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The most relatable teen movies do more than tell good stories; they make you feel understood. Hollywood has been dealing with teenagers for decades. The “troubled youth” pictures of the ‘50s and the beach party flicks of the ’60s didn't exactly paint a realistic portrait of adolescent life, though. Only in the 1980s did films like Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Sixteen Candles start to take issues faced by teenagers seriously.
What are the most realistic movies about high school and the students who walk those halls? They include Eighth Grade, an ode to awkwardness, and The Edge of Seventeen, a film so true that it would be borderline painful to watch if it wasn't so funny. But there are many others, covering a wide range of topics that teenagers routinely face.
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What It's About: Five disparate high school students are forced to attend Saturday detention together. The stern vice principal keeps an eye on them. During a day stuck together in the library, the kids let down their guard, finding they have a lot in common despite running in very different social circles.
What It Gets Right About Teens: The whole concept of The Breakfast Club is whether it's possible to be friends with someone outside your clique. These characters have been forced into specific boxes, then told it's only okay to mingle within those boxes. Writer/director John Hughes peels away the labels, allowing the teenagers - and, by extension, the viewer - to see that teens of all stripes deal with the same issues, from insecurity to popularity fears to frustration with parents. Even though adolescence is a time of segregating into various tribes, the members of those tribes still share lots of emotions and struggles.
The Most Relatable Scene: The gang sits together on the second floor of the library, and each member explains what they did to earn detention. Their stories have to do with meeting the expectations of their parents, trying to fit in with their peers, and fulfilling the social roles assigned to them. Anyone who was ever an adolescent will identify with at least one of the characters.
- Actors: Emilio Estevez, Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Paul Gleason, Anthony Michael Hall
- Released: 1985
- Directed by: John Hughes
Relatable film?- 1Tom Holland - Brian Johnson2,186 Votes
- 2Gary Cole - Vice Principal Vernon2,012 Votes
- 3Bryan Cranston - Vice Principal Vernon2,076 Votes
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What It's About: It's the last day of school for students in Austin, Texas. Now free of academia for the summer, they spend the day hanging out, getting drunk and high, and pursuing crushes. Senior Fred O'Bannion (Ben Affleck) hazes the incoming freshman class, while twentysomething David Wooderson (Matthew McConaughey) continues to demonstrate an inability to move on, choosing to linger around the high schoolers.
What It Gets Right About Teens: Rarely has the exhilaration of school's end been depicted so vibrantly onscreen. The movie captures that feeling when you've got the whole summer ahead of you to chill with your friends. Dazed and Confused also accurately captures the diversity of teenagers. Its characters are not all cut from the same cloth. They're a disparate group, unified by the promise of an entire summer that lies ahead.
The Most Relatable Scene: A keg party takes place in a field. There's plenty of drinking, along with a fight and a burgeoning romance. The sequence captures the energy of teenage gatherings where friends' interpersonal dramas play out amid overall reverie.
- Actors: Jason London, Wiley Wiggins, Sasha Jenson, Rory Cochrane, Milla Jovovich
- Released: 1993
- Directed by: Richard Linklater
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What It's About: High school junior Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld) thinks her life couldn't get any more awkward than it already is. She discovers that's not the case when her older brother Darian (Blake Jenner) starts dating her best friend Krista (Haley Lu Richardson). Suddenly, the girls' friendship becomes tested in ways neither of them could ever have imagined. Fortunately, she's got a teacher, Mr. Bruner (Woody Harrelson), who's willing to dispense some advice, whether she likes his point of view or not.
What It Gets Right About Teens: The Edge of Seventeen humorously and insightfully explores the changing dynamic of friendship during the teenage years. Someone can be your best friend one moment, then your worst adversary the next. As everyone grows up and evolves, you sometimes find yourself drifting away from the people you thought you couldn't live without. The movie similarly understands that rudderless feeling adolescents can have when they do find themselves on the outs with friends.
