Photo Credit: Getty Images/ Paramount Pictures
We’ve gone through the past fifty years of moviemaking and created our list of which films most defined their decade.
And since we’re MTV, we had to pay respect to the amazing music associated with those movies. A great movie should always come with a great soundtrack!
1960-1969: The Graduate
Long before Stiffler and American Pie came along and showed us how to include hot Moms in our dating pools, there were Anne Bancroft and The Graduate. Not only did this 1967 classic film cement Dustin Hoffman and the musical duo Simon and Garfunkel into stardom, but it also injected the phrase “would you like me to seduce you?” into pop culture and the naughty minds of young men around the globe.
If our word doesn’t carry enough movie-street-cred for you and you’re still unconvinced, just watch The Graduate to realise how hundreds of TV shows and films since 1967 have referenced it.
Soundtrack Bonus: Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘Mrs. Robinson’ and ‘Sounds of Silence’ - both are timeless classics (The Lemonheads cover of ‘Mrs. Robinson’ 25 years later is great too!)
1970-1979: Saturday Night Fever
Despite our love and respect for both The Godfather and Star Wars, we can’t ignore the fact that the 70s was the decade of disco! So how could we not give the top honours to Saturday Night Fever?
We all learned a few dance moves to throw into our repertoires, but Saturday Night Fever is anything but a fluff dance movie. Set in 70s era New York City, it touches upon the racial tensions, economic despair and violence that were prevalent in The Big Apple. And let’s not forget how it catapulted John Travolta into “lead male” territory.
Soundtrack Bonus: ‘Stayin’ Alive’ by the Bee Gees - Sometimes when no one is looking we pretend this is our personal soundtrack as we walk the streets Tony Manero style.
1980-1989: The Breakfast Club
Ah, the 80s! Not only did it give birth to a certain music television station that signs our paychecks, but it also introduced us to the infamous “Brat Pack” via several John Hughes films.
We managed to whittle down our list of favourite Hughes films to the most definitive one of the decade though. Poignant and hilarious scenes coupled with a slew of memorable quotes make The Breakfast Club an obvious choice. It taught us “that each one of us is a brain, and an athlete, and a basket case, a princess, and a criminal.”
Soundtrack Bonus: Simple Minds ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’ - Don’t worry, we won’t!
1990-1999: Pulp Fiction
1997’s Titanic shattered all of the previously held box office records and it’s still nearly impossible for anyone to stand on a boat without screaming, “I’m the king of the world.” But we still have nightmares about that Celine Dion song so it was an immediate disqualification.
Pulp Fiction takes home the top honours for this decade. It oozes coolness and redefined the way movies can be written and shot. If you ever discuss movies with anyone who grew up in the “Generation X” era, this one will surely make its way into the conversation. Quentin Tarantino has since gone on to become a cult hero among movie buffs.
Soundtrack Bonus: Urge Overkill’s ‘Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon’ invokes plenty of 90s nostalgia, but its association to this movie makes it timeless.
2000-2009: The Royal Tenenbaums
We love The Lord of The Rings. And even though there seemed to be a new trailer, movie poster, or premiere for one of the LOTR films throughout this decade, we opted against the obvious choice. We went with something A LOT shorter (doesn’t it seem like there were a lot more 3 hour films post-LOTR?).
The 2000s seemed to be all about the “indie darlings,” and without the success of 2001’s Royal Tenenbaums, who knows if the green light would have been given to small budget, character driven, quirky films like Lost in Translation, Garden State, Napoleon Dynamite, and Little Miss Sunshine. So thank you for this superbly cast gem, Wes Anderson!
Soundtrack Bonus: The Clash, Velvet Underground, The Rolling Stones, Nico, The Ramones, Paul Simon and Bob Dylan. Do we really need to explain further?
2010-present
There have been several great movies since 2010, but since we’re only 14 months into this decade it seems a bit premature to pick the definitive movie. There haven’t even been any Academy Awards handed out yet for movies released in 2010! We are excited though to see what is still to come between now and 2019 (that seems so far away, right?). But who knows, maybe something that’s already come out will take the top honours of defining this decade!
