Sounds like you need to adjust the hood stop on the side that is not closing properly. You can try yourself, but as it is a 96 , it mught be good to let a dealer adjust the whole hood , as it might be slightly out of whack due to age. One item is on closing, and please don't place your hands on any edge. The idea of using the Naca duct and placing your palms on either side is usually the common spot to close the hood from, as the brace under the hood ( which is about 4 inches higher than the top of the NACA duct ) is hard for some to visualize and even ackward for shorter folks to push down from. Most of the hoods require a decent amount of force, but as previously stated, it might be time to get the stops adjusted and the hood aligned,professionally.