Subgenre Sampler

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Mountain, The (2024): Dir. Rachel House
Feat. Elizabeth Atkinson, Reuben Francis, Terence Daniel…; A young girl, raised outside of her Maori culture, is determined to fulfil her mission of connecting with her mountain in the hope they can heal her…
Holdovers, The (2023): Dir. Alexander Payne
Feat. Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa; A jaded teacher is forced to remain on campus during the snowy Christmas break to babysit a handful of students with nowhere else to go. He soon…
No Hard Feelings (2023): Dir. Gene Stupnitsky
Feat. Jennifer Lawrence, Matthew Broderick, Natalie Morales…; Jennifer Lawrence produces and stars in this sweet–natured sex comedy spiked by more than a few laugh–out–loud moments and at least…
Licorice Pizza (2021): Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson
Feat. Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Sean Penn…; Celebrated auteur Paul Thomas Anderson amusingly runs through the fads of the 1970s while loosely following the relationship between a precocious…
Freaky (2020): Dir. Christopher Landon
Feat. Vince Vaughn, Kathryn Newton, Katie Finneran…; Christopher Landon (HAPPY DEATH DAY) directs this big hearted and hilarious teen comedy slasher with loving nods to classics of the genre, especially…
Babyteeth (2019): Dir. Shannon Murphy
Feat. Eliza Scanlen, Toby Wallace, Michelle Lotters…; Australian coming–of–age drama marking the feature debut for director Shannon Murphy (KILLING EVE), from a screenplay by Rita Kalnejais,…
Booksmart (2019): Dir. Olivia Wilde
Feat. Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein; Sensational directorial debut for actor Olivia Wilde, who transforms the High School coming–of–age comedy into a riotous celebration of…
Days of the Bagnold Summer (2019): Dir. Simon Bird
Feat. Earl Cave, Tamsin Greig, Rob Brydon; Charming coming–of–age comedy–drama starring newcomer Earl Cave (son of Nick Cave) as a teenage heavy metal fan struggling to get…
Good Boys (2019): Dir. Gene Stupnitsky
Feat. Jacob Tremblay, Brady Noon, Keith L. Williams; Three sixth–grade boys find themselves in a series of misadventures after ditching school. A raunchy comedy with a sweet heart.
My Days of Glory (Mes jours de gloire) (2019): Dir. Antoine de Bary
Feat. Vincent Lacoste, Emmanuelle Devos, Christopher Lambert; French comedy about a self–absorbed, unemployed twenty–something who shamelessly sponges off his parents after his promising career as a…
Blockers (2018): Dir. Kay Cannon
Feat. Leslie Mann, Ike Barinholtz, John Cena; A surprisingly tender sex–comedy about a trio of parents who attempt to stop their teenage daughters from having sex on prom night. Features…
Festival, The (2018): Dir. Iain Morris
Feat. Joe Thomas, Hannah Tointon, Hammed Animashaun; Big–hearted British buddy comedy from the director of THE INBETWEENERS following a nerdy post–grad who embraces the mayhem of a…
Pitch Perfect 3 (2017): Dir. Trish Sie
Feat. Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld…; Adds nothing new to the formula, but it's a winning one – The Bellas reunite after finishing college and return to their a capella roots after…
This Country (TV Series) (2017): Feat. Daisy May, Charlie Cooper; A British mockumentary sitcom about the day–to–day lives of two young people living in a small village in the Cotswolds. Created by,…
Edge of Seventeen (2016): Dir. Kelly Fremon Craig
Feat. Hailee Steinfeld, Haley Lu Richardson, Blake Jenner…; Candid and humourous coming–of–age drama where an awkward seventeen year old comes to terms with her all–star older brother dating…
Emo the Musical (2016): Dir. Neil Triffett
Feat. Benson Jack Anthony; Unashamedly cliched adolescent angst musical, developed from Australian writer–director Neil Triffitt's 16–minute short. A suicidal emo…
Handsome Devil (2016): Dir. John Butler
Feat. Fionn O’Shea, Nicholas Galitzine, Andrew Scott; This sweet and amiable Irish coming–of–age story in which a loner and the star athlete at a rugby–mad boarding school become…
Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life (2016): Dir. Steve Carr
Feat. Griffin Gluck, Lauren Graham, Alexa Nisenson; Spirited comedy about a semi–introverted, imaginative teen who takes glorious revenge on the draconian school system by attempting to break…
Diary of a Teenage Girl, The (2015): Dir. Marielle Heller
Feat. Bel Powley, Alexander Skarsgard, Kristen Wiig…; This brave and bittersweet portrait of an unusual sexual awakening has Bel Powley as a fledgling cartoonist entering into a relationship with her…
DUFF, The (2015): Dir. Ari Sandel
Feat. Mae Whitman, Bella Thorne, Robbie Amell…; Smart teen comedy about a high school senior who instigates a social pecking order revolution after finding out that she has been labeled the DUFF…
Girl Asleep (2015): Dir. Rosemary Myers
Feat. Bethany Whitmore, Harrison Feldman, Amber McMahon; Based on the theatre production, this colourful coming–of–age tale set in 1970’s Australia expressively journeys into the absurd, scary…
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015): Dir. Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
Feat. Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler, Olivia Cooke…; Winner of the Grand Jury prize at Sundance, this imaginative, eclectic dramedy follows an awkward high–school filmmaker and a gravely ill…
Paper Towns (2015): Dir. Jake Schreier
Feat. Nat Wolff, Cara Delevingne, Austin Abrams…; From the pen of John Green, the writer of THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, comes a wistful teen adventure in which a boy and his friends search for his…
Sucker (2015): Dir. Ben Chessell
Feat. Lawrence Leung, Timothy Spall, Lily Sullivan; Comedian Lawrence Leung co–writes and stars in this colourful comedy about a teenager who after destroying his med school prospects falls in…
Dear White People (2014): Dir. Justin Simien
Feat. Tyler James Williams, Tessa Thompson, Kyle Gallner…; A social satire that follows the stories of four black students at an Ivy League college where controversy breaks out over a popular but offensive…
Inbetweeners 2, The (2014): Dir. Damon Beesley, Iain Morris
Feat. Simon Bird, James Buckley, Blake Harrison…; Sex–crazed larrikins Jay, Simon, Neil and Will reunite for a holiday downunder in this typically puerile sequel to the movie inspired by the…
Love at First Fight (Les Combattants) (2014): Dir. Thomas Cailley
Feat. Adele Haenel, Kevin Azais, Antoine Laurent…; An intensely physical take on the romantic comedy, with an awkward summer romance taking place at a French survivalist camp between a…
Trash (2014): Dir. Stephen Daldry
Feat. Rooney Mara, Martin Sheen, Wagner Moura…; From the unlikely pen of Brit rom–com supremo Richard Curtis comes this crime comedy set in Rio de Janeiro in which three kids who make a…
21 and Over (2013): Dir. Jon Lucas, Scott Moore
Feat. Miles Teller, Skylar Astin, Justin Chon…; Essentially a rehash of THE HANGOVER for the college set, this routine campus comedy follows the misadventures of an Asian super student whose 21st…
G.B.F (GBF) (2013): Dir. Darren Stein
Feat. Michael J. Willett, Paul Iacono, Joanna 'JoJo' Levesque…; This fun, all–knowing skewering of teen social dynamics centres on a recently outed high–schooler who is adopted by a pack of alpha…
Geography Club (2013): Dir. Gary Entin
Feat. Cameron Deane Stewart, Meaghan Martin, Justin Deeley; A sweet–centred dramedy of queer coming–of–age, focused on a teenager whose struggle with sexuality is comforted after he joins an…
Girl In Progress (2012): Dir. Patricia Riggen
Feat. Eva Mendes, Matthew Modine, Cierra Ramirez; Comedy following a Hispanic single mother (Eva Mendes) raising a precocious teenager who wants to grow up fast, and decides to tick off all the…
Moonrise Kingdom (2012): Dir. Wes Anderson
Feat. Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Bruce Willis…; Wes Anderson's latest exquisite comedy, about two 12–year–olds in 1960s New England who consummate their adolescent romance by running…
Project X (2012): Dir. Nima Nourizadeh
Feat. Thomas Mann, Oliver Cooper, Jonathan Daniel Brown; Teen hedonism is taken to its mindless extreme in this unredeemable 'comedy' about an epic house party gone too far. Those expecting the endearing…
Art of Getting By, The (2011): Dir. Gavin Wiesen
Feat. Freddie Highmore, Emma Roberts, Michael Angarano…; A sensitive and even–handed coming–of–age tale about a teenage fatalist and his blooming friendship with the popular…
Attack the Block (2011): Dir. Joe Cornish
Feat. Jodie Whittaker, John Boyega, Alex Esmail…; A gang of teenage delinquents rally to defend their tower block from alien invaders in this quick–witted urban sci–fi comedy that…
Awkward (TV Series) (2011): Feat. Ashley Rickards, Beau Mirchoff, Nikki Deloach; An unpopular 15 year old gains immediate, yet unwanted, popularity at her high school when the student body mistakes an accident she has for a…
Geek Charming (2011): Dir. Jeffrey Hornaday
Feat. Sarah Hyland, Matt Prokop; Glossy Disney comedy based on the novel by Robin Palmer in which a film nerd makes a documentary about the life of his classmate, the school diva.
