I’m continuing my series exploring the many lost movies from the 1990s here in episode 6!
My Blue Heaven (1990)
This comedy centers around an uptight by-the-book FBI agent that must take a charming mobster into witness protection in the suburbs in the hilarious My Blue Heaven from 1990 starring Steve Martin and Rick Moranis from director Herbert Ross, and written by Nora Ephron.
Much like Goodfellas released only a month after this film, My Blue Heaven was also based on the life of Henry Hill but clearly with a full throttle comedic direction through Martin’s portrayal of Vinnie Antonelli. Sure My Blue Heaven follows the typical tropes of the odd couple, fish-out-of-water genre but in the hands of Steve Martin and Rick Moranis the result is mindless comedic gold. Martin is riding at full speed in the exaggerated mafioso character type and just pumping laughs from his dialogue delivery to his ridiculous accent, and his physical mannerisms Martin knows exactly what this movie needed, and he knocked it out of the park. Much like Rick Moranis who takes the typical straight character to Martin’s over-the-top one and really makes it his own. He certainly leaves his comedic imprint on this movie. My Blue Heaven is a feel-good silly comedy that checks the boxes from effective jokes, comical scenarios, just enough action, and a fantastic chemistry between Martin and Moranis. And this movie is ridiculous, in all the ways you would want it to be.
The Hard Way (1991)
This little action comedy is a favorite of mine. It stars Michael J. Fox as an action star researching for a role with a hot-tempered detective who just so happens to be on the trail of a serial killer in 1991s The Hard Way directed by John Badham. Also starring LL Cool J, Stephen Lang and Annabella Sciorra.
Films like The Hard Way are examples of what popcorn movies used to look like before the days of superhero flicks, and CGI filled adventures we live in now. The Hard Way is like a textbook Hollywood film carried by the charisma and chemistry of its two leading stars, a creative contempt, an effective sense of humor, touch of heart, and heavy doses of exciting action. This movie delivers all of it and all these years later watching Fox follow the ultra-grumpy Woods around in this movie is a delight. The supporting cast is solid, the main villain is filled with sadistic cartoonishness through the performance of Stephen Lang, and really this movie just gels. The soundtrack is perfect. The practical stunt work is able to elevate the action set pieces and while it may have its familiar character, and plot beats The Hard Way is an action comedy that delivers awesome action and hilarious comedy. Fox and Woods are so good here together, they’re such an unlikely pair but when they’re playing off each other the result is perfect, and this movie goes out with satisfying spectacle making this movie a total cinematic package.
Class Act (1992)
Next up is another comedy. Most people remember Kid n Play from the House Party movies. But they also delivered another teen comedy about two students, one a delinquent and the other a valedictorian who have their school records swapped resulting in waves of humor in 1992s Class Act starring Christopher Reid and Christopher Martin also known as Kid n Play. Directed by Randall Miller.
Much like Christopher Nolan’s Inception was like a dream, inside of a dream. Class Act is a character swap movie, inside a character swap movie. Kid is Play, Play is Kid, and both of their lives are conveniently swapped in this admittedly silly comedy that without question rides on the energy and chemistry of its two leads. Class Act is a dumb high school comedy trying to navigate its ridiculous premise while doing so. It’s also a lighthearted movie that will have you cackling throughout if you can dial down your serious button for 90 minutes. If you can do that you will have a blast with this movie as Kid n Play navigate their swapped lives in high school. Now Class Act doesn’t reel you in with a captivating premise. In fact, it essentially plays out like a long music video with a series of vignettes cut into it and it’s a charming piece of cinema’s past. Play is solid in this one, he doesn’t really feel like the tough guy he’s trying to be, yet he has his moments. Kid, however, is the driving force, from his antics, mannerisms, and delivery he’s hilarious and overall, the cartoonish adventures in Class Act are as well.
Gunmen (1994)
Now this action movie I really do think has been forgotten. It centers on a DEA employed bounty hunter and the brother of a thief who reluctantly team up to look for a horde of cash stolen from a drug dealer in 1994s Gunmen starring Christopher Lambert, Mario Van Peebles, Denis Leary, Sally Kirkland and Patrick Stewart. Directed by Deran Sarafian.
