55 Best Teen Movies Of All Time Ranked

Making a movie about teenagers is certainly not for the faint of heart. On the one hand, coming-of-age stories are able to tap into incredibly powerful emotions, many of which are being felt for the first time. On the other hand, such movies also have to successfully channel a teenager's voice. This is no small feat, since most filmmakers are many years removed from their high school days. 

As a result, only the best teen movies manage to fully capture what it means to be an adolescent. If a movie is able to do that, it often remains relevant for generations — slang and trends may change every other day for teens attempting to find a sense of identity, but there's something universal about the experience of growing up. Looking to enjoy some flicks that successfully encapsulate these glorious, embarrassing, and critically important years? We've got what you're looking for. These are the 55 best teen movies of all time, ranked.

Updated on April 27, 2022: New teen movies hit theaters every year. We'll be keeping an eye on the genre and adding any fresh classics to this list as they emerge. Be sure to check back often to stay updated on the most stirring cinema of adolescence.

Before she goes away to college, overachieving Brandy is determined to check off a number of items on her R-rated to-do list. But the summer of 1993 has some major curveballs in store that even this valedictorian can't see coming. This film is a refreshing counterpart to male-centric sex comedies, which tend to dominate the genre: Brandy is just as boisterous and funny as any of those leading men, but her perspective is unabashedly her own. What results is hilarious and even weirdly endearing.

• Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Bill Hader, Rachel Bilson

• Director: Maggie Carey

• Year: 2013

• Runtime: 104 minutes

• Rating: R

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 56%

"Cry-Baby" is a subversive nod to 1950s teen melodrama, courtesy of the ever-inventive John Waters. The titular Cry-Baby is a Baltimore bad boy and leader of the "drapes," a group of teen delinquents. Trouble comes when he falls in love with Allison Vernon-Williams, a beautiful member of the social elite. Their relationship defies '50s expectations, culminating in a show-stopping number you'll never forget. All we'll say is that it involves a gorgeous red dress, a juvenile detention center, and some serious singing.

• Starring: Johnny Depp, Amy Locane, Traci Lords

• Director: John Waters

• Year: 1990

• Runtime: 91 minutes

• Rating: PG-13

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 73%

Is "Sky High" more of a kids' movie than a teen movie? Maybe. But is it also a great exploration of the high school experience, as well as one of the best superhero films ever made? Yes. Will Stronghold is the beloved son of two legendary superheroes. He's about to start high school, where he'll prepare to take his place among the elite of the crimefighting world. But there's just one problem: Will hasn't gotten his powers yet, relegating him to Sky High's sidekick track. This film is cute, funny, and features an early performance from Nicholas Braun. What more could you want?

• Starring: Michael Angarano, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Nicholas Braun

• Director: Mike Mitchell

• Year: 2005

• Runtime: 100 minutes

• Rating: PG

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 73%

"Better Off Dead" serves as an endearingly twisted counterpart to John Cusack's more traditional teen comedies of the 1980s. Lane, a heartbroken teen, spirals out of control when his girlfriend Beth leaves him for the captain of the ski team. "Better Off Dead" proceeds to take no end of eccentric detours as it explores Lane's misery. He's not the only weirdo in town, either: His mother's odd stabs at cooking (one of which results in still-living tentacles attempting to escape from a pot) and his best friend's bizarre attempts to get high off grocery store items are just as offbeat. You never know what's going to come next in this film, and that's what makes it great.

• Starring: John Cusack, Diane Franklin, Curtis Armstrong

• Director: Savage Steve Holland

• Year: 1985

• Runtime: 98 minutes

• Rating: PG

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 77%

"Submarine" follows young Oliver Tate as he attempts to make friends, lose his virginity, save his parents' failing relationship, and process the fact that his mother has a potentially lethal brain tumor. Needless to say, there's a lot going on. "Submarine" succeeds by capturing it all with grace, honesty, and humor. Oliver and his peers feel like real kids rather than shiny Hollywood facsimiles, and their struggles resonate all the more deeply as a result.

• Starring: Craig Roberts, Sally Hawkins, Paddy Considine

• Director: Richard Ayoade

• Year: 2010

• Runtime: 97 minutes

• Rating: R

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%

Moses is the leader of a small group of teenage troublemakers living in London's East End. When the Earth is invaded by aliens, he becomes something much more: the protector of the human race. "Attack the Block" is thrillingly stylized — you'll never forget the aliens' glowing blue mouths — and excellently acted. It's also a phenomenally smooth blend of social commentary, horror, and comedy that never feels lopsided. If you're looking for a teen film that gets your pulse pounding, you're looking for "Attack the Block."  

