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Top Teen Tales from Teenager Twice OverDec 10 '05 (Updated Dec 17 '05) Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line I've been a teenager twice over now, and enjoy well done teenage movies. From when I actually was a teenager to today, here are my favorite Teen Movies! It's been over 20 years since I was a teenager, but as an avid movie buff, that doesn't stop me from enjoying films about that stage of life. I've seen so many, but it wasn't hard to remember the ones I loved best. At number ten: License to Drive (1988 directed by Greg Beeman written by Neil Tolkin) - Many may have forgotten this classic gem starring the Corey's (Corey Haim and Corey Feldman) but not me! Featuring an awesome looking young Heather Graham as Mercedes, this coming of age film about a teen who first gets his driver's license and borrows Dads car for a date with said Mercedes was a riot. Never has Frank Sinatra been used so well in a film about teenagers in the eighties! (Watch for the drunk man in the Volkswagen) Two from the master of Teen Movies of the Eighties, John Hughes Tie for Number Nine Pretty in Pink (1986 written by John Hughes) - From the Psychadelic Furs title song to Harry Dean Stanton as the unemployed but well meaning Dad, this film was so eighties! James Spader as the obnoxious slick rich kid, Andrew McCarthy as the nice guy, and of course Molly Ringwald as the films outcast protaganist. Of course we had to put up with John Cryer's obnoxious whining geek, Ducky. It didn't surprise me that he grew up to be a divorced chiropractor living at his brothers house and still whines a lot. (Two and a Half Men is one of my favorite sitcoms) Sixteen Candles (1984 written and directed by John Hughes) - Hilarious coming of age film with 80s favorite red head Molly Ringwald. This time, her parents and grandparents all forget about her on her 16th birthday party. Again, she hopes that the nice rich kid will notice her, even though he already has stuck up perfect girlfriend, but instead she has to entertain her grandparents foreign exchange student Long Duck Dong. Number Eight Election (1999 Written and directed by Alexander Payne) Payne seems to have a knack for dialogue and stories (he also wrote About Schmidt and Sideways). Ferris Bueller has grown up and apparently settled into teaching at a high school very much like the one that he used to skip. Matthew Broderick is always fun to watch, he just has an ability to express wide eyed innocence and well meaning. He has met his match here in a young Reese Witherspoon as Tracy Flick an overdriven ambitious high school senior. Chris Klien puts on a great performance as the likable and clueless Paul Metzler. Although the story's main focus is on the teacher, since the setting is a high school and most of the main characters are high schoolers, I feel this falls squarely into the teen movie category. Number Seven American Pie (1999 directed by Paul Weitz written by Adam Herz) - I laughed so hard at this movie! Featuring the beauty of Shannon Elizabeth, Tara Reid, Nastasha Leonne, and the acting talent and beauty of Mena Suvari, the film didn't lack eye candy. Sean William Scott's portrayal of Steve Stifler provided even more laughs than ernest Eugene Levy as Jim's Dad. Jack Black's comedy makes this next film Number Six Orange County (2002 Directed by Jake Kasdan and written by Mike White )- (yes that Mike White from Chuck and Buck, The Good Girl and School of Rock) Although Tom Hanks son, Colin Hanks is great as Shaun Brumder a young man who desparately wants to get into Stanford, it is Jack Black who steals the show as his older brother Lance, a do nothing dropout who sits on the couch all day. High school arch types were great here. One of my favorite scenes; Chevy Chase discussing home coming, and Mike White's High School English class, when we learn what movies were based on Shakespeare plays! (including Waterworld, Gladiator and Chocolat no less!) Lily Tomlin also has a fine cameo as the schools mixed up guidance counselor who may have accidently screwed up our protagonists future. Oh well! Number Five - a Tie! The Nasty Clique of Popular Girls from Yesterday and Today Heathers (1989 Directed by Michael Lehmann and written by Daniel Waters)- Well before Mean Girls, Heathers were the nasty girls on campus, until Christian Slater (channeling Jack Nicholson) stirred things up. Winona Ryder was the unpopular girl until Slater's J.D. helps her to get even with the trio of girls all named