And since we’re MTV, we had to pay respect to the amazing music associated with those movies. A great movie should always come with a great soundtrack!
1960-1969: The Graduate
Long before Stiffler and American Pie came along and showed us how to include hot Moms in our dating pools, there were Anne Bancroft and The Graduate. Not only did this 1967 classic film cement Dustin Hoffman and the musical duo Simon and Garfunkel into stardom, but it also injected the phrase “would you like me to seduce you?” into pop culture and the naughty minds of young men around the globe.
If our word doesn’t carry enough movie-street-cred for you and you’re still unconvinced, just watch The Graduate to realise how hundreds of TV shows and films since 1967 have referenced it.
Soundtrack Bonus: Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘Mrs. Robinson’ and ‘Sounds of Silence’ - both are timeless classics (The Lemonheads cover of ‘Mrs. Robinson’ 25 years later is great too!)
1970-1979: Saturday Night Fever
Despite our love and respect for both The Godfather and Star Wars, we can’t ignore the fact that the 70s was the decade of disco! So how could we not give the top honours to Saturday Night Fever?
We all learned a few dance moves to throw into our repertoires, but Saturday Night Fever is anything but a fluff dance movie. Set in 70s era New York City, it touches upon the racial tensions, economic despair and violence that were prevalent in The Big Apple. And let’s not forget how it catapulted John Travolta into “lead male” territory.
Soundtrack Bonus: ‘Stayin’ Alive’ by the Bee Gees - Sometimes when no one is looking we pretend this is our personal soundtrack as we walk the streets Tony Manero style.
1980-1989: The Breakfast Club
Ah, the 80s! Not only did it give birth to a certain music television station that signs our paychecks, but it also introduced us to the infamous “Brat Pack” via several John Hughes films.
We managed to whittle down our list of favourite Hughes films to the most definitive one of the decade though. Poignant and hilarious scenes coupled with a slew of memorable quotes make The Breakfast Club an obvious choice. It taught us “that each one of us is a brain, and an athlete, and a basket case, a princess, and a criminal.”
Soundtrack Bonus: Simple Minds ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’ - Don’t worry, we won’t!
1990-1999: Pulp Fiction
1997’s Titanic shattered all of the previously held box office records and it’s still nearly impossible for anyone to stand on a boat without screaming, “I’m the king of the world.” But we still have nightmares about that Celine Dion song so it was an immediate disqualification.
Pulp Fiction takes home the top honours for this decade. It oozes coolness and redefined the way movies can be written and shot. If you ever discuss movies with anyone who grew up in the “Generation X” era, this one will surely make its way into the conversation. Quentin Tarantino has since gone on to become a cult hero among movie buffs.
Soundtrack Bonus: Urge Overkill’s ‘Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon’ invokes plenty of 90s nostalgia, but its association to this movie makes it timeless.
2000-2009: The Royal Tenenbaums
We love The Lord of The Rings. And even though there seemed to be a new trailer, movie poster, or premiere for one of the LOTR films throughout this decade, we opted against the obvious choice. We went with something A LOT shorter (doesn’t it seem like there were a lot more 3 hour films post-LOTR?).
The 2000s seemed to be all about the “indie darlings,” and without the success of 2001’s Royal Tenenbaums, who knows if the green light would have been given to small budget, character driven, quirky films like Lost in Translation, Garden State, Napoleon Dynamite, and Little Miss Sunshine. So thank you for this superbly cast gem, Wes Anderson!
Soundtrack Bonus: The Clash, Velvet Underground, The Rolling Stones, Nico, The Ramones, Paul Simon and Bob Dylan. Do we really need to explain further?
2010-present
There have been several great movies since 2010, but since we’re only 14 months into this decade it seems a bit premature to pick the definitive movie. There haven’t even been any Academy Awards handed out yet for movies released in 2010! We are excited though to see what is still to come between now and 2019 (that seems so far away, right?). But who knows, maybe something that’s already come out will take the top honours of defining this decade!