Picture it: You’re at a sleepover with your girlfriends. Someone is microwaving popcorn, another friend is popping a zit (ugh, puberty), and you’re looking over the DVD options. Thriller movie? Nah, your girls get scared easily. Drama? Yawn. Romance? Hmm, maybe. Oooh, what about something funny with a dash of romance? A guaranteed crowd-pleaser, duh.
Even though you might not be a teenager anymore (thank f*cking god), there’s still a lovely dose of nostalgia that comes from flipping through the channels and stumbling upon Regina George. Or reuniting with that old Amanda Bynes movie that never gets old, even though you’ve seen it a million times. Regardless of when you left your teen years behind, whether it was yesterday or just feels like it, we’ve got some absolute classics from years past and some recent gems as well. Depending on when you went to HS, you might have missed some of these entirely, so if you’re desperate for some nostalgia or just love teen comedies more than any other genre—viola. I’ve got your definitive list.
Also, if you don’t need my help coming up with iconic teen comedies to watch—listen, I get it—feel free to use this list to figure out what you can watch where. Paying for another streaming service? In this economy?? No, thank you, Disney+. (JK, I subscribed, NGL.) Here are the best teen comedy movies that you probably saw when you were in high school, but take it from me, they def still hold up today.
This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
The Princess Diaries
This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
No teen movie hits the nostalgia feels quite like The Princess Diaries. And I mean, come on, finding out that you’re a princess and that Julie Andrews is your grandma?! I think we all wish that was our life. But since that’s not the case (not yet, anyway), the best we can do is sit back and watch Mia Thermopolis go from a frizzy-haired 15-year-old who gets accidentally sat on to a full-blown tiara-wearing, ball-attending princess.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
Alright buckle up, ’cause this is kinda like the holy grail of teen comedy movies. If you haven’t had the absolute pleasure of watching, it’s about the sneaky yet charismatic Ferris Bueller, who’s a high school senior and total pro at cutting class. He wants one last epic day off before graduation, which may or may not involve “borrowing” a Ferrari and hitting the streets of Chicago. Oh, and the principal is hot on Ferris’s trail trying to catch him.
Do Revenge
This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
We love a good revenge movie, and this one’s got some twists and turns up its sleeve. You get to meet Drea, a popular scholarship student turned outcast after an intimate video of her goes viral. She teams up with Eleanor, who suffered her own social downfall thanks to a false rumor, and they come up with a plan to get revenge on each other’s enemies. With makeovers and hilarious schemes, it’s got everything you could want in a teen flick.
Heathers
This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
Okay, we need to talk about the I-CON-IC movie Heathers. Picture this: Veronica, a snarky high schooler, gets sucked into a clique of popular girls where she’s the only one not named Heather. But here’s the thing: they’re not your typical mean girls—they’re, like, next-level evil. With some dark humor and killer one-liners, Heathers takes high school drama to a whole new level. It’s like Mean Girls on steroids!
17 Again
This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
Who doesn’t love a lil’ early 2000s Zac Efron? Especially when he’s acting as the younger version of the very funny Matthew Perry. In this movie, they both play Mike, a middle-aged man who magically transforms into his (much dreamier) 17-year-old self and ends up back in high school. It’ll give you some laughs and maybe even a life lesson or two along the way.
Sixteen Candles
This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
Sixteen Candles is the ultimate ’80s teen comedy, so get ready for a bit of a throwback. The retro rom-com queen herself, Molly Ringwald, stars as Samantha, a high schooler whose 16th birthday becomes a tiiiny bit of a hot mess, from her chaotic family forgetting about it to awkward run ins with her hottie crush, Jake Ryan. Expect big hair, shoulder pads, and all the classic teenage feels.
Napoleon Dynamite
This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
This movie is a goldmine of hilariously weird moments that’ll have you wanting to practice your nunchuck skills and stuff some tots in your pockets. If you haven’t seen the movie yet and don’t know what those mean, I am incredibly jealous you get to watch it for the first time. Napoleon Dynamite is our socially awkward, cringe-inducing king, navigating the absurdities of high school like a total champ… even if he does yell at his llama sometimes.
Wild Child
This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
Sometimes a girly teen rebellion flick is exactly what you need, and Emma Roberts totally delivers as Poppy, the trouble-making LA teenager who gets shipped off to a strict boarding school in the English countryside. From sneaky pranks to unexpected friendships to a forbidden crush on the headmistress’ son, this movie serves up laughs, love, and a whole lot of British charm.
21 Jump Street
This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill play two clueless cops going undercover as high school students. Think: jocks turned nerds trying to bust a drug ring. With countless hilarious mishaps, an adorable bromance, and a sprinkle of teenage nostalgia, this movie is serving up laughs from every angle.