The Most Relatable Scene: Nadine barges in on Mr. Bruner's lunch break, claiming her life is miserable and making a not-so-compelling argument that she's going to take her own life. She's in that classic melodramatic adolescent state where the whole world feels irreparably broken. As adults often do, Bruner is dismissive of her drama, refusing to take her gripes seriously.
- Actors: Hailee Steinfeld, Haley Lu Richardson, Blake Jenner, Kyra Sedgwick, Woody Harrelson
- Released: 2016
- Directed by: Kelly Fremon Craig
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What It's About: Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) is beginning her senior year at a Catholic high school. She sets a few basic goals for herself. She wants to find a boyfriend, get accepted into an expensive New York City college, and develop a better relationship with her ultra-critical mother Marion (Laurie Metcalf). The film follows her as she meets some of her goals and fails to meet others.
What It Gets Right About Teens: Writer/director Greta Gerwig really taps into the way adolescents strive to gain independence. Lady Bird is trying to break away from her mother's grasp and forge her own identity. She's also figuring out what she wants life to look like. Her timetable for achieving everything is a little unrealistic, reflecting that long-standing desire of adolescents to shed childhood and embrace the thrilling possibilities of adulthood. Teenage rebellion is also part of the story, with the title character clearly taking a perverse pleasure in upsetting her disapproving mother.
The Most Relatable Scene: Lady Bird and Marion argue while in the car together. In the span of just 45 seconds, they fight about her work ethic, her inability to pass her driver's test, her choice of college, and even her name. Marion despises being asked to call her daughter by a self-given nickname, but the moniker is a crucial part of Lady Bird's identity. The sequence is a perfect encapsulation of teen/parent strife.
- Actors: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Timothée Chalamet, Lucas Hedges, Tracy Letts
- Released: 2017
- Directed by: Greta Gerwig
Relatable film?What It's About: Rising freshman Riley Anderson is a jumble of mixed emotions after learning that her best friends Bree and Grace are heading off to a different high school than her at the end of the summer. Devastated by the news and caught in internal turmoil due to an influx of new emotions thanks to puberty, Riley deals with a growing sense of anxiety that lead her from one terrible decision to another as she attempts to befriend a group of cool older kids from her new school.
What It Gets Right About Teens: Leave it to Pixar to perfectly capture the complete confusion of the tween years in an animated effort about anthropomorphic feelings that live in the head of a 13-year-old. Disney's Inside Out 2 re-creates the awkward adjustments and socially inept moments young adults must endure when they transition from middle school to high school. Poor Riley is at the mercy of her many emotions, each fighting for control as they attempt to act in her best interests.
The Most Relatable Scene: After a restless night of worrying thanks to Anxiety, Riley doesn't have the scrimmage she expects in the final match to determine her future on her hockey team. She gets two goals, but plays so aggressively she hurts her best friend Grace and is sent to the penalty box. As Anxiety works overtime in an attempt to fix the situation, Riley pays the price with a panic attack.
Her heart beats a mile a minute while sweat pours down her face as she relives her mistakes again and again. It is a moment almost anyone can relate to, but hard to watch a teen suffer through on her own. Luckily, Grace and Bree soon come to her rescue just as the emotion Joy is able to put a stop to Anxiety.
- Actors: Amy Poehler, Kensington Tallman, Maya Hawke, Lilimar, Phyllis Smith
- Released: 2024
- Directed by: Kelsey Mann
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What It's About: Teenage Duncan (Liam James) is stuck spending the summer at a beach house with his mother Pam (Toni Collette) and her boyfriend Trent (Steve Carell), whom he loathes. Desperate to get out, he lands a job at a nearby water park. There, he's mentored by Owen (Sam Rockwell), the park's perpetually wisecracking manager.
What It Get Right About Teens: Adolescents are notorious for having trouble connecting with their parents - and, in cases of divorce, their parents' significant other. That means having a non-relative as a role model can be important. The Duncan/Owen friendship shows how an adult being able to talk to a teen on their level will make a huge difference. Every teenager needs somebody to look up to as they navigate life's minefield. Having one makes growing up seem just a little less scary.
