A great cast doesn’t always equal a great movie… after all,Movie 43exists. You couldn’t disprove the idea of a great cast equaling a great moviemuch more effectively if you tried. But there are other movies with all-star casts that soar quality-wise, whether it’s because lots of great actors are giving great performances, or more because the movie itself is great, and there just happens to also be a bunch of famous people in it.
For the following ranking, the strength of a movie’s cast is considered more than the movie’s quality, though all the following 1990s releases do ultimately range in quality from good to great.The more stars there are, the higher they’re going to rank here, with the overall casts in each one of these movies being undeniably star-studded and impressive, as far as generous displays of A-list talent are concerned.
10’True Romance' (1993)
Starring: Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper
As you might be able to guess from the title,True Romanceis indeed aboutlove; specifically, the “at first sight” kind. The two lead characters here are played byChristian SlaterandPatricia Arquette, and the narrative involves them falling in love and later going on the run, after they find themselves on the wrong side of some very dangerous individuals all wrapped up in a world of crime.
So,True Romanceis a love story, but also a very violent one. It balances its unusual blending of genres well, and similarly finds room to showcase a wide variety of incredible actors, some of whom only show up for a scene or two. Thelikes of James Gandolfini, Christopher Walken, Samuel L. Jackson, and Brad Pitt only need a few minutes of screen time to make an impression, while other actors – likeDennis HopperandGary Oldman– impress with roles that could be called supporting ones, in terms of size.
True Romance
9’The Player' (1992)
Starring: Tim Robbins, Fred Ward, Whoopi Goldberg
Robert Altmanloves himself an ensemble cast, and had assembled some pretty impressive ones before the 1990s, it has to be said.Nashvillehas a ton of famous people in it, butThe Playeris the filmthat has the most Oscar winners in it, of all time (excluding documentaries)… though a lot of those Oscar winners show up in cameos and play themselves.
So, that’s the only thing that keepsThe Playerfrom having the most impressive cast of its decade, because many of them only show up briefly and as more or less humorous cameos.But then there are also a fair number of famous people here who don’t play themselves, including people likeTim Robbins,Vincent D’Onofrio, andWhoopi Goldberg, so maybe it’s the best of both worlds?
The Player
8’Short Cuts' (1993)
Starring: Julianne Moore, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Lemmon
Hey,speaking of Robert Altman, here’s another film of his; in fact, it’s the one he made right afterThe Player.Short Cutsis another movie with a ridiculously stacked cast, so much so that, in the interests of keeping things succinct, here arejust a few of the big names who appear: Andie MacDowell, Julianne Moore, Matthew Modine, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Robert Downey Jr., Tim Robbins, Lily Tomlin, Tom Waits, Frances McDormand, and Jack Lemmon.
Even more impressively,Short Cutsgives so many big names quite a bit to do, thanks to it beingan ensemble dramedy on an epic scale, and having a runtime that exceeds three hours. The lives of these characters sometimes intersect, and sometimes don’t, but everything remains compelling for the considerably lengthy amount of timeShort Cutstakes to watch. It has some tough competition, but it might well be Altman’s single greatest film.
Short Cuts
7’Boogie Nights' (1997)
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Julianne Moore, Burt Reynolds
Paul Thomas Andersondidn’t let his love of Robert Altman remain a secret early on in his career, because a couple of his earlier films (the ones made before the year 2000) are more than a little Altman-esque. The first worth shouting out isBoogie Nights, which unfolds over a number of years and has a huge cast of characters, most of them associated, in one way or another, with the world of adult film.
There’s a rise-and-fall narrative herefor the whole industry, withBoogie Nightscapturing the heyday of the 1970s and contrasting it with the more desolate landscape for adult film actors and filmmakers in the 1980s. It’s a pretty out-there movie thematically and when it comes to content, butthe number of big names in it – including Mark Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore, Don Cheadle,and Philip Seymour Hoffman– is impressive.
Boogie Nights
6’Magnolia' (1999)
Starring: Tom Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman, John C. Reilly
Just as there were two Robert Altman movies worth mentioning for present purposes, so too are there two Paul Thomas Anderson movies worth shouting out, withMagnolia– released two years afterBoogie Nights– being the second. Some of the stars of that 1997 movie also appear here,including the likes of Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Philip Baker Hall, and William H. Macy.
There are also some big names here who didn’t appear inBoogie Nights, including actors likeTom CruiseandJason Robards. The film is a little reminiscent ofShort Cuts, but more emotionally intense and willing to go to some wilder places in its third act. Both arelong, star-studded, ambitious, and impressive movies, with everyone in both getting ample opportunities to shine, thanks to two respective tightly packed screenplays and lengthy runtimes.