Inbetweeners Movie, The (2011): Dir. Ben Palmer
Feat. Simon Bird, James Buckley, Blake Harrison…; The roguish foursome of the hit British TV series celebrate the end of the their school days in this satisfying gag–fueled finale high on sex,…
Turn Me On, Goddamit! (2011): Dir. Jannicke Systad Jacobsen
Feat. Helene Bergsholm, Beate Stofring, Malin Bjorhovde; Deadpan sex comedy in a sleepy Norwegian hamlet with a hormone ravaged teen determined to lose her virginity.
Boy (2010): Dir. Taika Waititi
Feat. Taika Waititi, James Rolleston, Te Aho Aho Eketone-Whitu…; Taika Waititi continues his dream run as director with this fictionalised coming–of–age tale that draws on his own experience growing up…
Daydream Nation (2010): Dir. Michael Goldbach
Feat. Kat Dennings, Reece Thompson, Andie MacDowell…; A daydreaming 17–year–old (Dennings) seduces a high school teacher for kicks, only to attract the attention of a lovesick stoner…
Dirty Girl (2010): Dir. Abe Sylvia
Feat. Juno Temple, Mary Steenburgen, Dwight Yoakam…; A high school hussy and an overweight closet homosexual become fast friends in this sassy teen comedy. Though overly weighted in cliche and narrow…
Easy A (2010): Dir. Will Gluck
Feat. Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, Amanda Bynes…; Sassy reinterpretation of 'The Scarlet Letter' stars Emma Stone as a high school nobody who fakes losing her virginity to advance her social…
Expecting Mary (2010): Dir. Dan Gordon
Feat. Olesya Rulin, Elliott Gould, Linda Gray…; Good–natured road movie tale with a pregnant teenager heading to California in search of her father, but who she encounters along the way will…
Norman (2010): Dir. Jonathan Segal
Feat. Dan Byrd, Emily VanCamp, Richard Jenkins…; A melancholy high school 'indie' about a teenage loner who claims his father's terminal cancer as his own in order to make tracks with a pretty…
Politically Incorrect Guide to Teenagers, The (2010): The irreverent and provocative Nigel Latta returns with advice on how parents can navigate the pitfalls of raising teenagers.
17 Again (2009): Dir. Burr Steers
Feat. Zac Efron, Matthew Perry, Leslie Mann; Time–twisting comedy in which washed–up middle–ager Matthew Perry gets another chance when he is miraculously turned back into his…
Accidents Happen (2009): Dir. Andrew Lancaster
Feat. Geena Davis, Harrison Gilbertson, Harry Cook…; Earnest dramedy enlivened by a sensationally brash Geena Davis performance. Davis plays the mother of a deeply dysfunctional family who's lives are…
Adventureland (2009): Dir. Greg Mottola
Feat. Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Ryan Reynolds…; Low–key indie comedy set in 1987 where a virginal high–school grad gets a summer job at a local amusement park and finds unlikely…
Dear Lemon Lima (2009): Dir. Suzi Yoonessi
Feat. Savanah Wiltfong, Shayne Topp, Eleanor Hutchins…; Sweetly spun tale of a teen outcast who after experiencing rejection from her high–school crush sets out to find like–minded individuals.
French Kissers, The (Les Beaux Gosses) (2009): Dir. Riad Sattouf
Feat. Vincent Lacoste, Anthony Sonigo, Alice Trémolière…; Gallic hormonal comedy about two unkempt, sex–obsessed adolescents and their wavering exploits with the school's most popular girl. Is quite…
Go Girls (TV Series) (2009): Feat. Anna Hutchison, Bronwyn Turei, Alix Bushnell…; A North Shore equivalent of OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE perhaps, but with considerably less bite, this follows four middle–class 20–somethings as…
High School Revolution (The Trotsky) (2009): Dir. Jacob Tierney
Feat. Jay Baruchel, Domini Blythe, Emily Hampshire…; Smart teen comedy with Baruchel taking the lead as an intensely politicised high–schooler convinced he's the reincarnation of Leon Trotsky.
I Killed My Mother (J'ai tué ma mère) (2009): Dir. Xavier Dolan
Feat. Xavier Dolan, Anne Dorval, Suzanne Clément…; An angst ridden teen grapples with growing up gay and his neurotic, overbearing mother in this feisty first feature from young French Canadian…
I Love You, Beth Cooper (2009): Dir. Chris Columbus
Feat. Hayden Panettiere, Paul Rust, Jack Carpenter; Uneven high school comedy sees a nerd publicly profess his love for the hottest girl in school, only to have her turn up at his doorstep that night…
Jennifer's Body (2009): Dir. Karyn Kusama
Feat. Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Simmons…; The screenwriter of JUNO brings her distinctive, know–it–all style to this high–school horror–comedy, in which the sultry…
My Suicide (2009): Dir. David Lee Miller
Feat. Gabriel Sunday, David Carradine, Mariel Hemingway…; A disaffected teenager announces that he intends to document his impending suicide on camera in this heavy handed, if potent youth indie. Built on…
Mystery Team (2009): Dir. Dan Eckman
Feat. Donald Glover, D.C. Pierson, Dominic Dierkes…; Goofy comedy with three high school nerds masquerading as detectives who find themselves investigating a murder. Hit–and–miss comedy…
Youth in Revolt (2009): Dir. Miguel Arteta
Feat. Michael Cera, Portia Doubleday, Zach Galifianakis…; Perfectly typecast, Michael Cera plays an adorable, sexually–frustrated "nice guy" who invents a trouble–making alter ego –…
Assassination Of A High School President (2008): Dir. Brett Simon
Feat. Mischa Barton, Reece Thompson, Bruce Willis…; A high–school reporter investigating the disappearance of missing exam papers uncovers a wider conspiracy in this smart, teen riff on CHINATOWN.
Bart Got a Room (2008): Dir. Brian Hecker
Feat. William H. Macy, Cheryl Hines, Chad Jamian Williams…; Unusual teen comedy with school dweeb Kaplan desperate for a date to the prom and given that he's living in a retirement community his chances aren't…
Camp Rock (2008): Dir. Matthew Diamond
Feat. Demi Lovato; Latest kids musical flick from the Disney Channel focusing on a young girl with the opportunity to spend her summer at a top rock camp where she is…
Clique, The (2008): Dir. Michael Lembeck
Feat. Elizabeth McLaughlin, Ellen Marlow, Samantha Boscarino…; Tepid high–school flick set around a group of rich New York kids who set out to destroy the 'new girl', only to discover she won't take their…
Drillbit Taylor (2008): Dir. Steven Brill
Feat. Owen Wilson, Leslie Mann, Alex Frost; Teen comedy of comeuppance from the Rogen/Apatow hit factory (SUPERBAD/KNOCKED UP) focuses on a group of bullied high–schoolers who hire a…
Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008): Dir. Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg
Feat. Kal Penn, John Cho; Asian/Indian douchbags Harold and Kumar, in search of another high, are arrested and detained in Guantanamo Bay for trying to smuggle a bong into…
Hey Hey It's Esther Blueburger (2008): Dir. Cathy Randall
Feat. Keisha Castle-Hughes, Toni Collette, Danielle Catanzariti; Aussie coming–of–age comedy portraying a geeky social outcast encouraged to break away from her restrictive existence by a…
House Bunny, The (2008): Dir. Fred Wolf
Feat. Anna Faris, Colin Hanks, Kiely Williams…; Anna Faris stars in this fluffy comedy as a fun–loving Playboy Bunny that gets booted out of the Mansion and finds herself a new home at a…
Inbetweeners, The (TV Series) (2008): Feat. Simon Bird, James Buckley, Blake Harrison…; Acerbic comedy follows four gawky teenage boys growing up in suburbia experiencing the deep humiliations and relentless disappointments of late…
LOL (2008): Dir. Lisa Azuelos
Feat. Christa Theret, Sophie Marceau; Sassy French comedy stars Sophie Marceau as the loving, long–suffering mother of a rebellious teen lass.
