Study American History with Movies: 1970 to 2001
These Late 20th Century American History Movies will bring the events and culture of the United States from 1970 up to 2001 to life for your teens!
This Postmodern American History movies list looks at American in the late 20th century.
The end of the Vietnam War ushered in relative peace along with a rise in conservationism. Then the Cold War ended with the fall of the Berlin Wall. Then the Gulf War seemed like a small blip in history and we thought life was good until our world as we knew it forever changed on September 11, 2001.
Have you checked out these four ways to incorporate movies into your homeschool–beyond just reading the book and watching the movie?
Late 20th Century American History Movies: A Vetted List
Late 20th century American history is a rarely studied time period, mostly overshadowed by negative reminders of the Vietnam War and nostalgic looks back at the prosperous 1980s.
But along with the Reaganomics and prosperity, this time in our nation’s history also covers some difficult topics: rampant drug use, AIDS, wars, and terrorism.
Most of the movies this late 20th century time frame deal with subject matter that is for mature high school students. There are not as many “family-friendly” movies suitable for all ages as there are in the previous four sections of the American History movie lists.
I have selected these Late 20th century American History movies as appropriate for high school students (ages 14 and older). Some are rated R, mostly for war violence, and they are noted.
Parents should preview any movie that they feel is questionable for their children, however, as family preferences may differ. Common Sense Media and Plugged In both used to be helpful sources of movie reviews–they are less conservative than they used to be though. Now, I recommend Parent Previews.
With my older kids, we used ClearPlay to filter out extraneous “junk” from movies, like bedroom scenes and f-b*mbs. You just have to play around with the filters to get it set right or a movie like The Patriot will only be about 20 minutes long if you take out all of the war violence.
Also, be aware that older movies that are labeled PG could be considered PG-13 by today’s standards.
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Postmodern American History Movies for Teens: 1970 to 2001
1970s, 1980s, and 1990s American Culture
Jesus Revolution PG-13 2022 This movie set in the late 60s to early 70s felt a bit disjointed at the very beginning, but quickly came together to be what I felt was a very compelling retelling of the true story of masses of hippies turning to Christianity due to pastors Lonnie Frisbee, Greg Laurie, and Chuck Smith. You can read the original Time Magazine article from which the movie gets its name. This is a pretty “clean” movie in general, but it does show hippies high on drugs (however, it doesn’t explicitly show anyone taking or using the drugs) and has one scene of a near overdose. Streaming on many platforms.
Night Crossing PG 1982 This Disney movie doesn’t take place in the United States, but I really think it can help your children to see what risks people in a communist country would take in order for a chance to live in a free country–and ultimately help them understand the Cold War and what an impact the Fall of the Berlin Wall had on people’s lives all over the world. Streaming on Disney and many other platforms including Prime
The Challenger Disaster PG 2013 (not the 2019 version) Every child who was in a public school classroom in 1986 remembers very well the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster because every classroom was watching the launch live. One of the astronauts was a teacher named Christa McAuliffe, who was on board as part of the Teacher in Space program. Streaming on Prime or free on the Roku channel
Pirates of Silicon Valley PG 1999 This made for TV movie stars Noah Wylie as Steve Jobs and Anthony Michael Hall as Bill Gates as they build up their micro-computer empires. Streaming on VUDU
The following movies give a feel for the American culture of the Seventies and Eighties. They are not “true historical events” but rather help your students better understand the American culture of the time period.
Forrest Gump 1994 PG-13 This movie actually begins in the 1950s using many historical events as its basis and continues to the 1980s. It does a good job of showing the anti-war movement of the 70s and the rampant drug use and AIDS epidemic of the 80s as well as giving us a look at the PTSD experienced by returning Vietnam vets. However, it does contain scenes of drug use/attempted suicide and a couple of bedroom scenes between the two main characters. I feel like this movie is still worth it overall, even if you need to fast forward a couple of times. Forrest Gump won numerous awards and is based upon the 1986 book of the same name by Winston Groom. Streaming on Prime & AppleTV
The Hunt for Red October PG 1990 This movie with Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin does a great job of showing the Cold War tensions between the US and the USSR. It is based on the fictional Jack Ryan book by Tom Clancy. Streaming on most platforms.
