As a 21-year-old college girl, I sometimes stop and wonder: “What did they put in this movie made for teenagers that makes it so good?” Let’s be real, we all have a lot of things to juggle at this stage in our lives, yet there is just something about teen movies that makes everything better sometimes. Fear not! Upon some research (and an inspired choice of an English class for the semester), I’ve come to find somewhat of a common thread between great teen movies: Shakespeare. Therefore, here is a list of teen movies that were based on or inspired by Shakespearean plays.
- “Get Over It”
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Released in 2001 (or, as some may say, the golden age of teen movies), “Get Over It” stars young celebrities such as Kirsten Dunst, Mila Kunis, Zoe Saldaña, Colin Hanks, and the great Martin Short (yeah, I know, I was shocked too). This movie has everything a 2000s teen rom-com needs to be everlasting, with a great cast, a slightly unhinged script and an even more intricate plotline. However, it seems a bit obvious that this is somewhat based on Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” as they are doing the play for the school musical throughout the movie. Nonetheless, this is a great watch and a funny adaptation of the centuries-old English play.
- “O”
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One word: Drama. Once again, we can find here a stacked cast of actors from the early 2000s in this movie, with names such as Julia Stiles, Josh Hartnett, Andrew Keegan and (future Hunger Games alumnus) Elden Henson. “O” seems to embody how truly dramatic and full of hormones teenagers can be, and also how status can change a person in high school. So, it also makes sense that the movie was inspired by the Shakespearean tragedy “Othello,” and with that in mind, I must caution you about the conclusion of this movie in particular.
- “Warm Bodies”
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We’ve had drama and we’ve had comedy, now I give you an apocalyptic zombie romance. In my opinion, this is one of the most creative adaptations of Shakespeare into a teen movie I’ve seen, but that might just be because this is also one of my favorite movies. Starring none other than Nicholas Hoult as the zombie named “R” and Teresa Palmer as his human romantic interest named “Julie,” you might already know what Shakespearean play they used to build this movie on. With a tagline such as “he’s still dead but he’s getting warmer,” one can see how this could’ve been a big hit for my preteen self. Additionally, I really appreciate the fact that neither Julie nor R actually form a plan, such as their Shakespearean counterparts in “Romeo & Juliet.”
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Touchstone Pictures - “10 Things I Hate About You”
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Here is a legitimate cult classic of our generation, featuring an incredible cast that includes Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gabrielle Union and Allison Janney. If this is the first time you’re hearing about this movie, I urge you to go to your closest streaming platform and watch it now. With an incredible plotline and such a quotable script (my personal favorite being “Hello, Katarina. Make anyone cry today?” / “Sadly, no. But it’s only 4:30”). It’s no wonder that young adults around the world still get emotional over this Stiles’ poem scene. Therefore, it isn’t surprising that this masterpiece was based on another Shakespearean masterpiece, “The Taming of the Shrew.”
- “She’s The Man”
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Starring the 2000s teenage sensation Amanda Bynes, “She’s The Man,” has also become a cult classic among our generation. This movie truly brings out the best in a teen rom-com, with incredulous plot points and ridiculous situations. I assure you, you have at least heard some of the famous quotes from this movie while scrolling through your TikTok feed, such as: “I’m allergic to the sun,” “When my eyes are closed, I see you for what you truly are, which is UGLY!” and “Heels are a male invention designed to make a woman’s butt look smaller. And to make it harder to run away.” Additionally, as the movie is based on the play “Twelfth Night,” while reading the classic play, I realized how deeply embedded the original play is within this movie. For instance, the male main character played by Channing Tatum is named Duke Orsino in the movie, which makes sense when you know the male main character in the play is a duke called Orsino.
- “John Tucker Must Die”
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With a cast that includes Brittany Snow, Sophia Bush, Arielle Kebbel and Penn Badgley, it is no surprise that this is a great movie for whenever you’re looking to watch a funny 2000s teen movie. Contrary to what the title may suggest, the plot line of this does not involve actual murder, but rather the death of the school’s hottest basketball star, planned by the teenage girls he plays with. Based on the Shakespearean play “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” both the play and the movie follow the repercussions of a man trying to date more than one woman at a time (married women, in the case of the play). If nothing else, this will give you great entertainment on a gloomy afternoon as you follow along with the shenanigans these teenage girls start to put John Tucker through, and also document in video.
Overall, I believe that this list shows the deep impact Shakespeare has on art to this day; he wrote plays that revolve around human problems that are felt right now. Many more books and movies have been inspired by him, and I truly believe these plays will continue to inspire many more great works for centuries.