I Watched 5 Classic ’90s Rom-Coms And Here’s How They’ve Aged

I popped a massive bowl of corn, loaded up on tissues, and settled in.

Here I am, poised and ready to see what the '90s had to offer. I went into this with pretty low expectations, seeing as I think most romantic movies are inexcusably cheesy. I'm not immune, however, since I will ugly cry every time I see — or read — The Notebook or The Fault in Our Stars.

I've seen this movie about a hundred times, but for some reason I can never really remember the sequence of events. This time, I actually gave it my undivided attention and was surprised it wasn't as cheesy as I'd remembered.

The scene in this movie came much earlier than I'd remembered. You know what scene I mean: the erotic/romantic pottery lovemaking. Maybe love/sex scenes are generally more graphic these days, but I was left with a "That's it?" feeling. I wasn't sold on the passion between Demi and Patrick. It all felt kind of tame. I suppose I wished you could feel the passion in their relationship as much while he was still alive, but it was still cute nonetheless.

My mind was blown upon realizing that the douchey Carl was none other than Tony Goldwyn aka Fitzgerald Grant (if you didn't watch Scandal, what were you doing?). His entire role in this movie was infuriating. Not only did he screw over his friend and ultimately contribute to his death, but then he moved in on his mourning girlfriend!

But I digress. Back to the love story that transcends life and death, courtesy of Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore. Sam and Molly were adorable, although the addition of Whoopi Goldberg as Oda Mae felt a little forced to me. I don't think any New Yorker would buy what this psychic was selling, no matter how convincing her spiel was.

All in all, though, I think Ghost aged surprisingly well. I could see any of these actors (with the exception of the late Patrick Swayze, RIP) jumping back into these roles today. Of course, today's technology would have made things easier. If Oda Mae could've texted Molly after she hung up on her during the initial warning, things could've gone WILDLY differently.

This is another movie I've seen a thousand times that never really moved me the way it was supposed to. I don't think I've revisited it in adulthood, though, so I was willing to give it another shot.

The thing about this movie, for me at least, is that I hate how Jerry uses Dorothy as a crutch. She dutifully plays the woman behind the man and keeps everything afloat while he's a wreck. Even if the emotional payoff was worth it, I feel like Dorothy somehow still ends up with the short end of the stick here — and it's not cool.

And then there's the moment that comes second only to the "Show me the money" scene. In a romantic monologue, Jerry professes that Dorothy is the missing element in his life. His "You complete me" is met with her "You had me at hello." It's my understanding that a lot of people find both of these lines to be extremely romantic.

I felt nothing. I wasn't moved. I get the romantic appeal, but it didn't draw me in.

It's hard to say whether or not this aged well. I feel like there aren't any elements that would be made impossible in 2018. I do hope that women today want more for themselves. I can't shake the feeling that a Dorothy in 1996 or in 2018 could have done better than a Jerry.

I've heard so much about this movie, but I've never seen the entire thing beginning to end. I'm a book nerd, so I wanted to love this love story so much.

But I had a few hang-ups. First of all, I hate a love story that involves people leaving one person to be with another, so the fact that both of them were already in relationships when they began their correspondence irked me.

Once they became friends, I started getting a bit peeved. I found myself in the same position that Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray put me in during A Cinderella Story. How does Kathleen not realize the guy she's talking to online and Joe are one and the same?! It seems to undermine the intelligence of an otherwise savvy woman.

The romantic climax comes at the end of this movie, when Kathleen agrees to meet her online suitor in the park with his dog. And then she hears a familiar voice calling the dog, as Joe Fox works his way over to her. It all comes full circle, and then they kiss and… that's it.

I wanted her to get her bookstore back. I thought his big romantic gesture was going to be getting her the bookstore back! So I was let down, but I suppose for many, this is a perfectly quaint and lovely way to end the movie.

This story has been adapted many times over the years, twice before it became You've Got Mail. While there's something timeless about corresponding with someone who really gets you and becomes the big love of your life, the then-modern aspects of the movie haven't aged as well.

Imagine still dealing with dial-up? Imagine a world of online dating where you don't thoroughly stalk someone before divulging your deepest, darkest secrets? These things feel like a stretch just 20 years later, in the age of both information and paranoia we currently live in.

I'm a big Kevin Smith fan, and somehow I've never seen this, which many people cite as a classic. I might have been avoiding it for fear of disappointment, but today I laugh in the face of fear and barrel forward.

My love/hate relationship with Ben Affleck runs deep, but I tried not to let this taint my Chasing Amy experience. He plays Holden, a not-so-subtle literary nod to his naive worldview. Alyssa seems to be his intellectual match, but she's a lesbian. What are they to do?

The movie spends a lot of time with Holden trying to understand the concept of fluid sexuality. He can't seem to wrap his head around trying things instead of just listening to stories about other people who have tried things. It seemed like pretty forward thinking for 1997.

I was really into the idea that Alyssa was strong about her convictions, and then the rain scene happens. They're driving along after a fun friend outing, and Holden, unable to contain himself, spills his guts about how he's so deeply in love with her. He rambles on for way too long, and when he's done, she gets out of the car.

They get into a screaming match in the rain, and so far, she's got my respect. Then she walks away, and he sulks back to his car. Just as he's about to get in, she runs over and kisses him and COME ON, REALLY?

Granted, he screws it all up being wrapped up in his idea of what this sexually fluid woman at his disposal should be like and what her past should look like. I'm still mad, and I'll stay mad.

This movie could have just as easily happened in 2018. People still don't understand that promiscuity is a construct. People still don't understand sexual fluidity. Dudes still think they can "change" lesbians. It's nice that the movie held up, but it doesn't say a whole lot for our societal growth.

I had zero expectations going into this. I know it's a Certified Classic, but that's about all the info I had. And, OK, I know it's technically a romantic drama and not a romantic comedy, but I felt like it should be included. I was ready to be wowed.

The story certainly sounds like a classic. It's about a housewife who meets a stranger passing through town and gets a glimpse of a whole other life that never felt possible to her. The ace casting of Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood also makes this feel like one of the great love stories of our time. I was totally engrossed.

It's hard to pick out a single best moment in this movie because everything felt like a moment. This checked all the boxes in the romance category for me, which I wasn't at all expecting. I may have teared up just a bit during the scene where he stood in the rain… maybe.

This felt like a timeless love story, for sure, but I have a feeling today's audience would have rooted harder for Francesca to run away with Robert and pursue the life she really wanted.

The postmortem: Some of these romances have certainly stood the test of time. Others, however, seem to have suffered with time and distance. In a way, though, watching these '90s rom-coms felt like a map of the different types of relationships one likely encounters in life. Sometimes, it clicks. Sometimes it burns bright, then fizzles out. Sometimes, a romance lives on in your heart forever, even if it doesn't make sense to everyone else. The great love stories might not be made to last generations but rather to last as long as the viewer needs them as a lens into the world around them.