The Most Relatable Scene: In a confessional moment, Duncan tells Owen about his tumultuous home life and how different he wishes things could be. He adds that working at the water park is the only “safe” place in his life where he feels accepted for who he is. He finds the companionship there that he doesn't have anywhere else.
- Actors: Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Allison Janney, AnnaSophia Robb, Sam Rockwell
- Released: 2013
- Directed by: Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
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What It's About: Thirteen-year-old Kayla (Elsie Fisher) is in her last week of middle school. With high school around the corner, she recognizes how important it is to feel comfortable in social circles. Despite regular panic attacks, she attempts to integrate herself with her peers.
What It Gets Right About Teens: The movie deals with that period where you've just become a teenager and therefore hit the awareness that scary things await. The pressures of dating, evolving friendships, the temptations of substances and sex, and more are looming. Kayla's adolescent anxiety over facing these things is portrayed authentically, as are the awkward situations she finds herself in. Although writer/director Bo Burnham deserves credit, it's star Elsie Fisher who makes Kayla feel like a real, relatable girl and not a fictional character.
The Most Relatable Scene: Kayla attends a birthday pool party and feels insecure around her female peers, all of whom seem to be more comfortable in swimsuits than she does. During a group photo, she tries unsuccessfully to hide in the back. Then, during the opening of presents, she awkwardly gifts the birthday girl with a card game, after others in the group have given her much cooler items.
- Actors: Elsie Kate Fisher, Daniel Zolghadri, Fred Hechinger, Imani Lewis, Luke Prael
- Released: 2018
- Directed by: Bo Burnham
Relatable film?- 8
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What It's About: Ruby Rossi (Emilia Jones) is the only member of her family who isn't deaf. She dreams of pursuing a career in music. Her parents, Frank (Troy Kotsur) and Jackie (Marlee Matlin), attempt to dissuade her from that, preferring their daughter stay close to home so she can work in the family fishing business. Because they can't hear her sing, they have no idea how immense her talent is. Ruby has to decide whether to chase her dream or stay tied down in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
What It Gets Right About Teens: CODA nails the dynamic that can happen when a teenager has a dream that their parents don't see the wisdom in. Ruby continually tries to convince Frank and Jackie to let her spread her wings. The film also understands what it's like to be a teenager in a small town who knows there's a whole big, exciting world out there to explore. As they advance in age, many teens want to break free of their roots to see what they can accomplish.
The Most Relatable Scene: Ruby has caved to the pressure, telling her parents that she'll stay local rather than going off to college. Her brother Leo (Daniel Durant) doesn't react well to this. He lets Ruby have it, telling her that she'll regret that choice for the rest of her life. The sequence expertly captures the conflicting desire to please your parents and pursue your passion.
- Actors: Emilia Jones, Troy Kotsur, Marlee Matlin, Eugenio Derbez, Daniel Durant
- Released: 2021
- Directed by: Sian Heder
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What It's About: Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) have been model students all through high school. Now they're about to graduate, and they realize they neglected the opportunity to have fun. To compensate, the besties decide to spend their final night of school cramming in as much adolescent debauchery as possible.
What It Gets Right About Teens: Booksmart grasps the duality of high school existence. On one hand, you want to get good grades and set yourself up for college. On the other, having a fun-filled social life provides an important education of its own. Amy and Molly represent what most teens go through as they seek to find a balance between those two polar opposites. Their friendship and its incipient ups and downs are dramatized with insight. The film knows what it's like when best friends go from practically being one entity to splitting into two individuals.
The Most Relatable Scene: At a party, Amy drops a bombshell on Molly. She reveals that she plans to take a “gap year” before starting college, thereby upending their shared plans. Moreover, she's doing this because she feels Molly is too controlling and she wants to gain a little bit of independence. The two get into a fight over their super-tight bond potentially getting torn apart.
