I don’t think they make teen movies like they used to. As an 80’s baby I grew up on teen movies from the 90s and early noughties. If you love movies then you’re in the right place. Read on for my top 5 teen movies from the 90s you need to watch.
Clueless – 1995
I love Clueless and this is no secret! I’m still waiting for someone to throw a 90’s themed fancy dress party so I can go dressed up as Cher or Dionne. Friends IRL take the hint. Based upon Jane Austen’s Emma, Clueless is a modern and fun adaptation of Austen’s classic novel. Cher Horowitz (played by Alicia Silverstone) fancies herself a great matchmaker and gets her jollies from meddling in people’s love lives. She is rich and fashionable with an enviable revolving wardrobe but a bit of a ditz. Dionne (played by the now cancelled af Stacey Dash) is her best friend who knows what it’s like to have haters and share their names with successful singers from the past who now do infomercials.
Clueless is a brilliant teen movie from the 90s. It has a great soundtrack, a completely original language that I wasted no time to adopt, endless fashion inspiration and an entertaining storyline. While busy matchmaking, Cher discovers that not every Baldwin is deserving of the name and no matter how much you try to change someone they’ll always find their own way.
Clueless is one of my favourite teen movies from the 90s because it’s just so damn quotable!
Favourite Quotes:
- ”You’re a virgin who can’t drive”
- ”It is one thing to spark up a doobie and get laced at parties, but it is quite another to be fried all day” ”Do you see the distinction?”
- ”Mr Hall, I was surfin’ the crimson wave, I had to haul ass to the ladies” ”I assume you’re referring to women’s troubles and so I’ll let that slide”
- ”What the hell is that?” ”A dress” ”Says who?” ”Calvin Klein”
Favourite Characters:
- Cher, obviously. Cher is our clueless heroine but you can’t help but route for her and cheer when she grows as a person.
- Murray is Dionne’s boyfriend. He’s part of the popular crew and takes the mick out of Dionne while attempting to teach her to drive. The freeway scene is pure jokes. As is when he decides to get a new look without Dionne’s permission.
- Dionne is Cher’s best friend. She has beautiful micro braids and sports a nose ring. She doesn’t do sports and is technically a virgin.
- Travis is your friendly pot-head. Totally lovable and genuine and you will like him immediately.
If you like coming of age romantic comedies then you’ll love Clueless. I guarantee you’ll be talking like Cher in no time.
She’s All That – 1999
She’s All That got absolutely rinsed on VHS in our house. The prom dance scene set to Fat Boy Slim’s Rockerfeller Skank has epic replay value. As quintessential teen 90s movies go, She’s All That ticks all the boxes. We have the popular mean girl, Taylor Vaughan and her soon-to-be geeky rival Laney Boggs competing for the title of prom queen. Morally ambiguous bets are a convenient plot device and so much fun to watch as they blow up in our characters’ faces. Freddie Prinze Jr plays Zack Siler who bets he can turn any high school girl into prom queen as long as they’re on his arm. Baby Paul Walker plays his friendly adversary hoping he will lose. Lil Kim and Usher also star and are great additions to the cast.
Favourite Quotes:
- ”I find myself torn. Perhaps I could see a sample ball to better equip myself for such a decision”
- ‘’Is your name Laney?’’ ‘’No, thank God. No offense’’ ‘’None taken’’. ‘’It’s just I’ve seen you in gym class, you run like a girl’’ ‘’I am a girl’’ ‘’Uh, you know what I mean’’ ‘’Obviously, I don’t’’.
- ”I could win this thing in fluorescent lighting, on the first day of my period, cloaked in TJ Maxx.”
Favourite Characters:
- Taylor our favourite popular mean girl who we love to hate. She’s tall, loud and kinda yells at everybody.
- Brock is the most embarrassing douchey reality TV star played by Matthew Lillard. Look out for his epic dance scene to Rick James’ ‘Give It To Me Baby’
If you like classic 90s teen movies, filled with bright colours, Usher, random group dance scenes and seeing the geek come out on top, then She’s All That is right up your street.
House Party – 1990
I couldn’t do a 90’s teen movie list without including House Party. God bless my brother for recording this from the TV on VHS otherwise I wouldn’t have known this film existed! House Party is all about Kid n Play, two teenage best friends who decide to throw the best house party while their parents are away. This is the kinda house party where people actually dance, not just stand around drinking beer out of red cups. A frat party it is NOT.
Play aka Peter has less responsibility than Kid aka Christopher. Play’s parents are well-to-do and have beggared off way down south for the weekend. Kid on the other hand has a strict father who grounds him after getting into a fight at school. Despite this, Kid is determined to go to the party and not be labelled a social misfit. He also has to avoid the school bullies, conveniently named Stab, Willie and Pee-Wee whilst trying to hide from his dad.
