Kings of the World: How to Watch All the Best Picture Winners of the 1990s

Hollywood’s biggest night is on the horizon as the 98th Academy Awards are set to air on March 15—and that means it’s time to both debate the current Best Picture nominees and revisit past winners. Take a trip back to a decade of historical epics, war dramas, and Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio love-fests with our guide on how to watch the Best Picture winners of the 1990s.

“Dances With Wolves” (1990)

It’s practically criminal that “Goodfellas” lost to this Kevin Costner-starring cornball Western, which for all of its good feelings can still be quite cringeworthy for its “white savior” narrative. Indeed, “Dances With Wolves” is the kind of movie that a TV series like “Reservation Dogs” was created to make fun of—but it’s fun to watch with that in mind and you really can’t beat the picturesque cinematography.

Where to watch “Dances With Wolves”

You can stream “Dances With Wolves” on Fubo TV or MGM+. Alternatively, you can rent it from video-on-demand (VOD) outlets like Prime Video or Apple TV.

“The Silence of the Lambs” (1991)

Despite the transphobic themes—which star Ted Levine (aka Buffalo Bill) recently issued a public apology about—”The Silence of the Lambs” remains a crucial piece of horror filmmaking, full of eerie storytelling and heart-pounding suspense aided by the chess-game-like interplay between Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins as the inimitable Hannibal Lecter. The movie’s soundtrack has also gotten a pop culture bump in the last few years thanks to the critical reappraisal of singer Q Lazzarus and her haunting synthpop ballad “Goodbye Horses,” used in a spooky Buffalo Bill dance scene.

Where to watch “The Silence of the Lambs”

“The Silence of the Lambs” is available to stream on AMC+ and YouTube TV. Alternatively, you can rent it from video-on-demand (VOD) outlets like Prime Video or Apple TV.

“Unforgiven” (1992)

It doesn’t have the charm of “Tombstone,” but “Unforgiven” remains a true gem in the Western genre, which experienced a bit of a renaissance in the 1990s. Set in a Wyoming town called Big Whiskey, this gritty Clint Eastwood production flips typical Western tropes on their head with Eastwood taking on the role of a weary and repentant ex-outlaw saddling up for one last bounty. Gene Hackman does one of his most diabolical performances as a cold-blooded sheriff who resorts to psychotic cruelty in his efforts to enforce law and order.

Where to watch “Unforgiven”

“Unforgiven” is available to stream on YouTube TV. Alternatively, you can rent it from video-on-demand (VOD) outlets like Prime Video or Apple TV.

“Schindler’s List” (1993)

One of the most iconic silver-screen depictions of the Holocaust, “Schindler’s List” tells the story of German industrialist and Nazi Party member Oskar Schindler, a real guy who saved more than 1,200 Jewish refugees from the concentration camps by employing them in his factories during World War II. The stylized black-and-white cinematography, broken by a single red coat worn by a little girl, underscores the stark deprivation of the Kraków Ghetto in German-occupied Poland and the dehumanizing horror that Schindler sought to resist.

Where to watch “Schindler’s List”

It doesn’t appear that “Schindler’s List” is available to stream on any platforms right now. However, you can rent it from video-on-demand (VOD) outlets like Prime Video or Apple TV.

“Forrest Gump” (1994)

More than 30 years after this definitive 1990s blockbuster appeared in theaters, life has become even more like a box of chocolates: You never know what you’re going to get in the United States these days, that’s for sure! Starring Tom Hanks in arguably his most iconic role, “Forrest Gump” tells the story of a simple man named Gump and, through him, the story of America in the 20th Century. It’s both a comedy and a drama, and it’s heartwarming to the core.

Where to watch “Forrest Gump”

At the time of writing, you can find “Forrest Gump” available to stream on several platforms including Prime Video, Paramount+, Hulu (with a Paramount+ add-on), and Netflix (the latter only for a few more days). Alternatively, you can rent it from video-on-demand (VOD) outlets like Prime Video or Apple TV.

