Teen movies are great because they manage to generally capture what teenage life is like. Many are stylized, but nonetheless they usually have the right idea and are fun to watch.
The 1980s, in particular, brought along some wonderful teen films, many of which were directed by John Hughes, one of the most important people in the evolution of teen movies.
effectively capture the lives -- and stereotypes -- of teens.
* "Sixteen Candles" (1984) -- "Sixteen Candles" tells the story of Samantha Baker (Molly Ringwald). It's her 16th birthday -- and a very bad day.
Her whole family forgets her birthday and the guy she likes won't pay any attention to her. Plus, all her relatives are staying at her house for her older sister's wedding. And, just to makes things worse, one of the school's biggest "geeks" (Anthony Michael Hall) seems to have a crush on her.
It's an effective and funny look into teen struggles, dysfunction and stereotypes.
* "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (1986) -- Ferris Bueller is a well-known hero among teen movie characters. In one day, he gets to do what many teens have only dreamed of and will likely never get to do.
The movie begins with Ferris (Matthew Broderick) deciding to fake being sick in order to miss school. After successfully convincing his parents of his deathly illness, Ferris calls his best friend, Cameron (Alan Ruck), and the two of them get Ferris' girlfriend, Sloane (Mia Sara), out of school. The trio spend a day in Chicago, doing their best to not get caught.
Ferris is not an everyday teenager. Sure, many kids manage to skip school and get away with it, but Ferris manages to skip school and have what many would call the best day ever. And, of course, the stereotypes are all here: Ferris is the teenager who couldn't care less, and Cameron is the hesitant teenager who doesn't want any trouble.
* "Mean Girls" (2004) -- While teen movies of today are still fun to watch, the genre seems to have lost its touch since the glory days of teen movies in the 1980s. "Mean Girls" brought back what made teen movies so great: Overly-stylized teen stereotypes, witty dialogue, and a simple-but-lovable lead.
Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) has been home-schooled her whole life.
She has just moved into a new house in a new city and has to go to public school, where she befriends a group of popular girls known as The Plastics. The Plastics are stuck-up, rude and what some might call evil. Cady makes it her goal to make the lives of The Plastics miserable, but she soon discovers she is becoming one of them.
* "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (1982) -- Acclaimed writer and director Cameron Crowe posed as a high school student. The result was a book that eventually became Amy Heckerling's movie "Fast Times at Ridgemont High." It is an entertaining film, but disturbing in that it is based on actual events.
There isn't really a main story in "Fast Times." It's a study of different students and their misadventures. Among these characters is Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn), a surfer who wears Vans and smokes a lot of pot.
He's the target of a controlling teacher, Mr. Hand (Ray Walston). Stacy Hamilton (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and Mark Ratner (Brian Becker) are students searching for love in high school.
* "The Breakfast Club" (1985) -- Not only did Hughes manage to make another entertaining high school movie with good actors and awesome music, but he managed to put all major high school stereotypes on screen and have them interact in ways many of us would never imagine.
This movie takes place at the fictional Shermer High School. Five students have detention and must sacrifice a Saturday to sit in the school library from 7 a.
m. until 3 p.m.
The students are Brian, the "brain" (Anthony Michael Hall); Andrew, the "athlete" (Emilio Estevez); Allison, the "basket case" (Ally Sheedy); Claire, the "princess" (Molly Ringwald); and Bender, the "criminal" (Judd Nelson). They come into detention not saying a word to each other, but they all come out changed forever.
This Hughes classic is my No.
1 teen movie for many reasons. The cast is wonderful. All of the actors, especially Nelson as the disturbed yet interesting Bender, are good in their roles.
And Hughes wrote a script with some witty and serious dialogue.
The top reason, though, is that it takes well-known high school stereotypes, puts them together, and shows how each one affects the others. It shows how the athlete affects the criminal, how the criminal affects the princess, how the princess affects the brain, and so on.
Twenty-two years after its release, "The Breakfast Club" is still a must-see teen movie.
* Loren Antonio attends Davis High School.
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