Movie Reviews Special: 1990 Box Office Top Five

This month’s Movie Reviews Special is rewinding the clock to a time many will remember well and some may wish they could return to. The year is 1990.

In this year, Sir Tim Berners-Lee created the first web server; the Hubble Space Telescope was launched into low Earth orbit; and Nelson Mandela was released from prison. Meanwhile, Sinéad O’Connor was riding high in the pop charts with ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’; TV sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was hitting screens for the first time; and New Kids on the Block had their own cartoon series (although the less said about that, the better).

Over at the cinema, popular films included Misery, Kindergarten Cop, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. A number of sequels were also doing the rounds including Another 48 Hrs., Gremlins 2: The New Batch, and Back to the Future Part III.

However, while these films provided audiences with plenty of entertainment, they weren’t the biggest hits of the year. In fact, none of the above movies cracked the box office Top Five (although a couple came close).

Want to know which films did make it into the Top Five? Well, you need only look below. 

The subject of this edition of Movie Reviews Special is the Top Five highest grossing movies of 1990. The films reviewed include Ghost, Home Alone, Pretty Woman, Dances with Wolves, and Total Recall.

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Now streaming…

Ghost (1990)

First up is the supernatural romantic drama, Ghost. Directed by Jerry Zucker, the film stars Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Goldwyn, and Vincent Schiavelli, and follows the story of Sam Wheat – a murdered banker whose ghost remains amongst the living to protect his girlfriend from harm.

In the movie, Sam and his girlfriend Molly Jensen move into a new apartment in Manhattan. The pair are young, head over heels in love, and have a bright future ahead of them.

But things take a sudden turn for the worst when one night the couple are caught up in what appears to be a mugging. Following the attack, Sam chases after the mugger but he gets away.

It is within this moment Sam comes to realise he didn’t survive the incident. As Molly lays on the floor, cradling Sam’s body, his ghost watches over.

In the coming days, Sam comes to learn there was more to the mugging than it first appeared and Molly’s life is now in danger. Working with a fraudulent psychic who can hear but not see him, Sam sets out to expose the truth about his death and ensure Molly’s safety.

If you were to ask your average film-watcher to name something significant about Ghost, the first thought that would often crop up is the famous pottery scene. A sequence which has been noted, referenced, spoofed and lampooned that many times over the years it is now simply impossible to overlook.

The scene takes place early into the movie and is a romantic sequence between Sam and Molly which catches the attention. The pottery scene is accompanied by the song, ‘Unchained Melody’ by the Righteous Brothers, and is certainly a moment which stands out.

However, Ghost is so much more than just the pottery scene. It is a romance (one heck of a romance in fact), as well as a comedy, a drama, and as the title makes clear, a supernatural picture too.

And because it is all these things, Ghost has so much to offer. The film has action, suspense, thrills, mild horror, and some well-timed comedy, and it’s difficult to come away thinking it is anything less than perfect.

The comedy in Ghost largely comes from Whoopi Goldberg, who delivers an Oscar-winning performance. Goldberg bagged the Academy Award in the category of Best Supporting Actress for her turn as faux psychic, Oda Mae Brown, and it really is a superb performance.

Ghost picked up two Academy Awards (the other was for Best Original Screenplay for writer Bruce Joel Rubin), both are well-deserved, and both make the movie what it is.

But it’s not just the screenplay and Goldberg that excel in Ghost, the late Patrick Swayze is brilliant as the deceased yet protective Sam, while Demi Moore gives a steady performance as the shellshocked Molly. The combination of Swayze, Moore, and Goldberg, along with support from Tony Goldwyn as Sam’s best friend Carl, makes for an excellent combination.

Throw in smart direction from Jerry Zucker – the same Jerry Zucker who co-wrote and co-directed Airplane! – and watching Ghost is a wonderful way to spend a couple of hours. From the aforementioned pottery scene and Sam’s death, to the introduction of Oda Mae Brown, an encounter on a train, and a rather creepy final showdown, Ghost is fantastic.

