100 Teen Movies to Watch

This week for the first time ever my best friend decided to venture into the teen movies genre. Now she can’t get enough. I’ve been soaking up this genre since before I was a teen. So, I figured who’s better than me to make a list of 100 teen movies to watch. Admittedly, I have a problem when it comes to teen movies. Possibility my favorite movie genre as they can incorporate romance, comedy, fantasy and action/adventure. Those genres being my favorite as well.

In order to make this list I had to create some rules. The first rule is to determine what qualifies a movie as a teen movie. The problem with teen movies is that the actors are not teens, which blurs the line between whether the character is a teen or an adult. Therefore, my first rule is to qualify as a teen movie, the main character has to be a teen and must remain one for fifty percent of the movie. Second, the characters must be in high school. Both must be true to qualify. Therefore, I have excluded the following movies (three of my favorites)13 going on 30, Big and Never Been Kissed. They are great but spoiler alert, the characters becomes adults or already an adult. I need the teen movies to have true teenage angst.

What’s your favorite Teen Movie? Do you see it on the list? Some of your favorites may be missing, please share your favorite in the comments.

Sidenote: I left out Twilight, Harry Potter and Hunger Games on purpose. I enjoyed the movies but prefer the books.

1980’s Teen Movies

This is the decade that defined teen movies for me and made me fall in love with them all. The decade that brought forward the actors that were know as the Brat Pack. If you don’t know who the Brat Pack are, the original Brat Pack actors were Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy. And lets be honest at least one of the brat pack actors were in just about every teen 80’s movies that were profundly defined by film maker John Hughes.

This is also the decade that brought you some of your current favorite movie stars like Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Patrick Dempsey (formally Grey’s Anatomy) and Keanu Reeves (John Wick). Asking me to select my favorite of this decade would have me stumbling between Goonies, Back to The Future and Karate Kid. I wouldn’t be able to choose just one. I will say though, Michael J. Fox will always be my favorite actor of this classic movie making decade.

Here’s my list of some 80’s teen movies must see (in no particular order):

1990’s Teen Movies

Clueless most definitely defines the teen movies of the 90’s but I prefer the other hidden gems. The Mighty Ducks franchise, Pleasantville and of course She’s All That. This is the decade that also brought us the likes of Freddie Prinze Jr, Reese Witherspoon, Paul Walker, Heath Ledger, Claire Danes, Joshua Jackson and Leonardo DiCaprio to name a few.

When I think of this era of teen movies, I’ll never forget the updated version of Romeo + Juliet, Ryan Phillippe as Sebastian in Cruel Intentions and Heath Ledger singing in 10 Things I Hate about You. But also warm apple pie! The comedy in the movies may have become a little more raunchy in the 90’s, but it was still good fun and laughs. For that reason I highly recommend visiting Common Sense Media website to check out the rating on some of the films before watching. No surprises!

Here’s my list of some 90’s teen movies must see (in no particular order):

2000’s Teen Movies

If you were to ask me who had control over this decade of teen movies, I would say Disney and Nickelodeon Channel stars. They seamlessly crossed over into full movies stars and I gladly soaked it in. Amanda Bynes movies were constantly a hit, while Hilary Duff starred in what I consider to be the best modern themed re-telling of Cinderella. Yet, with all the teen movies that came out in the 2000’s, Mean Girls is the movie that define this era. Mean Girl is the perfect combination of comedy and teenage angst.

While the 2000’s did put out some great theatrical releases, it would be remiss if I didn’t mention that this is when Disney Original movies was at its peak. High School Musical, Cheetah Girls and many more helped to define this era too.

Here’s my list of some 2000’s teen movies must see (in no particular order):

Note: Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella with Brandy was not modern themed and is fabulous.

2010’s Teen Movies

Teen Movies can define a generation and if the movies of the 2010’s taught me anything is that love stories are still the best! The casting has yet to get as diverse as I would like it to be but at least it’s not the same actor in every single film. Creativity wise we have not left the phase that 2000’s ushered in, where every thing that comes out is based on a book. I’ve enjoyed the teen movies nonetheless, especially Netflix’s To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. It seems as though Netflix has decided to take over this genre, which is great. The selection may be smaller but the movies are still great!

Here’s my list of some 2010’s teen movies must see (in no particular order):

Teen Movies will always draw me in because they are about a nostalgic place in everyones life. Everything doesn’t have to be perfect but the stories are always a joy to watch. You’ll noticed that throughout the years many of the movies were remade, the originals were good and the remakes were great.

While I do love Teen Movies, I love Christmas Movies too! If you want to find out what movies I recommend check out Give Me the Christmas Movies!