The best teen movies resonate with audiences of all ages and speak to a pivotal time in a person's life. From adolescent adventures to high school horror stories, and from crushing crushes to perfect prom nights, young adult movies have a special place in the hearts of moviegoers. These cinematic favorites magnify the hopes, dreams, fears, and aspirations of young people, bringing them to life on the big screen with witty dialogue, memorable soundtracks, and grand romantic gestures.

While the genre revolves around teenage culture, these films serve as time capsules that capture the essence of a particular era, often featuring breakthrough performances from future stars. Teens are at the forefront of iconic movies such as The Breakfast Club, Clueless, and Mean Girls, and offer insightful commentary on the trials and triumphs of the teenage experience, exploring the importance of social circles, the intensity of first loves, and the promise of a brighter future. These films have something to offer everyone, encapsulating the universal themes that make the teenage years such an unforgettable time in life.

40 The Lost Boys (1987)

A Vampire Story Comes Of Age

Not all teen movies are set in reality. Some of them have genre components. In the case of The Lost Boys, that would be horror as it is a tale of both vampires and teenagers coming of age. “Monsters” have long been used as allegories for real-world issues in adolescent stories because they are something teens can fight against, but in the case of Lost Boys, Joel Schumacher saw vampirism as an allegory for a sexual act (via Empire), meaning becoming one signifies a loss of innocence.

Lost Boys, as the title suggests, is partially inspired by Peter Pan with the vampires in the story The Lost Boys of Neverland. The story follows a pair of brothers who move to a new town with their mother and end up embroiled in the world of local vampires. The vampires in question are eternal teenagers who have left childhood behind. The heroes of the movie are those who still embrace it, like the Frog brothers, who draw inspiration from comic books and movies in their need to stop the bad guys.

Of course, the argument could be made that entering the teen years can make a person feel immortal - like nothing can hurt them. Lost Boys has some of that too as the teens in the story set out to be heroes.

39 To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)

The Quintessential Teen Rom-Com

For a long time, romantic comedies were something aimed at adults, not at teenagers. That changed, mostly in the 1980s with the help of John Hughes ushering in an era of movies made especially for teens. While aspects of his movies might be considered outdated today, the same might be said of this modern classic in another 30 years.

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is based on the Jenny Han novel of the same name. It sees Lara Jean Covey (Lana Condor) have to deal with the fallout of her younger sister sending out love letters that she has been hiding for years. One of those letters is to Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo), whom she ends up pretending to date in order to keep other letter recipients away and to help make his ex jealous.

The movie spawned a franchise and helped to usher in a whole new era of young adult romances on streaming platforms. It’s a rare gem that has been loved by the teens and adults watching it. It’s also a rare gem that focuses on a Korean-American lead and allows Lara Jean’s mother’s traditions to still be a part of her life. It’s smart, timely, and deliciously romantic without getting too explicit, even toeing the line for teen angst well.

Two movie sequels - To All The Boys: PS I Still Love You and To All The Boys: Always And Forever - as well as a spinoff series about Lara Jean’s younger sister - XO, Kitty - are available to stream on Netflix as well.

38 Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

Even Superheroes Can Be Teenagers

Most superhero movies that come to the big screen are focused on adults. Spider-Man, however, is a unique franchise in that Peter Parker is often brought to the big screen as a high-schooler because that is how his comic book days began. He starts off as a teenager who just wants to use his power for good. Spider-Man: Homecoming is one of the best movies to that Peter is both a teenager and a hero.

While Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield were perfectly believable as Spider-Man, Tom Holland is the best version of a teenage Peter Parker. He has an enthusiasm as Peter that leaps off the screen, but he is also juggling neighborhood duties, getting to meet his idol, his school work, and his crush on a girl at school. Making that girl’s father the literal villain of the story (Michael Keaton), only brings both the teen and heroic stories to a head.

37 Scream (1996)

A Meta Take On Teen Slashers

Though many horror movies might be rated R, slashers are most often doubling as teen movies. The characters at the center of the story are teenagers just trying to grow up when a masked figure, someone from their past, or some combination of the two comes after them. Scream understands that.

From the mind of Kevin Williamson, who was also responsible for the landmark teen drama Dawson’s Creek, the movie is self-aware in a way other slashers before it were not. Scream embraced the tropes of the genre and broke them down for the audience. The characters were either blatant horror movie stereotypes or they were keenly aware of the world they were living in.

That self-awareness and meta take on the genre never delved into parody, but instead, laid the foundation for a whole new slasher universe. Each movie in the franchise has built on the first, continuing to dissect the tropes of the genre and turn it on its head.