When Ghost was originally released in 1990 the film was not an overwhelming hit with the critics. Some of the reviews were mixed, and the film could have easily been overlooked as a result, however, it was fully embraced by audiences, becoming a sleeper hit in the process.

Speaking in his memoir, It’s Only A Movie, Ghost screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin, said: “Ghost opened on Friday, July 13, and months later was still the number one film in theaters. It was still playing at Christmas.

“Most of the reviews for Ghost were so-so. The critics didn’t love it, but we were the number one film in the country for 1990, and became one of the most commercially successful films of all time.”

And it’s a success that is truly earned. From the perfect casting, the music by Maurice Jarre, and the cinematography from Adam Greenberg, to the script, the staging, and the wonderful way the romance is weaved throughout the story, Ghost is a masterpiece and nothing less.

The movie was the No.1 film of 1990 and it remains a firm favourite all these decades on. Should you wish to watch Ghost, the movie is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video and NOW in the UK.

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Now streaming…

Home Alone (1990)

Up next is a film which needs little in the way of an introduction. Home Alone is one of the best-loved Christmas movies on the planet and by this point in its life-span the film is so well known it has moved into legendary status.

Kids watch the film every year, as do parents, and grandparents, and pretty much everyone in between. Home Alone is now as synonymous with the festive season as twinkly lights and a tree, so it’s doubtful this film has flown under anyone’s radar.

However, for the few people on Earth who have let Home Alone pass them by, the film is essentially a family comedy about an eight-year-old boy named Kevin McCallister, who (as the title suggests) is left home alone. This situation occurs over the Christmas holidays (hence the film’s popularity at Christmas time), and leads to plenty of heartfelt moments, along with some hilarity.

In fact, one of Home Alone’s key selling points is the movie’s indulgence in slapstick comedy. It’s an aspect of the film that doesn’t really appear until the backend of the picture, but it’s an intrinsic component of the film’s success, as well as the one thing everyone zeroes in on (similar to the pottery scene in Ghost).

But I’ll get to the slapstick momentarily. For now, back to the story, which sees Kevin left by his lonesome.

In the film, Kevin wishes his family away, before he is accidentally left home alone while they fly away on vacation. Poor Kev then mistakenly believes he is the cause of their disappearance and has to make the best out of his solitary life.

While he’s doing this, a couple of burglars, calling themselves the Wet Bandits decide to break into the McCallister residence. With Kevin the only one home, the young hero has to devise a way to stop them in their tracks, using any deterrent he can lay his hands on.

Directed by Christopher Columbus, from a script by John Hughes, Home Alone stars Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Catherine O’Hara, John Heard, Roberts Blossom, and John Candy. The film is a rip-roarin’ picture, essentially built with children’s imaginations and wish-fulfilment fantasies in mind, but with so many gags for adults that it has ‘all-ages appeal’.

The movie is then infused with a delightful score by John Williams, which includes the beautiful and emotive theme song ‘Somewhere in My Memory’, as well as some slick editing by Raja Gosnell, who would go on to direct the not-as-terrible-as-you-expect standalone sequel, Home Alone 3 (1997). On top of this is the inclusion of a number of traditional Christmas tunes (‘O Holy Night’, ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’, etc), plenty of holiday-themed iconography, as well as that all-important slapstick comedy. 

These scenes are both belly-achingly funny, and also so over-the-top they wander into Tom & Jerry territory. And of course, this ultimately a smart move by Columbus, because otherwise Kevin would be up for murder for the harm he inflicts on the Wet Bandits (a blowtorch to the head, an iron to the face, etc).

The reason the audience accepts the utter carnage dished out by Kevin is because Columbus makes the character so damn likeable in the first two-thirds of the film, he can get away with anything. It also helps that Culkin delivers a star-making turn which can’t be overlooked.

