I’m very picky when it comes to what teen/high school movies I watch. When a teen movie gets too cheesy and cliche, I find myself looking for something else to spend my time doing. Who really wants to sit through another ‘popular jock dates popular cheerleader but actually is in love with the attractive nerdy outcast and eventually he and the nerdy outcast overthrow the popular girl and walk off into the sunset’ high school rom-com?
But after you sift through all that cheesiness, you will always find those classic teen movies that make you laugh, cry, cringe (in a good way), relate to and connect with the characters. Those movies that have such an uplifting message that it puts you in a great mood for days.
Here’s a list of some of those movies:
1) Mean Girls – This movie is like a right of passage in to all things teen drama. If you don’t understand the phrase “That is so fetch!” then you need to see Mean Girls ASAP!
2) The Perks of Being a Wallflower – This adaptation of Stephen Chbosky’s popular novel will tug at your heart strings and multiply the songs on your Indie playlist, not to mention the cast list is amazing (Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Mae Whitman, Nina Dobrev).
3) The Breakfast Club – This 80’s teen flick focuses on five completely different teenagers and their views of each other, all whilst their trapped in Saturday detention. This movie is nothing more than indescribable and is on the list of the best movies I have ever seen.
4) Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – This film follows the average day of infamous class-cutter Ferris Bueller as he carries out antic after crazy antic, including “borrowing” a Ferrari.
5) Easy A – Talk about being slut shamed without actually having sex before? That’s Olive’s life in this comedic, Chlamydia filled teen flick. Don’t ask questions. Just watch it.
6) Juno – Ever heard of a teen film winning an Academy Award? It almost never happens, but at the 80th Academy Awards, this coming of age film won the award for Best Original Screenplay.
7) Superbad – Are you more into the booze-filled, babe-filled, raunchy type of movies? If so, then this Jonah Hill/Michael Cera/Seth Rogan movie is just for you.
8) 17 Again – Many adults wish that they could turn back the hands of time and do everything that they’ve ever done completely differently. That’s exactly the case in the comedic film when Matthew Perry turn into his 17 year old self…which just happens to be Zac Efron. Who’s complaining, right?
9) Bandslam – For all those underground Indie music lovers out there, this is the perfect movie for you. The songs are fantastic.
10) The First Time – This film focuses on two teens from different schools who spend an entire weekend together. It looks at how much of a pedestal sex is being held on, when it really shouldn’t be the thing that you focus on most in a relationship. The acting is superb.