without his glasses!" and knew that they were quoting some old movie that you've never seen (something like The Goonies, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, or My Girl). These films may have been released before you were born, but to be culturally literate, you should probably go back and watch them. This classics list is not about old old black and white movies, it's about '80s and '90s beloved masterpieces. They're the cinematic treasures that made the careers of your favorite current day actors.

You can see some of your favorite actors when they were just starting in these old movies that young people should watch. Love Christian Bale, but you've never seen Newsies? Go watch it! (fun Christian Bale fact: he hates this movie). Admire Meryl Streep? Make sure you check out Death Becomes Her. She looks so youthful!

If you ever find yourself asking, "What old movies should I watch?" just work your way down this list and knock them out, one at a time.

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1,291
Forrest Gump
Tom Hanks, Sally Field
Released: 1994
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
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2
21,713
3,477
Back To The Future
Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd
Released: 1985
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
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3
17,038
3,154
Ghostbusters
Bill Murray, Sigourney Weaver
Released: 1984
Directed by: Ivan Reitman
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16,242
3,292
Star Wars
Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
Released: 1977
Directed by: George Lucas
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12,238
2,462
Jurassic Park
Samuel L. Jackson, Jeff Goldblum
Released: 1993
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
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6
16,425
3,333
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
Harrison Ford, Alfred Molina
Released: 1981
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
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7
17,708
3,600
Home Alone
Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci
Released: 1990
Directed by: Chris Columbus
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3,072
Beetlejuice
Alec Baldwin, Winona Ryder
Released: 1988
Directed by: Tim Burton
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The Shawshank Redemption
Morgan Freeman, Rita Hayworth
Released: 1994
Directed by: Frank Darabont
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17,320
3,602
The Goonies
Corey Feldman, Josh Brolin
Released: 1985
Directed by: Richard Donner
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Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Charlie Sheen, Matthew Broderick
Released: 1986
Directed by: John Hughes
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The Wizard of Oz
Judy Garland, Margaret Hamilton
Released: 1939
Directed by: Mervyn LeRoy, Norman Taurog, King Vidor, George Cukor, Victor Fleming
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The Breakfast Club
Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald
Released: 1985
Directed by: John Hughes
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15,650
3,311
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Drew Barrymore, Erika Eleniak
Released: 1982
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
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15
12,418
2,626
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
Released: 1980
Directed by: Irvin Kershner
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The Terminator
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bill Paxton
Released: 1984
Directed by: James Cameron
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Jaws
Steven Spielberg, Richard Dreyfuss
Released: 1975
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
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12,594
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Die Hard
Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman
Released: 1988
Directed by: John McTiernan
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Batman
Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger
Released: 1989
Directed by: Tim Burton
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The Karate Kid
Elisabeth Shue, Ralph Macchio
Released: 1984
Directed by: John G. Avildsen
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21
8,265
1,827
Aladdin
Robin Williams, Gilbert Gottfried
Released: 1992
Directed by: Ron Clements, John Musker
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Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
Released: 1983
Directed by: Richard Marquand
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14,532
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Mrs Doubtfire
Robin Williams, Pierce Brosnan
Released: 1993
Directed by: Chris Columbus, Chuck Jones
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9,333
2,243
The Silence of the Lambs
Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins
Released: 1991
Directed by: Jonathan Demme
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The Green Mile
Tom Hanks, Gary Sinise
Released: 1999
Directed by: Frank Darabont
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