10 Iconic Movies Turning 20 This Year That Still Feel Like a Moment

Movies have definitely changed over the past 20 years. Before we had streaming services, we had plenty of made-for-television movies, including “High School Musical,” “Bring it On” and “All or Nothing.” 2006 also had plenty of critically acclaimed and high-grossing films. Here are 10 movies turning 20 this year. Are any of these your favorite?

1. ‘Step Up’

“Step Up” was the first movie in the franchise. Channing Tatum stars as Tyler Gage, a troubled but talented hip-hop dancer who is sentenced to community service mopping floors at the Maryland School of the Arts. There, he quickly attracts the attention of Nora Clark, a ballet student who is in desperate need of a new partner and fresh choreography for her school’s annual showcase. 

2. ‘The Black Dahlia’

The neo-noir mystery film is inspired by the 1947  murder of Elizabeth Short, a woman who was brutally murdered and mutilated in the Leimert Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. The film follows two detectives, one who puts his marriage in jeopardy by obsessing over the case, and the other who becomes involved with a woman from a wealthy family and has a dark and twisted connection to the victim. 

3. ‘Marie Antoinette’

Sofia Coppola’s film has exquisite costuming, breathtaking cinematography and a rocking soundtrack. The historical drama follows the journey of Austrian teenager Marie Antoinette, who is arranged to marry Louis-Auguste, Dauphin of France, to seal an alliance between the two countries. As a teenager, Antoinette must navigate the lofty responsibilities of being a queen. Years later, after years of enjoying a life of luxury, Antoinette was guillotined by the French revolutionary government. 

4. ‘Little Miss Sunshine’

The Hoover family is far from typical. Sheryl is an overwhelmed mother trying to hold everything together, while her husband Richard is a self-proclaimed motivational speaker obsessed with success. Their teenage son, Dwayne, has chosen to remain silent until he achieves his goal of becoming a fighter pilot.

Living with them are Sheryl’s brother Frank, who recently moved in after a suicide attempt, and Richard’s father Edwin, a foul-mouthed grandfather who was kicked out of a retirement home for snorting heroin. When their young daughter Olive qualifies for the Little Miss Sunshine pageant in California, the entire family piles into their aging yellow Volkswagen van and sets off on a chaotic 800-mile road trip that tests their patience, relationships, and ideas about success.

5. ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’

Based on a true story, salesman Chris Garner invests his entire life savings in portable bone density scanners. Garner can pitch and sell most of them to doctors, but the gap between sales and his financial demands grows, putting pressure on his marriage. After Garner’s wife leaves him, he and his five-year-old son are evicted from their apartment. Eventually, Garner lands an unpaid internship at a prestigious brokerage firm. Garner must work his way from the bottom up to lift himself and his son up from poverty. 

6. ‘High School Musical’

“High School Musical” was a massive hit for Disney, ranking as their highest-ranking original movie with 7.7 million views.  The movie went on to produce two more films, as well as a Netflix series on Disney+. If you’ve been living under a rock these past 20 years and aren’t familiar with the film, Zac Efron stars as Troy Bolton, a popular basketball player who meets the smart girl, Gabriella, at a holiday karaoke party. When they return to school, they want to audition for the upcoming musical, but their friends encourage them to “stick to the status quo.”

7. ‘Snakes on a Plane’

FBI agent Neville Flynn is heading on a flight from Hawaii to Los Angeles, escorting a witness to trial. An on-board assassin releases a crate of deadly serpents in an attempt to kill the witness. Flynn and the frightened passengers must band together to survive. 

8. ‘The Devil Wears Prada’

Aspiring journalist and recent college grad, Andy Sachs lands a job as a junior personal assistant at Runway magazine despite her lack of knowledge in the fashion industry. At Runway, Sachs must juggle the demands of fashion editor Miranda Priestly and survive the tense and unforgiving world of high fashion. Fans of the movie will be thrilled to watch the long-awaited sequel, premiering on May 1. 

9. ‘Night at the Museum’

Larry Daley is in desperate need of a job. So, he decides to accept a security job at the National History Museum. During his shift, Daley discovers the exhibits come to life thanks to an Egyptian curse. Daley must find a way to stop the after-hours chaos at the museum.

10. ‘ Bring it On: All or Nothing’

Brittany Allen  (Hayden Panettiere)  has what some might call the perfect life. She is the captain of her cheer team, has a quarterback boyfriend and is one of the richest girls at school. Suddenly, Allen’s picturesque world comes crashing down when her father loses his job, and her family is forced to move to Crenshaw Heights. Allen finds herself having a hard time adjusting to her new school and being labeled “white girl.”

After meeting male cheerleader Jesse, Allen decides to try out for the cheer team but finds herself bumping heads with Camille (Solange Knowles). Allen and Camille eventually put aside their differences to work as a team, only to face off against Allen’s former squad—the very team she promised she’d never cheer for again.

Featured image credit: Amazon