These '90s Rom-Coms With Black Casts Were Overlooked In The Mainstream, But You Need To Check Them Out

    Spoiler alert: Nia Long was the true queen of this era.

    Alex Portée
    by Alex Portée

    BuzzFeed Contributor

    1. How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998)

    Actress Angela Bassett wears a reed crop top and looks excited while gripping a telephone.
    20th Century Fox

    When successful stockbroker Stella is convinced by her friends to go on a vacation to Jamaica, she soaks in the sun and finds romance in a man 20 years her junior.

    2. Girl 6 (1996)

    Theresa Randle cries and wipes at her eye with a tissue. She has blonde hair with blonde bangs.
    Fox Searchlight Pictures

    Judy is a young Black woman who wants to be an actress but is fine with her temporary job as a phone sex operator. Then she becomes infatuated with a caller. 

    3. The Preacher's Wife (1996)

    Whitney Houston wears a gold choir robe.
    Getty

    This remake of The Bishop's Wife stars Whitney Houston and Denzel Washington in a story about a shaky marriage during Christmas.

    4. Love Jones (1997)

    Actress Nia Long looks with uncertainty at a man whose back is facing the camera.
    New Line Cinema

    Two artists — one is writer Darius (Larenz Tate), the other, Nina (Nia Long), is a photographer — have an instant connection one night after a chance meeting at a club in Chicago. 

    5. The Best Man (1999)

    Actor Taye Diggs cracks up alongside actress Nia Long who has a big smile on her face.
    Universal Pictures

    Harper Stewart's (Taye Diggs) upcoming book is an anticipated bestseller. The only thing he hasn't told his friends is that it draws from their tight-knit dynamic and secrets. 

    6. Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1998)

    Actress Halle Berry wears a green dress and stands behind a microphone with a big smile on her face.
    Warner Bros.

    Frankie Lymon (Larenz Tate) and the Teenagers struck gold with "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" but tragedy strikes when Lymon's life descends into drug abuse. When he passes away, he leaves behind three women who claim they're owed royalties. 

    7. Soul Food (1997)

    Actress Irma P. Hall wears a purple dress with pearls and a hat. She has on a very big smile
    20th Century Fox

    After a family's matriarch, "Big Mama" Josephine, falls into a diabetic coma, the big personalities that make up the Joseph family must find a way back to each other.

    8. Strictly Business (1991)

    Actor Joseph C. Phillips does a handshake with actor Tommy Davidson.
    Warner Bros.

    Waymon (Joseph C. Phillips) is stuck in a loveless long-term relationship. Then he meets Natalie (Halle Berry), and it's love at first sight. 

    9. Boomerang (1992)

    Actress Robin Givens stands behind actor Eddie Murphy while looking very confused. They are both wearing coats and are walking outside.
    New Line Cinema

    Cocky executive Marcus (Eddie Murphy) has an aloof attitude when it comes to romance. Then, a merger puts him in the direct working path of Jacqueline (Robin Givens), who is also a player. 

    10. A Thin Line Between Love and Hate (1996)

    Actress Angela Bassett balks at someone off-screen.
    New Line Cinema

    When a club promoter thinks he can get away with cheating on his girl, the beautiful woman he hooks up with haunts his life with scorn after he breaks her heart.

    11. House Party (1990)

    Actress Tisha Campbell stands with a man who has his arm around her and actress Adrienne-Joi Johnson.
    New Line Cinema

    When Play's parents go out of town, he decides to throw the house party of the century. What could go wrong? 

    12. Poetic Justice (1993)

    Janet Jackson sits passenger side with Tupac Shakur driving.
    Columbia Pictures

    To cope with her boyfriend's death, hairdresser Justice (Janet Jackson) writes poetry. While on a road trip to a convention with her friend Iesha (Regina King), she meets Lucky (Tupac Shakur) and falls in love.

    13. Booty Call (1997)

    Actress Vivica A. Fox wears a purple robe and looks shocked next to actres Tamala Jones who is also wearing a white robe.
    Columbia Pictures

    When Rushon (Tommy Davidson) decides it's time to up the ante with his girlfriend, Nikki (Tamala Jones), he taps his best friend Bunz (Jamie Foxx) to play wingman to Nikki's brash friend Lysterine (Vivica A. Fox).

    14. B.A.P.S. (1997)

    Actress Halle Berry wears a blonde wig and looks stunned at the camera.
    New Line Cinema

    Nisi (Halle Berry) and Mickey (Natalie Desselle) are waitresses with big dreams of starting their own business that involves soul food and a salon. When they head off to Los Angeles, they must tackle their cultural differences and form bonds to survive. 

    15. The Wood (1999)

    Actress Malinda Williams looks at a man whose back is to the screen. She looks concerned.
    Paramount Pictures

    Three longtime friends played by Omar Epps, Taye Diggs, and Richard T. Jones recall childhood memories in Inglewood, California as they prepare for a wedding.