36 Back To The Future (1985)

The Best Teen Time Travel Adventure

Back to the Future is a lot of things. It’s one of the most beloved science fiction movies of all time, a time travel adventure, and something of a fish-out-of-water comedy because of that time travel. It is also a teen movie, despite what some critics might think.

The movie centers around Marty McFly, who is just 17. Sure, he might have an unusual friendship with a senior citizen who dabbles in inventing time-traveling vehicles, but he is still a teenager. That teenager travels to the past where there are other teenagers - largely his mother and father - and has to adapt. Marty just happens to be better adjusted than most teenagers when it comes to the idea of traveling to the 1950s.

There are still moments in the movie (and the trilogy as a whole, which takes place during the year that Marty turns 17) in which Marty is presented as a typical teenager. He thinks he knows better than the adults around him, he can still make rash decisions, and he does have a bit of a temper despite initially seeming easy-going. Marty is the typical kid coming of age. He just happens to be doing it while trying to make sure his parents end up together.

35 The Graduate (1967)

Directed By Mike Nichols

As the title suggests, The Graduate deals with a very specific time in young adult life that is filled with confusion and questions. Dustin Hoffman stars in his breakout role as Benjamin Braddock, a recent university graduate who finds himself with his entire future ahead of him and completely clueless about what to do next. His aimless world is further complicated when he begins having an affair with his parents' married friend while also falling in love with her engaged daughter.

The Graduate became seen as a movie for an entire generation of young adults. It spoke to a generation of young people who, unlike generations that came before, were leaving university without really knowing what to do next. It is a sentiment that remains relatable nearly 60 years later. The iconic ending to The Graduate is a perfect encapsulation of the idea of young people grabbing onto something without realizing if they really want it or not.

34 Almost Famous (2000)

Directed By Cameron Crowe

A movie set in the world of rock and roll stars might not seem like a typical setting for a teen story, but Almost Famous delivers not only a wonderful coming-of-age journey but also a love letter to the music of the 1970s. The movie follows William, a young socially awkward teen living with his strict and overbearing mother while also pursuing his dreams of being a rock music journalist. This leads to him posing as an adult to write a story about an up-and-coming rock band while ing them on the road.

The movie serves as a bit of wish fulfillment for teens as William is taken out of his suppressed life and taken to parties, rock concerts, and private jets as the band Stillwater begins to really take off. However, it is also an interesting look at how someone sheltered, inexperienced, and young can still be more mature than these adults living in a fantasy world.

33 The Spectacular Now (2013)

Directed By James Ponsoldt

The Spectacular Now is a unique and underseen coming-of-age story that mixes the fun and exhilaration of life at this time with the dread and darkness of feeling like things will not get better from here. Miles Teller stars in the movie as Sutter, a popular high school student who is known as the life of the party. After breaking up with his girlfriend, Sutter forms a connection with the reserved and intelligent classmate, Aimee (Shailene Woodley).

However, Sutter brings danger into her life as well given his struggles with alcoholism, which Aimee has never experienced before.

It is easy to get swept up in the romance between these two youngsters as Sutter is a fun-loving guy who brings genuine happiness and excitement to Aimee's life after she has been overlooked in school. However, Sutter brings danger into her life as well given his struggles with alcoholism, which Aimee has never experienced before. It is also a fascinating look at what a teen like Sutter faces when high school ends and the party ends.

32 Dead Poets Society (1989)

Directed By Peter Weir

Robin Williams is the standout cast member in Dead Poets Society, but while he plays a pivotal and entertaining role in the drama, the movie is really about the young men in the ensemble. Set at a teenage boys' boarding school in 1959, Dead Poets Society follows the young men who are inspired by their new English teacher (Williams) who encourages them to look beyond the structure of the school and explore more about themselves.

Williams's John Keating is one of the most inspiring teachers in movie history, but the film is really about the reaction of the students who begin to open up to possibilities beyond what they imagined for themselves. It captures that feeling of finding new interests at a young age, the fear of what it means to embrace something new, and the thrill of following something that is a true ion.

31 Sing Street (2016)

Directed By John Carney

Sing Street is another coming-of-age movie with a musical center. Set in 1980s Ireland, the film follows Connor, a teen living in a working-class neighborhood and struggling as the new boy at a Catholic school. Inspired by popular music of the time, such as Duran Duran, he forms a band with the hopes of catching the attention of an older girl in the neighborhood.

The movie examines an era of great difficulty for the majority of people in Ireland and Sing Street beautifully reflects the reality of what it must have been like growing up in a bleak time while still being a hugely entertaining film. It is a story that doesn't pander to the audience about unrealistic happy endings but rather embraces the magic of youthful hope and the idea that the future can be brighter. It also happens to have some great music to propel the story.