Club 50 Wrap-Up: 1996

Years Completed:
1988 | 1989 | 1995 | 1996 | 1998 | 1999 | 2001 | 2002 
2003 | 2005 | 2007 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013
 
The further along I get in the latter stages of my Club 50 list, the smaller the shifts in the box office look. Going from 1988 to 2010, It's easy to see how PG-13 franchises have overtaken and sequels are not just popular, but a necessity. It's getting more difficult to see changes from year to year. I feel increasingly like a broken record after each one of these.

1996 is a good example. If I was to label the mid-90s box office, the phrase I'd use is "More of the same without being the same". 1996 only had two sequels. That's the low point of any year I've done yet. And it's not like the sequels were top heavy. Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco barely made the top 50. The other sequel, Star Trek: First Contact, could almost be seen as a reboot (with Generations as a bridge) instead.

"More of the same" refers to the fact that without sequels, a lot of the year's offerings were terribly familiar. Black Sheep is essentially the sequel to Tommy Boy. Happy Gilmore is a spiritual successor of Billy Madison. Bevis and Butthead Do America was pulled from TV. 101 Dalmatians was a live action remake of the studio's own animated classic. Space Jam is a Looney Tunes movie. Treasure Island was the second Muppets book adaptation. Mission Impossible is a classic TV show. That low sequel count is deceptive.

It was a pretty standard year regarding for the Oscars. Only three of the five best picture nominees made the top 50: Jerry Maguire (4), The English Patient (19), and Shine (41). Somehow, Fargo (67) didn't make it, which seems unfathomable now. Secrets & Lies (108) might be the lowest placing Oscar nominee this side of The Hurt Locker.

To wind down each year as I complete them, I'm going to hand out a few superlatives or anecdotal awards to highlight some of the highs and lows of the year's top 50 box office earners.

First Seen: The Hunchback of Notre Dame

I'm pretty sure I saw this in theaters. If that's true, I can't think of something I would've seen before it.

Last Seen: One Fine Day

I think part of me, deep down, just didn't want to see George Clooney as a RomCom star, because I would want him to be in more of them.

Happiest Surprise: The Long Kiss Goodnight

I love a year with a lot of options for this category. I loved the shifting narratives of Courage Under Fire and The Truth About Cats & Dogs turned out to be just plain delightful. I have to go with The Long Kiss Goodnight though. I had no idea what this movie was going in, and it turned out to be a lot of fun. Fun is exactly what this movie needed to be. I'm glad it didn't aim for more than that.

Biggest Disappointment: Michael

The blame here lands squarely on TBS. When I was 10, every other "Dinner and a Movie" was for Michael. That "I'm not that kind of angel" line, they loved it. When I finally got to that scene within the greater context of the movie, it was like I was solving an ancient puzzle from my youth. Sadly, it's not that great of a movie, or at least not a memorable one.

Looked Better Then: Jack

I'm tempted to go with The English Patient since it's best known either for being a Seinfeld joke or as one of the great "Oscar-bait" Best Picture winners. Instead, I'm picking Jack. You probably forgot about Jack. Remember, Robin Williams is a kid in an adult's body. There's just a lot of things about that movie that aren't looking great now. Williams plays a character who is going to die too young. Bill Cosby being in it isn't helping matters. Circa 2006, Jennifer Lopez would also hurt it. I think she's come out of Bennifer by now. Those first two things though.

Looks Better Now: Mission: Impossible

Perhaps this should be called "Looks Even Better Now" because, only aliens and tornadoes did better that year (Oh, maybe I should've used Twister for my Looked Better Then). This franchise is still going and bigger than ever now, rather improbably.

Favorite: Independence Day

This is Rolland Emmerich blowing things up at its best. Will Smith brings the charisma. Bill Pullman brings the gravitas. Jeff Goblum, Randy Quaid, and Judd Hirsch bring the laughs. This was an event movie like few I've ever seen.

2nd Favorite: Happy Gilmore

I was the perfect demographic for when this came out. I was about to say this was made at the height of the Happy Madison brand, then I remembered that it's part of the name. It preceded the company. Comedically, Adam Sandler has never been better, entirely because he was still so raw.

3rd Favorite: Star Trek: First Contact

This is probably the best blend of Star Trek and Hollywood movie for the series since Wrath of Khan.

Honorable Mention:

The Long Kiss Goodnight

Gena Davis and Sammuel L. Jackson are great together in this.

The Cable Guy

In terms of his comedies, still my favorite Jim Carrey role. It has forever ruined my expectations at Medieval Times.

The Truth About Cats & Dogs

I wish I could explain what I liked so much about this.

Jerry Maguire

When Cameron Crowe gets it right, he gets it very right.

Least Favorite: The Mirror Has Two Faces

My dislike of Barbara Streisand runs deep, I guess. And keep in mind, I never set out to dislike her movies. I'm pretty good at going in with an open mind. By the end of these movies, I plain don't like them. This one even manages to overcome my love of Jeff Bridges.