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50 of the Best Teen Movies That’ll Never Get Old
Unrequited romances and house parties, here we come.
By 
Oh, adolescent angst. There's nothing quite like a movie that captures the teen spirit. Between stereotypical cliques (jocks in letterman jackets, anyone?), unrequited romances you thought you'd never recover from, your first house party, or applying to college as a high school senior, teen movies offer a certain kind of comfort and joy—even when your own experiences were more awkward than those depicted on screen.
Lucky for us, Hollywood can't seem to get enough. With decades worth of coming-of-age movies—from 1955's Rebel Without a Cause and John Hughes films that dominated the '80s to Clueless, Mean Girls, and our obsession with the book-turned-movie To All the Boys I've Loved Before—it looks like we'll never run out of hormone-fueled dramas and lighthearted teen comedies to watch.
To help get you started, behold some of the best teen movies of all time that you can stream right now. Unlike us, these never get old.
Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
Rebel Without a Cause, which starred James Dean in his last role before he died at age 24, is a groundbreaking coming-of-age movie. Delving into the emotional complexity of the teen years, Dean played Jim, a troubled youth who moves to a new town, hoping to start fresh. Along the way, he befriends outcast Plato and falls for a girl named Judy (Natalie Wood)—but trouble soon finds the group, resulting in a tragic end.
Starring: James Dean, Natalie Wood, John Crawford
Grease (1978)
In this iconic musical film set in the 1950s, foreign exchange student Sandy meets and falls for local bad boy Danny. But once their summer romance comes to an end, their relationship is threatened by clashing cliques at their high school.
Starring: John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing
The Breakfast Club (1985)
Directed by John Hughes—the man behind many of the popular 1980s "Brat Pack"-era films—the legendary Breakfast Club follows five teens, each representing a unique high school archetype. United by a Saturday detention, the group slowly opens up to one another, discovering that they're not as different as they once thought.
Starring: Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson
Pretty in Pink (1986)
Written by John Hughes, Ringwald lit up the '80s once again in Pretty in Pink as Andie, a high school outcast who spends her time working at the town record store and hanging out with offbeat Duckie. But when she's asked out by popular boy Blane, Andie is exposed to a brand-new social scene.
Starring: Molly Ringwald, Jon Cryer, Andrew McCarthy, James Spader
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
For the most epic day of "playing hooky" to ever exist, Ferris successfully calls in sick from school to explore his city of Chicago with his girlfriend Sloane and their hypochondriac best friend Cameron. This was another blockbuster teen movie—often breaking the fourth wall to clue the audience in on Ferris's hi-jinx—written and directed by John Hughes.
Starring: Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Jennifer Grey
Say Anything (1989)
In the teen movie that gave us the famous scene of John Cusack holding a stereo over his head while Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" plays, Cusack stars as Lloyd, a teen who has fallen head over heals for the perfect Diane. They fall in love, but Diane's disapproving father and her future goals are an obstacle.
Starring: John Cusack, Ione Skye, John Mahoney
Dead Poets Society (1989)
Robin Williams earned an Oscar for his role as English teacher John Keating in Dead Poets Society. As the newest educator on the campus of a traditional all-boys boarding school, John's unconventional techniques ruffle the feathers of both faculty and parents. But he soon earns the trust of his students as they develop newfound independence.
Heathers (1989)
The OG Mean Girls, Heathers follows three popular students named Heather (plus Veronica, played by Winona Ryder) who rule the school with an iron fist. When Veronica becomes tired of their cruel ways, she and her new boyfriend JD (played by Christian Slater) team up to teach them a lesson that results in a tragic accident—or was it?
Starring: Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty
Juice (1992)
Tupac (Bishop) and Omar Epps (Q) costar in this crime drama about four Harlem teens who regularly ditch school and have run-ins with the police and local gang leaders. But while Bishop is ready to graduate from petty crime to robbery, Q wishes to follow his dreams of becoming a DJ.
