10 Greatest Guilty Pleasure Movies Of The 90s

There may be an entire subgenre of films where Sandra Bullock inexplicably plays the awkward ugly duckling, but this right here is the first and most endearing.

Love Potion No. 9 was made during the glorious time in the early 90s when Sandra Bullock could still genuinely pass for mousy and the consistently underrated Tate Donovan was being cast as a romantic lead. If only there was a way to recognize the good old days while you're still in them, you know?

Love Potion No. 9 is the aspirational story of two nerdy scientists with no self confidence who happen upon a magical potion that makes them instantly irresistible to the opposite sex just by speaking. They make a pact not to talk to each other for three weeks, and set out to see how much damage they can do (in the interest of science, of course).

And sure, there are a few super squicky moments (Tate Donovan's ill advised panty raid on the local sorority house is easily the most glaring example -- he is way too old to be hooking up with college girls, especially considering that they're being mind-whammied).

And there are plenty of interesting conversations you could have about this film and how it treats consent. But it's a guilty pleasure for a reason, and it's easy enough to ignore all of that in favor of the sheer charm of the two leads, and just appreciate the wish fulfillment for what it is.