Sequels are popular in the comedy genre, as not only do they have an existing fanbase, but they don’t cost much to produce and are easy to develop. And though the 1990s was brimming with sequels to great comedy films, others had built fascinating worlds and characters only to remain standalone.
Whether it was because the original movie flopped, the director lost interest, or they simply thought they wasn’t any more story to tell, these movies are one and done. But between underrated Adam Sandler vehicles, genius satires of reality TV, and forgotten fantasy comedies, these 90s movies deserved sequels more than any other.
Mallrats (1995)
Kevin Smith has built a whole universe of his own, and he did it more than a decade before the MCU began. Clerks III is currently in production, Mallrats has unfairly been left out.
Out of all of the movies in the View Askewniverse, T.S. and Brodie are the most relatable characters, but they’ve been unfairly left out of all the other films. However, there has been a Mallrats 2 in development for years, as Kevin Smith claimed that the screenplay was finished at the beginning of 2020. But Smith has developed two other films since then.
The Truman Show (1998)
The Truman Show is a perfect movie, as it follows a man who doesn’t know that he’s been the star of a reality TV show since he was born. The movie ends with him finding out the truth and going out into the real world.
Though what happens to Truman after he enters the real world doesn’t necessarily need to be told, fans are dying to know. A sequel would still work today, 23 years later. The Truman Show is a sharp satire of the media, and as reality TV has only ballooned in popularity since 1998, it would be interesting to see how a sequel released today would take that into .
Dazed And Confused (1993)
With so many coming-of-age comedies released in the 90s, none were as affecting as Dazed and Confused. Not only was it engaging and easy to relate to for viewers of a similar age to the characters, but its 70s setting made a whole generation of audiences feel like they were born in the wrong decade.
The movie is different from other 70s based movies simply because it follows teenagers instead of adults, and that’s why there should have been a sequel. It doesn’t matter how physically fit a 40-year-old actor is - they’ll never have the same energy as a group of teenagers growing up in the 70s. A follow-up could have seen the gang tackle more life-changing decisions that come with that age.
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut is more than just a feature-length episode of the show. So much effort has gone into the narrative, and Team America and the Tony Award winning musical The Book of Mormon, Matt Stone and Trey Parker’s interests clearly lie elsewhere.
However, since the 1999 movie, Parker and Stone have done an impeccable job of taking advantage of every possible entertainment medium with South Park. There have been two universally acclaimed video games, which are basically like 20-hour long movies. The second game, The Fractured But Whole, even has a similarly ridiculous pun title to the movie.
A Night At The Roxbury (1998)
A Night at the Roxbury is an early Will Ferrell-led movie and based on one of the funniest at the titular Roxbury.
Instead of being like other SNL movies like The Blues Brothers, which went on to have sequels, Roxbury remains a standalone film. The movie had so much potential for a follow-up, especially considering that the brothers become part owners of the Roxbury at the end of the film, but as is the case with most Ferrell movies, it was simply one and done.
Election (1999)
Election is essentially about a man who stretches the little bit of power he has as far as he can. But at the same time, he’s scared of teenage girl Tracy, simply because she’s intellectual and challenges him. If the movie was released today, it would have had enormous amounts of attention, but it was sadly overlooked and bombed when it was first released.
However, it could have still had a great sequel by following Tracy now graduated from Omaha High School and studying at Georgetown University. The movie would have thrown brand new challenges at Tracy in a university setting and depicting how she deals with it in her hilarious cutthroat nature.
What About Bob? (1991)
After a period in the 80s where Bill Murray just couldn’t lose, What About Bob? was his first major movie of the 90s and laid the foundation for another extremely successful decade. The movie is about a patient who is too attached to his psychiatrist and ends up following him to his vacation home.
Though it’s far from an accurate depiction of how a psychiatrist would treat a patient in such a situation, it leads to some hilarious sequences where the psychiatrist ends up acting crazier than the patient. As the two learn to love each other like an odd couple by the end of the movie, it could have led to all sorts of possibilities for a sequel.
Death Becomes Her (1992)
Death Becomes Her is about two women who drink a potion that promises eternal youth, but with detrimental side effects. It follows the women fight for a man’s affection as they try to deal with the side effects at the same time. There could have been a sequel that followed a different group of characters who find the same potion, and they have to deal with it in unideal situations too.
As there wasn’t a sequel - and there are no plans for a sequel whatsoever - there could at least be a reboot, as the movie has such a timeless premise and strong message about vanity. And, given that the movie has acquired a strong following from the LGBT community in recent years (even inspiring a season of RuPaul’s Drag Race), the film is now arguably more popular than it ever was. A reboot couldn’t come at a better time.
The Big Lebowski (1998)
The Big Lebowski is one of the many cult classic movies written and directed by the Coen brothers. The film is part detective movie, part comedy, and it’s set in an exaggerated and fantastical world. No other film has a bigger cult status than The Big Lebowski, and the idea of a sequel to the movie was always unlikely, as the directing duo have never returned to any of their older movies before, but it still had a lot of potential.
Though it wasn’t an official sequel, The Big Lebowski did have a spin-off called The Jesus Rolls years later, and it follows John Turturro’s character Jesus newly released from prison. It was more of a ion project of Turturro’s, and the Coen brothers had absolutely no involvement in it.
Big Daddy (1999)
Adam Sandler movies can almost be separated into two groups. There are the ones that are based in some exotic location, and the others are based in New York. Big Daddy falls into the latter category, as the 1999 movie sees Sonny raise Julian, a five-year-old, in the Big Apple until his biological father returns from a business trip.
Big Daddy combines all of the comedian’s trademarks. The New York setting, a ing cast of Sandler’s friends including Rob Schneider and Steve Buscemi, and schmalzy sentimentality were all present. But the reason why it deserves a sequel more than anything is to see where Sonny is in his life 22 years later.
