BasilBruce Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 Hello all, in another post people were talking about how great Gidget was. This got me thinking that even though most teenage movies are horrible there are some that are quite good. Are there any "teen" movies that you think are outstanding, have a good story, or are just plain entertaining? Were there any movies you watched as a teenager that you thought were accurate? I'm just curious as I was not around when the teen movies of the fifties and sixties came out. Although I must say that to me American Graffiti and The Reluctant Debutante are the best teen movies. You have one that just captures that time right after graduation (which I now know really well as I just graduated) and the other is just plain fun for everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misswonderly3 Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 The Trouble with Angels, 1966, starring Rosalind Russell, Hayley Mills, and June Harding. I first saw it as a young adolescent, which is exactly the age group it was made for, and loved it. Still do. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuckyDan Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 thinking of movies about teens and comprised mostly of actors who are teens or passing for teens i think of the 1950s juvie delinquent movies, the 1960s beach movies, and the 1980s teen angst movies. the blackboard jungle and the breakfast club would be the two i know best. the 60s beach movies are fun but almost indistiguishable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkblue Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) is one of my favorites. American Graffiti (1973) is another of my favorites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dargo Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 One of the best recently made "teen movies" I've seen(heck, maybe one of the best recently made movies period, for THAT matter) was 2009's "Adventureland"...your standard "coming-of-age" tale I suppose, but done exceedingly well I thought, and containing equal measures of both humor and pathos but skirting overt sentimentality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavenderblue19 Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 I also love THE TROUBLE WITH ANGELS. probably need a new tape it's very well worn, never tire of this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougieB Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 My favorite is "The World of Henry Orient". It's mostly thought of as a Peter Sellers movie, but there's no doubt that the stars are the two young girls who make the pianist played by Sellers the focus of their boundless teenage enthusiasm. It has a strong sense of time and place and the two girls are beyond charming. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavenderblue19 Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 Another of my very favorite teen films. I saw THE WORLD OF HENRY ORIENT when it was first shown in theaters. Saw it at the Valentine Movie Theater on Fordham Rd in the Bronx. Whenever I think of this film, I don't think of Sellers as the star, I always think about the terrific performances by Tippy Walker and Merrie Spaeth. It's funny and sensitive and touching. Love this film. The location shots of NY for me are some of the best ever filmed. I watch this film often, it's a go to film whenever I start to miss NY and think of my teenage years ( I was a young teen when the film first came out) Glad you thought of it Dougie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BasilBruce Posted May 23, 2014 Author Share Posted May 23, 2014 Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) is one of my favorites. American Graffiti (1973) is another of my favorites. Isn't American Graffiti just one of those very honest movies? I think it really captures the feeling of wanting to get out of high school, but at the same time wanting to stay. The characters are very real and the end of the movie is very realistic in showing that not all of the boys got a happy ending. I've never seen the sequal, is it worth it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rewrite Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 American Graffiti is one of my all-time favorites, maybe partly because it came out my senior year in high school. But I'd say don't bother with the sequel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roverrocks Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 SUMMER OF "42 (1971) was a teenage boy coming-of-age movie that I liked. I fell in love with Jennifer O'Neill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sepiatone Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 When I was a teen, "teen" movies were far from representative. Phony "rock" music, outdated hairstyles, lame fashions and the kids all had the kind of patient, permissive parents we could only dream of having. Even in later movies, the kids got away with much more than real kids ever did( the house destroying parties, staying out till all hours, etc.). With that memory in mind, I'd have to side with Darkblue and list AMERICAN GRAFFITTI and FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH as my favorites. I'd throw in VALLEY GIRL for good measure. But even the "phone-baloney" teen movies were often fun to watch, even if they weren't great film making. Sepiatone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkblue Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 The Last American Virgin (1982) was another I liked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValentineXavier Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 I liked Rock Around the Clock, and a number of similar films. I liked High School Confidential. A more recent favorite is Brick, a neonoir set in a High School. I know that doesn't sound like it would work, but it does very well. Even the 40s PI talk, coming from a teen boy. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0393109/reference Then, there is the modern classic, Donnie Darko. It's about a troubled HS kid, beset by the antithesis of Harvey. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0246578/reference 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoldenIsHere Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 "One time at band camp . . . " My best friend and I went to see AMERICAN PIE when it was first released, having heard how hilarious it was. For about the first 15 minutes I thought it was amusing enough but was just your typical teen "quest to lose virginity" comedy. But then it truly became a practically non-stop laugh-out-loud experience until the end of the movie. And it takes a lot to make me genuinely laugh out loud at a movie. It's the movie that brought M.I.LF. into the American vocabulary. Here is the trailer "APPROVED FOR ALL AUDIENCES": (The R-rated trailer is also posted on YouTube.