There was a wave of new directors and actors that crashed Hollywood and changed the industry. While mainstream television had monotonous, formulaic content, the new debutant directors inspired a wave of genre-bending content. Due to this, the audience witnessed some of the most intriguing cinema during the last decade of the 20th century.
The new wave of directors like Quentin Tarantino, Todd Haynes, and other veterans were trying to create new urban stories while amalgamating various genres. This resulted in some of the most iconic characters that came out of the 1990s. But the films gave us some of the most memorable duos in history. From Thelma and Louise from Ridley Scott’s feature to Tarantino’s Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield, these duos have become evergreen and among the most loved pairings of the decade.
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10) Andrew Beckett And Joe Miller-Philadelphia
One of the grittiest films of contemporary times, Jonathan Demme’s ‘Philadelphia’ addressed the issues that plagued American society—stigma towards the LGBTQIA+ community and HIV.
The courtroom drama features Tom Hanks as the young, gay lawyer who gets dismissed from his organization after he gets diagnosed with AIDS. Joe Miller, played by Denzel Washington, a homophobic lawyer, takes his case and fights for his rights.
It is an unconventional pairing, but the way Jonathan realistically etched these characters in the film while tackling a sensitive subject makes the pairing iconic!
9) The Mask
Until some point, ‘The Mask’ was the second-highest-grossing cartoon film of our time after ‘Batman’. While the credit goes to Jim Carrey for portraying Stanley Ipkiss with his impeccable physical comedy,
However, the film would not have been half as entertaining if it were not for the chemistry that Cameron Diaz and Jim Carrey shared. It made the audience believe that the two were dating. That was the magic that the two created with their palpable chemistry.
8) Jack And Annie-Speed
In Jan de Bron’s ‘Speed’, we got to witness the amazing chemistry between Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. Keanu played Jack, an officer of the LAPD, who, after foiling Howard Payne’s attempt to take people hostage in a lift, tries to foil another attempt after he takes passengers in a bus as hostages.
He takes the aid of Annie, played by Sandra Bullock, to rescue the passengers. In this palpable thriller, Keanu and Bullock had us hooked on the film, becoming an iconic duo.
7) Kevin And Kate McCallister-Home Alone
Who would have thought that an eight-year-old would fight with a thief? But in the enduring tale that ‘Home Alone’ is, we witnessed one of the most hilarious Christmas films of our times. It stars Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister, whose family leaves him at home and goes on a holiday, leaving him alone to fend for himself.
The film proved to be beneficial not only for Macaulay Culkin but also for Catherine O’Hara as Kevin’s mother, Kate McCallister. It made the actress a household name in the US.
6) Mike Lowrey And Marcus Burnett-Bad Boys
One of the most badass sequels that Will Smith has been a part of after ‘Men In Black’ is ‘Bad Boys’. The three-part sequel, spanning over two decades, has been a successful endeavor, but it is nothing without the chemistry that both Will Smith and Martin Lawrence shared, which continued from 1995 to 2020. As of now, there are talks that the two actors could reprise their roles in the fourth installment of the film.
In Case You Missed: Is ‘Bad Boys 4’ Happening With Will Smith? Storyline Explored
5) Zeus And John McClane- Die Hard: With A Vengeance
It became a trend in the 1990s that the sequel to a film worked better than the original. It includes the second installment of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ‘Terminator’.
It also happened with the ‘Die Hard’ franchise, where John McTiernan’s‘Die Hard: With A Vengeance’ became a fan favorite with the arrival of Samuel L. Jackson as Zeus, the civilian with whom Bruce Willis’ John McClane teams up to defeat Jeremy Irons’ Simon. The film provides a lot of cathartic moments with some edge-of-the-seat drama.
4) Will Hunting And Chuckie Sullivan-Good Will Hunting
To have a conversation about mental health in the 1990s was itself a bigger statement, but to have it with Matt Damon and Robin Williams in the center was a power move! However, more than Will Hunting and Sean Maguire, it was Will Hunting and Chuckie Sullivan’s friendship that was heartwarming to see.
Chuckie never judged Will for his anger bouts, and even when he decided to leave the home to be with Skylar, he respected the decision, giving us one of the best bromances of the last century.
3) Andy Dufresne And Ellis Redding-Shawshank Redemption
Two prisoners who yearn for freedom forge a friendship, and one of them escapes it. Pretty bland, right? Another prison break. But Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman make the tale of liberty more poetic and affable with their performances. The moral conflict that Ellis and Andy’s characters present for one goal and the assimilation of those moralities made the experience more beautiful, all thanks to Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman!
2) Vincent Vega And Jules Winnfield-Pulp Fiction
Quentin Tarantino’s debut ‘Pulp Fiction’ became a cult classic with the stellar story of three unrelated stories coming together. However, one of the highlights of the film is the camaraderie between John Travolta’s Vincent Vega and Samuel L. Jackson’s Jules Winnfield, who works for the mob boss Marsellus Wallace.
1) Thelma And Louise-Thelma & Louise
Susan Sarandon and Genna Davis lit up the screen in 1991’s ‘Thelma & Louise’. Susan plays a waitress and maternal figure, Louise Sawyer, to Geena Davis’ Thelma Dickinson.
It is a riot when a bold Louise meets the naive Thelma, and they run away from the authorities after Louise kills a man who attempts to rape Thelma. The chemistry and sisterhood that Sarandon and Davis portrayed are etched as one of the best portrayals of sisterhood.
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