Heather, including pre 90210 Shannen Doherty. This one was a very dark comedy, just the way I like em!. Mean Girls (2004 directed by Mark Waters, screenplay by Tina Fey based on the book Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman)- This Tina Fey screen play was excellent. Lindsey Lohan (Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, Freaky Friday, Herbie) played her best role yet as transplanted high school student Cady Heron. Lindsey is at first an outcast, but she soon joins the "Plastics" a clique of popular, but mean girls with the intent to destroy them. Rising star Rachel McAdams (The Notebook, RedEye) plays one of the mean girls. Also look for SNL stars Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Tim Meadows as teachers and Ana Gasteyer as Cady's mom. I also thought it was funny that the outcast played by Lizzy Caplan was named Janis Ian. I'm showing my age here, but singer Janis Ian had a song years ago about girls who sit and wait by the phone while the popular girls all go out. Number Four was actually a spoof of teen movies, but it was so funny, it merits a place on my top ten list, even though some of the films it parodies do not: Not Another Teen Movie (2001 directed by Joel Gallen, written by Mike Bender) Although I enjoyed all the John Hughes movies, and todays films like Ten Things I Hate About You, I found this film satire funnier than all the films that it parodies. Except for one unnecessary bathroom scene, this film nails dead on all the teen comedies of my day and today. Yes the first day of school, the big football game, the senior prom and graduation all occur in less than two hours. Freaks, Geeks and Jocks are all accounted for. Watch for guest appearance by my favorite teen queen of John Hughes films, Molly Ringwald. Number Three Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986 written and directed by John Hughes) Matthew Broderick starred in this funny film about one boy's adventures on his big day off Ohhhh Yeaahhhh I can't get that song by Yellow out of my head whenever I think of this film. I also can't forget the beautiful Ferrari, Jennifer Grey as his obnoxious sister, or Jeffrey Jones as his principal. This film is just plain fun. Number Two Breakfast Club (1985 written and directed by John Hughes) - My Favorite of the John Hughes films, I can still quote lines from it today. The five archtypes of high school are present. Jock-Emilio Estevez Popular Girl - Molly Ringwald Geek - Anthony Michael Hall Stoner - Judd Nelson Freak - Ally Sheedy. Although most of the movie is set in the school library, it is pure dialogue that makes this movie one of my very favorite teen movies. The best and the funniest teen movie by which all teen movies are judged by me is set right at the time I was a freshman in high school Number One: Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982 directed by Amy Hecklering and written by Cameron Crowe Amy Hecklering and Cameron Crowe's incredibly observant tale of a typical high school and its students remains my all time favorite teenage movie. This movie came out the year I graduated High School. I think I was Mark Ranter (Brian Backer)in high school. I knew Mike Damon (Robert Romanus), he also tried to sell me scalped Van Halen tickets. I am sure I had a crush on Stacy Hamilton (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and I also thought Led Zeppelin was ideal mood music. The hair styles, the manner of speech, the Mall, everything was so dead on and downright hilarious. I can watch this today, and still laugh out loud at Sean Penn as Jeff Spicoli. I wasn't cool enough in High School to hang with Spicoli or Brad (Judge Reinhold) Hamilton, but I remember them well. Aloha, Mr. Hand! (played by Ray Watson) Well, thats it, those are my favorite teenage films. Donnie Darko is not included in my list because I think of the film as more of a thriller/sci-fi/cult classic than teen film. Same goes for the brilliant Ghost World. Although both films have protagonists who are teenagers, I just don't think of them as teenage films. My Other Top Ten Lists My Top Ten Favorite Movies Top Ten Children's Movies from a big kid Top 10 SACDs/DVD-Audios(actually 18 albums altogether) My Favorite Christmas Movies (mostly comedies) My favorite heavy metal albums from "back in the day" Japanimation Top Ten Top Ten Comedies My Top Ten Favorite Science Fiction Films Top Ten DVD Box Sets A gift idea for everyone! Top Ten World War II Movies Top Ten War Movies  |
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