Not Another Teen Movie

I watched "Don't You Forget About Me" the other day, which is a documentary about John Hughes and the impact he had on teen movies...well, how he basically created the genre. It was good. And it inspired me to come up with a list of my favorite teen movies. In no particular order (besides the one I thought of them in), here they are...

Can't Hardly Wait - "The beer has gone bad! Nobody drink the beer!" I love this movie. Anytime I watch it, I am instantly transported straight back to high school. We had a graduation party that was eerily similar to this, minus Melissa Joan Hart running around with a yearbook...and the pool...and the live band and the police.

The Breakfast Club - LOVE. There really are no words.

Clueless - "Whatever" This one is iconic. I saw it twice in the theater.

American Pie - My dad rented this one and I came in to watch with him, but he was embarrassed watching it with me so he left the room.

10 Things I Hate About You - "And I'm back in the game" I still use that quote quite a bit. Also, my introduction to Heath Ledger. And I had a purple t-shirt that I thought looked just like one that Julia Stiles wore in this movie that I loved.

Almost Famous - This is one of my favorite movies, period. Top 10 for sure, probably top 5. I couldn't imagine anything more glamorous than being a Band Aide.

Sixteen Candles - Molly Ringwald. This one was just always there. One of those movies that shows you what being a teenager is supposed to be all about. Like a guide book to make sure you're doing it right.

Grease - My uncle got me this movie for Christmas when I was in like 5th grade. At the time, I thought I was too young to watch it (I watched a lot of Disney until I turned about 14), but I watched it anyway and while I didn't get a lot of the jokes until I was older, I watched it over and over. I was terribly disappointed when my high school didn't have a dance off with the hand jive.

Mean Girls - I was in college when this came out and we watched it like 10 times the week somebody got the DVD. Hilarious.

Wayne's World - "Party on, Wayne. Party on, Garth"I fell in love with this movie in middle school and I still love it dearly. It totally takes me back.

Empire Records - This movie is just so cool. Just makes me want to work in a record store and buy a bunch of records. People who have records are cool.

She's All That - A bit of a cliche and the inspiration for some spoof movies, but I was in high school and a sucker for a happy ending.....and a makeover.

Dazed and Confused - This is why I've always wanted to be a hippy. And why I've always wanted to haze people. "Fry little piggies!"

High Fidelity - Jack Black at his finest.

Juno - Oh, teen pregnancy...

Superbad - Completely inappropriate inaccurate portrayal of high school, but hilarious just the same.

Dirty Dancing - "I carried a watermelon" This has been on my favorite movie list since I was 9. It is also one of two "grown-up movies" that my mom had on tape. She would fast-forward to the very end so we could see the dancing scene. Oh, and Patrick Swayze was hot. Dirty dancing is hot.

Pretty in Pink - Molly Ringwald again.

Varsity Blues - My dad wouldn't let me see this movie in the theater even though I was a senior in high school and 17 years old. I saw it anyway though. And loved it.

Save the Last Dance - I'd have to call this one a guilty pleasure. I almost left it off the list, but then I remembered that I listened to the soundtrack on repeat for 2 months freshman year and decided I had to include it. Ahh, young, interracial love...so romantic.

Bottom Line: I love a teenage movie!