EW's 50 Best Teen Films

[rain Bard]

reminds me of a recent S.F. Chronicle article that reminded me why I'm glad I usually don't pay any attention to that rag anymore:

Reading this can only make you stupider.

[Eric]

Chinatown
Sunset Boulevard
L.A. Confidential
The Player
In a Lonely Place
The Cat's Meow
The Long Goodbye
Mulholland Drive
Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Hmm....

[Damien]

Well, Damien, did you see their recent online list of "Our Favorite Film Noir": only two (1950's Sunset Blvd and In a Lonely Place) of the 9 films listed was released prior to 1973.

Wow. REAL film noir was pretty much over by the late 50s.

[Penelope]

Well, Damien, did you see their recent online list of "Our Favorite Film Noir": only two (1950's Sunset Blvd and In a Lonely Place) of the 9 films listed was released prior to 1973.

[Sabin]

Well, they don't according to Entertainment Weekly. It's a big, fat grain of salt situation.

[Damien]

Apparently teenagers didn't exist prior to 1955. Where are the films for the teens of the 20s, 30s and 40s? A Date With Judy, Love Finds Andy Hardy, Seventeen and Are These Our Parents? come immediately to mind.

[Sabin]

I'm sure at the time 'The Breakfast Club' must have at least seemed revolutionary, a 'Diner' for the teen crowd. I happened upon the film two years ago, admittedly way, way, WAY too late to be seeing the film for the first time, and I found the characterizations and revelations thin, and their angst more than a little shrill. SAD LITTLE WHITE BOY! SAD LITTLE WHITE GIRL! And by the film's end, I was more than ready to never see any of them again for the rest of my life and with small exception I'm thrilled to be right.

'Rebel Without a Cause' is outstanding in its exploration of teen angst, if only because it doesn't wear its angst on its sleeve like Hughes' film.

[FilmFan720]

Actually, the title of this topic is misrepresenting. The list is The 50 Best High School Movies, not teen movies. Not that it makes the list any better, but it shows why certain films, which may be teen films but don't deal with High School, are not on the list.

[OscarGuy]

In terms of quality, I'm sure The Breakfast Club doesn't rate as one of the top films. However, you cannot deny the power of celebrity. The Breakfast Club, for most anyone who would be reading or making that list (mostly twenty and thirtysomethings), is the quintessential teen drama. It so simply captures what it was like to be a youngster in the '80s. Sure Rebel Without a Cause is a great movie but The Breakfast Club explores teen angst far better, which is why I'm sure it tops the list. Matter of fact, I think Breakfast Club belongs on the top of this list because even if it's not the "best movie" ever, it is the most teen-oriented, succinct and appropriate choice they could have made.

[anonymous1980]

They also neglected foreign teen films like Wild Reeds, Y Tu Mama Tambien and The 400 Blows.

[The Original BJ]

I think EW's lists are even dumber than AFI's.

I'm not even sure what The Last Picture Show is doing on this list. It's an amazing film, and yes, many of the characters are teenagers, but...well, it doesn't deserve to be lumped with the rest of these. Plus, it's not like teenagers today even watch it anymore.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is another one of those, "well, I GUESS it's a teen film, but..." movies. Plus, Azkaban is clearly superior.

I also hate it when movies that JUST came out appear on these things. Brick came out, like, two days ago, and it's already worthy of canonization?

That said, I'll be slightly hypocritical and say that the recent Thirteen is better than most of these.

But so is Kidz. And Blackboard Jungle. And West Side Story's about teens, right? Hey, if thirtysomething Stockard Channing in Grease counts . . .

[MovieWes]

The fact that "The Breakfast Club" and "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" are listed ahead of classics such as "Rebel Without a Cause," "The Last Picture Show," and "American Graffiti" makes this list automatically devoid of credibility.

Also, only an idiot would place "American Pie" ahead of "Rushmore."

[Reza]

The List
45. My Bodyguard
44. Can't Hardly Wait
43. Stand and Deliver
42. Fame
41. Can't Buy Me Love
40. Risky Business
39. The Virgin Suicides
38. Bye Bye Birdie
37. Friday Night Lights
36. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
35. Brick
34. Get Real
33. Hoop Dreams
32. Scream
31. The Karate Kid
30. Bring it On
29. Gregory's Girl
28. Back to the Future
27. To Sir, With Love
26. Pretty in Pink
25. Hoosiers
24. Rushmore
23. Cooley High
22. American Pie
21. Grease
20. Dead Poets Society
19. The Last Picture Show
18. Rock & Roll High School
17. Peggy Sue Got Married
16. Lucas
15. Carrie
14. Donnie Darko
13. High School
12. Mean Girls
11. Say Anything
10. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
9. Election
8. Boys N the Hood
7. Clueless
6. American Graffiti
5. Heathers
4. Rebel Without a Cause
3. Dazed and Confused
2. Fast Times at Ridgemont High
1. The Breakfast Club



My Best from the EW list:

Picture
American Graffiti
Back to the Future
The Breakfast Club
The Last Picture Show
*Rebel Without a Cause

Actor
Matthew Broderick, Ferris Bueller's Day Off
John Cusack, Say Anything
*James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause
Michael J. Fox, Back to the Future
Christian Slater, Heathers

Actress
Stockard Channing, Grease
Alicia Silverstone, Clueless
Sissy Spacek, Carrie
*Kathleen Turner, Peggy Sue Got Married
Reese Witherspoon, Election

Supporting Actor
Timothy Bottoms, The Last Picture Show
Jeff Bridges, The Last Picture Show
*Ben Johnson, The Last Picture Show
Christopher Lloyd, Back to the Future
Sal Mineo, Rebel Without a Cause

Supporting Actress
Eileen Brennan, The Last Picture Show
Ellen Burstyn, The Last Picture Show
Piper Laurie, Carrie
*Cloris Leachman, The Last Picture Show
Natalie Wood, Rebel Without a Cause


Director
Peter Bogdanovich, The Last Picture Show
Brian De Palma, Carrie
George Lucas, American Graffiti
*Nicholas Ray, Rebel Without a Cause
Robert Zemeckis, Back to the Future