8 Best Movies of 1993

By Vlad Zakh · June 29, 2026

1993 mixed heartfelt drama and big spectacle. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape has a young man caring for his disabled brother, Philadelphia has a lawyer fighting for his job after an AIDS diagnosis, and The Nightmare Before Christmas has the Halloween king taking over Christmas. Carlito’s Way, A Bronx Tale, In the Name of the Father, Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List round out the eight.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)

TMDB ★ 7.7

A young man caring for his disabled brother and obese mother in a small town finds his life changed by a visiting stranger.

Directed by Lasse Hallström · 1h 58m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Philadelphia (1993)

IMDb ★ 7.7 RT 81% Metacritic 66

A lawyer fired for having AIDS sues his old firm with the help of a reluctant, homophobic attorney.

Directed by Jonathan Demme · 2h 06m · Rated PG-13

Won 2 Oscars21 wins & 23 nominations

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Carlito's Way (1993)

IMDb ★ 7.9 RT 84% Metacritic 66

A paroled gangster tries to go straight while his old life keeps dragging him back in.

Directed by Brian De Palma · 2h 24m · Rated R

2 wins & 9 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Starz Apple TV channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

IMDb ★ 7.9 RT 95% Metacritic 82

The Pumpkin King of Halloween Town stumbles onto Christmas and decides to take it over.

Directed by Henry Selick · 1h 16m · Rated PG

Nominated for 1 Oscar7 wins & 17 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus, fuboTV · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

A Bronx Tale (1993)

TMDB ★ 7.9

A boy's admiration for the local mob boss collides with the values of his hardworking father.

Directed by Robert De Niro · 2h 01m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Kanopy · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

In the Name of the Father (1993)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 94% Metacritic 84

An Irishman wrongly imprisoned for an IRA bombing fights for years to clear his name.

Directed by Jim Sheridan · 2h 13m · Rated R

Nominated for 7 Oscars7 wins & 41 nominations

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Jurassic Park (1993)

IMDb ★ 8.2 RT 91% Metacritic 68

A theme park's cloned dinosaurs run amok after its security systems catastrophically fail.

Directed by Steven Spielberg · 2h 07m · Rated PG-13

Won 3 Oscars44 wins & 27 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Hulu, Philo, YouTube TV, Starz Amazon Channel, Starz, Starz Apple TV channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Schindler's List (1993)

IMDb ★ 9.0 RT 98% Metacritic 95

Essential and difficult, and still one of the most important films ever made.

Directed by Steven Spielberg · 3h 15m · Rated R

Won 7 Oscars91 wins & 49 nominations

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

8 Best Movies of 1993

What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)

Philadelphia (1993)

Carlito's Way (1993)

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

A Bronx Tale (1993)

In the Name of the Father (1993)

Jurassic Park (1993)

Schindler's List (1993)

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