“Braveheart” (1995)

By now, Mel Gibson’s “Braveheart” is best remembered for its numerous parodies more than for the actual movie itself, which centers on Scottish knight Sir William Wallace and his countrymen’s rebellion against England in the First War of Scottish Independence. This is a war epic in the old Hollywood tradition, with a bit of “Mad Max”-style grit thrown in for good measure. It also stands as one of Gibson’s best-known overserious period dramas among a list of similar efforts that he either directed or starred in.

Where to watch “Braveheart”

Starting March 1, you can stream “Braveheart” on Paramount+, Netflix, The Roku Channel, YouTube, Kanopy or Hoopla (a library is required for the last two). Alternatively, you can rent it from video-on-demand (VOD) outlets like Prime Video or Apple TV.

“The English Patient” (1996)

This one doesn’t stand out as an immortal classic in the same way that some of these other 1990s Best Picture winners do, but—like a lot of Oscar winners—it checks a lot of Oscar-bait boxes. It’s nearly three hours long, it’s set during World War II, and includes a love story featuring a guy whose entire body has been horribly burnt.

Where to watch “The English Patient”

Have a tea and stream “The English Patient” on Paramount+, Philo, YouTube, Fubo TV or MGM+. Alternatively, you can rent it from video-on-demand (VOD) outlets like Prime Video or Apple TV.

“Titanic” (1997)

James Cameron made Academy Awards history for kookiest acceptance speech of all time when he quoted plucky Jack Dawson and proclaimed “I’m the king of the world!” after accepting the Oscar for Best Director in 1998. And yeah, there is definitely a bit of over-the-top sentimentality in this 3-hour-plus treatment of one of the world’s most infamous shipwrecks. But there’s also a wicked sense of humor, a literally steamy lovemaking scene, and some shipwreck-in-progress moments that are as heartbreaking as they are meme-worthy.

Where to watch “Titanic”

There are plenty of ways to stream “Titanic” since it’s available on Netflix, Paramount+, Fubo TV, The Roku Channel, YouTube, Pluto TV, and Starz Amazon Channel. Alternatively, you can rent it from video-on-demand (VOD) outlets like Prime Video or Apple TV.

“Shakespeare in Love” (1998)

You will certainly find more famous Hollywood blockbusters on this list, but “Shakespeare in Love” is (in this author’s humble opinion) the funniest, hottest, and cleverest Best Picture winner of the 1990s. A rom-com set in 1593, it features crackling chemistry between Joseph Fiennes as the Bard and Gwyneth Paltrow as his love interest, a wealthy young woman who dresses as a man to be in his latest production—an embryonic version of Romeo and Juliet that evolves alongside their budding romance into its final famous form. Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard wrote the brilliant screenplay and all the period costumes and Elizabethan references make this a real gem for the Ren Faire set.

Where to watch “Shakespeare in Love”

At the time of writing, you can stream “Shakespeare in Love” on Paramount+, Fubo TV, Peacock, or Kanopy. Alternatively, you can rent it from video-on-demand (VOD) outlets like Prime Video or Apple TV.

“American Beauty” (1999)

“American Beauty” was promoted as a deep and profound meditation on middle-class superficiality when it first came out, but watching it these days you wouldn’t be wrong to feel like director Sam Mendes was trying just a little too hard. Starring a pre-canceled Kevin Spacey as an ad executive having a midlife crisis, it traffics in a similar “white man finds himself” narrative as “Office Space” without being nearly as funny. And let’s not forget the dancing bag scene, which is so heavy-handed it borders on self-parody.

Where to watch “American Beauty”

Buckle up and stream “American Beauty” on Paramount+ or Fubo TV. Alternatively, you can rent it from video-on-demand (VOD) outlets like Prime Video or Apple TV.

Best Picture winners of the 1990s FAQ