Teen movies have been an important part of the cinematic diet for years. From Blackboard Jungle in the ‘50s to Grease in the ‘70s, to the John Hughes romantic comedies of the ‘80s, teen movies have always played an important role in the entertainment industry. These movies give young
1. She’s All That
She’s All That is a ‘90s teen movie about social cliques, high school relationships and the politics of sex. Rachel Leigh Cook is the lead star that plays Laney who is a loner teenager that spends her time away from school working at a job, painting, and doing weird conceptual art performances. However, her peace of mind was destroyed when a popular jock, who was played by Freddie Prinze Jr, started to give her attention and made a bet with one of his friends if he can get Laney to be elected as Prom Queen.
2. 10 Things I Hate About You
This teen movie is basically about getting your parents to loosen up and trust you more to let you learn to be an adult already and it was one of Heath Ledger’s earliest. 10 Things I Hate About stars Larisa Oleynik and Julia Stiles was the most recognizable teen stars back then because they also star in Nickelodeon’s sci-fi show called The Secret World of Alex Mack. Larisa and Julia portray the role of two sisters who must follow the bizarre dating requirements of their over-protective dad in order to date the less-impressive Andrew Keegan who was played by Heath Ledger.
3. Can’t Hardly Wait
Can’t Hardly Wait stars Ethan Embry as the guy who has only one night left to tell his girlfriend how he really feels about her. However, the most memorable part of this movie is Seth Green and it is because of his unexpected adorable hook-up with Lauren Ambrose and his wacky hip-hop antics.
4. Cruel Intentions
Cruel Intentions based on an 18th Century French stage play entitled Les Liaisons Dangerous which means Dangerous Liaisons. This teen movie tells the story of overprivileged prep students who was played by Ryan Philippe and Sarah Michelle Gellar. Because of boredom, Philippe started a bet with Sarah that he can seduce an incoming transfer student who just published an article in a magazine about her plans to remain a virgin until her marriage.
5. Never Been Kissed
In this movie, Drew Barrymore stars as a reporter who must go back to high school to be an undercover correspondent for the news company she’s working on. She disguised herself as a high school student where she felt completely out of her element and it brought up a lot of uncomfortable emotions for her. And things got even more complicated when she started ho have feelings for one of her teachers.
6. Clueless
Clueless is probably the most defining teen movie of the ‘90s. It was known for its vibrant and colorful wardrobe. It stars Alicia Silverstone and Stacey Dash as Cher and Dionne who are the underachieving and socially overachieving stars of Beverly Hills High School. Cher was the most popular girl in school and she was appreciated by most of her schoolmates. She wanted to do something out of her routine that’s why she decided to take a transfer student under her wing and help her to improve her life by transforming her into a model member of her clique.
7. Drive Me Crazy
Melissa Joan Hart and Adrian Grenier play socially polarized teenagers who created a plan to attend their school’s centennial dance together after getting rejected by the people they wanted to go with.
8. I Know What You Did Last Summer
This movie follows a group of popular high school seniors who accidentally hit someone with their car on a dark road while they were on their way home after a night of partying. The group vowed to keep everything that happened a secret between them but they realize that their secret is already out and whoever knows it is seeking revenge on them.
9. American Pie
American Pie singlehandedly revived the gross-out comedy which is a genre that has been sadly languishing since the late ‘80s. American Pie is often gross, bizarre and horrifically sexist. However, it was kind of nice to see a movie that is made for teenagers which shows that women are powerful enough to influence men into making dumb choices and embarrassing themselves.
10. The Basketball Diaries
This movie is about how a high school basketball star, who was played by Leonardo DiCaprio developed a hardcore substance abuse problem that nearly destroyed his life. However, some critic says that the film was unconsciously sensationalized addiction rather than depict it realistically.