The 80’s fashion in this movie is mad and the rap battle scenes hilarious. House Party isn’t just about the party, though. It’s also about Kid trying to be taken seriously for his lyrics and winning the attention from the girl of his dreams. Keep your eyes peeled for Martin Lawrence and Robin Harris (Pop) who absolutely kill it with the comedy. The soundtrack is killer and I guarantee you won’t be able to keep your feet still.
Favourite Quotes:
- ”I wouldn’t do that just yet. Your ass is mine”
- ”When I tell you to stay yo ass at home, you stay yo ass at home”
- ”I should never have married that white woman”
- ”Who else is over there, Public Enema?”
- ”Could you tell me why in God’s name you called his mother a garden tool?”
- ”Hey baby, yes you have got some nice ones”
Favourite Characters:
- Pop, Kid’s dad, played by Robin Harris is terrific at his comedic timing and delivery. He has some golden lines in this film
- Mr Strickland, played by John Witherspoon is the hilarious disgruntled neighbour who calls the po-leece on the teenagers
10 Things I Hate About You – 1999
10 Things I Hate About You is based on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. Julia Stiles stars as Kat, a young lady who has no interest in dating. Her sister, Bianca, on the other hand is desperate to date the most popular boy in school. Their father makes the decision to allow her to date but only if Kat starts dating too. Cue duplicitous scheming behind the scenes and you soon find Kat dating cute as a button curly-haired Patrick (Heath Ledger) whose main interests are smoking and being rebellious. This film is great at showing how hard it is to date as a young girl while trying to remain loyal to your beliefs.
Favourite Quotes:
- ”I want you to wear the belly”
Favourite Characters:
- Kat our feminist hero
- Patrick our hot bad boy
- Walter, Kat and Bianca’s over-protective dad and creator of The Belly
Disturbing Behaviour – 1998
Disturbing Behaviour looks like an odd addition to the teen 90s movies above. For one it is more horror/thriller and the themes dark and lacking in comedy. While it is not well-reviewed according to Rotten Tomatoes I still love this movie. One of my main loves is Rachel Cook (played by Katie Holmes) in boots, bare midriffs and eyeliner. Cook’s rich trash and it’s a welcome change from her preppy Dawson’s Creek look.
Set in a quaint quiet town the local teens are slowly turning from rebellious and lost students to driven and disciplined. They have bake sales and tutor their struggling peers. Enter Steve, our hero, who moves from Chicago with his whole family after a tragedy. Everything seems fine until one of his nearest and dearest changes for the worst and is signed up to the secret sinister programme. On the outside it looks like the students are just buckling down, working harder and taking school seriously. However, there is a disturbing agenda at play that the Cradle Bay outcasts must discover and try to dismantle.
Favourite Characters:
- All the outcasts. Rachel Cook our favourite bad girl and resident outcast
- Steve, the hero and newbie to Cradle Bay
- UV. Gavin’s best friend. I always wondered if he was this pale in real life but it’s just makeup.
- Gavin. Our favourite paranoid student who introduces Steve to the Cradle Bay cliques ala Janis Ian
Favourite Quotes:
- ”Freaks all week”
- ”Freaks that go squeak”
- ”Someone cue the power ballad, man”
- ”Cook’s rich trash”
- You’ll be surprised how interesting people become, when they think you’re really stupid”
- ”Hey! Teacher! Leave those kids alone”
What are your favourite 90s teen movies?
Further reading:
Joker Film Review – Does Society Make Us Evil?
Representation Matters: Hidden Figures and Moonlight at The Electric Cinema
Oh, my gosh! Some great throwbacks to my youth! I’m going to re-watch some of these.Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome! I’m going to do more posts like this 🙂
Love a good throwback post! I think my personal favourite 90s film is The Craft, although I’m not sure whether that can be considered as a teen movie 🙂 Thanks for writing this list, it definitely gave me a sense of nostalgia.
Laura / https://www.laustworld.com
I think it could be since the characters are in high school 😉 Ooo, good, exactly what I was going for!
Clueless is a classic!
I know, right! I love it so much. The soundtrack, the fashion, the language 🙂
I swear, 10 things I hate about you was the backdrop to my teen years! And she’s all that. It was on tv when I was on holiday recently and I cancelled my plans to stay in and watch it with popcorn!
Loved this post – coolest post I’ve read all day!
Rosie
Loverosiee.co.uk
That’s true love 😀
Aw, thanks man!!! xxx
10 Things is one of my all time favorites! “But mostly I hate the way I dont hate you. Not even close, not even a little, not even at all.” 😭😭😭😭
Dude, that scene is emosh 😀
Wow, the memories! I totally enjoyed this and must see Clueless again now!
I’ll be totally buggin if you don’t rewatch it 😉
This is such a cool post. I definitely remember watching these movies with my siblings on public tv channels. I think teen movies have fallen out of favor. I did recently see a preview of “Tall Girl” on Netflix that resembles a teen movie. Might give it a watch.
I can see what you mean. I think the dystopian craze took over and now most movies are just vying for awards.
