Best High School Movies and Teen Comedies and Coming of Age films
Best movies about high school, teenagers, and coming of age. Together these form a brilliant and bittersweet collection. All movies (particularly Teen Comedies) about teenagers. Some might be considered primarily college movies.
This is my favorite genre by far: High School movies (particularly about graduating seniors) capture a really specific melancholy and encapsulate the fleeting nature of life. In my opinion, there is no other genre whose works all consistently contribute so much - I even enjoy the movies under 6.0 thoroughly. Most of these are worth watching and provide some genuinely valuable about the human condition and the fleeting nature of youth & life! Perhaps too Houellebecq-ian.
Let me know what you think. I am open to all suggestions!
There are a lot of movies which I haven’t included on purpose because they’re not really what I’m looking for - e.g. Superhero Movies, Musicals, Sports Movies, or are generally about teens outside doing stuff outside High School. I have pretty much exhausted the ouvre. Removed - Moonlight, Ferris Buellers Day Off, Say Anything, Sixteen Candles, Waves, Kimi no Wa, Election, The Last Picture Show
Note: this list is more about how the film functions as a High School movie rather than total quality per se (why Boyhood is so low)
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This is my favorite genre by far: High School movies (particularly about graduating seniors) capture a really specific melancholy and encapsulate the fleeting nature of life. In my opinion, there is no other genre whose works all consistently contribute so much - I even enjoy the movies under 6.0 thoroughly. Most of these are worth watching and provide some genuinely valuable about the human condition and the fleeting nature of youth & life! Perhaps too Houellebecq-ian.
Let me know what you think. I am open to all suggestions!
There are a lot of movies which I haven’t included on purpose because they’re not really what I’m looking for - e.g. Superhero Movies, Musicals, Sports Movies, or are generally about teens outside doing stuff outside High School. I have pretty much exhausted the ouvre. Removed - Moonlight, Ferris Buellers Day Off, Say Anything, Sixteen Candles, Waves, Kimi no Wa, Election, The Last Picture Show
Note: this list is more about how the film functions as a High School movie rather than total quality per se (why Boyhood is so low)
https://pastebin.com/Gjx8BD4y
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- DirectorPaul WeitzChris WeitzStarsJason BiggsChris KleinThomas Ian NicholasFour teenage boys enter a pact to lose their virginity by prom night.Has a tremendous heart, is down to earth, has genuine characters, and is improved greatly by American Reunion. Roger Ebert said it better than I ever could. https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/american-pie-1999
- DirectorLarry ClarkStarsLeo FitzpatrickJustin PierceChloë SevignyA day in the life of a group of teens as they travel around New York City skating, drinking, smoking and deflowering virgins.Dark look at the nihilism of working-class New York City teenagers. Miracle it was made.
- DirectorMark WatersStarsLindsay LohanJonathan BennettRachel McAdamsCady Heron is a hit with The Plastics, the A-list girl clique at her new school, until she makes the mistake of falling for Aaron Samuels, the ex-boyfriend of alpha Plastic Regina George.Great late-contribution to the genre.
- DirectorGreg MottolaStarsMichael CeraJonah HillChristopher Mintz-PlasseTwo co-dependent high school seniors are forced to deal with separation anxiety after their plan to stage a booze-soaked party goes awry.Constant obscenity and hijinks make way for a compelling movie about the pain of moving on and the inevitability of best friends growing apart
- DirectorTaichi IshidateNaoko YamadaStarsMiyu IrinoSaori HayamiAoi YûkiA young man is ostracized by his classmates after he bullies a deaf girl to the point where she moves away. Years later, he sets off on a path for redemption.
- DirectorRoger KumbleStarsSarah Michelle GellarRyan PhillippeReese WitherspoonTwo vicious step-siblings of an elite Manhattan prep school make a wager: to deflower the new headmaster's daughter before the start of term.Less graphic, less real, Upper Class version of Kids
- DirectorJames PonsoldtStarsMiles TellerShailene WoodleyKyle ChandlerA hard-partying high school senior's philosophy on life changes when he meets the not-so-typical "nice girl."
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsJason LondonWiley WigginsMatthew McConaugheyThe adventures of high school and junior high students on the last day of school in May 1976.Seminal work
- DirectorJon HurwitzHayden SchlossbergStarsJason BiggsAlyson HanniganSeann William ScottJim, Michelle, Stifler, and their friends reunite in East Great Falls, Michigan for their high school reunion.Perhaps the most important film on the list. Revisiting the glory days.
- DirectorPhil LordChristopher MillerStarsJonah HillChanning TatumIce CubeA pair of underachieving cops are sent back to a local high school to blend in and bring down a synthetic drug ring.Hilarious movie with unexpected tenderness.
