Over 100 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of Pretty Good Movies You Haven't Seen Since Childhood You Can Catch On Netflix Right Now
Voting Rules
Vote up the nostalgia-inducing movies you will be streaming ASAP.
Sometimes there's no better cure for boredom than a heaping slice of nostalgia. Fortunately, there are a bunch of '80s and '90s movies streaming on Netflix that can scratch that itch. Whether you're an '80s kid or a '90s kid, there are tons of options for you, from family friendly fun, to stuff you probably shouldn't have been watching as a kid but were anyway.
Here are some pretty good movies to stream on Netflix - and a couple great ones for good measure - to ward off some of those winter doldrums. If, however, you prefer to ruin your childhood instead of wallow in it, here are some disturbing facts about your favorite movies as a kid.
Don't let this movie's 18% Rotten Tomatoes score fool you; it's pretty okay. Look, if you weren't an '80s/'90s kid, you probably won't like this movie. But if you are, you almost certainly remember it fondly, so why not flip on 114 minutes of nostalgia, and maybe even shed a tear at some father/son issue resolving. It's the definition of a feel good story with some wacky kid hockey to boot.
Richard Harrington of The Washington Post called Cool Runnings, "A wholesome, engaging, frequently hilarious, ultimately inspirational film." That's already four reasons why you should revisit this gem. John Candy is always funny and the bobsled team (played by Derice Bannock, Sanka Cofie, Junior Bevil, and Yul Brenner) are rays of sunshine (except for Brenner occasionally) and joy to watch. With a Jamaican backdrop and reggae music, it's a good way to feel warm in the winter.
Spoiler: Billy (Zach Galligan) gets his Mogwai wet and shenanigans ensue. Gizmo is the adorable little creature who has the unfortunate ability to spawn monstrous gremlins if any number of innocuous things happens to him, and those gremlins terrorize everyone in the most hilarious way possible. It's kind of like a horror movie for kids. If you like adorable things and aren't a real fan of intense horror, this movie is perfect for you.
You may remember this one. E.T. is one of the most beloved films of all time about a universe still full of wonder, despite the existence of morality. It's family fun, heart-breaking as often as it's heart-warming. That's the true sign of a good story: it's not always rainbows and lollipops. Still, there's a happy enough ending with a whole bunch of cutesiness in between. There are myriad worse ways to spend your time.
The Little Rascals is just chock full of nostalgic one-liners delivered by adorable kids. Whether it's Buckwheat (Ross Bagley) singing about his pickle or Spanky (Travis Tedford) calling the He-Man Woman Haters Club to order, pretty much everything in this movie is fun, with no real moments of despair, as the adversity faced in the movie is no greater than a damaged go-kart. If you want to smile for 98 minutes, watch this. If nothing else, the bloopers at the end make it all worth it.
Granted, if you know the twist at the end of The Sixth Sense, it may not be worth a second watch - but it is a good movie. If you're somehow lucky enough to have made it two decades without hearing how this movie ends, then you're in for a real treat. Either way, it's a creepy, psychological thriller that answers the age-old question, "How does M. Night Shyamalan keep getting work?"