- Actors: Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, Jessica Williams, Jason Sudeikis, Lisa Kudrow
- Released: 2019
- Directed by: Olivia Wilde
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What It's About: In exchange for money, timid high schooler Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis) agrees to help a jock named Paul Munsky (Daniel Diemer) write a letter to the girl he has a crush on, Aster Flores (Alexxis Lemire). The two become unlikely friends in the process. That friendship is tested when Ellie develops unexpected feelings for Aster.
What It Gets Right About Teens: The teen years are when most people start the process of figuring themselves out. That includes their sexuality. Some have an inking that they might be gay or bi. Others, like Ellie, find it revealing itself in a surprising way. The Half of It rings true with its depiction of young people trying to make sense of crushes and more complex feelings related to romance. The film nails how that can create a distinct form of inner confusion.
The Most Relatable Scene: Ellie and Aster spend the day together swimming at a hot spring. As they float next to each other, the sounds of Chicago's “If You Leave Me Now” playing in the background, they discuss Ellie's mom's theory that everything in life has “a best part.” Without saying it, we can feel that this is Ellie's best part so far.
- Actors: Leah Lewis, Daniel Diemer, Alexxis Lemire, Enrique Murciano, Becky Ann Baker
- Released: 2020
- Directed by: Alice Wu
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What It's About: Sutter Keely (Miles Teller) is a good-time guy who loves to party. He also loves Aimee Finecky (Shailene Woodley). Two things get in the way of their relationship. One is his inability to fully get over ex Cassidy (Brie Larson), and the other is his drinking problem.
What It Gets Right About Teens: Sutter is a fascinating character because he knows how messed-up he is, and he feels great shame over it. Drinking helps to mask that shame, but it also perpetuates it when he's sober. Aimee sees the decent human buried inside of him. It's an astute portrait of a kid trying to find a way to cope with his insecurities and making bad choices in the process. Sometimes adolescence brings a sensation that life's problems are too big to manage. Sutter feels that way and has to develop the confidence to believe he's strong enough to change his life.
The Most Relatable Scene: Aimee seeks to provide comfort to Sutter after a failed reconciliation attempt with his alcoholic father. Sutter, who is drunk just like his old man, can't handle the emotions that the booze is supposed to cover up. He explodes at Aimee in an act of self-sabotage and emotional defensiveness, demanding she get out of the car.
- Actors: Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley, Brie Larson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Mary Elizabeth Winstead
- Released: 2013
- Directed by: James Ponsoldt
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What It's About: Ana Garcia (America Ferrera) is a Mexican-American teenager living in East Los Angeles. She wants to go to college and have a career. Her mother wants her to follow the traditional path of getting married and starting a family. And if she wants to work, she can run the family business, a small textile factory. Her mom also pressures her to do something about her full-figured appearance.
What It Gets Right About Teens: Aside from honestly showing the eternal clash between teens who want to spread their wings and parents who want to clip those wings, Real Women Have Curves has a lot to say about being comfortable with your own body. Teenagers are constantly bombarded with images of “perfect” people - skinny, athletic, etc. Not everyone has that body type, though. Ana's desire to accept and love herself is reflective of the quest for security almost all adolescents have to work through at some point.
The Most Relatable Scene: Ana's family throws a party to celebrate her high school graduation. Instead of focusing on that achievement, her mother chides her about eating too much cake, taking the opportunity to make a not-so-subtle dig at her weight. She also reiterates a desire for Ana to get married and have children in the not too distant future. Even when Ana has accomplished something important, the day becomes about her physical appearance.
- Actors: America Ferrera, Lupe Ontiveros, Ingrid Oliu, George Lopez, Brian Sites
- Released: 2002
- Directed by: Patricia Cardoso
Relatable film?- 13
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What It's About: 13-year-old Stevie (Sunny Suljic) lives in Los Angeles with his single mother and his abusive older brother. To escape a troubled home life, he begins hanging out at a local skate shop. There, he befriends several skaters who teach him how to do impressive tricks on a board. They also introduce him to alcohol and marijuana.
