Fashion
Readers Told Us Their Favorite 1999 Movies. Here’s What Came Out on Top.
In a memorable year for film, there were recommendations of blockbusters, tender dramas and coming-of-age-tales. But one title stood out from the rest.
A quarter-century later, the residual energy of 1999 cinema lingers. The Class of 1999 series — our class project, so to say — took form as a retrospective, sifting through films and moments that inspired a generation at the dawn of a new millennium.
It dissected the revolutionary power of “The Matrix” and “The Blair Witch Project,” which manipulated our minds into believing what we saw was real. It examined legacies, in conversation with Haley Joel Osment and the “risky stunts, not risky roles” ethos of Tom Cruise. In essence, the last year of the ’90s had earned itself the title of “the year of uncertainty,” at least according to Wesley Morris.
As for myself, I’d define 1999 through the stylistic lens of “SLC Punk,” “American Movie” and “Girl, Interrupted.” (Passionate and a bit misdirected; gritty and a bit manic.) When our film staff writers and critics made their list of favorite films from 1999, we of course had to ask New York Times readers to weigh in on their favorite movie of the year — a question that spawned more than a thousand submissions (almost) overnight.
“The Matrix” was mentioned nearly twice as often as any other film. “Fight Club,” “Office Space,” “American Beauty” and “Magnolia” followed suit, in that order. (“American Beauty,” directed by Sam Mendes, won the Oscar for best picture.)
Many readers sent us lists, unable to choose just one film, while others gave an elaborate and detailed retelling of a first viewing. Here’s a sampling of what our readers picked, covering everything from teenage escapades to heart-racing thrills to gut-wrenching dramas.
‘The Matrix’ Is Everywhere
Mike Ruddell of New York:
Neeraj Gupta of London:
Dylan Feldpausch of Chicago:
Paddy Free of Auckland, New Zealand:
Drama. Drama. Drama.
Kevin Hengehold of Seal Beach, Calif., on “The Sixth Sense”:
Katie Robleski of Milwaukee on “Magnolia”:
Zac Oldenburg of San Francisco on “Eyes Wide Shut”:
Alex Arroyo of Littleton, Colo. on “Fight Club”:
Dana Jacoby of Cotati, Calif., on “American Beauty”:
