When it comes to means of entertainment, cinema has always been one of the biggest forms of entertainment. Doesn’t matter if you’re watching a film in a theater or cuddled up in your bedroom, watching movies can be one of the best ways to spend your time. Movies can also make someone feel a variety of emotions throughout their runtime.
One genre of film that gives the viewer a pool of emotions is coming-of-age films, a.k.a. Teenage movies. Teen movies are usually about “teens” in high school dealing with the trials and tribulations of maturing, relationships, and leaving family behind.
Some of these kinds of movies are considered cult classics that all generations watch. The great thing about teen movies is that not only do they appeal to current day teenagers, but also to adults that want to look back and feel nostalgic about their teenage years.
But recently, there has been a decline in not only the number of teen movies being released, but also the quality of those films. It seems that the market for these kinds of movies is in a slump.
One reason for this deterioration might be that studios are shifting into releasing more high-budget and larger-scale productions that are franchise-driven, as opposed to smaller, low-budget films that are not connected to one another.
Teen movies have been prevalent since the ‘60s. But, arguably, the first big-time teen movie was the 1973 jukebox musical American Graffiti. From this, moviegoers got more big hits such as National Lampoon’s Animal House and Grease.
Then came the 1980s, a golden age of coming-of-age flicks. From The Outsiders and Pretty In Pink, to all-time favorites like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and so many more. The 1980s showed that teen-comedies could be successful.
This spike in popularity was mostly due to director John Hughes, who directed a majority of the movies previously mentioned. He uniquely used the same group of actors in his productions and always filmed his movies in his hometown Chicago, Illinois.
That group included Andrew McCarthy, Molly Ringwald, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, and Rob Lowe. They were nicknamed the “Brat Pack”, which was inspired by the group name for Frank Sinatra and his collection of singers and actors, the “Rat Pack”.
Moving on to the 1990s, there was another golden age of teenage films during the decade. This era brought on a new bunch of actors and actresses into the mainstream that defined this time period. Some classic films released during this period included Clueless, Scream, 10 Things I Hate About You, American Pie, and She’s All That.
However, going into the 21st Century, there was an obvious sharp decline in teenage movies being made. Most of the films released during this time can be classified more as romantic comedies, and less as actual coming-of-age movies. Some teen films during this time included Mean Girls, Bring It On, and the Seth Rogen-written Superbad.
In the 2010s, the decrease in these types of movies became clear, with studios prioritizing more raunchy-adult comedies, a little similar to American Pie.
But, there were still great teen movies being released, such as Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Love, Simon, and Easy A. As noticeable though, the amount of movies revolving around teenage characters was still on a gradual decline.
The rise of streaming services has made movies easier to find and easier to watch, but this has included streaming services making their own shows and movies. This included teenage movies, with the forerunner of them being Netflix.
Unfortunately, most of these Netflix movies are made cheaply and are not written very well. In comparison to the classic teen movies mentioned previously, these Netflix movies have never been on the same level. Some of these movies include The Kissing Booth, and To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before.
Furthermore, while the quality of teenage movies has been on the decline going into the 2020s, there are still stand-out examples of excellent teen movies that not only look good but are written well. One of these includes Bottoms, which was released a couple of years ago and is just one example of a teen movie done right. Although teen movies can be corny, sappy, or even just outright stupid, there is still a factor of nostalgia and campiness that makes some of the classic teen movies automatic re-watches.