• Starring: John Boyega, Alex Esmail, Jodie Whittaker

• Director: Joe Cornish

• Year: 2011

• Runtime: 88 minutes

• Rating: R

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%

It's the mid-1990s, and the only outlet repressed Christian teen Alice has is AOL Instant Messenger. On AIM, she engages in titillating conversations — the closest thing to sex she'll get, other than the handprint-on-the-car-window scene in "Titanic." But when Alice embarks on a spiritual retreat with some of her fellow students, she can't escape damning and untrue rumors about her sexual experience — or her own hormones. "Yes, God, Yes" explores repression in a serious manner, but it's also a charming story of female rebellion against the strictures of the church.

• Starring: Natalia Dyer, Wolfgang Novogratz, Francesca Reale

• Director: Karen Maine

• Year: 2019

• Runtime: 78 minutes

• Rating: R

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

Like many children of immigrants, Hala finds herself torn between her parents' traditional expectations and the American cultural landscape she has grown up in. She constantly butts heads with her mother, who doesn't seem to understand Hala at all. But when she learns a devastating secret about her father, it becomes clear to her that she has never really understood her mother, either — especially the hidden reserves of strength she contains. A coming-of-age story grounded by a tremendous performance from Geraldine Viswanathan, "Hala" captures the intense experience of being torn between two cultures.

• Starring: Geraldine Viswanathan, Purbi Joshi, Jack Kilmer

• Director: Minhal Baig

• Year: 2019

• Runtime: 93 minutes

• Rating: R

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%

When Sue Ellen's mother goes away on vacation, she leaves her children in the care of a strict old woman — for a few hours, anyway. That's how long it takes for the unfortunate sitter to drop dead. Sue Ellen is forced to provide for her younger brothers and sisters, forging a resume and launching a career in fashion design. Her attempts to climb the corporate ladder and her genuinely heartwarming relationship with her boss, Rose, are charming, while the fun dynamic between the intrepid children is enough to overcome the film's slightly goofy premise.

• Starring: Christina Applegate, Keith Coogan, Josh Charles

• Director: Stephen Herek

• Year: 1991

• Runtime: 102 minutes

• Rating: PG-13

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 36%

Southern California is plagued by an unruly nest of vampires, as brothers Sam and Michael quickly find out. Michael soon joins the ranks of the punk rock bloodsuckers — but with the help of new friends like the vampire-hunting Frog brothers, Sam is determined to save him. With an excellent cast of then-up-and-coming stars and a great soundtrack, "The Lost Boys" updates the dusty vampire myth for the present (well, present-ish) day.

• Starring: Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Kiefer Sutherland

• Director: Joel Schumacher

• Year: 1987

• Runtime: 97 minutes

• Rating: R

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75%

Mary is a devout Catholic who's never put a toe out of line ... until an attempt to convert her gay boyfriend by having sex with him results in pregnancy. This makes her a pariah at her Christian high school and persona non grata among her former friends. Now on the very bottom rung of the social hierarchy, Mary finds unexpected kinship with two fellow outcasts: Cassandra Edelstein, a Jewish girl, and Roland Stockard, the paraplegic brother of the school's queen bee, who is questioning his faith. A smart religious satire, "Saved!" is utterly unique.

• Starring: Jena Malone, Macaulay Culkin, Mandy Moore

• Director: Brian Dannelly

• Year: 2004

• Runtime: 92 minutes

• Rating: PG-13

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 61%

Set in a Chicago high school, "Cooley High" operated as an alternative to the then-current blaxploitation genre when it debuted. Rather than the heightened reality that exists in those films, "Cooley High" takes a more low-key approach, offering a down-to-Earth view of teen life in the city. Preach and Cochise are a pair of best friends attempting to navigate their senior year. Violence and tragedy are very much present here, but so is laughter and camaraderie. Decades after it hit theaters, "Cooley High" remains an honest gem.

• Starring: Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Glynn Turman, Cynthia Davis

• Director: Michael Schultz

• Year: 1975

• Runtime: 107 minutes

• Rating: PG

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%

Monica and Quincy are a pair of friends who spend their childhood bonding (and competing) over the one thing that matters most to them in the entire world: basketball. As they get older, it becomes clear that though she's as talented an athlete as Quincy is, Monica faces an undeniable gender disparity. Quincy is given endless support and opportunities to launch his professional career, while her options are frustratingly limited. Through sheer force of will, they'll have to find a way to achieve their dreams together — and deal with the feelings that lie between them.