5’Pulp Fiction' (1994)
Starring: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman
Pulp Fictionmight well be one ofthe best movies of all time, so it’s only fitting that it also has what could well be one of the best casts of all time. There might not be as many characters here as there were in some of the aforementioned movies, butPulp Fictionstands out because it’s more likely to find a character played by someone very well-known than to find someone played by a person who’s not well-known.
After all,Pulp Fictiondoes haveSteve Buscemiappear in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo, while also having the likes of Christopher Walken andTim Rothimpress with only one or two scenes. It’salso got Samuel L. Jackson at his best,Bruce Willis at his (almost) best, Uma Thurman dominating one of the film’s three main stories, andJohn Travolta being made cool again, among many other big names all shining, too (except forQuentin Tarantino, who shows in his cameo – as always – that he’s a much better writer and director than he is an actor).
Pulp Fiction
4’The Thin Red Line' (1998)
Starring: Sean Penn, Adrien Brody, Jim Caviezel
As far as American arthouse directors go, few are as acclaimed and widely celebrated asTerrence Malick, with his sole film of the 1990s –The Thin Red Line– also being his biggest and most epic.It’s a World War II filmthat showcases the horrors of war alongside the beauty of nature in a way that, in lesser hands, could be pretentious… but it somehow really works, and proves emotionally stirring and affecting.
It’s also not a film that necessarily needed a star-studded cast to work, but a ridiculously star-studded cast is whatThe Thin Red Linegot regardless. It almost feels like more male actors prominent in the 1990s featured in this than didn’t, withbig names like Sean Penn, Adrien Brody, Jim Caviezel, Nick Nolte, Woody Harrelson, John Cusack, John C. Reilly, George Clooney, and John Travoltaall showing up here for roles of varying sizes.
The Thin Red Line
3’Mars Attacks' (1996)
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan
Mars Attacksis probably something of an acquired taste, becauseeven as far as parody movies go, it’s exceptionally silly and all over the place. It feels like it both homages and pokes fun at science fiction movies of old, with a plot revolving around humanity’s inability to stand up against an army of alien invaders who are all comically evil, and will stop at nothing to conquer Earth.
Part of the joke seems to be casting a whole bunch of A-listers in what’s ostensibly an absolute joke of a movie, and so long as you’re okay with many of them only showing up briefly (or being otherwise disrespected), you’ll probably findMars Attacksfun. It’s hard to get too angry when you haveJack Nicholsonplaying two characters, with the supporting cast alsoincluding people like Michael J. Fox, Sarah Jessica Parker, Pierce Brosnan, Pam Grier, Glenn Close, Martin Short, and Rod Steiger, to name just a few.
Mars Attacks!
2’Heat' (1995)
Starring: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer
A movie simplystarringAl PacinoandRobert De Nirois pretty impressive in its own right (unless we’re talking aboutRighteous Kill), butHeatisn’t content to just have the two of them. Both men play the leads here, sure, butHeatalso has a supporting cast that has too many people to count, with some of thebiggest names here being Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, Danny Trejo, Jon Voight, Ashley Judd, Wes Studi, and Natalie Portman.
There’s also a director,Michael Mann, at the height of his powershere, withHeatbeing an exceptional heist moviethat’s exciting as an action film and also quietly powerful as something of a crime-centered epic/drama. There are so many moving parts here, and big-name actors, but the film as a whole is remarkably cohesive and ultimately gripping from beginning to end.
1’Hamlet' (1996)
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Julie Christie, Derek Jacobi
The biggestHamletout of all the adaptations, 1996’sHamletstands out foradapting the entirety of the original text, meaning all the characters are here (and there are lots of them). Further,this film version ofHamletfeatures a well-known actor appearing in almost every single role, regardless of size, which makes this an oddly thrilling film to watch on a meta level, because you’re never sure who you’re going to see pop up next.
Seriously, you’ve got director Kenneth Branagh in the title role, and then the rest of the cast alsoincludes (deep breath)Julie Christie, Derek Jacobi, Billy Crystal, Charlton Heston, Kate Winslet, Gérard Depardieu, Robin Williams, Jack Lemmon, and Rufus Sewell… and that’s just for starters. It’s also a very good movie in its own right, and a great adaptation ofHamlet, but the extent to which this cast could be described as an all-star one is just off the charts, really.