What It Gets Right About Teens: Inspired by his own adolescence, writer/director Jonah Hill nails the vibe of being an aimless youth. Stevie is lost, stuck in an unhappy home he can't stand spending time in. That makes him susceptible to the influence of the skaters he comes to know. The movie understands the stuff teenagers turn to when they're dissatisfied with their lives - rebellion, substances, sex, and so on. And yet, it's sympathetic to kids like Stevie, recognizing that when you're lost, finding your place among a group feels like being saved.
The Most Relatable Scene: A sullen Stevie hangs out in the skate shop, telling his woes to the group's leader, Ray. Ray empathizes, but informs Stevie that the lives of the other boys in the group are even worse. Their problems include poverty, abuse, and dealing with the death of a sibling. Stevie realizes that he's in relatively good shape compared to them.
- Actors: Sunny Suljic, Lucas Hedges, Na-kel Smith, Gio Galicia, Ryder McLaughlin
- Released: 2018
- Directed by: Jonah Hill
Relatable film? - 14
Rocks
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What It's About: Shola (Bukky Bakray) heads back to school for the first day of the new year. When she gets home, a big surprise is waiting for her. Her mom has abruptly abandoned the family, leaving an envelope full of money so that Shola can care for herself and her younger brother. Suddenly, she can't just be a teenager anymore; she has to grow up fast.
What It Gets Right About Teens: The movie is a testament to the resilience of teenagers. Whether it's divorce, parental abandonment, or something else, adolescents sometimes have to find their footing amid difficult circumstances. Rocks is spot-on in its look at how Shola does what she needs to do to keep herself and her brother above water. Like many teens, she steps up when there are no parental figures around.
The Most Relatable Scene: Shola goes to the home of her best friend Sumaya. She feels envious of the big beautiful house and her friend's loving, supportive family. Having neither of those things brings out a sense of jealousy.
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What It's About: Leonardo (Ghilherme Lobo) is a blind, gay teenager who likes to hang around his female best friend Giovana (Tess Amorim). Both of them become attracted to the new kid in school, Gabriel (Fabio Audi). Leo also has to contend with getting bullied by peers and dealing with his overprotective parents.
What It Gets Right About Teens: The Way He Looks takes a simple, observant approach to adolescent problems. It avoids the kind of high drama that often defines teen movies in favor of noticing the subtle interactions that take place between the characters. As a result, there's a lot to relate to, including the pangs of young love, the hassle of parents who are too restrictive, and the bonds of friendship. The film's portrayal of disparate adolescents finding common ground is right on the money.
The Most Relatable Scene: The students go on a school-sponsored camping trip. After swimming, Leonardo and Gabriel hop into the communal showers together. Gabriel looks at the naked Leonardo and gets turned on. It's the perfect representation of those raging adolescent hormones and the sexual awakening that takes place during adolescence.
- Actors: Selma Egrei, Eucir de Souza, Naruna Costa, Júlio Machado, Tess Amorim
- Released: 2014
- Directed by: Daniel Ribeiro
Relatable film?- 16
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What It's About: Marieme is a shy Parisian girl. She begins to come out of her shell after joining a gang. Being part of it allows her to gain confidence and form a new self-image. Eventually, though, she realizes that the “new” her doesn't completely bring happiness.
What It Gets Right About Teens: Girlhood is all about the power of belonging. As an individual, Marieme is timid and nervous. As part of a group, she feels more empowered. At the same time, the film also shows the downside of being in a social group, especially when they start making collective bad decisions. This is a story about the time-tested adolescent ritual of figuring out who you really are and determining where you best fit in.
The Most Relatable Scene: Marieme initially declines to be part of the gang. Then she sees the girls talking to a group of boys, including one on whom she has a crush. This makes her decide that joining the gang might improve her social status.
- Actors: Karidja Touré, Assa Sylla, Lindsay Karamoh, Marietou Touré, Cyril Mendy
- Released: 2014
- Directed by: Céline Sciamma
Relatable film?
