Teen film is a film genre targeted at teenagers, preteens, or young adults by the plot being based on their special interests, such as coming of age, attempting to fit in, bullying, peer pressure, first love, teen rebellion, conflict with parents, and teen angst or alienation. Often these normally serious subject matters are presented in a glossy, stereotyped or trivialized way. Many teenage characters are portrayed by young adult actors in their 20s. Some teen films appeal to young males, while others appeal to young females.
Fat Albert is a 2004 American live-action/animated comedy film based on the 1972 Filmation animated television series Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids created by Bill Cosby. Kenan Thompson stars as the title character. Fat Albert transforms the cartoon characters into three-dimensional humans, who have to come to grips with the differences that exist between their world and the real world.
Not Another Teen Movie is a 2001 American teen parody film directed by Joel Gallen and written by Mike Bender, Adam Jay Epstein, Andrew Jacobson, Phil Beauman, and Buddy Johnson. It features Chyler Leigh, Chris Evans, Jaime Pressly, Eric Christian Olsen, Eric Jungmann, Mia Kirshner, Deon Richmond, Cody McMains, Sam Huntington, Samm Levine, Cerina Vincent, Ron Lester, Randy Quaid, Lacey Chabert, Riley Smith and Samaire Armstrong.
Pump Up the Volume is a 1990 American coming-of-age teen comedy-drama film written and directed by Allan Moyle. The film stars Christian Slater, Scott Paulin, Ellen Greene, and Samantha Mathis.
Disturbing Behavior is a 1998 teen science fiction psychological horror film starring James Marsden, Katie Holmes, and Nick Stahl. The film was directed by David Nutter, who was a director and producer on The X-Files, and the screenplay was written by Scott Rosenberg. The plot follows a group of high school outcasts who discover their seemingly perfect "Blue Ribbon" classmates are part of an elaborate mind control experiment.
Mr. Young is a Canadian television series that premiered on March 1, 2011, on YTV. The series was filmed in Burnaby, British Columbia. The series was created by Dan Signer, and stars Brendan Meyer, Matreya Fedor, and Gig Morton as attendees of Finnegan High School. Further main cast includes Kurt Ostlund, Emily Tennant, and Milo Shandel. Set between 2010 and 2014, the show follows the lives of the students and faculty of Finnegan High over a four-year period, where the characters deal with such topics as romantic relationships, friendships, acceptance, self-worth and the importance of community. The first half of Season 1 is set during the main characters’ Grade 9 year, while the remainder of Season 1 until the end of Season 2 is set during their Grade 10 year. The remainder of the series spans their Grade 11 year, with the final two episodes being set in June 2014, shortly before the students graduate Grade 12. The show ended its run on November 28, 2013, with three seasons and 80 episodes.
The New Guy is a 2002 American teen comedy film directed by Ed Decter, written by David Kendall and starring DJ Qualls and Eliza Dushku.
Strangers with Candy is a 2005 American comedy film directed by Paul Dinello, written by Dinello, Stephen Colbert, Amy Sedaris, and Mitch Rouse, and serves as a prequel to their 1999-2000 Comedy Central television series of the same name. Colbert co-produced the film alongside executive producer David Letterman. The film grossed $2.3 million.
Three O'Clock High is a 1987 American teen comedy film directed by Phil Joanou. The script, about a meek high schooler who is forced into a fight with an unstable new transfer student, is based on the high school experiences of screenwriters Richard Christian Matheson and Thomas Szollosi. It was shot in Ogden, Utah.
Saved by the Bell: The New Class is an American teen sitcom television series, and spinoff of Saved by the Bell. The New Class premiered on September 11, 1993. The series ran for seven seasons on NBC as a part of the network's TNBC Saturday morning line-up, airing its final episode on January 8, 2000. It was the fourth and, at seven seasons, the longest-running incarnation of the franchise.
Drive Me Crazy is a 1999 American teen romantic comedy film based on the novel How I Created My Perfect Prom Date by Todd Strasser. Originally entitled Next to You, the film's title was changed to Drive Me Crazy after one of the songs from its soundtrack, "(You Drive Me) Crazy" by Britney Spears. The film grossed $22,593,409 worldwide, against an $8 million budget, making it a moderate box office success. The soundtrack featured The Donnas, who also appeared in the film.
Listen to Me is a 1989 American drama film written and directed by Douglas Day Stewart. Released on May 5, 1989, it stars Kirk Cameron, Jami Gertz, and Roy Scheider. The film was largely shot on location in Malibu, California, including the campus of Pepperdine University.
Charlie Bartlett is a 2007 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Jon Poll. The screenplay by Gustin Nash focuses on a teenager who begins to dispense therapeutic advice and prescription drugs to the student body at his new high school in order to become popular.
A Friend to Die For is a 1994 American psychological thriller television film directed by William A. Graham. Written by Dan Bronson, the film is based on the real-life murder of Kirsten Costas, who was killed by her classmate, Bernadette Protti, in 1984. The film was the highest-rated TV movie of 1994.
In October 2001, Katie Sierra was suspended from Sissonville High School, near Charleston, West Virginia, for activism in opposition to the War in Afghanistan. Sierra, a 15-year-old anarchist pacifist, wore shirts bearing handwritten statements against the war and had unsuccessfully petitioned her principal to start an afterschool anarchist club that would promote peace and nonviolence. Following an incident with another student, Sierra was suspended for three days for disrupting the educational process.
Fab Five: The Texas Cheerleader Scandal is a 2008 American teen drama telefilm produced by Lifetime. It stars Jenna Dewan, Ashley Benson, and Tatum O'Neal, and was directed by Tom McLoughlin. The film premiered on August 2, 2008. It is based on real-life events that occurred at McKinney North High School in McKinney, Texas, in 2006, five teenage cheerleaders became notorious for truancies, violations of the school dress code, and general disrespect to the school community.
Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life is a 2016 American live-action/animated family comedy film directed by Steve Carr and written by Chris Bowman, Hubbel Palmer and Kara Holden, based on the 2011 novel of the same name by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts. The film stars Griffin Gluck, Lauren Graham, Rob Riggle, Isabela Merced, Retta, Thomas Barbusca, Andy Daly, and Adam Pally. It follows Rafael "Rafe" Khatchadorian (Gluck), a middle school student who sets out to break every one of the many rules made by his domineering principal (Daly).
Alexa & Katie is an American sitcom created by Heather Wordham as a Netflix original series. Matthew Carlson serves as showrunner. The series stars Paris Berelc and Isabel May as Alexa and Katie, a high schooler suffering from cancer and her best friend, respectively. Jolie Jenkins, Emery Kelly, Eddie Shin, Finn Carr, Tiffani Thiessen, with Jack Griffo also star. The series debuted on Netflix on March 23, 2018, and ran for three seasons, concluding on June 13, 2020.
Drama Club is an American comedy mockumentary created by Monica Sherer and Madeline Whitby that aired on Nickelodeon from March 20 to May 22, 2021.