- DirectorAlfonso Gomez-RejonStarsThomas MannRJ CylerOlivia CookeHigh schooler Greg, who spends most of his time making parodies of classic movies with his co-worker Earl, finds his outlook forever altered after befriending a classmate who has just been diagnosed with cancer.Very different from the rest on this list.
- DirectorStephen ChboskyStarsLogan LermanEmma WatsonEzra MillerCharlie, a 15-year-old introvert, enters high school and is nervous about his new life. When he befriends his seniors, he learns to cope with his friend's suicide and his tumultuous past.While it suceeds as a drama, it fails as a high school movie.
- DirectorHarry ElfontDeborah KaplanStarsJennifer Love HewittEthan EmbryCharlie KorsmoA complete graduating class, consisting of beautiful girls, geeks and promising footballers, assemble at a rich classmate's residence for a party. Interesting developments follow at the get-together.Unlikable protaganist, but lifted by an incredible ensemble.
- DirectorAmy HeckerlingStarsSean PennJennifer Jason LeighJudge ReinholdA group of Southern California high school students are enjoying their most important subjects: sex, drugs and rock n' roll.Foundation of the genre but not my cup of tea.
- DirectorJesse DylanStarsJason BiggsAlyson HanniganSeann William ScottIt's the wedding of Jim and Michelle and the gathering of their families and friends, including Jim's old friends from high school and Michelle's little sister.Moving on.
- DirectorJ.B. RogersStarsJason BiggsSeann William ScottShannon ElizabethJim and his friends are now in college, and they decide to meet up at the beach house for some fun.High School is over. What now?
- DirectorGreta GerwigStarsSaoirse RonanLaurie MetcalfTracy LettsIn 2002, an artistically inclined 17-year-old girl comes of age in Sacramento, California.Maybe too real for this list.
- DirectorGil JungerStarsHeath LedgerJulia StilesJoseph Gordon-LevittA high-school boy, Cameron, cannot date Bianca until her anti-social older sister, Kat, has a boyfriend. So, Cameron pays a mysterious boy, Patrick, to charm Kat.
- DirectorBurr SteersStarsZac EfronMatthew PerryLeslie MannMike O'Donnell is ungrateful for how his life turned out. He gets a chance to rewrite his life when he tried to save a janitor near a bridge and jumped after him into a time vortex.Surprised at how much I enjoyed this.
- DirectorBetty ThomasStarsJesse MetcalfeAshantiArielle KebbelThree ex-girlfriends of a serial cheater set up their former lover to fall for the new girl in town so they can watch him get his heart broken.
- DirectorRobert IscoveStarsFreddie Prinze Jr.Rachael Leigh CookMatthew LillardA high school jock makes a bet that he can turn an unattractive girl into the school's prom queen.Freddie Prinze Jr, Paul Walker, and Matthew Lillard (in a small role) make up for the bog-standard plot and story beats.
- DirectorJared HessStarsJon HederEfren RamirezJon GriesA listless and alienated teenager decides to help his new friend win the class presidency in their small western high school, while he must deal with his bizarre family life back home.
- DirectorJoel GallenStarsChyler LeighJaime PresslyChris EvansA sendup of all the teen movies that have accumulated in the past two decades.Great parody. Did it kill the genre?
- DirectorRaja GosnellStarsDrew BarrymoreDavid ArquetteMichael VartanA newspaper reporter enrolls in high school as part of research for a story.
- DirectorKay CannonStarsLeslie MannJohn CenaIke BarinholtzThree parents try to stop their daughters from losing their virginity on prom night.
- DirectorLuke GreenfieldStarsEmile HirschNicholas DownsElisha CuthbertA teenager's dreams come true when a former porn star moves in next door and they fall in love.Fantastic opening (up until the pep rally scene). Great in parts, but betrayed by lack of cohesion and weird concept. Had the potential to be one of the best high school movies ever made.
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsEllar ColtranePatricia ArquetteEthan HawkeThe life of Mason, from early childhood to his arrival at college.
- DirectorWill GluckStarsEmma StoneAmanda BynesPenn BadgleyWhen Olive lies to her best friend about losing her virginity to one of the college boys, a girl overhears their conversation. Soon, her story spreads across the entire school like wildfire.
- DirectorJohn HughesStarsEmilio EstevezJudd NelsonMolly RingwaldFive high school students meet in Saturday detention and discover how they have a great deal more in common than they thought.Good movie, but not the right scenario for this list. One location one day movies aren't right for this.
