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Fifteen years ago today, we were all much younger people, Dawson's Creek was a television phenomenon, and "rave culture" was the buzz when it came to adults defining youth culture. Which is to say that fifteen years ago today, Go premiered in movie theaters.
At the time, Go was seen as a knock-off in a few respects. The split-narrative style, complete with character title cards separating the film into thirds, put Go at the top of the list when it came to late-'90s Tarantino-influenced cinema. And then there was director Doug Liman, red hot off of the cult success of Swingers, trading neo-swing culture for X and raves. (Both films would give a healthy chunk of attention to Vegas, though.) The thing about Go that sets it apart, however, is that it's COMPLETELY FANTASTIC. Energetic and quotable and stylish and neither overly enamored with nor overly dismissive of the culture it's inhabiting.
Go was also right in the middle of a wave of Hollywood youth, with the rise of the WB and the resurgence of teen horror resulting in a massive influx of pretty young faces getting tried out for their shot at stardom. The cast of Go sampled from all corners of the youth market at the time — some current TV stars, indie darlings, at least one Saturday Night Live refugee.
So whose careers were hottest at the time, and whose hold up best to fifteen years of scrutiny?
Go Power Rankings (1999)
1. Katie Holmes: Go premiered smack dab in the middle of Dawson's Creek's second season, and after the previous year's Disturbing Behavior, this was Holmes' biggest stab yet at transferring her TV stardom to movies. People often forget how interesting Holmes' early film choices were — this, Wonder Boys, The Gift — before she seemingly just stopped trying and married Tom Cruise and became more celebrity than movie star.