Starring: Omar Epps, Tupac Shakur, Khalil Kain
Clueless (1995)
In one of the most quotable teen movies of all time, Alicia Silverstone is Cher Horowitz, the wealthy, popular Beverly Hills high school student who uses her unmatched fashion and people skills to make over the new girl, Tai. But when Tai's popularity rises, Cher realizes she's been focusing on all the wrong things.
Starring: Alicia Silverstone, Brittany Murphy, Stacey Dash, Paul Rudd, Donald Faison
The Craft (1996)
In this supernatural horror movie, four outcast teenage girls unite based on their love for witchcraft. But when one small spell's consequences prove to be a little too satisfying, the group begins to thrive off of their newfound power.
Starring: Neve Campbell, Fairuza Balk, Robin Tunney
10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
With a very '90s take on the Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, this teen movie follows the Stratford sisters. Kat is an abrasive loner, while the youngest, Bianca, is a bubbly social butterfly. But she's not allowed to date until Kat does. That's where Patrick (Heath Ledger, clad with an irresistible smile) comes in, who in the process of trying to distract Kat falls in love with her.
Starring: Julia Stiles, Larisa Oleynik, Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gabrielle Union
Election (1999)
In Election, the high-strung Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon) is vying for the title of school president. But when the school government teacher discovers that her campaign is a bit unethical, he convinces popular jock Paul to run against her.
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Chris Klein, Matthew Broderick
She's All That (1999)
After being dumped by his cheerleader girlfriend, Zack (Freddie Prinze Jr.) attempts to salvage his reputation by befriending school outcast Laney Boggs and turning her into the prom queen in a matter of six weeks.
Starring: Freddie Prinze Jr., Rachael Leigh Cook, Paul Walker
Cruel Intentions (1999)
This cult classic is set amongst the Manhattan elite. Kathryn challenges her stepbrother Sebastian to "deflower" their headmaster's innocent daughter, but a game of seduction and deceit somehow leads to love. And a piece of Hollywood trivia? The now-divorced Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe were dating for a year when Cruel Intentions premiered. They share two children, Ava and Deacon.
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Ryan Phillippe, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Selma Blair
American Pie (1999)
This raunchy teen rom-com (that sparked a series) follows four best friends—Jim, Kevin, Chris, and Paul—who make a pact to lose their virginities by the end of their senior year. But while in pursuit of this goal, the guys find themselves in a variety of NSFW situations that may prove having sex is more trouble than it's worth.
Starring: Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Seann William Scott, Mena Suvari, Chris Klein, Eugene Levy
Varsity Blues (1999)
In a small Texas town where football reigns supreme, benchwarmer Mox (played by Dawson Creek's James Van Der Beek) must take over as team quarterback after their star player becomes injured. Now he's tasked with leading the team to the division title.
Starring: James Van Der Beek, Paul Walker, John Voight
Bring It On (2000)
The first of the cult classic Bring It On movies follows the newly appointed cheer captain of the San Diego Toros, Torrance, who's hoping to lead the squad to their sixth championship. She soon discovers that their cheers have been stolen from a rival squad, the East Compton Clovers.
Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Gabrielle Union, Eliza Dushku
The Princess Diaries (2001)
Adapted from the hit novel by Meg Cabot, The Princess Diaries introduces us to Mia Thermopolis. She's an awkward San Francisco 15-year-old who is hit with the surprise news that she's an actual princess and heir to the throne of a small European country called Genovia.
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Julie Andrews, Mandy Moore
A Walk to Remember (2002)
In this heartbreaking adaptation of the teen romance novel by Nicholas Sparks, the rebellious Landon (Shane West) falls in love with soft-spoken and pure-hearted Jamie (Mandy Moore). As they grow closer, they discover secrets about each other that could threaten their relationship.
Starring: Mandy Moore, Shane West
McKenzie Jean-Philippe is the editorial assistant at OprahMag.com covering pop culture, TV, movies, celebrity, and lifestyle. She loves a great Oprah viral moment and all things Netflix—but come summertime, Big Brother has her heart. On a day off you'll find her curled up with a new juicy romance novel.
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