Nick And Nora's Infinite Playlist (2008): Dir. Peter Sollett
Feat. Michael Cera, Kat Dennings, Aaron Yoo; "Geeky Dreamboat" Michael Cera is typecast again in this pleasing but trifle indie flick centred around two high school seniors who bond over music…
Picture This (2008): Dir. Stephen Herek
Feat. Ashley Tisdale, Kevin Pollak, Robbie Amell; HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL brat Ashley Tisdale goes bad again for this teen romp, where she must get to a party at all costs despite being grounded. This…
Rocker, The (2008): Dir. Peter Cattaneo
Feat. Rainn Wilson, Christina Applegate, Jane Lynch…; High energy comedy about a washed up rock star (THE OFFICE’s Rainn ‘Dwight’ Wilson) who decides to become the new drummer for his nephew's high…
Somers Town (2008): Dir. Shane Meadows
Feat. Piotr Jagiello, Ireneusz Czop, Perry Benson…; A gentle, winsome offering from dir. Shane Meadows, centred on an unlikely friendship between a shy Polish teen, and a knockabout runaway from the…
Strange Wilderness (2008): Dir. Fred Wolf
Feat. Steve Zahn, Jonah Hill, Justin Long; Unremittingly stupid stoner comedy about a bunch of losers who go on a search to find Bigfoot in order to save their abysmally–rated wildlife…
Wild Child (2008): Dir. Nick Moore
Feat. Emma Roberts, Aidan Quinn, Natasha Richardson…; Fluffy teen comedy focused on a pampered American highschooler shipped off to an English boarding school after maxing out daddy's credit card one too…
Charlie Bartlett (2007): Dir. Jon Poll
Feat. Anton Yelchin, Robert Downey Jnr., Hope Davis…; Indie comedy focused around wealthy Charlie Bartlett (Yelchin) the newcomer at Western Summit High who becomes the self–appointed psychiatrist…
Gossip Girl (TV Series) (2007): Feat. Blake Lively, Taylor Momsen, Leighton Meester; Flashy teen series centred on a group of well–heeled New York prep school kids whose main focus in life is a blog written by 'Gossip Girl'…
Greek (TV Series) (2007): Feat. Scott Michael Foster, Spencer Grammer; Outlandish comedy series focused on a former high school geek who decides to cast off his dorky former self and pledge a fraternity at college…
Rocket Science (2007): Dir. Jeffrey Blitz
Feat. Reece Thompson, Anna Kendrick, Denis O'Hare…; Pointy–headed comedy from the dir. of the documentary SPELLBOUND that switches the subject to high–school debating, and the travails of…
Sydney White (Sydney White and the Seven Dorks) (2007): Dir. Joe Nussbaum
Feat. Amanda Bynes, Sara Paxton; Favourable contemporary take on the 'Snow White' fairytale, with a fed–up college freshman (Amanda Bynes) commandeering seven geeky guys to…
Teeth (2007): Dir. Mitchell Lichtenstein
Feat. Jess Weixler; Squeamishly entertaining horror centred on a sweet high school virgin who discovers she has a set of mutant teeth between her legs, the perfect…
Towelhead (Nothing Is Private) (2007): Dir. Alan Ball
Feat. Summer Bishil, Aaron Eckhart, Toni Collette…; The writer of AMERICAN BEAUTY and SIX FEET UNDER brings an acclaimed novel to the screen in this dark and uncomfortable suburban drama focused on a…
Two Days in Paris (2 Days in Paris) (2007): Dir. Julie Delpy
Feat. Julie Delpy, Adam Goldberg; Delightful, self–starring directorial debut from Julie Delpy about an angsty Franco–American couple who drop in to visit her very…
Clerks 2 (2006): Dir. Kevin Smith
Feat. Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Rosario Dawson…; Troublesome sequel to Kevin Smith's vulgar low–budget classic again injects bawdy humour and repressed angst into the lives of two listless,…
Hatchet (2006): Dir. Adam Green
Feat. Joel David Moore; Definitely not for the squeamish, this gloriously gruesome horror involves imbecilic young tourists getting stalked, lopped and hacked up by a…
I'm Reed Fish (2006): Dir. Zackary Adler
Feat. Jay Baruchel, Alexis Bledel, Katey Sagal; Sweetly subversive coming–of–age indie comedy focused on Reed Fish (Baruchel), a philosophical young radio presenter whose idealistic…
John Tucker Must Die (2006): Dir. Betty Thomas
Feat. Jesse Metcalfe, Sophia Bush; A philandering stud gets his comeuppance after three girls plot to exact sweet revenge. Checking off all the insipid teen movie clichés, this never…
Sasquatch Dumpling Gang, The (2006): Dir. Tim Skousen
Feat. Justin Long, Carl Weathers, Joey Kern…; A bogus bigfoot turd discovery excites geeks, wonks, cops and redneck bullies in this deadpan teen dork comedy with a top 80s soundtrack and some…
Starter for 10 (Starter for Ten) (2006): Dir. Tom Vaughan
Feat. James McAvoy, Rebecca Hall, Alice Eve…; Cute but formulaic youthful rom–com set in Thatcher's Britain, with the boyishly handsome James McAvoy as a working–class (yeah, right)…
Actress, The (2005): Dir. Zak Hilditch
Feat. Matt Hardie, Catlin Higgins, Steve Mccall…; An observational black comedy centering on a Perth household of three sex–starved 20–somethings who invite a seductive actress to be…
Hating Alison Ashley (2005): Dir. Geoff Bennett
Feat. Delta Goodrem, Saskia Burmeister; Candyfloss comedy set in a Melbourne high school, where the arrival of pretty Alison Ashley (Goodrem) creates difficulties for Erica Yurken…
Linda Linda Linda (2005): Dir. Nobuhiro Yamashita
Feat. Doona Bae, Aki Maeda, Yu Kashii…; Guided by a rousing rock anthem, three high school seniors – and one gawky Korean exchange student – strive to have three Japanese punk classics…
Mutual Appreciation (2005): Dir. Andrew Bujalski
Feat. Justin Rice, Andrew Bujalski, Kate Dollenmayer…; An authentically amusing, perfectly observed capsule of post–graduate blues from the idiosyncratic dir. of FUNNY HA HA, praised almost…
Russian Dolls (Les Poupées russes) (2005): Dir. Cedric Klapisch
Feat. Audrey Tautou, Romain Duris, Cecile De France…; A sequel of substance to the pan–Euro comedy THE SPANISH APARTMENT, which will again strike an entertaining chord with the young globetrotting,…
She's the Man (2005): Dir. Andy Fickman
Feat. Amanda Bynes, Vinnie Jones, Julie Hagerty…; Spunky, if rather uncomfortable transposition of Shakespeare’s 'Twelfth Night' into the realm of American teen comedy, about a talented female…
Suite Life of Zack and Cody, The (TV Series) (2005): Feat. Dylan Sprouse, Cole Sprouse, Ashley Tisdale…; Fun kids TV sitcom series from the Disney Channel starring real–life identical twins as two mischievous brothers who live in a hotel with their…
13 Going on 30 (2004): Dir. Gary Winick
Feat. Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo, Andy Serkis…; A winning variation on the "body swaparoo", with an unhappy teenager waking from her 13th birthday to find time fast–forwarded and herself a…
Cinderella Story, A (2004): Dir. Mark Rosman
Feat. Hilary Duff, Jennifer Coolidge, Chad Michael Murray; A bubbly updating of the 'Cinderella' fairytale, with Hilary Duff (LIZZIE MAGUIRE) playing a put–upon modernday teenager who must slave away…
Duck Season (2004): Dir. Fernando Eimbcke
Feat. Enrique Arreola, Diego Cataño, Danny Miranda…; Two videogame–mad teens find their lazy Sunday hijacked by a nosey neighbour and stubborn pizza delivery man in this breezy, flavoursome…
Eurotrip (2004): Dir. Jeff Schaffer
Feat. Scott Mechlowicz, Jacob Pitts, Michelle Trachtenberg…; The makers of ROADTRIP detour into the (moderately) 'bad taste' potential of a European holiday, as an American student attempts to track down a…
First Daughter (2004): Dir. Forest Whitaker
Feat. Katie Holmes, Mark Blucas, Michael Keaton; Katie Holmes scrubs up nicely as the daughter of the US President heading off to college for an inexperienced taste of freedom, inevitably getting…
