Adolescence marks a complicated time in anyone’s life. From developing new feelings to seeking a sense of individuality, all while navigating the rigmarole that is high school and being pressured to make key decisions about the future, the teenage years are tough for everyone. Thankfully, there have been plenty of movies that have excelled at using these common feelings of angst and adventure to explore the full extent of what teenage life can be.
The best and most relatable teen movies, however, find ways to not only display the trials and tribulations of youth but do so with great resonance and impact that makes viewers feel warm, nostalgic, and even understood and recognized. Ranging from indie dramas to hit comedies,these films perfectly encapsulate different aspects of life as a youth on the cusp of becoming an adult, doing so in ways that are hilarious, heartbreaking, and, above all else, incredibly relatable.
Directed by Greg Mottola
As ridiculous and exaggerated as it sometimes is, few films have captured the aura of male adolescence with quite the vulgarity yet bizarre sincerity of the hit 2007 comedy,Superbad. StarringJonah Hill,Michael Cera, andChristopher Mintz-Plasse, it follows three unpopular high schoolers as they attempt to illegally acquire alcohol in order to attend a graduation party. Over the course of a wild night, two of them go to great lengths to succeed in their task, while the other befriends a couple of reckless cops.
While defined by its outrageous hilarity,Superbadseparates itself from other smutty teen comedies with its underlying focus on Seth (Hill) and Evan’s (Cera) friendship and the anxieties they face surrounding the end of high school. Its crass humor and its surprisingly nuanced depiction of friendship make itan endlessly rewatchable all-time classicthat, in its most astute moments, is surprisingly sincere and incredibly relatable.
Watch on Amazon
9’Mid90s' (2018)
Directed by Jonah Hill
A coming-of-age dramedy that serves as the directorial debut of Jonah Hill,Mid90searned rave reviews as a bleak yet earnest teen movie that immerses itself in Millennial angst with a raw poignancy. It focuses on Stevie (Sunny Suljic),a troubled 13-year-old in 1990s Los Angeleswho finds a safe haven from his abusive home life in the form of a local skate shop. As he befriends the store workers, they teach him about skating but also introduce him to drugs and alcohol as well.
Inspired by some of Hill’s own experiences growing up,Mid90sis excellent at exploring its trickiest elements with authenticity and sympathy. It is a perfect encapsulation of the aimlessness of youth, using the warmth and security that Stevie finds in the skaters’ friendship to powerfully address issues relating to substance abuse, teenage rebellion, and sex in a way that is mature and resonant.
8’The Edge of Seventeen' (2016)
Directed by Kelly Fremon Craig
Teenage life can be a complex web of emotions that is seemingly impossible to navigate. One film that handles the compounding, monotonous mayhem of such an existence incredibly well isThe Edge of Seventeen, which follows a teenage girl struggling through high school life. Still reeling from her father’s death, Nadine’s (Hailee Steinfeld) awkward family life grows more painful when her best friend starts dating her popular older brother.
The film received immense praise from critics, many of whom celebrateddebut directorKelly Fremon Craigfor the earnestness and realism of the story and Steinfeld for her effective lead performance.The Edge of Seventeenhas already become a cathartic teen drama and is likely to become a true cult classic of 2010s cinema withits handling of Nadine’s emotional turmoil, executed with wit and grace to be relatable to any viewer.
The Edge of Seventeen
Watch on Netflix
7’The Perks of Being a Wallflower' (2012)
Directed by Stephen Chbosky
Few romantic dramas have matched the impact on pop culture that 2012’sThe Perks of Being a Wallflowerhas had since its release. The enduring instant classic follows Charlie (Logan Lerman), a socially awkward outsider who is taken in by two free-spirited seniors in the form of Sam (Emma Watson) and her stepbrother. He also forms a friendship with his English teacher, Mr. Anderson (Paul Rudd), who nurtures his passion for writing. As he begins to gain confidence, Charlie’s traumatic past threatens to uproot his newfound happiness.
Heartfelt and sincere,The Perks of Being a Wallflowerholds appeal to viewers of all ages, whether it’s as a nostalgic dose of teenage friendship and young love or a timely offering of solace to modern youths.It beautifully encapsulates the full range of emotions that teens experience through its rich charactersand the stellar performances behind them, making it one of the most iconic teen films ever made. It evenportrays its mental health aspects with accuracyand grace as well.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
6’Eighth Grade' (2018)
Directed by Bo Burnham
A pointed depiction of teenage life in the modern day,Eighth GradesawBo Burnhammake his directorial debut with a film that was clearly infused with his own background as a YouTube star. It follows Kayla (Elsie Fisher), an awkward and introverted teen who drifts through middle school while posting motivational vlogs to a small channel online. Her experiences with classmates and her relationship with her single father see her perspective on herself and her internet persona gradually change.