Although Culkin had appeared in movies prior to Home Alone, most notably 1989’s Uncle Buck, it was Home Alone that rocketed him to incredible heights. His performance as Kevin McCallister remains his signature role, and it’s not surprising considering his cute face and impeccable line delivery.

Outside of Culkin, Catherine O’Hara is brilliant as Kevin’s frantic mother, Kate; Roberts Blossom brings plenty of heart in the role of Kevin’s neighbour, Old Man Marley; and Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern completely understand the assignment as Wet Bandits, Harry and Marv. And then there is a scene-stealing extended cameo for John Candy who is on fine form as polka musician and all-round Good Samaritan, Gus Polinski.

With all this and so much more, Home Alone is essentially the holiday gift that keeps on giving. The film is loaded with great lines (“KEVIN!”), as well as plenty of heart, that it’s difficult not to fall for its charms year-in, year-out.

As with Ghost, Home Alone was not originally met with thunderous applause by critics, receiving mixed reviews upon its debut. However, the audience loved the film (and rightfully so) and it ended up as the second highest grossing film of 1990, taking over $476 million from a budget of $18 million.

Since its release, 20th Century Fox and Disney have tried to replicate the film five more times through a series of sequels and reboots, but always with diminishing returns. One of the reasons the follow-ups have failed is because they are often quite poor (or in some cases, bloody awful), but also because there really is no need to make another Home Alone when the original is this good.

Home Alone struck gold in 1990, it continues to shine bright all these years later, and it will be around for a long time to come. Should you wish to watch Home Alone for the 795th time, the movie is available to stream on Disney+ in the UK.

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Now streaming…

Pretty Woman (1990)

Onto movie number three on this list, which was the third highest grossing film of 1990. The movie – currently available to stream on Disney+ in the UK – is the romantic comedy, Pretty Woman.

Directed by Garry Marshall and written by J. F. Lawton, Pretty Woman stars Richard Gere, Julia Roberts, Jason Alexander, Laura San Giacomo, and Héctor Elizondo. The film tell the story of the developing romance between wealthy corporate raider, Edward Lewis, and Hollywood sex worker, Vivian Ward.

In the movie, Edward and Vivian cross paths when the former is driving through the red light district on Hollywood Boulevard and he stops to ask the latter for assistance. From here, Edward hires Vivian to spend the night at his hotel.

The next day, Edward extends the invitation, buying Vivian’s company for the week. He pays her $3,000, plus additional spending money to ditch her street clothing, dress more appropriately, and become his live-in girlfriend.

As the days pass by, Edward and Vivian grow closer and the first flushes of love starts to emerge. But what will happen once the week is up and it’s time for Vivian to return to her regular life?

Three movies in and Pretty Woman is yet another film which requires little introduction. The movie remains a popular picture, far beyond the 1990s, and this is because Pretty Woman is highly entertaining and immensely likeable.

A huge part of the appeal is the chemistry between Gere and Roberts, as well as the stellar performance from Roberts in general. As Vivian, Roberts is an absolute delight, lighting up the screen with charm and effervescence.

Similar to Macaulay Culkin’s star status prior to Home Alone, Roberts had already established herself on screen with films such as Mystic Pizza (1988) and Steel Magnolias (1989), but Pretty Woman was a game-changer. The film transported her into a leading player and the rest is history.

And the transformation from supporting actress to leading lady can be seen in every frame of Pretty Woman. In the same way there is no going back for Vivian once she leaves the streets, there is no going back for Roberts once she completes this picture.

Highlights of Pretty Woman include a shopping trip on Rodeo Drive; a dinner sequence with some slippery snails; and the general blossoming of Edward and Vivian’s relationship. The aforementioned Gere and Roberts are the star players in the picture, but Héctor Elizondo puts in a memorable turn as kindly hotel manager, Barney Thompson, while Laura San Giacomo is a sassy treat as Vivian’s friend, Kit De Luca.