Garden State (2004): Dir. Zach Braff
Feat. Zach Braff, Natalie Portman, Ian Holm…; Sitcom actor Zach Braff compliments his career in "Scrubs" as the ambitious writer, director and star of this personal, melancholy comedy that became…
Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle (Harold and Kumar get the Munchies) (2004): Dir. Danny Leiner
Feat. Kal Penn, John Cho; An ethnic spin on the low–brow youth comedy formula from the dir. of DUDE, WHERE'S MY CAR that prays at the altar of dope and junk…
Mean Girls (2004): Dir. Mark Waters
Feat. Lindsay Lohan, Lacey Chabert, Tina Fey…; The appealing Lindsay Lohan plays a teenager who moves from her African jungle home (her parents are zoologists) to the jungle of a Chicago…
Napoleon Dynamite (2004): Dir. Jared Hess
Feat. Jon Heder, Jon Gries, Aaron Ruell…; Destined for cult status, this plays like a high school comedy made by its alienated students, with its quirky in–jokes and non–sequiturs…
Raise Your Voice (2004): Dir. Sean McNamara
Feat. Hilary Duff, John Corbett, Rita Wilson…; The fetching Hilary Duff plays an aspiring young singer from Arizona, who after the tragic death of her brother, elopes to a music–training…
Saved! (2004): Dir. Brian Dannelly
Feat. Jena Malone, Mandy Moore, Macaulay Culkin…; Satire of 90s Christian teen mores sees Jena Malone ostracised by her righteous friends after becoming pregnant. Surprising lack of bite is…
Sleepover (2004): Dir. Joe Nussbaum
Feat. Alexa Vega, Mika Boorem, Jane Lynch…; The 'tweenie' star of SPY KIDS, Alexa Vega, ventures into more conventional mission with this slightly tweaked high–school comedy in which…
Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! (2004): Dir. Robert Luketic
Feat. Kate Bosworth, Josh Duhamel, Topher Grace…; Quality fluff, with Bosworth playing a smalltown girl who wins the titular date, expecting a one–off evening, but gaining an ardent…
American Pie 3 (American Wedding) (2003): Dir. Jesse Dylan
Feat. Jason Biggs, Eugene Levy, Seann William Scott; Third in the series of raunchy–on–top comedies, this offers little that's new, but does manage to be better than expected. With two of…
Battle of Shaker Heights, The (2003): Dir. Efram Potelle, Kyle Rankin
Feat. Shia LaBeouf, Elden Henson, Amy Smart…; This product of the "Project Greenlight" film–making reality–TV is a a light but engaging story of a young war–reenactment…
Bookies (2003): Dir. Mark Illsley
Feat. Nick Stahl, Lukas Haas, Rachael Leigh Cook…; Four college friends become small–time bookies, only to find their world spinning dangerously out of control when their greed attracts the…
Bright Young Things (2003): Dir. Stephen Fry
Feat. Emily Mortimer, Stephen Campbell Moore, Dan Aykroyd…; Set among the aspirant youth of 1930s Britain, this fresh satirical comedy marks a promising debut for dir. Fry, even if the drama is sliced a little…
Camp (2003): Dir. Todd Graff
Feat. Daniel Letterle, Joanna Chilcoat, Don Dixon; A heart–on–its–sleeve musical set an American summer camp for 'artistic' teenagers, in which individual fears and hopes find group…
Cheetah Girls, The (2003): Dir. Oz Scott
Feat. Raven -Symone, Adrienne Bailon, Sabrina Bryan…; Bubblegum pop teen chick flick following four New York teens trying to make it big in the music world who end up having to choose between fame and…
Cromartie High School (TV Series) (Sakigake!! Kuromati Kôkô) (2003): Dir. Hiroaki Sakurai; The zany and hilarious episodes in the life of a teenage boy who ends up at a rough public school, peopled by an array of thugs, robots, a gorilla…
Girl Next Door, The (2003): Dir. Luke Greenfield
Feat. Emile Hirsch, Elisha Cuthbert, James Remar…; Cute sex comedy about a high–school virgin who falls in love with his next–door neighbour, whom he soon discovers is a former porn…
Just Married (2003): Dir. Shawn Levy
Feat. Ashton Kutcher, Brittany Murphy; Comedy which contrives a juvenile romance between two youngsters who meet on a beach, then hurriedly tie the knot. Their honeymoon in Europe turns…
Love Me If You Dare (Jeux d'enfants) (2003): Dir. Yann Samuell
Feat. Marion Cotillard, Guillaume Canet; Two French kids develop an intense relationship through escalating games of "dare" that bond and haunt them through a turbulent teenage and…
Noi Albinoi (Noi the Albino) (2003): Dir. Dagur Kari
Feat. Tomas Lemarquis, Pröstur Leó Gunnarsson; Distinctive drama about a 'gifted' 17–year–old who rebels against the limits of life in a remote Icelandic town. Brimming with…
Rage in Placid Lake, The (2003): Dir. Tony McNamara
Feat. Ben Lee, Rose Byrne, Miranda Richardson…; Tale of an eccentric bullied teenager, this mordant comedy executes its satire of abnormality without mercy. The titular Lake (Ben Lee)…
School of Rock (2003): Dir. Richard Linklater
Feat. Jack Black, Joan Cusack, Mike White; A must for rock fans of all ages, this hilarious, tongue–in–cheek tribute to rock music is charged by the head–banging enthusiasm…
Ali G In Da House (2002): Dir. Mark Mylod
Feat. Sacha Baron Cohen; Sacha Baron Cohen and his wildly successfully small–screen alter–ego take to the feature film narrative like a duck to water in this…
Blurred (2002): Dir. Evan Clarry
Feat. Matthew Newton, Craig Homer, Kristian Schmid…; Teen comedy follows a group of 'schoolies' – teenagers on a summer bender in Queensland, Australia – as they drink, root, carouse and…
Crossroads (2002): Dir. Tamra Davis
Feat. Britney Spears, Zoe Saldana, Taryn Manning…; Britney Spears hits the screen and the road as a teen searching for her long–lost mother. A couple of pals with their own ‘issues’…
Igby Goes Down (2002): Dir. Burr Steers
Feat. Kieran Culkin, Claire Danes, Jeff Goldblum…; More than meets the eye in this indie New York satire about an over–educated ‘slacker’ experiencing growing pains amid upper…
Orange County (2002): Dir. Jake Kasdan
Feat. Colin Hanks, Jack Black, Harold Ramis…; Wannabe teen author Colin Hanks (son of Tom) aspires to an ivory–tower creative–writing course but first must extricate himself from a…
Ping Pong (2002): Dir. Fumisiko Sori
Feat. Yôsuke Kubozuka, Arata; A madcap, yet gently humourous Japanese sports tale, set around two table tennis hotshots (Kubozuka and Arata) preparing for a ferocious battle at a…
Raising Victor Vargas (2002): Dir. Peter Sollett
Feat. Victor Rasuk, Judy Marte; A sensitive, appealing urban coming of age story set in a Hispanic New York subculture that rewardingly favours low–key incident over…
Spanish Apartment, The (L'Auberge Espagnole) (2002): Dir. Cedric Klapisch
Feat. Romain Duris, Audrey Tautou, Judith Godreche…; Summery comedy set in a Barcelona apartment, where six international exchange students variously mingle, cavort and fall messily in love. Although…
Sugar and Spice (2002): Dir. Francine McDougall
Feat. Mena Suvari, Marley Shelton; A group of 'sugar and spice' cheerleaders plan a bank–robbery in this passably efficient black comedy. Despite the array of stereotypes, this…
40 Days and 40 Nights (2001): Dir. Michael Lehmann
Feat. Josh Hartnett, Shannyn Sossamon; 'Troubled' by the fallout from his last break–up Josh Hartnett decides that to break out of serial monogamy he must abstain from sex for Lent…
American Pie 2 (2001): Dir. J.B. Rogers
Feat. Jason Biggs, Chris Klein, Natasha Lyonne…; A second helping of pie is likely to cause groans of indigestion for all but the most unsophisticated palates, mincing the same teen hormonal…
Chain of Fools (2001): Dir. Traktor
Feat. Salma Hayek, Steve Zahn, Jeff Goldblum…; Comic–thriller concerning a stash of stolen gold, notable more for a great cast than for comic thrills, though it has its admirers.
