Genre: Teen
Teen comedy plays growing up for laughs — the awkwardness, drama, and absurdity of adolescence turned into something to grin at.
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Carrie (1976)
Brian De Palma's 1976 King adaptation. Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, John Travolta supporting. Prom telekinesis. The split screen. -
Stand by Me (1986)
Rob Reiner's 1986 Stephen King novella adaptation. Phoenix, Wheaton, Feldman, O'Connell. Twelve-year-old boys looking for a body. -
Dead Poets Society (1989)
Peter Weir's 1989 prep school drama. Robin Williams as the unorthodox English teacher. Carpe diem, O Captain my Captain. -
Mean Girls (2004)
Mark Waters' 2004 high school satire. Tina Fey screenplay. Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams. The plastics. Cultural reference standing. -
Clueless (1995)
Amy Heckerling's 1995 Beverly Hills Emma adaptation. Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd debut. As if. Whatever. Defined 1990s teen aesthetic. -
Lady Bird (2017)
Greta Gerwig's 2017 directorial debut. Saoirse Ronan as Sacramento teenager. Laurie Metcalf as mother. Both Oscar nominated. -
Dazed and Confused (1993)
Richard Linklater's 1993 last-day-of-school 1976 ensemble. Affleck, McConaughey, Adam Goldberg breakthroughs. -
American Graffiti (1973)
George Lucas's 1973 1962 California teen ensemble. Dreyfuss, Howard, Ford, Le Mat. Soundtrack establishes nostalgia template. -
Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
Nicholas Ray's 1955 James Dean defining role. Sal Mineo, Natalie Wood. Chickie run, planetarium, foundation of every teen film since. -
The Outsiders (1983)
Coppola's 1983 S.E. Hinton adaptation. Howell, Lowe, Macchio, Dillon, Cruise, Estevez, Swayze. Greasers versus Socs. Stay gold.