Men's Health's The 45 Best Teen Movies of All Time

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BY TEMI ADEBOWALE, EVAN ROMANO AND ADRIANNA FREEDMAN
SEP 25, 2020

Teen movies are great because while the category can definitely stand on its own, teen movies can also easily fall into other genres—horror, comedy, romance, drama—and the best teen movies combine elements of several genres. There's also something about watching a coming of age film that is all too relatable, from the social insecurity to the butting of heads with parents who just don't understand.

In 2019, TV psychologist Honey Langcaster-James talked to Refinery 29 about the allure of teen movies: "One of the things that we do with entertainment is we gain mastery over potentially difficult emotions. Some people wonder why anybody would ever want to watch a horror movie or a thriller. Why would you want to sit and be scared? But there is an element of reassurance in being able to experience those emotions from a removed perspective and I wonder if the same can be said for teen fiction. Through the processes of empathy with the character, you're experiencing those emotions that were challenging. But now, from this more mature perspective, you're gaining an opportunity to master those emotions that you once felt so consumed by and now can have a more detached and bemused look upon that time in your life."

To celebrate the genre, three of our editors came together make a list of our favorite teen films. This list can't cover every single teen movie, but we hope it contains some of your favorites, as well as some new picks for you to check out. So without further ado, here are the 45 best teen films of all time.

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  1. 1 new

    Mean Girls

    2004, in 4 top lists Check
  2. 2 new

    Say Anything...

    1989, in 3 top lists Check
  3. 3 new

    American Pie

    1999, in 6 top lists Check
  4. 4 new

    10 Things I Hate About You

    1999, in 2 top lists Check
  5. 5 new

    Booksmart

    2019, in 3 top lists
    Check
  6. 6 new

    Napoleon Dynamite

    2004, in 4 top lists Check
  7. 7 new

    Can't Hardly Wait

    1998, in 0 top lists Check
  8. 8 new

    House Party

    1990, in 2 top lists Check
  9. 9 new

    The Breakfast Club

    1985, in 10 top lists Check
  10. 10 new

    Not Another Teen Movie

    2001, in 0 top lists Check
  11. 11 new

    Boyz n the Hood

    1991, in 9 top lists Check
  12. 12 new

    Project X

    2012, in 0 top lists Check
  13. 13 new

    Love, Simon

    2018, in 1 top list
    Check
  14. 14 new

    Election

    1999, in 7 top lists Check
  15. 15 new

    Dazed and Confused

    1993, in 7 top lists Check
  16. 16 new

    Ferris Bueller's Day Off

    1986, in 11 top lists Check
  17. 17 new

    Heathers

    1988, in 7 top lists Check
  18. 18 new

    The Edge of Seventeen

    2016, in 0 top lists Check
  19. 19 new

    Juno

    2007, in 12 top lists Check
  20. 20 new

    Skate Kitchen

    2018, in 0 top lists
    Check
  21. 21 new

    Scream

    1996, in 8 top lists Check
  22. 22 new

    Love Don't Cost a Thing

    2003, in 0 top lists Check
  23. 23 new

    American Pie 2

    2001, in 3 top lists Check
  24. 24 new

    To All the Boys I've Loved Before

    2018, in 1 top list
    Check
  25. 25 new

    Superbad

    2007, in 5 top lists Check
  26. 26 new

    Clueless

    1995, in 8 top lists Check
  27. 27 new

    Twilight

    2008, in 2 top lists Check
  28. 28 new

    The Virgin Suicides

    1999, in 6 top lists Check
  29. 29 new

    Fast Times at Ridgemont High

    1982, in 8 top lists Check
  30. 30 new

    Cruel Intentions

    1999, in 0 top lists Check
  31. 31 new

    Lady Bird

    2017, in 11 top lists Check
  32. 32 new

    High School Musical

    2006, in 1 top list Check
  33. 33 new

    Pretty in Pink

    1986, in 2 top lists Check
  34. 34 new

    The Princess Diaries

    2001, in 2 top lists Check
  35. 35 new

    A Walk to Remember

    2002, in 0 top lists Check
  36. 36 new

    The Craft

    1996, in 2 top lists Check
  37. 37 new

    Grease

    1978, in 12 top lists Check
  38. 38 new

    Dope

    2015, in 0 top lists Check
  39. 39 new

    Carrie

    1976, in 11 top lists Check
  40. 40 new

    The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

    2005, in 0 top lists Check
  41. 41 new

    The Spectacular Now

    2013, in 0 top lists Check
  42. 42 new

    Back to the Future

    1985, in 25 top lists Check
  43. 43 new

    Bring It On

    2000, in 0 top lists Check
  44. 44 new

    She's the Man

    2006, in 0 top lists Check
  45. 45 new

    Roll Bounce

    2005, in 0 top lists Check
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Last updated on Mar 3, 2021; source