Get Over It (2001): Dir. Tommy O’Haver
Feat. Kirsten Dunst, Ben Foster, Melissa Sagemiller…; Although helped by the charisma of Kirsten Dunst, this teen–movie retreads many of the usual formulas, with hero Ben Foster losing his…
Interstate 60 (2001): Dir. Bob Gale
Feat. James Marsden, Gary Oldman, Kurt Russell…; An appealingly quirky teen road movie from the writer of the BACK TO THE FUTURE series, in which Marsden sets out on the mythical American highway,…
Josie and the Pussycats (2001): Dir. Deborah Kaplan, Harry Elfont
Feat. Alan Cumming, Parker Posey, Rachael Leigh Cook…; Cute, but declawed pop–biz satire derived from an ‘Archie’ comic spinoff (and TV series), in which the titular girl–band use their…
Not Another Teen Movie (2001): Dir. Joel Gallen
Feat. Chris Evans, Chyler Leigh, Molly Ringwald…; Yes, yet another teen movie. Assembling the cliches, obligatory scenes and stereotypes of the US High–School comedy, this trots out an…
Princess Diaries, The (2001): Dir. Garry Marshall
Feat. Julie Andrews, Anne Hathaway; PYGMALION–style tale of an initially gawky Anne Hathaway getting made over as a princess, that doesn’t exactly get the royal treatment…
Say It Isn't So (2001): Dir. J.B. Rogers
Feat. Heather Graham, Chris Klein, Sally Field; A romantic chase–comedy with a difference, this Farrelly Bros (KINGPIN) produced effort sees young couple Heather Graham and Chris Klein split…
Scary Movie 2 (2001): Dir. Keenan Ivory Wayans
Feat. Tori Spelling, James Woods; The Wayans clan (Marlon, Shawn and Keenan) again agreeably pastiche the (already self–parodic) SCREAM slasher genre, yet the law of diminishing…
Secret Life of Us, The (TV Series) (2001): Feat. Claudia Karvan, Deborah Mailman; Surprisingly consistent dramedy set in funky, downtown Melbourne amongst a group of romantically ambitious young people. Maintains a quirky lightness…
Van Wilder - Party Liason (2001): Dir. Walt Becker
Feat. Tara Reid, Ryan Reynolds, Tim Matheson; Freewheeling 'college comedy' in which perenial undergrad Reynolds must use his social skills to make a living after his allowance is cut off. Fairly…
Wet Hot American Summer (2001): Dir. David Wain
Feat. Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Marguerite Moreau…; Set in the charmingly unhip summer–camp 'Camp Firewood', this wettingly hilarious satire of 1970s and 80s culture, mores and cliches is…
Y Tu Mama Tambien (And Your Mother Too!) (2001): Dir. Alfonso Cuaron
Feat. Maribel Verdu, Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna; Acclaimed universally (and here in NZ beset with censorship wrangles), this Mexican joyride, taken by two teenage boys and an older woman, is indeed…
Angst (2000): Dir. Daniel Nettheim
Feat. Sam Lewis, Jessica Napier, Justin Smith; Four post–teenagers search for their place in a world revolving around money, sex, booze, pop culture and a shared interest in…
Bad Girls From Valley High (A Fate Totally Worse Than Death) (2000): Dir. John T. Kretchmer
Feat. Christopher Lloyd; A good premise lifts this high–school comedy from out of the herd, with three socially ambitious girls having a curse placed on them which…
Dude, Where's My Car? (2000): Dir. Danny Leiner
Feat. Ashton Kutcher, Seann William Scott, Kristy Swanson; No–brainer Californian laughs, sets up stoners Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott (AMERICAN PIE) with ‘morning after’ amnesia and a lot…
He Died with a Felafel in His Hand (2000): Dir. Richard Lowenstein
Feat. Noah Taylor, Sophie Lee, Ian Hughes; Ramshackle Aussie comedy based on the cult novel, that follows the fortunes of blocked wannabe writer Noah Taylor in a series of flatting…
Hopeless (2000): Dir. Stephen Hickey
Feat. Philip Pinner, Scott Wills, Adam Gardiner; Charming enough to have inspired a 26–episode TV series, this rookie Kiwi comedy boasts a genuine low–budget verve, a charismatic cast of…
Kevin and Perry Go Large (2000): Dir. Ed Bye
Feat. Harry Enfield, Kathy Burke, Rhys Ifans; Feature–length version of a sketch from Harry Enfield's comedy show that dresses up the late–thirtysomething and cohort Kathy Burke in…
Kevin's Guide to Being a Teenager (TV Series) (2000): Dir. Dewi Humphreys
Feat. Harry Enfield; Kevin (Harry Enfield) and his odd–bird disciple Perry, two disaffected, DJ–worshipping teens, give us the run–down on how to hate…
Kombi Nation (2000): Dir. Grant Lahood
Feat. Gentiane Lupi, Jason Whyte, Loren Taylor (Horsley)…; Four young Kiwis embark on a troubled comic road trip around Europe in the iconic Kombi van. Lupi plays a beer–swilling lass who, fresh from…
Loser (2000): Dir. Amy Heckerling
Feat. Jason Biggs, Mena Suvari, Greg Kinnear; AMERICAN PIE's Jason Biggs and Mena Suvari lend appeal and chemistry to this straightforward geek–gets–girl film from genre veteran, Amy…
Road Trip (2000): Dir. Todd Phillips
Feat. Tom Green; How you take this sophomoric comedy depends on your appreciation of the bizarro hi–jinks of MTV 'personality' Tom Green, or just plain how old…
Scary Movie (2000): Dir. Keenan Ivory Wayans
Feat. Anna Faris, Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans; A mostly on–target spoof of SCREAM and its progeny from the Wayans' Brothers, the comic clan still most noted for their 'In Living Colour' TV…
Where the Heart Is (2000): Dir. Matt Williams
Feat. Natalie Portman, Ashley Judd, Stockard Channing; A likeable chick flick tracking Natalie Portman's path from pregnant, jilted trailer–trash, towards some kind of happiness. The movie's…
10 Things I Hate About You (1999): Dir. Gil Junger
Feat. Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles; Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew is shrink–wrapped as '90s high–school hi–jinks. A protective Dad forbids his nubile daughter…
Attack the Gas Station (1999): Dir. Sang-Jin Kim
Feat. Sung-jae Lee, Oh-seong Yu, Seong-jin Kang…; Four disaffected youths take hostage an entire gas station in this subversive, blackly–comic masterpiece from Korea. Gleefully tearing apart…
Detroit Rock City (1999): Dir. Adam Rifkin
Feat. Edward Furlong, Giuseppe Andrews, James DeBello…; In 1978, Edward Furlong and his garage band pals are perhaps the most devoted KISS fans in the world, but the road to see their idols in concert is…
Dick (1999): Dir. Andrew Fleming
Feat. Kirsten Dunst, Michelle Williams; A political satire as faux–history lesson, this kitsch–nostalgic pageant proffers two teenage girls as the mysterious informants known as…
Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999): Dir. Michael Patrick Jann
Feat. Kirsten Dunst, Denise Richards, Kirstie Alley…; The 'mock documentary' format entirely befits the story of rabidly ambitious young debutantes vying for local representation in the Miss Teen…
Election (1999): Dir. Alexander Payne
Feat. Matthew Broderick, Reese Witherspoon; Mid–life crisis intersects with teenage foibles in this cheerily cynical high–school tale for adults, as crumpled teacher Matthew…
Freaks and Geeks (TV Series) (1999): Dir. Judd Apatow
Feat. Linda Cardellini, James Franco, Jason Segel…; Much loved but unfortunately short lived classic about two distinct groups of teenagers dealing with high school in the eighties. Created by a…
Girl (1999): Dir. Jonathan Kahn
Feat. Dominique Swain; Hybrid of the teen–flick with grunge–rock movie, starring Dominique Swain (LOLITA) as a brainy virgin who decides to fall in with some…
Go (1999): Dir. Doug Liman
Feat. Sarah Polley, Katie Holmes, Jay Mohr…; The director of SWINGERS switches focus to the reckless chic of LA's twentysomething rave scene, brandishing a slew of racy taboos, an impossibly…
Looking for Alibrandi (1999): Dir. Kate Woods
Feat. Pia Miranda, Greta Scacchi, Anthony LaPaglia; Refreshing rites of passage tale from Australia, based by screenwriter Melina Marchetta's on her bestselling novel. In mixing a which guy is best…
Never Been Kissed (1999): Dir. Raja Gosnell
Feat. Drew Barrymore, David Arquette, Leelee Sobieski; A 25yr old cub–reporter, Drew Barrymore must surmount her teenage fears of being uncool when she goes undercover to a high–school to…
Pecker (1999): Dir. John Waters
Feat. Edward Furlong, Christina Ricci, Lili Taylor…; Edward Furlong is niftily cast as Pecker, an innocent teen amateur photographer who unwittingly becomes the toast of the art world, thereby inviting…
Sample People (1999): Dir. Clinton Smith
Feat. Kylie Minogue, Ben Mendelsohn; Four groups of Sydney–siders sample the city's wares on a hot summer weekend in this hi–energy, determinedly funky Aussie youth pic that…
Skipped Parts (1999): Dir. Tamra Davis
Feat. Jennifer Jason Leigh, Bug Hall, Brad Renfro…; Set in the early 1960s, this begins as a typical coming–of–age comedy, with Jennifer Jason Leigh and her son shifting to Smalltown, USA…
SLC Punk! (1999): Dir. James Merendino
