(Photo by Fox Film Corp/courtesy Everett Collect. LOVE, SIMON.)
50 Essential Teen Romance Movies
“I’ve never met anyone who could make me feel so alive.” (from The Perks of Being a Wallflower)
“You are the only one who makes me feel like I can do anything.” (from She’s All That)
“I’m not afraid to fall in love. I’m afraid of not falling in love with you.” (from 10 Things I Hate About You)
Depending on your relationship with romantic films, these quotes may have warmed your heart or triggered your gag reflex. Whether you cooed or cringed at these sweet’n sappy lines, at least we all understand that coming-of-age romance is an idyllic time: Youth’s first foray into the deeper relationships! Filled with puppy love and irreplaceable memories! What better time is there? You don’t know how good you have it until it’s gone! Yeeeeah, any young person could tell you it is so much more complicated than that.
Teen romance films serve a more elegant function than one might give them credit for. Much like in our real lives, we recall the saccharine, lovey-dovey moments. That’s what romance movies are, right? Good old corny schmaltz, meant to illicit a serotonin response in the brain for an hour or two. It can go underappreciated how these movies capture the angsty, insecure, and downright nutty elements of teen life. These films serve as both a trip down memory lane for the initiated adult, and as parables for the young people embarking on their own hormone-fueled roller coaster ride through their formative years.
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It’s no wonder so often cinema turns to classic literature to frame the teen experience. It’s what they make us read in high school! English teachers everywhere rejoice! And yet, a filmmaker’s steady hand and a screenwriter’s clever words can turn some distant material into a modern-day love potions!
Easy A, which views Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter through a modern prism, follows high school student Olive Penderghast (Emma Stone), who volunteers to lie about her virginity to save her classmates from social scorn. Why does “losing it” need to be such a socially important spotlight? Emma Stone addresses the age-old question with humor and 2010 style.
She’s The Man, featuring the comedic prowess of Amanda Bynes, is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Bynes madcap performance wit is on full display as prep student Viola, who disguises herself to infiltrate an all-male prep school soccer team. Expect a kick of zaniness for The Bard’s universal story of acceptance despite differences.
More on the classics: If you are looking for a take on Much Ado About Nothing, look no further than 10 Things I Hate About You. George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion? Check out She’s All That! Romeo & Juliet? Well, that one is easy: Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet . It’s a bit more of a straight-forward take, by no means should you expect Luhrmann’s version to be a conventional take on the material!
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Consider the eternal questions of teen romance. Who’s right for you? Do you go for The Jock? The Bad Girl? The Sweet Guy? Maybe after an up-all-night, drive-around-town adventure or a drama-filled school dance, they could all just go to hell! It’s about finding yourself just as finding the true sweetheart in films like Valley Girl, Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, If I Stay, Beautiful Disaster, After, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, and The DUFF!
And maybe you’re not all talk. Your bonds with people are music and dance. Turn up the speaks to stories cute, sexy, and sometimes both: Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist, Grease, Dirty Dancing, Step Up, and Save the Last Dance.
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If you like something moody, campy, or unconventional, check out Cruel Intentions, But I’m a Cheerleader, Spontaneous, Your Name, The Spectacular Now, or Summer of 85.
Love in the face of mortality? Like The Fault in Our Stars, Five Feet Apart, A Walk to Remember, and The Last Song? Oh yeah, they made the list too. I’m not crying… you’re crying!
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“Enough! Not Another Teen Movie!” you demand? Then you won’t believe the teen romance movie we have for you. The Chris Evans-starring bawdy and irreverent parody, bursting at the seams with references to many of the classics mentioned in this list, will tickle your nostalgia bone for 2000s comedy AND fill your classic teen romance quota in one fell swoop.
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