Teens and young adults have long been the ideal target market for movie producers, and over the decades there has been a veritable saturation of teen movies. What makes a true teen movie is hard to define (except, of course, teenagers learning about their environment, themselves, and their peers). But we are sure that some films stand out for their quality and message. We have selected six classic teen movies that will take you back to your teenage years.
1. The Breakfast Club (1985)
The Breakfast Club is an American coming-of-age comedy and drama film directed by John Hughes. The story follows five teenagers, each a member of a different high school clique, who spend a Saturday together in detention and learn that they are worth more than their stereotypes tell them. Critics rated the film as one of the best teen films and one of John Hughes' most memorable and recognizable works.
2. Clueless (1995)
The American comedy is loosely based on the 1815 novel Emma by Jane Austen. The film is set in Beverly Hills, where a wealthy high school student tries to promote the growing popularity of a new student, but her plans are thwarted by love.
3. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
American romantic comedy-drama directed by Gil Junger and starring Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger. The film is a modernization of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew and is titled after a song the lead actress (Stiles) writes about her bittersweet romance with the lead actor (Ledger).
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4. Dazed and Confused (1993)
The coming-of-age comedy was written and directed by Richard Linklater, currently best known for his Oscar-nominated Boyhood. The film, which launched actors such as Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck and Milla Jovovich, follows different groups of Texas teenagers on the last day of school in the summer months of 1976.
5. Grease (1978)
Directed by Randal Kleiser, this musical romantic comedy is based on the Warren Casey and Jim Jacobs musical of the same name from 1971 and tells the story of two high school sweethearts. The film was a critical and commercial success.
6. Juno (2007)
The American-Canadian comedy-drama follows an independent-minded teenage girl who becomes pregnant unplanned and later faces the events and pressures of her surroundings. Juno won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and earned nominations for Best Picture and Best Actress.