Released in some territories in 94 and others in 94 Gunmen is not without its flaws. The plot is a bit messy. It also relies heavily on almost all the major tropes in the action genre. However, if you enjoy B-action movies, and seeing older movies with a familiar cast then there is plenty of fun to be found in this loud, brash, action romp. I remember reading a review where someone compared Gunmen to being The Good the Bad and the Ugly meets Romancing the Stone and I agree with that. This movie goes from feeling like a western, to 80s grindhouse action, to adventure and while it may not always work the odd pairing of Lambert and Peebles with Leary as the heavy brings more than enough charm, energy, and edginess. Sure, this movie is clearly going through the motions but seeing this familiar cast in earlier roles such as Patrick Stewart and Sally Kirkland is cool. And somehow, despite being a cash hunt down in South America the movie manages to stitch in some rap performances, to cement the film’s high energy soundtrack. So, if you like movies that deliver a bit of it all, topped with macho humor, this one’s a winner.
Renaissance Man (1994)
This was a movie I watched a lot when I was in high school. It follows a failing business man who is hired by the army to teach underachieving recruits to help them pass basic training. It was one man’s mission to teach the few, the proud and the impossible in Renaissance Man from 1994 starring Danny DeVito and Gregory Hines from director Penny Marshall.
Roger Ebert likened it to a cross between Dead Poets Society and Private Benjamin minus the spirit of those movies and to a point I would agree. This movie does feel overly manufactured, some of the character arcs feel artificial and who knows how teaching Shakespeare to cadets will help them in the army. But DeVito and Hines are a great pairing as they go from enemies to comrades. Now my main issue with this movie is the length. At over 2 hours they could’ve easily chopped 30 minutes off this thing yet I still enjoy it. I remember watching this one a lot on cable as a teen and it’s just an effective feel-good comedy. DeVito is able to land solid laughs then seamless steps into the drama to tug on the heartstrings a little to land that superficial sentimentality that many comedies from the time enjoyed. Hines is great as well, being just as perplexed at DeVito’s presence on base as everyone watching and seeing them maneuver these routine plot points is enjoyable and nostalgic. Everyone learns about themselves to be better people at the end of the movie than when it started and sometimes that surface level sweetness is all you want in a movie.
Just Cause (1995)
This moody thriller from 1995 follows a brilliant lawyer who is called to take the case of a young man about to be condemned for the deal of a child. Buried deep in the Florida Everglades is a secret that can save an innocent man or let a killer kill again in Just Cause starring Sean Connery, Laurence Fishburne, and Blair Underwood.
Now Just Cause is really a tale of two movies. Mid 90s Hollywood loved legal dramas and for the first half this movie delivers that. It’s also a touch of a character study as you learn more about the characters from Connery and Fishburne while also building your own case to whether Underwood’s character is guilty or not. The settings down in the south gives the story a moody foreboding backdrop and the performances are excellent. Connery is smooth, wise, always classy despite the seediness lurking all around him. Then there’s Fishburne’s sadistic performance as the cop. He’s ultra grimy in this movie and it’s perfect. So, adding this to an already compelling mystery with the ever-charming Underwood, the first half of Just Cause is surprisingly engulfing. Now where some people may have issues is on the back end when admittedly the movie tries to do way too much. This is when unneeded twists and turns come in to convolute things. The shift in tone is noticeable, not a deal breaker, but certainly something that hinders the emotional intensity the first half built. It also tries to close with traditional studio gusto but still, I think this movie is great when you want something gripping, but not overtly impactful.
The Great White Hype (1996)
Next up is a hilarious sports comedy. It’s set in the world of boxing where the rule is simple. If you can’t find the perfect contender you make one in 1996’s The Great White Hype directed by Reginald Hudlin starring Samuel L. Jackson, Damon Wayans, Jeff Goldblum, Peter Berg, and many others.
I’ve always loved this movie. The Great White Hype is a satire of the professional boxing world, at least during the time and it still delivers a riot of laughs today. The cast is impressive, and everyone gets their moments to shine comedically and Hudlin’s direction is awesome as he captures all the key elements of pro boxing and exaggerates them to comical results. Wayans is hilarious as the champ who gets out of shape when he learns who his next opponent is. Samuel L. Jackson is brilliantly wild as a cross between Don King and that old wrestling manager, The Grand Wizard. He, like Wayans, is riding at full comedic speed in this one. And really everyone knows what this movie wanted to be and all the characters work, even Peter Berg who’s bumbling, dude bro persona is perfect for this character that takes the boxing world by storm. So, with a great cast of amusing cartoonish characters, a strong sense of humor in the writing, a great soundtrack and all the flamboyance of pro boxing, The Great White Hype is an amusement ride of silly humor, and it still holds up today and would be great with another silly sports comedy like Kingpin.
