Back to the 90s is a movie about a teenager who accidentally travels back in time and tries to repair his mom and dad’s rocky relationship. It’s a fun story, with some touching moments and a couple good plot twists thrown in. Add some nostalgic ’90s references (Tamagotchi!) and you have a nice, entertaining movie. Nothing amazing, but the acting is strong, and the ending is both satisfying yet leaves you wanting more. (sequel please?)
I really enjoyed Som and Tam’s characters, and learning about their motivations brings a welcome level of complexity and interest to the story. It’s also the first time I’ve seen a Thai movie, so that made it fascinating to watch. Cool to get a glimpse into an unfamiliar culture, even if it is off by two decades and covered with a Hollywood-like polish. 😁
BTW, I came across Back to the 90s by reading Age’s blog, Write Them All. Lots of good things to read about there. Check it out if you have a chance!
I definitely recommend Back to the 90s if you like romcoms or are a fan of Baifern (the actress who plays Som), which I have now become. Enjoy!
My rating: 8/10
Hi^^ I just watched this movie on Netflix and try to Google about this film. In 1995, they just had Guru who helped Kong use internet. And because of your post, I have known “Write them all” blog. You guys are so amazing. I really enjoy both of you post. Thank you so much ^^ Arigatou.
Thank you for your kind words! 🙂
A feel- good movie. I like the characters of Kong and Som and the ones who played them. I like the idea of time travel in the 90’s
I already watched the movie 2 times now, and it’s so good that’s why I recommend this movie. But I’m having a hard time thinking about how did kong saved som in the past while he was born in the future, well i know that it is because of the lighting thingy thats why he got to the future but im having a hard time understanding if its just kong’s dream that he went to the past or is he really part of the past. Please answer huhu
My theory is they had two realities and it was up to Kong to choose which one to live in. The first was shown before he went back to the future: his family was miserable because his father couldn’t move on from Som, thinking he was the reason she died. This in turn made his family distant and led to constant arguments between his parents. The second reality was after he confessed to Som which made her get off the bus to get together with him, as imposed in the scene where she looked at their photos and paged him. However, the two realities still ended with the death of either Som or Kong, since one of them got on the bus which will nevertheless kill passengers as shown in the newspaper that kept appearing throughout the film. The second reality, although killing Kong in the 90s, led to his family being happy because his dad had nothing to blame himself for, and Som was able to move on from her past and live a good life away from them.
Still, how did Kong saved Som in the second reality (which, if I may add, he ended up choosing)? Well, I highly think that he really existed before and him being the son of Mam and Tam is just a reincarnation. He died during the bus ride right? That was the day of the wedding of his parents but before he was born! In conclusion, the phone booth wasn’t exactly to bring him to the past but to show him his past life; to be able to continue it in the present!! I say this because the things he did when he time-traveled existed in the present: the photo he took and the sticker photo that faded in HIS pager. But how come he had the pager at home? The scene before he got on the bus, he dropped his pager at Tam’s home and he picked it up. Ultimately, Kong & Som saved each other – him being the reason why she didn’t get on the bus and her being the reason why he was brought back into life even though he already died.
This is just me (and my friend), but I want to believe that they end up together even with Kong being reincarnated as they are only around 18 years apart and Asians don’t age.
Anyway, I hope you understood my point. Thanks!