Feat. Matthew Lillard, Michael Goorjian, Annabeth Gish; Based on a comic strip, this cartoonish comedy follows the ‘rebellious’ antics of Stevo and friends, the only punks in arch–conservative…
Teaching Mrs. Tingle (1999): Dir. Kevin Williamson
Feat. Helen Mirren, Marisa Couglan, Barry Thomas…; Falsely accused of cheating, bright spark student Katie Holmes and pals resort to holding the vindictive teacher responsible to ransom, but…
Varsity Blues (1999): Dir. Brian Robbins
Feat. James Van Der Beek, Jon Voight; Reluctant star quarterback James Van Der Beek (from TV's Dawson's Creek) takes a stand against team coach Jon Voight's voracious pursuit of sporting…
Virtual Sexuality (1999): Dir. Nick Hurran
Feat. Laura Fraser; Putting a digital spin on the tried–and–true 'perfect–partner' concept, we have teen Laura Fraser so anxious to lose her virginity…
Whiteboys (1999): Dir. Marc Levin
Feat. Danny Hoch, Dash Mihok, Mark Webber…; Wannabe honky rappers Danny Hoch, Dash Mihok and Mark Webber take their many–times–removed Iowa version of hiphop to the streets of…
200 Cigarettes (1998): Dir. Risa Bramon Garcia
Feat. Ben Affleck, Martha Plimpton, Jay Mohr…; An all–youth ensemble sample some Big Apple nightlife in the last remaining hours of 1981 before mingling at a precarious loft party.…
Butcher Boy, The (1998): Dir. Neil Jordan
Feat. Eamonn Owens, Stephen Rea, Fiona Shaw; Despairing yet distinctive black comedy depicts the insanity implicit in a boy's view of his small town in Ireland, circa 1962. Adopts a lurid…
Can't Hardly Wait (1998): Dir. Deborah Kaplan
Feat. Jennifer Love Hewitt; Getting good party–points out of the classic formula, this perky high–school comedy unravels the limited world–views of its…
Dead Man's Curve (1998): Dir. Dan Rosen
Feat. Matthew Lillard, Keri Russell, Dana Delaney; Taking malicious advantage of a school–policy loophole, two desperate students conspire to dress up the murder of their room–mate as a…
Jawbreaker (1998): Dir. Darren Stein
Feat. Rose McGowan; A trio of teen–queens (incl. Rose McGowan), used to inflicting tongue–lashings on their classmates go onto the back foot when they…
Opposite of Sex, The (1998): Dir. Don Roos
Feat. Christina Ricci, Martin Donovan, Lisa Kudrow…; Teenage tearaway Christina Ricci sets off a wild goose chain of frantically convoluted events when she steals her gay half–brother's boyfriend…
Outside Providence (1998): Dir. Michael Corrente
Feat. Alec Baldwin; The Farrelly Brothers venture towards the deeper end of comedy with a, by turns, idiosyncratic and witless farce about a 70s era teen–stoner…
Pleasantville (1998): Dir. Gary Ross
Feat. Tobey Maguire, Reese Witherspoon, William H. Macy…; A pair of nineties teenagers are beamed into a starched black and white 50s TV show, where their modern 'freedoms' gradually liberate/corrupt the…
Rushmore (1998): Dir. Wes Anderson
Feat. Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Olivia Williams; Bamboozling minds everywhere is this oblique comedy from Wes Anderson (BOTTLE ROCKET), re–envisioning that Hollywood mainstay, Highschool USA,…
She's All That (1998): Dir. Robert Iscove
Feat. Freddie Prinze Jnr., Anna Paquin; Charisma of rising star Freddie Prinze Jnr. (a less affected Keanu Reeves) relieves some of the predictability of this high–school variation of…
Slums of Beverly Hills (1998): Dir. Tamara Jenkins
Feat. Marisa Tomei, Alan Arkin; A New York teen comes of age while being dragged around various LA hovels by her poor–schmuck father (Alan Arkin) and her two irritating…
Young Person's Guide to Becoming a Rock Star, The (1998): Dir. Sheree Folkson, Kieron Walsh
Feat. Ciaran McMenamin, Simone Lahbib, Nicole Stapleton…; Young persons are the target of the whimsical Scottish TV series following the fortunes of an eclectic rock group who go from garage nobodies to gain…
Daria (TV Series) (1997-2002): Derisive cult animation series starring the ultimate high school anti–heroine – Daria Morgendorffer – a bookish student who keeps…
Trojan War (1997): Dir. George Huang
Feat. Will Friedle, Jennifer Love Hewitt; Comic misadventures beset a young turk who scours the town in search of a condom in order to consummate with the ready–and–willing girl…
Twin Town (1997): Dir. Kevin Allen
Feat. Llyr Ifans, Rhys Ifans, Dorien Thomas…; The creators of TRAINSPOTTING lend their executive stamp to this anarchic tale of village dysfunction, set in a quiet Welsh community. Crooked…
Bonjour Timothy (1996): Dir. Wayne Tourell
Feat. Dean O'Gorman, Sabine Karsenti, Angela Bloomfield; Dean O'Gorman and Sabine Karsenti get a dose of culture shock as international exchange students in this Kiwi–French Canadian…
High School High (1996): Dir. Hart Bochner
Feat. Jon Lovitz, Louise Fletcher; THE NAKED GUN parody–squad punish the college delinquent genre (DANGEROUS MINDS, HIGHER LEARNING etc). Jokes mainly aim below the belt, and…
Love and Other Catastrophes (1996): Dir. Emma-Kate Croghan
Feat. Frances O’Connor, Alice Garner, Radha Mitchell…; The indie success story of '96 was made by 23–year–old Croghan on a shoestring with her Melbourne film school buddies. Love is a…
Scream (1996): Dir. Wes Craven
Feat. Neve Campbell, Drew Barrymore, Skeet Ulrich…; The horror genre gets a long overdue (if tongue–in–cheek) revamp but you needn't be an aficionado to experience the thrill of this…
Size of Watermelons, The (1996): Dir. Kari Skogland
Feat. Paul Rudd, Ione Skye; Bored college geek Paul Rudd rivals his peers' lofty ambitions to be rock stars by deciding on a whim to become a film–maker. Essentially a…
Clueless (1995): Dir. Amy Heckerling
Feat. Alicia Silverstone, Brittany Murphy, Stacey Dash…; This nifty spoof of '90s Californian teen culture will speak volumes to its generation, who are sure to remember this passionately in years to come.…
Empire Records (1995): Dir. Allan Moyle
Feat. Liv Tyler, Robin Tunney, Rory Cochrane; Multiple crises present themselves for the teenage staff of a swanky independent record store about to be consumed by a corporate chain. Utterly…
Muriel's Wedding (1994): Dir. P.J. Hogan
Feat. Toni Collette, Rachel Griffiths, Bill Hunter; Crowd–pleasing suburban fairy tale replays the ugly duckling motif and kitsch comedy from STRICTLY BALLROOM, but gone is the modest charm…
Pcu: Pit Party (1994): Dir. Hart Bochner
Feat. Jeremy Piven, David Spade, Jessica Walter…; Boisterous, ANIMAL HOUSE–style campus comedy takes an unabashed poke at that '90s catch–cry – 'political correctness'. Beer…
Reality Bites (1994): Dir. Ben Stiller
Feat. Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, Ben Stiller; This 'Gen X' movie works as romantic comedy but falls short of its mandate to be a mouthpiece for contemporary youth. Redeemed by the…
Stoned Age, The (1994): Dir. James Melkonian
Feat. Michael Kopelow, Bradford Tatum; PC–free teen comedy set in the hazy '70s is no DAZED AND CONFUSED but it is entertaining in a knucklehead kinda way. Plot involves two friends…
Threesome (1994): Dir. Andrew Fleming
Feat. Lara Flynn Boyle, Stephen Baldwin, Josh Charles; Despite its prurient title, there is much more meat and maturity in this this 'Gen–X' romantic sandwich than the higher profile REALITY BITES.…
Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994): Dir. Wes Craven
Feat. Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund, Miko Hughes; Ingenious post–script to the tired NIGHTMARE ON ELM ST. franchise in which castmembers of the previous films (playing themselves), too, become…
Clerks (1993): Dir. Kevin Smith
Feat. Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Jason Mewes…; Made for $27,000 in the convenience store where the director (then) worked, this follows a rude and bizarre day in the lives of two lowly grocery…
Dazed and Confused (1993): Dir. Richard Linklater
Feat. Jason London, Rory Cochrane, Matthew McConaughey…; Set on campus in 1976, this is a marvellous youth–movie/nostalgia–trip which treats the hopelessly insignificant as a source of constant…
Heartbreak Kid, The (1993): Dir. Michael Jenkins
Feat. Alex Dimitriades; Alex Dimitriades plays a hunky college student who becomes romantically entangled with his 22–year–old teacher. Sensitively drawn…
My Father, the Hero (1993): Dir. Steve Miner
Feat. Gerard Depardieu, Katherine Heigl, Lauren Hutton; Innocuous English language retread of MON PERE CE HEROS, with Gerard Depardieu in the title role he played in the original.
Sumo Do, Sumo Don't (1993): Dir. Masayuki Suo
Feat. Masahiro Motoki, Misa Shimizu, Naoto Takenaka; Unabashed low–brow comedy about a gang of misfits who tussle it out in a Tokyo University wrestling ring, which also serves as the circle in…
Wayne's World 2 (1993): Dir. Stephen Surjik
Feat. Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Christopher Walken…; Party time for Mike Myers and Dana Carvey again in this not–quite–so–excellent sequel.