- DirectorBrian RobbinsStarsJames Van Der BeekJon VoightPaul WalkerA back-up quarterback is chosen to lead a Texas football team to victory after the star quarterback is injured.High School Sports movie, but has a good spirit
- DirectorKelly Fremon CraigStarsHailee SteinfeldHaley Lu RichardsonBlake JennerHigh-school life gets even more unbearable for Nadine when her best friend, Krista, starts dating her older brother.
- DirectorEd DecterStarsDJ QuallsLyle LovettEliza DushkuA high school senior branded uncool in the ninth grade gets himself expelled so he changes his image to cool kid at the town's other high school.Funny and possibly underrated, but a touch too wacky
- DirectorOlivia WildeStarsKaitlyn DeverBeanie FeldsteinJessica WilliamsOn the eve of their high-school graduation, two academic superstars and best friends realize they should have worked less and played more. Determined not to fall short of their peers, the girls try to cram four years of fun into one night.Interesting new take. Enjoyed it and less on rewatches. Feels like an empty and bitter retread.
- DirectorAmy HeckerlingStarsAlicia SilverstoneStacey DashBrittany MurphyShallow, rich and socially successful Cher is at the top of her Beverly Hills high school's pecking scale. Seeing herself as a matchmaker, Cher first coaxes two teachers into dating each other.
- DirectorMark WatersStarsJamie Lee CurtisLindsay LohanMark HarmonAn overworked mother and her daughter did not get along. When they switch bodies, each is forced to adapt to the other's life for one freaky Friday.
- DirectorJeffrey HornadayStarsSarah HylandMatt ProkopSasha PieterseTo win a school popularity contest, a high school diva permits a film club classmate to record her popular life, but the film starts documenting her decline instead.Has heart
- DirectorNick HurranStarsSamaire ArmstrongKevin ZegersSherry MillerSworn enemies find themselves in each other's bodies, and use this to ruin each other's lives.
- DirectorJon PollStarsAnton YelchinRobert Downey Jr.Hope DavisA rich kid becomes the self-appointed psychiatrist to the student body of his new high school.
- DirectorGreg BerlantiStarsNick RobinsonJennifer GarnerJosh DuhamelSimon Spier keeps a huge secret from his family, his friends and all of his classmates: he's gay. When that secret is threatened, Simon must face everyone and come to terms with his identity.
- DirectorSara SugarmanStarsLindsay LohanMegan FoxAdam GarciaA teenage girl is convinced that her home city revolves around her until her family packs up and moves to the suburbs, where she finds herself competing for attention.
- DirectorDavid RaynrStarsShane WestMarla SokoloffJodi Lyn O'KeefeA modern-day remake of the Cyrano DeBergerac tale.
- DirectorPatricia RiggenStarsBridgit MendlerAdam HicksHayley KiyokoFive high school kids, Olivia, Wendall, Stella, Charlie, and Mo, meet in detention and start a band based on the lemonade vending machine outside the detention room.
- DirectorJessica SharzerStarsKristen StewartElizabeth PerkinsRichard HagermanAfter a blurred trauma over the summer, Melinda enters high school a selective mute. Struggling with school, friends, and family, she tells the dark tale of her experiences, and why she has chosen not to speak.
- DirectorRobert MandelStarsBrendan FraserMatt DamonChris O'DonnellIn 1959, a star quarterback from a working-class family is given an opportunity to attend an elite New England preparatory school, but he is conflicted about whether or not to tell his Evangelical classmates that he is Jewish.
- DirectorJustin LinStarsParry ShenJason TobinSung KangA group of over-achieving East Asian American high school seniors enjoy a power trip when they dip into extracurricular criminal activities.
- DirectorNick HurranStarsSamaire ArmstrongKevin ZegersSherry MillerSworn enemies find themselves in each other's bodies, and use this to ruin each other's lives.
- DirectorJohn SchultzStarsMelissa Joan HartAdrian GrenierStephen CollinsNicole and Chase used to be BFFs, then junior high happened. The high school centennial dance is coming but Nicole gets dumped. So does Chase. They stage a relationship to get at their exes. They visit each other's worlds. Love in the air?
- DirectorJonathan KasdanStarsDylan O'BrienBritt RobertsonVictoria JusticeA shy senior and a down-to-earth junior fall in love over one weekend.
- DirectorPeter HowittStarsDebby RyanSarena ParmarAdam DiMarcoTara, a painfully shy high-schooler, has a secret: she is also a confident DJ known as Radio Rebel, who lends her voice to others.
- DirectorGavin WiesenStarsFreddie HighmoreEmma RobertsMichael AngaranoGeorge, a lonely and fatalistic teen who has made it all the way to his senior year without ever having done a real day of work, is befriended by Sally, a popular but complicated girl who recognizes in him a kindred spirit.