Adolescent adventures. High school horror stories. Crushing crushes and perfect prom nights. The teen movie is a cinematic favourite, magnifying the hopes, dreams, greatest fears and glittering futures of youngsters onto the big screen with snappy dialogue, earworm soundtracks, and grand romantic gestures. Though they evolve every few years along with teenage culture itself, teen movies are time capsules forever documenting a time and place on celluloid — as well as containing formative performances from cinematic greats. Team Empire opened up its old angst-filled diaries to draw up a list of the greatest ever teen movies — the most quotable, banger-fuelled, swoonsome classics that capture all the pain and glory of the teenage experience.
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Some days, all you want to do after you finish your homework is throw on a pair of comfy AF sweatpants and binge some iconic movies. Because let's face it, there's really nothing better than a good teen movie. So grab some popcorn and get ready to relate to all of these characters as you go down this list.
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R 94 min Comedy, Drama. In , an artistically inclined seventeen-year-old girl comes of age in Sacramento, California. R min Crime, Drama, Mystery. A police detective uncovers a conspiracy behind a case involving a high-school guidance counselor when accusations of rape are made against him by two female students. R min Comedy, Romance. Goaded by his buddies, a nerdy guy who's never "done the deed" only finds the pressure mounting when he meets a single mother. R min Horror.
By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! Given that we've already counted down the best romantic movies of all time , there's one thing we've realised: we love films about teen romance. Whether it's revisiting our own experiences as teenagers or, in some cases, lack thereof , celebrating the exuberance and drama of first love or just because they're excellent films, we love a romantic teen movie. Defining moment: In a field of daisies overlooking a vast military cemetery, Maude explains her philosophy of life.