Class Act (1992): Dir. Randall Miller
Feat. Meshach Taylor, Rick Ducommun; Funky feature with HOUSE PARTY rap act Kid 'n' Play as a straight–A student and street–wise homeboy who have their identities switched at…
Encino Man (California Man) (1992): Dir. Les Mayfield
Feat. Sean Astin, Brendan Fraser, Pauly Shore; Debut vehicle for MTV guru Shore about a youthful cave–man who becomes an unlikely fraternity hero when he is awakened in contemporary L.A.
Singles (1992): Dir. Cameron Crowe
Feat. Bridget Fonda, Matt Dillon, Campbell Scott…; Despite the grungy soundtrack and the Seattle setting, this ain't a gritty depiction of long–hairs trying to put their anarchic stamp on the…
Wayne's World (1992): Dir. Penelope Spheeris
Feat. Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Rob Lowe; Adapted from Mike Myers and Dana Carvey's Saturday Night Live TV skit, this full–length running gag makes the most of likeable loonies Wayne…
Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey (1991): Dir. Peter Hewitt
Feat. Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, William Sadler…; Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter return as a couple of crazed teenagers who are sent on a Bogus Journey through a round trip to heaven and hell in this…
Commitments, The (1991): Dir. Alan Parker
Feat. Colm Meaney; Surprise hit simply chronicles the rise and fall of a Dublin soul band, formed by a group of teens with naught better to do. Unashamedly light fare,…
Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead (1991): Dir. Stephen Herek
Feat. Christina Applegate, Danielle Harris; Married With Children bimbo Christina Applegate stars one of a bunch of brats who have to fend for themselves when their geriatric minder carks it.…
Flirting (1991): Dir. John Duigan
Feat. Thandiwe Newton, Nicole Kidman, Noah Taylor; Award–winning sequel to THE YEAR MY VOICE BROKE sensitively explores adolescent life in two single–sex high schools in rural Australia,…
Mystery Date (1991): Dir. Jonathan Wacks
Feat. Ethan Hawke, Teri Polo, Brian McNamara…; A big–haired Ethan Hawke stars in this zany teen comedy as a love struck teen whose older brother sets him up with the girl next door.
Welcome Home Roxy Carmichael (1991): Dir. Jim Abrahams
Feat. Winona Ryder, Jeff Daniels, Frances Fisher…; Fun vehicle for Winona Ryder. Her patented awkward teen is one of the townfolk who eagerly await the homecoming of their prized celebrity, Roxy…
Big Steal, The (1990): Dir. Nadia Tass
Feat. Ben Mendelsohn, Claudia Karvan; Romantic romp from the makers of MALCOLM, possesses the charm and wit that made that film memorable. Teenager Ben Mendelsohn wins a date with the…
Freshman, The (1990): Dir. Andrew Bergman
Feat. Marlon Brando, Matthew Broderick, Penelope Ann Miller…; Chucklesome comedy finds NYC film student Broderick forced to run errands for small time mobster Brando (who does a mirror–perfect parody of…
Nasty Girl, The (1990): Dir. Michael Verhoeven
Feat. Lena Stolze, Hans-Reinhard Muller, Monika Baumgartner; Poignant comedy about an essay prize–winning scholar who creates community havoc when she decides to write about her home town during the Third…
Where the Heart Is (1990): Dir. John Boorman
Feat. Uma Thurman, Crispin Glover, Dabney Coleman…; Trendy New York teens are forced out of their parents house to live in a ramshackle dump, and learn the ways of the real world. Kooky fun.
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989): Dir. Stephen Herek
Feat. Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, George Carlin; Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter play a couple of crazed teenagers who are sent on a Excellent Adventure, collecting famous historical figures via a…
Heathers (1989): Dir. Michael Lehmann
Feat. Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty; 'Heathers' are an elite group of glamourous, stuck–up brat–girls who gradually meet their maker courtesy of a rebel Heather (Winona…
Metropolitan (1989): Dir. Whit Stillman
Feat. Carolyn Farina, Edward Clements, Chris Eigeman; Sundance–winning arthouse hit focuses on the disappearing Manhattan debutante scene. An unknown ensemble play upper–class adolescents who…
Press Gang (TV Series) (1989-1993): Feat. Julia Sawalha, Dexter Fletcher; Much–loved British TV series follows the fortunes of a newspaper, the 'Junior Gazette', run by a troublesome crowd of teenage students in North…
Say Anything (1989): Dir. Cameron Crowe
Feat. John Cusack, Ione Skye, John Mahoney; Fresh light is cast on the East–end boy meets West–end girl scenario. Satisfying teen fare.
First of the Summer Wine (TV Series) (1988): Feat. David Fenwick, Paul Oldham, Paul Wyett…; Good–natured prequel to the longest running sitcom shows heroes Clegg and Compo's youth leading up to the second World War.
Hairspray (1988): Dir. John Waters
Feat. Divine, John Waters; Divine stars in his/her final film, heading a suitably whacko cast in the first PG–rated feature from long–time mentor John Waters. A…
Mystic Pizza (1988): Dir. Donald Petrie
Feat. Julia Roberts, Lili Taylor, Annabeth Gish; Julia Roberts' star quality shines in this, her debut film, contrasting the love–lives of three pizza waitresses in a town called Mystic.…
Prince of Pennsylvania (1988): Dir. Ron Nyswaner
Feat. Keanu Reeves, Fred Ward, Bonnie Bedelia…; Fans of Keanu Reeves will find small delight in the hunky one cutting his teeth in this often amusing comedy as a free–spirited teenage misfit.
Satisfaction (Girls of Summer) (1988): Dir. Joan Freeman
Feat. Justine Bateman, Julia Roberts, Liam Neeson…; Flavour of the '80s, Justine Bateman (TV's FAMILY TIES), stole the limelight from her then fledgling co–star, Julia Roberts, in this hoary girl…
School Daze (1988): Dir. Spike Lee
Feat. Laurence Fishburne, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn…; Spike Lee's black high–school musical is perhaps over–ambitious, but the disorder is compensated in sheer exuberance and…
She's Having a Baby (1988): Dir. John Hughes
Feat. Kevin Bacon, Elizabeth McGovern, Alec Baldwin…; Another John Hughes hit in which young Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth McGovern embark on marriage and parenthood.
Degrassi Junior High (TV Series) (1987-1991): An unusually entertaining 1980s Canadian high school drama gathered a certain cult following around its charismatic young cast and well–judged…
Dirty Dancing (1987): Dir. Emile Ardolino
Feat. Jennifer Grey, Patrick Swayze, Jerry Orbach…; Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze set the woods on fire with their passionate dance–moves in a 1960s American holiday resort. Wildly successful…
Rita, Sue and Bob Too (1987): Dir. Alan Clarke
Feat. Michelle Holmes, Siobhan Finneran; Frank sexuality has rarely been as squarely depicted as in this tale of two naive schoolgirls growing up in working class Liverpool. Bleak and darkly…
Some Kind of Wonderful (1987): Dir. Howard Deutch
Feat. Mary Stuart Masterson, Eric Stoltz, Lea Thompson; Some wonderful romantic angst from John Hughes' pen, with Mary Stuart Masterson in love with Eric Stoltz in love with Lea Thompson.
Summer School (1987): Dir. Carl Reiner
Feat. Mark Harmon, Kirstie Alley, Robin Thomas…; Goofy 80's High School comedy starring Mark Harman as a gym teacher with big vacation plans who reluctantly agrees to teach a summer English class…
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986): Dir. John Hughes
Feat. Matthew Broderick; Probably the teen comedy of the '80s, with Matthew Broderick as the crafty 17–year–old Ferris who skips school to takes his friends on a…
Lucas (1986): Dir. David Seltzer
Feat. Corey Haim, Kerri Green, Charlie Sheen…; Genuinely sympathetic account of the teenage love of 'dweeb' Corey Haim for an older schoolmate (Green), through infatuation, rejection and...…
Pretty in Pink (1986): Dir. John Hughes
Feat. Molly Ringwald, Harry Dean Stanton; Molly Ringwald faces some tricky teenage dilemmas in John Hughes' quintessentially '80s rite–of–passage.
Soul Man (1986): Dir. Steve Miner
Feat. C. Thomas Howell, Rae Dawn Chong, Arye Gross…; A privileged white student disguises himself as a black man in order to win a Harvard Law School scholarship, in this disappointing "blackface"…
Space Camp (1986): Dir. Harry Winer
Feat. Kate Capshaw, Kelly Preston, Larry B. Scott…; Good natured 80's adolescent romp in which a group of young attendees of a space camp find themselves in space for real when their shuttle is…
Weird Science (1986): Dir. John Hughes
Feat. Anthony Michael Hall, Kelly Le Brock, Bill Paxton…; Two computer nerds generate their fantasy woman in the form of Kelly Le Brock. Innocuous teen fun.