It is a timely film that addresses issues of anxiety, flaws in America’s education system, particularly pertaining to sexual education, and what teenage rebellion looks like in the modern digital age. Burnham’s ability to explore such specific and modern aspects ofteenage life with heartfelt charm, realism, and comedy is a testament to his writing and direction, as well as the talent of the young cast on display.
5’CODA' (2021)
Directed by Sian Heder
Growing up is never easy, anda common problem many youths face is wanting to find their independence and pursue their passions and interestswhile still staying close with their family. Few films have explored this complicated rift quite like 2021’s Best Picture winner,CODA. It follows Ruby (Emilia Jones), the sole hearing member of a deaf family who works as an interpreter for her parents' struggling fishing business but finds herself wanting to pursue her love for singing when she joins the school choir.
Its premise and the disabilities of its characters makeCODAa unique film, but one that finds a universality in Ruby’s predicament as she follows an interest that her family can’t understand.The Apple TV+ original filmis incredibly heartfelt, beautifully performed, and emotionally overwhelming. It is a tear-jerking drama that tells an enchanting story of teenage responsibility, conflicted desires, and family love with a great deal of hope and warmth.
4’The Breakfast Club' (1985)
Directed by John Hughes
Whilethe 1980s were famous for teen movies, a lot of them put such a strain on reality that it is difficult to view them as relatable, no matter how brilliant they are. One exception to that rule isJohn Hughes’ timeless classic,The Breakfast Club. It focuses on five high school students with vastly different personalities who bond over the course of their Saturday detention, discovering they have much more in common than they initially thought.
From the jock to the prom queen, the bad boy to the nerds and outcasts, the film’s entire concept revolves around the dismantling of school cliques as the teens learn that they each face similar problems. The scene where they all share what they did to get detention and delve into topics such as meeting parents’ expectations and conforming to peer pressureis particularly timeless and remains powerfully resonant to this day.
The Breakfast Club
3’Stand By Me' (1986)
Directed by Rob Reiner
“I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?“Stand by Memay be on the cusp of childhood adventure as opposed to teen drama, but the coming-of-age classic presents one of the best and most resonant tales of young friendship ever put on screen.Based on Stephen King’s novella “The Body,“it follows a writer’s reminiscences of his youth when he and his friends ventured out to find the body of a missing teenager.
Braving everything from hoodlum thugs to junkyard dogs and even leech-infested marshes, the journey sees the bond between the boys deepen as they learn more about each other’s home lives and hardships. Bolstered by sublime performances from the young stars,Stand by Meis the quintessential movie about childhood friendship, realized byRob Reinerwith an authenticity and nuance that ensure the film still stands as a nostalgic and deeply affecting masterpiece all these years later.
Stand by Me
2’Dazed and Confused' (1993)
Directed by Richard Linklater
While there are plenty of issues and scenarios most people have had to face in their youth,one thing that seems to be truly universal is a sense of aimlessness and a yearning for freedom.Dazed and Confusedis a brilliant exploration of just that, following a group of students in 1976 in Texas as they celebrate the last day of high school by partying hard, pursuing their crushes, and embracing the invigorating freedom and limitless possibility of the seemingly eternal future.
Unbound by anything, the students express a sense of absolute liberty that directorRichard Linklaterrealizes with such energy and vibrancythat the film can only be viewed as the perfect encapsulation of what the end of school means to so many. Doing away with overly stereotyped cliques,Dazed and Confusedshows teenagers unified by the closing of a school year and immortal in the face of love, drugs, and all other trials and tribulations they may encounter.
Dazed and Confused
1’Lady Bird' (2017)
Directed by Greta Gerwig
The solo directorial debut ofGreta Gerwig,Lady Bird,earned five Academy Award nominations on its way to becoming an immediate coming-of-age classic with an intrinsic focus on family angst and the craving for independence. It follows Christine (Saoirse Ronan), who goes by Lady Bird, as she navigates the final weeks of her senior year in Sacramento. Striving to get into a good college while trying to befriend the popular rich kids, all while frequently fighting with her strong-willed mother, it proves to be a turbulent chapter in Christine’s young life as she yearns to forge her own, new identity.
It is a film directly in tune with teenagers at their most stubborn and determined, with Christine’s relationship with her mother,Laurie Metcalf’s Marion, a hilarious and heartfelt yet painfully strained focus of the movie. Also covering romance, the loss of virginity, friendship, and striving to be someone you’re not to gain popularity,Lady Birdis the ultimate teen movie that brings poignantly funny observations to every facet of the teenage experience.
