38 Movies From the '80s and '90s We Could Watch Over and Over Again

Five high-schoolers (a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal) spend a Saturday in detention together — and realize they're not that different from each other after all.

Melanie Griffith is Tess McGill, a Staten-Island secretary at a Wall Street investment bank whose hack boss (Sigourney Weaver) steals her merger idea. When said boss breaks her leg and is out of the office, Tess takes back what's hers. Soundtrack gem: "Let the River Run," by Carly Simon.

Cher won a Best Actress Oscar for her role as Loretta, a woman who falls for her fiancé's brother (Nicolas Cage). Here's her acceptance speech, which you should watch for fun.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a performance more charming than Julia Roberts's as Vivian, a woman who agrees to spend a whole week with a wealthy businessman (Richard Gere) — then winds up falling for him (and he for her).

Meg Ryan (Sally) and Billy Crystal (Harry) are one of our all-time favorite movie couples.

Céline and Jesse (Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke) meet on a train in Europe and spend a magical evening together in Vienna, walking and talking. Watch the equally wonderful sequels, Before Sunset and Before Midnight, if you want more of their thoughts on the meaning of life and love (you will).

This was Reese Witherspoon's first role, at 15, and it's a gut-wrenching one at that. She plays Dani, a rural Louisiana teenager who falls for the new farm-boy next door (Jason London) — only he has eyes for Dani's older sister. That's not even the sad part.

With the help of medium Oda Mae Brown (played by Whoopi Goldberg, who took home an Oscar for her performance), Patrick Swayze communicates with the love he left behind when he died (Demi Moore), who's in danger herself.

Before the TV show, there was the Ron Howard-directed movie with its all-star cast (Steve Martin, Mary Steenburgen, Dianne Wiest, Keanu Reeves, and so on). The story is simple — it follows the ups and downs of the Buckman family — but the results are spectacular. P.S. The movie also stars a young Joaquin Phoenix, then called Leaf.

Oh, you played hooky once in high school? There's no way you had as much fun as Ferris, who rode around in a Ferrari convertible, crashed a parade float, and ate at a fancy restaurant by pretending to be a very rich man.

This is the godmother of inspirational dance movies: Alex Owen (Jennifer Beals) is a working-class Pittsburgh woman, making her living as a welder and a dancer, but her dream is to get into ballet school. Soundtrack gem (and a good way to describe watching this movie): "What a Feeling," by Irena Cara.

Tom Cruise plays a Navy pilot in training. Soundtrack gem: "Take My Breath Away," by Berlin.

Whitney Houston plays a pop star who hires a bodyguard (Kevin Costner) to protect her from a stalker. There's a great twist — and one of the best soundtracks of all time.

Vada Sultenfuss and Thomas J. (the remarkable Anna Chlumsky and Macaulay Culkin) are best friends. They ride bikes, climb willow trees. But don't let that storyline fool you: This movie will rip your heart out.

This movie is one to watch with your best friend. It follows two women (played by Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis) on the lam, blazing past all men who stand in their way.

A boy called in to a radio show to find his widower dad love. This is another great romance by Nora Ephron (who also wrote When Harry Met Sally).

After graduation, hopeless romantic Lloyd Dobler finds the nerve to tell valedictorian Diane Kourt that he has a crush. They start up a wonderful romance but are derailed by her dad. Soundtrack gem: "In Your Eyes," by Peter Gabriel.

One of the most heartwarming tales of friendship (between a kid and an alien); directed by Steven Spielberg and featuring Drew Barrymore when she was a peanut.

The title says it all.