Better Off Dead (1985): Dir. Savage Steve Holland
Feat. John Cusack, Amanda Wyss, Donald Ogden Stewart…; Skewed version of the 80s teenage comedy which follows the plight of likeable John Cusack after he is dumped by his girlfriend. After many original…
Breakfast Club, The (1985): Dir. John Hughes
Feat. Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall…; Five teenagers do detention together in this John Hughes classic.
Catholic Boys (Heaven Help Us) (1985): Dir. Michael Dinner
Feat. Mary Stuart Masterson, John Heard, Donald Sutherland…; Slight, but engaging comedy set around a group of Roman Catholic schoolboys and their misadventures with the opposite sex.
Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985): Dir. Alan Metter
Feat. Sarah Jessica Parker, Helen Hunt, Lee Montgomery…; An early lead–role for Sarah Jessica Parker (SEX AND THE CITY) as a teenager frustrated from entering a dance–contest by her conservative…
Hamburger: The Motion Picture (1985): Feat. Leigh McCloskey; Typical 80's teen sex comedy largely inspired by fast food jobs and the Hamburger University program of the McDonald's Corporation.
Legend of Billie Jean, The (1985): Dir. Matthew Robbins
Feat. Helen Slater, Christian Slater, Keith Gordon…; Under–rated 80's youth drama about a young woman and her pals who become media–hyped "legends" after an incident involving a gun and…
Mischief (1985): Dir. Mel Damski
Feat. Catherine Mary Stewart, Kelly Preston, Chris Nash…; Nostalgic teen comedy set in 50's Ohio, where an introverted teen attempts to win the love of the school heart throb, while his extroverted friend…
Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4, The (1985): Dir. Peter Sasdy
Feat. Gian Sammarco, Julie Walters, Lulu …; Engaging TV adaptation of Sue Townsend's much–loved book about the pains of adolescence chronicled by a teenage diarist as he struggles to come…
Teen Wolf / Teen Wolf Too (1985-1986): Dir. Rod Daniel, Christopher Leitch
Feat. Michael J. Fox, Jason Bateman; In TEEN WOLF, Fox plays a high–school student who discovers he has lycanthropic tendencies. The sequel TEEN WOLF TOO continues the story in…
Flamingo Kid, The (1984): Dir. Garry Marshall
Feat. Matt Dillon; Amiable teen vehicle for Matt Dillon set at a 1950s holiday resort.
John Hughes Box Set (Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Weird Science) (1984-1986): Three classic 80s teen–flicks from the mastermind of writer/director John Hughes.
Revenge of the Nerds (1984): Dir. Jeff Kanew
Feat. Robert Carradine, Anthony Edwards; Distinguished among 80s comedies by its unique agenda in which two bespectacled, buck–toothed nerds battle it out with the college…
Sixteen Candles (1984): Dir. John Hughes
Feat. Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Michael Schoeffling…; Molly Ringwald became a star in this first of John Hughes' hip and eminently enjoyable movies about adolescence in the 1980s.
Risky Business (1983): Dir. Paul Brickman
Feat. Tom Cruise, Rebecca De Mornay; A kind of '80s update of THE GRADUATE, this imaginative comedy propelled a 17–year old Tom Cruise into the limelight. Uncommonly stylish and…
Valley Girl (1983): Dir. Martha Coolidge
Feat. Nicolas Cage, Deborah Foreman, Elizabeth Daily…; One of the coolest teen flicks of the early 80s exults a first starring role for Nicolas Cage as a Hollywood punk who crashes a suburban party and…
Diner (1982): Dir. Barry Levinson
Feat. Mickey Rourke, Ellen Barkin, Kevin Bacon…; Endearing, and enduring, tale of college friends growing up in the 1950s Baltimore was a box–office flop but soon found an enthusiastic…
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982): Dir. Amy Heckerling
Feat. Jennifer Jason Leigh, Sean Penn, Judge Reinhold…; This early–80s teen pic survives a lot better than most, finding surprisingly subtle shades of the adolescent experience amid some frank…
Grease 2 (1982): Dir. Patricia Brich
Feat. Maxwell Caulfield, Michelle Pfeiffer; Enjoyably bad reprise of the hit musical of 50s High School Americana, still gets by with a handful of good tunes and Michelle Pffiefer.
Square Pegs (TV Series) (1982-1983): Feat. Sarah Jessica Parker, Amy Linker, Jami Gertz…; Sassy high school comedy from the early 1980's centred around Sarah Jessica Parker and Amy Linker as two awkward teenage girls desperate to be…
Young Ones, The (TV Series) (1982-1984): Feat. Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmondson, Nigel Planer…; Off–the–wall, anarchic 80s sitcom about young rebels (liberal Rik, punk Vyvian, hippy Neil and bodgy Mike) co–habitating in a…
My Bodyguard (1980): Dir. Tony Bill
Feat. Chris Makepeace, Adam Baldwin, Matt Dillon…; A newcomer to a Chicago high school hires the biggest fellow student to be his 'bodyguard', especially to protect him from a lunch–money…
Up The Academy (1980): Dir. Robert Downey Snr.
Feat. Ron Leibman, Ralph Macchio, Tom Poston…; Mad Magazine jump on the "National Lampoon" bandwagon with this ANIMAL HOUSE cash–in about the outrageous antics of a group of teenage misfits…
Little Romance, A (1979): Dir. George Roy Hill
Feat. Laurence Olivier, Anna Massey, Arthur Hill…; Sweet minor comedy in which aged charmer Olivier persuades two teenage lovers – American boy, French girl – to run off together.…
Meatballs (1979): Dir. Ivan Reitman
Feat. Bill Murray; A laidback Bill Murray injects some meat into the summer camp cliche, here playing a trainee counselor in charge of a group of misfit stereotypes:…
Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979): Dir. Alan Arkush
Feat. P.J. Soles, Vince Van Patten, Clint Howard…; Pop–crazy student and 'Ramones' no. 1 fan, Riff Randell (PJ Soles) fights for her right to party against dragonlady principal Togar (Mary…
Grange Hill (TV Series) (1978-2008): Candid British kids series following the exploits of a group of school misfits dealing with the day–to–day struggles of life in a…
Grease (1977): Dir. Randal Kleiser
Feat. John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing…; Musical sensation set in a 1950s high–school was a box–office phenomenon, now an enduring classic. John Travolta, Olivia…
Skateboard (1977): Dir. George Gage
Feat. Leif Garrett, Allen Garfield, Kathleen Lloyd; Teen idol Leif Garrett is barely out of huggies to star in this quite entertaining cash–in on the first wave of the skateboard craze in the…
American Graffiti (1973): Dir. George Lucas
Feat. Ron Howard, Richard Dreyfuss; Seminal coming–of–age comedy set in '62 spawned a hit TV show (Happy Days), a mega–selling soundtrack and boosted many careers.
Girl Most Likely To, The (1973): Dir. Lee Philips
Feat. Stockard Channing, Edward Asner, Jim Backus; An 'ugly duckling' high–school student is transformed by plastic surgery and decides to wreak homicidal vengeance on former boyfriends and…
Carnal Knowledge (1971): Dir. Mike Nichols
Feat. Jack Nicholson, Art Garfunkel, Ann-Margret…; Classic from the early 70s 'zeitgeist', this funny yet sobering film chronicles the sex lives of two disparate men from high–school to…
Me, Natalie (1969): Dir. Fred Coe
Feat. Patty Duke, James Farentino, Salome Jens…; Thoughtful, though occasionally mawkish coming–of–age tale with Patty Duke as a young woman struggling with low self esteem and fighting…
Gidget (TV Series) (1965-1966): Feat. Sally Field, Don Porter, Betty Conner; Truly likeable television spinoff series of the 1959 movie, about a spunky young surfer girl (Field) who comes of age around her friends, solo Dad…
Bikini Beach (1964): Dir. William Asher
Feat. Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Keenan Wynn…; The third of the "Beach Party" movies starring peaches 'n' cream teens Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, this is arguably an improvement on both…
Tall Story (1960): Dir. Joshua Logan
Feat. Jane Fonda, Anthony Perkins; A young Jane Fonda makes her screen debut in this candy–coated comedy as a bubbly co–ed with romantic yearnings for basketballer Anthony…
Final Test, The (1953): Dir. Anthony Asquith
Feat. Jack Warner, Robert Morley, George Relph…; Gentle comedy of values has a famed cricketer making his way to the middle for one last innings. Meanwhile is son is torn between seeing dad bat one…
Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938): Dir. George B. Seitz
Feat. Mickey Rooney, Lewis Stone, Judy Garland…; Mickey Rooney stars in this early teenage rom–com as a ruddy–faced youth who becomes entangled with three different girls (Garland,…

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