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUZ3Yxok6N8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tikisoo Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 My best friend and I went to see AMERICAN PIE when it was first released Are you aware this was made by Susan Kohner's kids? I also really like "nice" teen films (not raunchy, thank you) and one of my favorites was THE PARENT TRAP. I know, it's kind of girl oriented, but I'm a girl. And I like the divorced parents aspect, although the premise of splitting twins is ridiculous. And the "Disney" ending....really? But I like it anyway. I especially like seeing kids being mean to "Vicky" played brillintly by Joanna Barnes. Actually, it's all the fantastic performances that elevates this movie as a whole. I attend a horror festival that screens 35mm horror of every era. It's a great way to catch up on pop horror films of the 80's that I missed like FRIGHT NIGHT, POPCORN & THE LOST BOYS which seem like "teen movies" in the horror genre. Seems like the 80's was the turn from "nice" teen movies to "gross out" teen movies. But I could see teens of the 30's & 40's enjoying "gross out" horror movies of their day too-they were just less bloody and more psychological. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoldenIsHere Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 My best friend and I went to see AMERICAN PIE when it was first released Are you aware this was made by Susan Kohner's kids? Thanks for that information. I did not know that Chris and Paul Weitz were the sons of Susan Kohner (probably best known for her role as Sarah Jane in the 1959 version of IMITATION OF LIFE starring Lana Turner). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoldenIsHere Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 Jennifer Coolidge as Stifler's Mom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tikisoo Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 What about PLEASANTVILLE? The teens are trapped in a TV world where they have the more knowledge & experience than anyone. They "teach" the citizens of Pleasantville, and in return, learn a lot about themselves and "real life". It's one of my favorite movies. I think that is the key to a successful movie about teens; giving them power/knowledge/independence. It's even better when they have power & knowledge above adults-every teens fantasy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Dabb Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 What about PLEASANTVILLE? The teens are trapped in a TV world where they have the more knowledge & experience than anyone. They "teach" the citizens of Pleasantville, and in return, learn a lot about themselves and "real life". It's one of my favorite movies. I think that is the key to a successful movie about teens; giving them power/knowledge/independence. It's even better when they have power & knowledge above adults-every teens fantasy! Pleasantville is a favorite of mine, too. There's a sort of role reversal based on knowledge and lack of same. The teens are mature, accepting individuals while the adults are frightened, panicky and immature due to their lack of experience and knowledge. I think it's a nice twist that doesn't go too far and wear itself thin halfway through the film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BasilBruce Posted May 26, 2014 Author Share Posted May 26, 2014 I'm with you Tikisoo, I dom't like raunchy movies, which is why I became more interested in classic films. I am surprised no one has mentioned Rebel without a Cause. (If someone has I apologize). Most people say it just captures pure teen angst and is so true. But to those people I say meh. It's good but it's a lot more dramatic then high school with more good looking people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dargo Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 Sorry, but I have to ask, folks... I mentioned 2009's "Adventureland" a few days ago, but received nothing in reply or acknowledgement to it. And so I was wondering if anyone here has watched this one, because as I mentioned earlier, I thought it a very well done, entertaining and occasionally funny little movie about teen angst. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoldenIsHere Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 I am surprised no one has mentioned Rebel without a Cause. (If someone has I apologize). Most people say it just captures pure teen angst and is so true. But to those people I say meh. It's good but it's a lot more dramatic then high school with more good looking people. I do like REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE although my favorite James Dean performance is in EAST OF EDEN. I find the "family" that is formed by James Dean, Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo's characters so touching. The ending gets me every time I watch it especially James Dean's "I got the bullets!" And, yes, it is more dramatic than high school and with better looking people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sepiatone Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 Hey, the other night, MOVIES showed TO SIR, WITH LOVE. This one always tickled me somewhat. Yes, it's a good movie with Poitier giving a fine performance, and I remember when it came out, a buddy of mine dubbed it "THE JOLLY GOOD BLACKBOARD JUNGLE". Made, I think, in 1967, or at least RELEASED that year, it seemed behind the times a coouple of years even then. The girls fashions and hair-dos were more '65-'66-ish than late '67, and the boys looked out of time as well. But still, a teen movie, eh what? Sepiatone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dargo Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 Hey, the other night, MOVIES showed TO SIR, WITH LOVE. This one always tickled me somewhat. Yes, it's a good movie with Poitier giving a fine performance, and I remember when it came out, a buddy of mine dubbed it "THE JOLLY GOOD BLACKBOARD JUNGLE". Made, I think, in 1967, or at least RELEASED that year, it seemed behind the times a coouple of years even then. The girls fashions and hair-dos were more '65-'66-ish than late '67, and the boys looked out of time as well. But still, a teen movie, eh what? Sepiatone LOL (...why, it was just like I was hearing Terry-Thomas HIMSELF as I read your post here, Sepia!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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