• Starring: Sanaa Lathan, Omar Epps, Kyla Pratt

• Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood

• Year: 2000

• Runtime: 125 minutes

• Rating: PG-13

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%

On the brink of graduating from high school, Amy and Molly come to a horrifying realization: They spent so much time pursuing their academic goals, they've never even gone to one raucous party. Determined to get this experience under their belt, they embark upon one truly crazy night. Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein are hilarious in the lead roles — this film does an excellent job of showing both their merits and their flaws. It also explores just how much their preconceived notions about their more popular and fun-loving classmates have colored their high school experience.

• Starring: Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, Molly Gordon

• Director: Olivia Wilde

• Year: 2019

• Runtime: 105 minutes

• Rating: R

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

A star-making turn for America Ferrera, "Real Women Have Curves" casts her as Ana, a young Mexican-American woman who dreams of college, but struggles against the expectations of her traditional family. Should she pursue her academic goals, or should she stay home and help her family? Everyone has an opinion, and not just on her life path — Ana's mother never resists the chance to ding her daughter's body. But Ana is undaunted. This stirring story of one young woman's struggle to define herself is as powerfully honest as it is emotionally complex.

• Starring: America Ferrera, Lupe Ontiveros, George Lopez

• Director: Patricia Cardoso

• Year: 2002

• Runtime: 93 minutes

• Rating: PG-13

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%

When young Juno discovers she's pregnant, the only thing she knows for sure is that she can't possibly keep the baby. She thinks she's found a solution in an affluent couple looking to adopt, but she soon realizes that adult decisions are much more complicated than she could have ever imagined. With razor-sharp dialogue courtesy of Diablo Cody, "Juno" strikes an expert balance between humor and heartbreak. Juno's world is one of mingled love, pain, naivete, and wisdom — in other words, it's real. 

• Starring: Elliot Page, Michael Cera, Jason Bateman

• Director: Jason Reitman

• Year: 2007

• Runtime: 96 minutes

• Rating: PG-13

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

Ferris Bueller's epic saga of truancy begins when he skips school with his girlfriend Sloane and neurotic best friend Cameron. Armed only with audacity, he throws together an unforgettable day that sees him impersonate the Sausage King of Chicago and become the star of a downtown parade float. All the while, he evades his principal and sister, both of whom are determined to catch him playing hooky. This flick's unbridled joy and sheer charm are impossible to resist.

• Starring: Matthew Broderick, Mia Sara, Alan Ruck

• Director: John Hughes

• Year: 1986

• Runtime: 103 minutes

• Rating: PG-13

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81%

British Indian Jess can't help feeling that she isn't meeting her strict family's expectations. They want her to be at home, learning how to make traditional meals and preparing for her older sister's upcoming nuptials. But all Jess can think about is soccer. When she meets Jules, a similarly soccer-obsessed young woman, she ends up joining a local girls' team, despite her parents' objections. What's more, she falls in love with the dashing Irish coach. Torn between two cultures, Jess must find a way to blend her responsibilities and her passions while remaining true to herself.

• Starring: Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers

• Director: Gurinder Chadha

• Year: 2002

• Runtime: 112 minutes

• Rating: PG-13

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%

In the long history of films about inspirational teachers, "To Sir, with Love" stands out as the very best. Sidney Poitier stars as an ambitious engineer who reluctantly takes on a teaching job at a rough London high school as he awaits the job of his dreams. Although the students are slow to warm to their new teacher, a genuine bond eventually develops as he prepares them to leave school and face the world as adults. Boasting a song sung by British pop star Lulu (who also appears in the film), "To Sir, with Love" is as schmaltzy as it is undeniably charming.

• Starring: Sidney Poitier, Lulu, Judy Geeson

• Director: James Clavell

• Year: 1967

• Runtime: 105 minutes

• Rating: NR

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%

Kind-hearted and painfully shy Kayla longs to fit in with her classmates. But she only seems able to express herself through the YouTube videos she puts together, ending each with her signature sign-off, "Gucci." We follow her through a series of disastrous social events, including a much-dreaded pool party that will have those of us without fond middle school memories breaking out in hives. But it's impossible not to cheer Kayla on through the toughest parts, so she can finally blossom into the amazing person she's becoming.