On top of this is a crowd-pleasing soundtrack featuring a wealth of pop tunes ranging from Go West’s ‘The King of Wishful Thinking’ to Natalie Cole’s ‘Wild Women Do’. And of course, there’s plenty of room for Roy Orbison’s ‘Oh, Pretty Woman’ too, which adds the cherry on top of the cake.

From start to finish Pretty Woman is a thoroughly enjoyable, exceedingly satisfying film. The romance is perfectly pitched and effortlessly played out, stealing hearts and inducing smiles along the way.

As with the two films above, Pretty Woman was yet another movie from 1990 which received mixed reviews from critics (what the heck was everyone smoking back then?), but thankfully it was embraced wholeheartedly by audiences and it is now considered one of the all-time greatest rom-coms.

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On disc…

Dances with Wolves (1990)

Sliding into movie four now and it’s the epic Western, Dances with Wolves. Correction, the epic AND multi-Academy Award winning Western, Dances with Wolves.

Unlike the previous movies in this Movie Reviews Special, Dances with Wolves was more of a critical darling upon release, was nominated for 12 Oscars, and went on to win seven of ‘em! This includes the much coveted Best Picture Award, as well as the award for Best Director, which went to Kevin Costner.

Yep, as well as starring in Dances with Wolves in the lead role of Lt. John J. Dunbar, Costner sat in the director’s chair calling the shots. His film was based on the novel of the same name by Michael Blake, who in turn also wrote the screenplay, and together they created a picture which was both a critical and commercial success.

As for the story, the year is 1863 and after being wounded in battle and attempting suicide, John Dunbar transfers to the American Frontier. From here he is assigned to Fort Sedgwick, where he decides to rebuild the fort and record his observations of the surrounding area.

A short while later Dunbar encounters and befriends the Sioux. This soon leads to him being accepted into the tribe, changing his life completely.

Featuring exceptional direction from Costner, as well as a great lead performance, plus beautiful camera work which perfectly captures the vast open plains of the US Frontier, Dances with Wolves is a magnificent picture in every sense of the world. It is a sprawling epic, which is thoroughly engrossing and a must-see for those who love to invest their time in a story.

The film runs a mammoth four hours in length, yet manages to maintain its momentum and consistency throughout. It does so by providing gorgeous, often romantic visuals which delight the eyes, along with a perfectly paced narrative that never rushes ahead of itself or loses sight of the story it wishes to convey.

Costner is a superb filmmaker – arguably one of the greats, both in front of and behind the camera – and he pitches Dances with Wolves just right. The movie has drama and action, thrills and suspense, as well as heart.

Now, despite being a Best Picture winner AND the fourth highest grossing movie of 1990, Dances with Wolves isn’t currently available to stream in the UK, which means accessing it isn’t easy. The film is also not available to buy on digital, nor is there a 4K copy on disc. 

Should you wish to watch Dances with Wolves, your best option at present is to seek out a now deleted DVD which was released a few years back, or a region free Blu-ray. Neither the DVD or the Blu-ray are readily available in physical stores in the UK so you will need to take a look at an online retailer for a copy, but it can be tracked down without too much drama.

Should you make the effort and take a look? Of course – this film didn’t win the Best Picture Award for nothing.

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Now streaming…

Total Recall (1990)

And finally, directed by Paul Verhoeven, and based on Philip K. Dick’s book, We Can Remember It For You Wholesale, Total Recall is a sci-fi action movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone, Ronny Cox, and Michael Ironside. The movie follows the story of a construction worker who may not be quite who he seems to be.

In the film, the year is 2084 and Douglas Quaid is a seemingly ordinary guy. By day he works a job in construction, while at night he dreams about a more adventurous life.

Quaid’s dreams take him to Mars. It’s a place he would love to visit, but as his wife points out, it is far too dangerous.

Unable to get Mars out of his mind, Quaid turns to Rekall – a company that specialises in false memories. For a considerable fee, Rekall can give Quaid the belief he has spent two weeks on Mars without the need to travel.

