Teen romance movies are a great way to experience, or re-experience, the highs and lows of first love. From first crushes to first kisses, teen romance movies have a timeless spirit that anyone can enjoy, though some may be tied to the era they were made in. Many of these movies are considered classics, and deservedly so; they capture the joy and heartbreak of teen romance in an authentic, relatable way, even years later. No one is questioning the overall merit of these movies, or the enjoyment they have brought viewers. However, some teen romance movies have plots or specific elements that seem outdated now, and probably couldn’t be made today without some adjustments.
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9 17 Again (2009)
Warner Bros. Pictures
17 Again stars Matthew Perry as Mike, a 37-year-old man who is stuck in life; he’s living with a friend, and his wife has filed for divorce. A freak encounter turns him back into his 17-year-old self, played by Zac Efron. As a teenager, Mike has feelings towards his soon-to-be ex-wife, which she tells him are wrong due to his age. Despite this, he still pursues her, and even kisses her. This can be a gray area, since Mike is really 37 and stuck in a teen body, but it is a questionable moment in the movie.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
8 Revenge of the Nerds (1984)
20th Century Fox
Revenge of the Nerds centers around two nerdy college freshmen, Lewis (Robert Carradine) and Gilbert (Anthony Edwards), and their rivalry with the school’s fraternity. When their dorms are taken over by the fraternity, Lewis and Gilbert form a successful residence, which prompts pranks from the jealous fraternity. In this rivalry, the nerds outsell the jocks at a fundraiser by selling pies with pictures of naked sorority members, while Lewis pretends to be a jock, and tricks the jock’s girlfriend into having sex with him. Though the rivalry aspect holds up, these details have aged poorly.
7 Weird Science (1985)
Universal Pictures
In Weird Science, two teenage nerds, Gary (Anthony Michael Hall) and Wyatt (Ilan Mitchell-Smith) are tired of being picked on for crushing on cheerleaders yet being single. They decide to create a perfect woman, and succeed in making Lisa (Kelly LeBrock), a beautiful woman with powers, like creating cars. Lisa, though powerful, is seen as little more than an object, created solely to exist as the perfect woman for two boys. However, the movie does have the message that manufactured love might be ideal, but can’t substitute for the real thing.
6 She’s All That (1999)
Miramax Films
She’s All That stars Freddie Prinze Jr. as popular teen Zack, whose girlfriend cheats on him. He claims his girlfriend can easily be replaced, which leads him to a bet that he can turn any girl into a prom queen. He chooses Laney (Rachael Leigh Cook), an unpopular nerd, and eventually falls for her. The movie is sweet and everything you could want in a rom-com, but it treats the character of Laney poorly. As Cosmopolitan points out, she isn’t seen as valuable on her own, and must be made conventionally desirable to be worthy. Zack may love Laney for herself by the end, but the movie pushes the idea that women must change themselves to be desirable.
5 Never Been Kissed (1999)
In Never Been Kissed, editor Josie (Drew Barrymore) is assigned to go undercover at a high school for article research. Working through her horrific high school memories, Josie makes friends and falls for her teacher, Sam (Michael Vartan). Yes, Josie is an adult, but Sam doesn’t know this. Though he is conflicted about their relationship, he’s a teacher, and shouldn’t be pursuing a student at all. Things ultimately work out, and the two can be themselves in a happy finale to a strong romantic comedy, but the path to their happiness didn’t age well.
4 American Pie (1999)
American Pie follows a group of classmates who make a pact to lose their virginity before graduation. This leads to chaotic situations, like Oz (Chris Klein) having sex with a pie after misunderstanding a metaphor. It also contains questionable actions, like the group setting up a webcam to watch Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth) change clothes, or Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) having underage sex with a friend’s mom. It has an overall negative portrayal of women. They are little more than objects helping the boys achieve sex, and are treated unfairly; ScreenRant points out that Nadia was expelled for the webcam incident, while Jim (Jason Biggs), who was also in it, sees no major punishment. It remains a landmark teen movie, but some parts haven’t held up as well.
3 Sixteen Candles (1984)
Sixteen Candles tells the story of Sam (Molly Ringwald), whose family forgets her 16th birthday due to a family wedding. At a school dance, she deals with her feelings for senior Jake (Michael Schoeffling), and pushes away the attention of freshman Ted (Anthony Michael Hall). A large portion of the plot centers around Ted trying to get Sam’s underwear to impress his friends. There’s also a scene where Jake tells Ted to take his drunk ex-girlfriend, Caroline, home for the night. Caroline wakes up next to Ted with the implication that they had sex, which she has no memory of. Finally, the exchange student Long Duk Dong embodies several racist stereotypes. Though dated, this Brat Pack movie remains strong, and sympathetically and authentically captures teenage life.
2 Cruel Intentions (1999)
Sony Pictures Releasing
Cruel Intentions adapts the novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses into a high school setting, where Kathryn (Sarah Michelle Gellar) makes a deal with her stepbrother Sebastian (Ryan Phillippe), where he will ruin the reputation of the girl who stole Kathryn’s boyfriend. If he succeeds, then he gets to sleep with Kathryn, who is his stepsister. Aside from this, the movie also has several instances of forced sexual encounters and manipulation, though it remains a suspenseful watch with strong performances.
1 Endless Love (1981)
Endless Love focuses on the relationship between two teenagers, Jade (Brooke Shields) and David (Martin Hewett). What starts as a simple relationship develops into an unhealthy, consuming mess. As Jade falls deeper for David, her grades suffer, and she can’t sleep. Jade’s father asks them to separate for a time, and this escalates into David lighting Jade’s house on fire to save her, going to a mental hospital, and, after his release, stalking Jade and forcing her to admit her love. The movie tends to glorify this stalking and all-around unhealthy romance in ways that it shouldn’t.