• Starring: Elsie Fisher, Josh Hamilton, Emily Robinson

• Director: Bo Burnham

• Year: 2018

• Runtime: 94 minutes

• Rating: R

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 99%

In "The Breakfast Club," director John Hughes throws various high school archetypes into a blender and sees what comes of it. A jock, a nerd, a princess, a misfit, and a delinquent are forced to spend a Saturday in detention together. At first, they regard each other with overt hostility. But the longer they're trapped in the school library, the more they begin to bond, realizing they each have their own issues that allow them to relate to one another. Aside from an offensively unnecessary makeover, "The Breakfast Club" hits all the right notes, resulting in a touchstone of the 1980s high school experience.

• Starring: Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Anthony Michael Hall

• Director: John Hughes

• Year: 1985

• Runtime: 97 minutes

• Rating: R

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%

Tre is a smart kid veering towards a dangerous life path. To keep him from doing something he'll regret, his mom sends him to live with his dad in South Central Los Angeles. But growing up isn't easy for a young Black man surrounded by gang violence and structural racism. As he matures, Tre is forced to make difficult choices about his education, his romantic relationship, and his friends — some of which take him to dark places he never could have foreseen. A vibrant, emotional epic, this film launched visionary director John Singleton onto the scene and kicked off Cuba Gooding Jr.'s illustrious Hollywood career. 

• Starring: Cuba Gooding Jr., Ice Cube, Laurence Fishburne

• Director: John Singleton

• Year: 1991

• Runtime: 112 minutes

• Rating: R

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

In an effort to economize in financially depressed 1980s Dublin, Conor's parents send him to the rough local Jesuit school. He doesn't quite fit in, but when he meets the beautiful and enigmatic Raphina, he's inspired to create a band to impress her. Does he know any musicians? No. Does he have any songs written? Not really. But where there's a will, there's a way. Complete with killer songs that could have easily been breakaway pop hits of the 1980s and a talented group of teenagers, "Sing Street" is an unapologetically charming teen film you won't be able to get out of your head.

• Starring: Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Lucy Boynton, Jack Reynor

• Director: John Carney

• Year: 2016

• Runtime: 106 minutes

• Rating: PG-13

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%

"Heathers" satirizes the shallow, superficial world of 1980s teen culture like no other film, before or since. Though Veronica is part of the in-crowd, she internally resists giving herself fully to the Heather hivemind. But when she meets the rebellious, sardonic J.D., she's unwittingly pulled down a homicidal path. A black comedy with more than its fair share of gallows humor, "Heathers" stands in defiance of the John Hughes teen films that otherwise dominated the period.

• Starring: Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Kim Walker

• Director: Michael Lehmann

• Year: 1989

• Runtime: 103 minutes

• Rating: R

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

Forget the teen movie genre — "Rebel Without a Cause" was instrumental in defining what it means to be a teenager, period. James Dean plays Jim, the new kid in town, who forms a close friendship with Judy and Plato. All of them have a broken relationship with their parents and are desperately looking to recreate the family dynamic they long for. Bold and explosive, "Rebel Without a Cause" strips its characters emotionally bare. This vulnerability still resonates with young audiences trying to make sense of their place in a rapidly changing world.

• Starring: James Dean, Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo

• Director: Nicholas Ray

• Year: 1955

• Runtime: 111 minutes

• Rating: PG-13

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

Sacramento teen Lady Bird can't wait to leave for college on the East Coast, where she imagines everyone is far more cultured. Between her awkward romances with boys at school and her frequently hostile dynamic with her mother, there isn't much holding her back. But the beauty of this coming-of-age drama is how successfully it taps into the bittersweet nature of adolescence: Lady Bird doesn't realize it, but she will miss Sacramento, and her mother, once they're truly in her rearview mirror. For every girl who's ever had a complicated relationship with their mother, this one's for you.

• Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Timothee Chalamet, Laurie Metcalf

• Director: Greta Gerwig

• Year: 2017

• Runtime: 94 minutes

• Rating: R

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 99%

The film that ushered in our modern era of savvy teen slashers, "Scream" is a mid-1990s icon that celebrates and satirizes the tropes of the genre. Sidney, a high-school student, finds herself being stalked by a serial killer in a ghost mask and flowing black robes. As the bodies pile up, the pressure builds. Who is the maniac in the mask? It's probably not who you — or Sidney — think. With plenty of imaginative murder scenes peppered throughout, "Scream" never takes its foot off the gas, resulting in a slasher movie for a new generation.

• Starring: Neve Campbell, Skeet Ulrich, Matthew Lillard

• Director: Wes Craven

• Year: 1996

• Runtime: 111 minutes

• Rating: R

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79%