Quaid jumps at the opportunity and gets ready to begin the process of a faux journey. However, things don’t go to plan and Rekall accidentally unlocks some hidden memories in Quaid.

Boasting an imaginative storyline, inventive special effects, and one of Arnie’s best performances, Total Recall is a doozy of a sci-fi flick. It’s smart, action packed, and filled with spectacle, and did I mention how great Arnie is?

The Austrian Oak is top notch as Quaid, flexing acting skills that more than match his muscles. Total Recall presents an Arnie who is very comfortable in his performance and it comes across on screen.

What also comes across on screen is how well director Paul Verhoeven has crafted his science-fiction playground. Thanks to an extensive use of practical effects, Total Recall feels extremely tangible, and get this: The effects still look good today!

Total Recall arrived a few years before CGI began to take over as the default way to deliver spectacle and boy is it great to see actors playing alongside in-camera effects. It seems a cliché to say, but they simply don’t make movies like this anymore.

In addition to the above, Total Recall has a fab supporting cast, with both Sharon Stone and Michael Ironside magnificent as foes, while composer Jerry Goldsmith serves up a great score. The cinematography from Jost Vacano is also first-rate.

Add to this beautiful lighting, a couple of well-placed twists, plenty of Verhoeven violence, and some highly enjoyable action sequences, and there’s a lot to like with Total Recall. As I said, they don’t make movies like this anymore, but wasn’t it great when they did?

Total Recall was produced on a budget of between $48 million to $80 million (it’s never been quite clear the exact amount), yet the film looks so much better than many of the movies produced today on far more money. Due to the investment in the film, audiences were very keen to watch it back in 1990, making it the fifth highest grossing movie of the year.

The picture also performed very well on home video and it’s still a favourite amongst sci-fi fans today. Should you wish to view Total Recall, the movie is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime Video in the UK.

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Star Movie

All the movie reviews are in, and there are high scores all round (as if there would be anything less with this set of movies). However, high scores or no high scores, these five films need to be whittled down to one Star Movie, so what is it going to be?

Well, it’s difficult not to say Home Alone or Pretty Woman, as both are excellent, iconic movies, that are endlessly re-watchable. Home Alone in particular has grown immensely since its initial release, becoming a generational picture which is in constant rotation every Christmas, but then… Pretty Woman is Pretty Woman, and who doesn’t have a soft spot for that movie?

And then there is Dances with Wolves, which is a triumph. Westerns were largely out of fashion by 1990 (and remain out of fashion today), but Dances with Wolves proves a strong film is still a strong film regardless of the time period it appears in, so could easily be the pick of the crop here.

However, the Star Movie in this 1990 Box Office Top Five Special is Ghost. Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, and Whoopi Goldberg are all excellent in the film; director Jerry Zucker balances elements from various genres (romance, comedy, drama, etc) and they all blend together effortlessly; and ‘Unchained Melody’ has never felt so perfectly placed, nor has a pottery scene felt so appropriate.

So, yeah, Ghost. Not only was Ghost the highest grossing film of 1990, but it is also the Star Movie in this Movie Reviews Special.

And if you’re a fan of Ghost, you may also wish to check out:

• Dirty Dancing (1987) – Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey take the lead in this romantic drama about a young woman who falls in love with a dance instructor at a holiday camp.
• Sister Act (1992) – Whoopi Goldberg delivers a fan-favourite turn as a lounge singer who goes into hiding at a convent after she witnesses a murder.
• The Bodyguard (1992) – Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston star in this hugely successful ‘90s thriller about a bodyguard assigned to protect a world-famous actress and singer.

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That’s it for another Movie Reviews Special. You’ll be pleased to know another Special is being prepared and will be with you in no time at all.

Meanwhile, if you missed last month’s edition, which focused on ‘00s Thrillers, now is a good time to play catch-up. The special includes six movie reviews, all in one place, and all connected by the same theme. 

Alex

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Thank you for taking the time to read Movie Reviews 2025 on It’s A Stampede!. For more reviews, check out the recommended reads below.