Gang Related (1997)
Moving along is a cop thriller that has a seedy, sort of grimy tone. It centers on two corrupt cops who accidentally murder an undercover DEA agent and find their lives spiraling as they attempt to cover it up in Jim Kouf’s Gang Related from 1997 starring Jim Belushi, Tupac Shakur, and Lela Rochon.
I’ve always loved gritty cop thrillers and something about this movie always appealed to me. I wasn’t able to put my finger on it as a teenager but later in life I realized what I loved about Gang Related was its uniqueness. There are no good guys in this movie, the main characters are the villains and that twist on this plot is refreshing. Despite Belushi and Shakur being corrupt, criminal cops there is something in them you can identify with potentially that makes this downward spiral so intriguing? Or potentially the identifying quality of this story is a cautionary tale of morality gone wrong? Either way it works for this movie, Belushi and Shakur both deliver grounded, authentic performances. And as the story evolves and their crimes mount to cover their actions, even seeing the differing ethical limits between them as partners is compelling to see play out. Now my main issue with this movie is that it doesn’t quite stick the landing. I feel this is when the intensity from the filmmakers drew back a bit when the film leading up to the final act didn’t yet all these years later you can still sit back and find yourself consumed by stress of the plot.
Slums of Beverly Hills (1998)
This little dark comedy had a simple tagline. Never trust a girl by her address and that girl is teenage Vivian living with her broke, nomadic family as the live in the outskirts of Beverly hills during the late 70s so they can attend the cities schools in 1998s Slums of Beverly Hills starring Natasha Lyonne, Alan Arkin, and Marisa Tomei. Written and directed by Tamara Jenkins.
This little indie movie made the festival rounds when it was released, and it garnered strong reviews. I remember catching it on cable and it always drew me in. I was living in Seattle at the time and was about to be moving down to southern California and I connected to this main character’s journey of fitting in with a new surrounding she wasn’t used to. This movie delivers it all really, its heartwarming, its humorous, its grounded, and it just feels like a peek inside the lives of this dysfunctional family during the 70s just outside of Beverly Hills. And I work in LA in, and all-around Beverly Hills and you can go from one block being a mansion to an old apartment building unrenovated since the late 60s by simply passing an intersection. So, watching Vivian navigate these social and class walls during the 70s is a spirited ride. The production design is fantastic, this movie feels like a step back in time. And the performances are all perfect for the needs of their roles. Lyonne is able to hit all the emotional beats of her character coming of age and Alan Arkin as her father is a home run. Slums of Beverly Hills doesn’t hit you over the head with melodrama and that’s what gives it a timeless appeal.
The Thirteenth Floor (1999)
Next up is a sci-fi thriller about a computer scientist who is killed and his friend who gets wrapped up in it when he suspects a newly launched virtual reality system is involved in 1999s The Thirteenth Floor directed by Josef Rusnak. Starring Craig Bierko, Gretchen Mol, and Vincent D’Onofrio.
This has always been an interesting movie to me. I didn’t really understand it when I watched it as a teenager and found it to be a little too confusing. But I enjoyed the bulk of it from a visual aspect. There are a ton of cool scenes in this futuristic thriller and while the writing may not be able to fully connect them, and despite sort of still finding this movie a bit convoluted there’s just something about it that dig. I love the foreboding atmosphere and hyper reality this movie creates. The visuals are awesome, the color spectrum pops from vibrant to cold and bleak, and the production design is top notch. I also like the performances in this movie and feel that it’s one of those you can pull a little something new from each time you watch it. So, where the writing may have some issues in cohesiveness you can help but appreciate the creative ambition. The Thirteenth Floor was a movie that took audiences to places they rarely had been to and instead of over-the-top spectacle this movie kept it dark and unnerving. It really feels like a late 90s cyber thriller with labs filled with colorful lasers like nightclubs and overall, it was really ahead of its time.
Anthony J. Digioia II © 2025 SilverScreen Analysis & Movies Never Say Die