War Games PG 1983 (NOT 2023) Watch this movie as an alternative to The Hunt for Red October and learning about the Cold War. Matthew Broderick stars as a nerdy computer hacker who thinks he is playing a video game, but he’s actually inside the Department of Defense’s system and is playing a real “war game” against an AI. (Could be a good segway into a discussion of the ethical dilemmas of using AI)
Movies about ’70s, ’80s & ’90s American Politics
All the President’s Men PG 1976 Watergate Scandal Starring Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman as reporters from the Washington Post who uncovered the botched robbery at the Watergate apartment complex that led to Nixon’s resignation. Streaming on most platforms.
Reagan: The Movie 2023 Starring Dennis Quaid as President Reagan, tells the story of Ronald Reagan from the perspective of an old Russian spy-who says he knows everything there is to know about the president of the free world. This movie was scheduled to be released in 2021, but was delayed and will be released sometime in 2023.
The One that Got Away NR 1996 This made for TV movie is about Corporal Chris Ryan and his (British) Special Air Service patrol unit during the first Gulf War (Desert Storm) in Iraq. Based on the book of the same name by Chris Ryan. Watch on YouTube
Live from Baghdad PG-13 2002 Michael Keaton plays a CNN reporter who is reporting about the Gulf War in Iraq. Watch on YouTube
Vietnam War Movies
There are so many Vietnam War movies, but the movies I chose for this list are not as graphic and have fewer F-bombs than most of the films on this topic (it’s all relative, right?). If you don’t mind graphic gore and lots of curse words, scroll down for a list of Vietnam movies that really earned their R rating.
Family-friendly Vietnam War Movies
Operation Dumbo Drop PG 1995 This heart-warming movie is based upon a true story of the US military moving an 8000 lb elephant 200 miles through the jungle–in secret. Streaming on most platforms.
To Heal a Nation 1998 Made-for-TV movie about Jan Scruggs, a broken and bitter Vietnam veteran who turns his life around and begins raising fund for a Vietnam Veteran Memorial. Streaming on YouTube. You may want to use the Vietnam Memorial Notebooking resources and printables from our sister site to help your students learn more about the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Vietnam War Movies for Older Teens
Rescue Dawn PG-13 2007 This movie based on American pilot Dieter Dengler’s experiences as a prisoner of war after being shot down. This is the least violent of the Vietnam War movies in this section, but it definitely does show what an extremely difficult and harrowing experience it was for American POWs. Streaming on most free platforms (i.e. Tubi, Roku, or Pluto) Your family may also want to watch the accompanying documentary, Little Dieter Needs to Fly, 1997 on FreeVee or Prime.
We Were Soldiers R 2002 This movie starring Mel Gibson is based on the book, We Were Soldiers Once…and Young by Lt. General (Ret) Harold Gregory Moore Jr and his real-life experience in the Battle of la Drang (the first major battle of the war in which American soliders were engaged) Streaming on most premium platforms like Prime and Paramount+
The Last Full Measure R 2020 Based on the true story of Airman William H. “Pits” Pitsenbarger who was finally given a Medal of Honor 34 years after his death. Pits rescued over 60 men during his time in Vietnam but was denied the highest honor. Be sure to also watch the interviews with his fellow soldiers during the credits. Streaming on most platforms.
American History: 9/11 The Day Our Lives Changed Forever
World Trade Center PG-13 2006 This movie starring Nicholas Cage is about two Port Authority officers who are trapped in the rubble after the collapse of the World Trade Center on 9/11. Streaming on nearly every platform, including Hoopla and Pluto.
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close PG-13 2011 Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock star in this tear-jerker about a young boy whose father was killed on 9/11. Streaming on most platforms including Prime and YouTube.
Flight 93 PG-13 2006 About one of the hijacked planes on 9/11 and what the passengers did once they realized what was happening. There’s a similar movie called United 93, which tells the story more from the perspective of the FAA and the US military. Available on most platforms including Prime and VUDU
You may also like these bonus movie lists:
Get a {FREE} printable list of U.S. history movies to watch with your teens. We like to keep our list on the coffee table so we can check off the movies as we’ve watched them.
Be sure to follow my Pinterest board Middle & High School History. You’ll get more great hands-on activities and ideas for teaching History to your homeschool teens!
Don’t forget to pin this post about teaching with Post-War American History Movies so you can refer back to it later!