What a great list! I love these movies, it is so fun to see the fashion and the hairstyles and hear the slang from the 90s. I lost track of how many times I watched Clueless. great list!
Thanks dude! I couldn’t count how many times I’ve watched it 🙂 I love the fashion x
What a list! I loved all of these but my favourite 90s teen films personally were horrors like Scream & The Craft & The Faculty. Might have to go give She’s All That another watch now you’ve brought it back into my life – thank you 🙂
Scream is sick and The Faculty is terrifying. I recently rewatched it and it still freaks me out more than most scary movies. You’re welcome! I’m gonna do more 🙂
”Did you really put her liver in the mailbox?”
Oh, I forgot about these great movies. Today I was just watching “10 things I hate about you” . Very fond memories. You gave me really good ideas for my movie night! ❤️
Aww, I’m glad 🙂
Omg I haven’t see she’s all that in years – I actually forgot about it completely! Going to dig that classic out now! Thanks so much for reminding me how great it is!
Aimée | https://aimeeinireland.com
Hehe! You’re welcome 🙂 It really is a classic and still so watchable 🙂
Loved this back to the 90s trip! Those were some great movies from that time with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alicia Silverstone etc. I also loved The Craft from that period!
http://www.franglais27tales.com
Thanks dude! 🙂
The only one of these movies I’ve seen is “10 Things I Hate About You” and I love, love, love that movie!
I watch it whenever I need a good cry.
Aww, it’s not one that makes me cry but The Little Mermaid does that very well 😛
I think Clueless is my fave outta the list x
I love this list, so many great throwback moments there. I would throw in Cruel Intentions (very late 90s) and actually follows the pattern of a few of these in that it’s based on a pretty old story (Dangerous Liaisons) but with a modern twist. Definitely need to revisit Clueless especially with the reboot coming.
Cruel Intentions is awesome. I lowkey wanted to be Kathryn 😛
Excellent blog and I love each movie.
Thanks very much! 🙂
I’m ashamed to say I’ve not seen 3/5 of these and of the two I have seen it was years and years ago so I don’t even remember them that well! So many of my friends were shocked I’ve not seen Clueless so I think over Christmas I may have to change that! Xx
Yes miss! I hope you’ve seen it now 😀 xx
Aww such a fun list! And such a good time to watch some old movies. 10 Things I Hate About You and Clueless are such classics. Will have to check out the rest!
Hope you do! Let me know 🙂 x
The only movie I’ve seen on this is Clueless but it’s one of my favourites, I’m more of an 80s girl
80’s teen movies are amazing, The Breakfast Club is my absolute favourite 🙂
Omg these movies! I love them. Clueless is one of my favourites – as if! But 10 Things I Hate About You is basically perfection! I mean it’s got Heath Ledger in! Great list, I feel like i’m going to need to rewatch all of these now!
Thanks bab 🙂
Oh wow, some serious blasts from the past! Now I want to see them again 💛
Hop to it 🙂
Some classics on this list! You can’t beat a good 90’s film, can you? 10 things I hate about you is one of the best! I wasn’t quite in my teens in the 90’s (90’s baby here!) but I would add American Pie to the list (maybe a bit more than a teen movie?!)
Thanks for sharing!
Aimsy xoxo
Aimsy’s Antics
Maybe the 80’s ones might trump some of them 😉
x
You can’t beat a good 90’s movie! I love Clueless and 10 Things I Hate About You. I’ll have to check out the others <3
Do it 🙂 x
Great list. Clueless is definitely one of my favorite movies of all time.
Ditto 🙂
10 Things I Hate About You is one of my favourite films ever! Such a classic. Forever wishing I was as cool as Kat Stratford haha x
https://www.femaleoriginal.com
Kat was very cool 🙂
You missed a couple of my favourites from 10 Things:
* I know you can be overwhelmed, and you can be underwhelmed, but can you ever just be whelmed?
* Shit Bianca i’m shooting nose spray add tomorrow! (after Bianca, quite rightly, decked Joey)
Ooo, why thank you 😉 🙂
These are some great choices. Clueless is one of my favourites!
I might have to watch these again now, thanks for the nostalgic reminder x
Clueless and 10 Things I Hate About You are such classics, I’ve seen them so many times! I can’t believe I haven’t watched House Party and Disturbing Behaviour yet – definitely need to get round to that!
Serena / http://www.ramblingsofanotherunigraduate.com
I have a confession… I haven’t seen any of these!
I can’t believe I haven’t gotten around to watching these yet! Especially when I’m a 90’s baby!
Thanks for the inspiration! ☺️
I’ll start with clueless I think.
Love Lozza x
http://girlygabble.com
Get on it! They’re all awesome 🙂 x
10 Things I Hate About You and Clueless are such classics, I love them! It’s crazy because I remember nothing but that strange dance part that’s gone viral recently from She’s All That. Time to rewatch!
I have to admit I have never seen any of these, but I know what I will be doing with my spare time this weekend!