The best teen movies of all time
The top 3 according to 40 votes from people: The Breakfast Club (1985) · Mean Girls (2004) · Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986). (Updated Apr 27, 2026.)
From The Breakfast Club to Lady Bird: the teen films critics rank highest (Looper, SlashFilm, IndieWire, Time Out).
Top 12
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1
The Breakfast Club (1985)
Five students, a Saturday detention and John Hughes at his peak.
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2
Mean Girls (2004)
Tina Fey's Plastics, funnier and smarter than the average teen comedy.
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3
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
The most famous skipped school day in history.
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4
10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
Shakespeare in a Seattle high school, endlessly quotable.
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5
Superbad (2007)
Two best friends' last party before college.
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6
Lady Bird (2017)
Greta Gerwig's Sacramento senior year.
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7
Dazed and Confused (1993)
Richard Linklater and the last day of school in 1976.
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8
Clueless (1995)
Jane Austen's Emma in Beverly Hills.
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9
Heathers (1988)
A pitch-black high school comedy.
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10
Booksmart (2019)
Two overachievers decide to party for one night.
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11
Stand by Me (1986)
Four boys walk the tracks in search of a body.
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12
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
A year at a California high school, with Sean Penn's Spicoli.
How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.
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