I, like everyone else, recently watched To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. I’m normally not one for romantic comedies, but I found it endearing because it has all the tropes of classic teen movies that I’ve loved since I was in middle school. That inspired me to list my top ten. Fair warning; all of these are from the ‘80s, the classic era for teen comedies, and my favorite era of all time.
Can’t Buy Me Love
Like TABILB, the plot of this movie relies on a fake relationship for mutual benefit. It features awkwardly adorable, pre-hunk status Patrick Dempsey as the male protagonist. ‘80s popular girl Cindy Mancini finds herself in need for money after ruining an amazing outfit borrowed from her mother and Dempsey uses his significant savings to help her, with the caveat that she dates him so that her popularity will rub off on him. Will it turn into something more? It wouldn’t be a ‘80s movie if it didn’t. It’s complete with some classic campy drama, actual laugh out loud scenes, pre-pubescent Seth Green as the obnoxious little brother, and did I mention amazing outfits? Plus, the oft-referenced scene of the couple riding off into the sunset on a lawn mower.
The Lost Boys
Disclaimer: This movie does not fit the mold of everything else on this list, but it’s from the ‘80s, they’re teens, and I love it. My list, my rules. The Lost Boys is ½ scary, ½ campy. They’re as cheesy as you’d imagine ‘80s vampire teen rock and roll bikers could be. Two teenage boys and their mom move to a coastal town with an unusual amount of human disappearances. It’s not long before one brother gets mixed up with the vampires due to an inevitable attraction to the gorgeous Jamie Gertz in very Stevie Nicks’ esque outfits. It’s got a creepy soundtrack featuring a lot of The Doors and a pretty cool ambiance. It’s worth watching just for some interior decorating inspo; the teen vampire’s cliff side lair is pretty funky.
The Goonies
This is the childhood we all wish we’d had. Not the fear of losing your house and moving away from all your friends part, but the adventure. Secret tunnels, booby traps, lost treasure and hidden pirate ships are definitely worth being chased by criminals. This movie is a classic, and it’s full of the ‘80s tropes that inspired nostalgia pieces like Stranger Things, kids riding on bikes, solving problems in their own world completely separate from their parents. It’s a movie that’s comforting for me, perfect to watch on a rainy day. Plus, Cyndi Lauper wrote a song for it that includes an amazing Goonies inspired music video that features professional wrestlers? Worth a watch.
Teen Wolf
I’ll talk about movies with relatable teenage problems and also movies with unrealistic adventures, but this movie is just pure fantasy. As if high school kids don’t have enough problems, let’s make Michael J. Fox a werewolf. This is the movie that inspired the MTV series, but being a fan of that does not necessarily mean you’ll love this movie. The only similarities they share are the premise of being a werewolf in high school and some character’s names. The original is camp beyond belief, and that, in my opinion, makes it superior.
Sixteen Candles
I have watched this movie on my birthday every year since for the past six years. This is the first of three John Hughes movies to make the list. John Hughes, the king of ‘80s teen movies and the helper of the Brat Pack’s formation. Sixteen Candles sees two iconic Brat Pack members, Anthony Michael Hall and Molly Ringwald, in their first movie together. It’s the story that every quiet high school girl wishes would come true; the guy you have a huge crush on but have never spoken to actually feels the exact same way about you. There’s plenty of teen angst about a forgotten birthday, weird antics by all of the supporting characters (early Joan and John Cusack!) and the cringiest grandparents ever. A classic.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Released in 1982, this movie is one of the first of the genre, and one of the edgiest. It’s funny and lighthearted, but some of the teens, especially Jennifer Jason Leigh’s character, deal with some pretty serious issues. Plus full frontal nudity. The “Hi Brad” pool scene is probably the most infamous of the movie. There are plenty of familiar faces, including Sean Penn, and the soundtrack is amazing.
Heathers
Does anything make you want to wear boxy blazers and scrunchies more? Maybe Clueless. Regardless, this movie is delightfully dark and weird and turns the idea of a high school movie on its head. Coming in at the end of the decade, I guess everyone was tired of seeing hot, popular girls on screen being mean and getting away with it. So in Heathers, they get murdered. It’s funny, campy, and features Winona Ryder being a total badass. The only downfall is Christian Slater. Shudder.
Adventures in Babysitting
This movie is a classic because it’s an actual adventure. Much like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and the Goonies, the storyline is something that absolutely does not happen to most high school students, and that’s what makes it so fun. The main character, played by Elizabeth Shue, is babysitting three kids when her best friend calls and says she desperately needs to be picked up in Chicago because she tried to run away from home. Shue drives the kids into the city to get her, but of course nothing can go smoothly. They get a flat tire, and then accidentally stumble upon a car jacking and spend the rest of the movie running from criminals and trying to get home before the parents. What really makes this movie different is that the focal point is not a romance. Of course, there is a love interest that’s introduced in the third act, but the rest is just pure craziness. And there’s a musical number.
Weird Science
This movie is amazing. Anthony Michael Hall became the typical ‘80s nerd after Sixteen Candles, and what’s nerdier than building a girlfriend out of computer software? That didn’t stop me from developing a weird crush on him after I saw this though. This movie has zero bases in reality, but the vintage graphics are funny to see. It’s another John Hughes classic. Plus, young Robert Downey Jr. plays one of the bullies!
Pretty In Pink
This movie came into my life when I was in 8th grade and shaped me more than anything else I’ve ever seen. I found an idol and style icon in Molly Ringwald’s character. She was daring with her fashion and caught the attention of the popular guy by being different. It’s a lot more serious than Hughes films like Sixteen Candles because it deals with issues like class and economic status. All of the characters are amazing, especially Duckie. I live for his dance scene in the record store. When I first saw this movie, I fell in love with Andrew Mccarthy’s character, the yuppie love interest. Upon recent watches, I waver about if he was the right guy for her to end up with, but look at that smile!
Back to the Future, the Breakfast Club, Footloose and Ferris Bueller are all classics that didn’t make the list because pretty much everyone has already seen them and recognizes their greatness. Whatever happened to simple teen movies like these? They’re so comforting. I had a great high school experience, but these movies make me nostalgic for a high school experience I never had (no one did) and a time I never lived in. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before was sweet because it channeled the simplistic story telling and wacky humor of a John Hughes movie. There’s usually some weird scheme that blows up in the end and a hot, popular guy that falls for the beautiful girl that no one notices for some reason. There’s a mean girl, there’s good fashion and good music. We need more movies like these, as unrealistic and uncomplicated as they are, they’re feel-goods.