Superbad
This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
If you want some legit belly laughs, Superbad is here to bring the comedy heat! It’s a tale as old as time: three high school misfits (played by Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, and Michael Cera) set out on a quest to attend the ultimate party. The end result is like hanging out with your hilariously awkward besties. It’s an absolute riot that I promise you’ll be McLovin.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
If you love teen movies and feel like this series missed you the first time, then clear your schedule for the next several hours. Lara Jean writes secret love letters to her biggest crushes, then—without her knowing—the letters all get mailed directly to them. (Cue screams of teen horror.) And so develops one of the sweetest teen romances in all of history—no spoilers, just go watch.
Yes, God, Yes
This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
This satire is about a teen (with normal human sexual desires) who comes up against her conservative background—to hilarious, painfully awkward, surprisingly poignant effect. If this matches with your background, you’ll find this…hilariously relatable. But even if it doesn’t, you’ll laugh *a lot*.
Lady Bird
This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
Ugh, teenagerhood. Saoirse Ronan and Timothée Chalamet star in this film about the stress of getting into college and figuring out what you want to do with your life (relatable!) and how that can kinda strain your relationship with your parents (UH HUH).
13 Going on 30
This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
On her 13th birthday, Jenna wishes she was 30—and her wish actually comes true. Then, she must live in her future self’s 30-year-old body as a working adult in New York—chaos obviously ensues.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
Some of your faves got their start in this movie—think America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel, and Blake Lively—in this tale of BFFs who all fit into the same pants and trade them back and forth during their first summer away from each other. Come for the silliness, stay for some of the sweeter, more meaningful storylines.
She’s the Man
This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
This teen classic, inspired by Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and starring Amanda Bynes, can be summed up with this quote: “Everybody has a secret. Duke wants Olivia, who likes Sebastian, who is really Viola, whose brother is dating Monique, so she hates Olivia, who’s actually with Duke to make Sebastian jealous, who is really Viola, who’s crushing on Duke, who thinks she’s a guy. Got all that?”
10 Things I Hate About You
This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
Another tale inspired by Shakespeare—though this time it’s Taming of the Shrew. This one tells the story of lovesick teen Cameron who pays a fellow student to date his crush Bianca’s sister Kat. Why? Because Bianca and Kat’s dad devised the genius-but-evil plan that the super-popular Bianca can’t date until her outcast older sister Kat does. Turns out, bad boy Patrick (played by the gorge, late Heath Ledger) can break through Kat’s hard shell. The surprisingly poignant comedy perfectly captures allll the antics and heartbreak of HS.
The Duff
This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
Mae Whitman plays Bianca, who’s been labeled a “duff” (“designated ugly fat friend,”) by the popular crowd of her high school. Naturally, she stages a revolution to upset the social order. The 2015 movie is based on a novel by the same name, btw.
Mean Girls
This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
Leaving Mean Girls off this list would be so not fetch. It’s just, like, the rules of feminism! The Tina Fey-written comedy is a who’s-who of SNL alums, including Amy Poehler and Tim Meadows. I think it’s also fair to say that the movie launched the careers of Rachel McAdams and Amanda Seyfried. Personally, I’ve never met someone who doesn’t like Mean Girls, and to be honest, I hope I never will.
Booksmart
This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
I’ll just go ahead and say it: the world has an endless supply of male-led raunchy comedies. Which is why I was so excited when Olivia Wilde made her directorial debut with this story about besties and overachievers Amy and Molly, who decide to pack four years of high school partying into the night before graduation. Hilarity ensues, obvs.
Easy A
This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
When Olive (Emma Stone) finds herself being slut-shamed after lying about losing her virginity, she takes it upon herself to buck the status quo and lean into her new sexy persona. With Stanley Tucci, Lisa Kudrow, Penn Badgley, and Amanda Bynes, the cast is, in a word, stacked.
Clueless
This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
The number of quotable lines in this ’90s classic is ridiculous. I’m honestly still recovering from the zinger, “You’re a virgin who can’t drive!” Loosely based on Jane Austen’s novel Emma, Clueless tells the story of a popular girl with a heart of gold, Cher, who befriends new girl Tai and gives her a makeover. Cher is pretty much the best Queen Bee to ever grace our screens.
Pitch Perfect
This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
Pitch Perfect is one of those movies that is brilliant on all fronts: Acting, writing, directing, and obviously, music. It’s so good, it inspired two sequels and hit songs like Anna Kendrick’s “Cups.” I may or may not still be trying to perfect that routine. Don’t judge me, pls.
Bring It On
This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
As a former cheerleader, I’m kind of a Bring It On expert. Only the first and third movies are worth your time, don’t fight me on this. This flick has aged well due to its themes of white privilege and cultural appropriation. You can chant along to the cheers and get an education on social issues, which is reason number 1,093,029 why it should be required viewing for high schoolers everywhere.
Banana Split
This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
You probs have never heard of this movie, which is tragic, but I won’t hold it against you. After April (played by writer/actor Hannah Marks) endures a messy break-up with her high school boyfriend Nick (Dylan Sprouse), she develops an unexpected friendship with her ex’s new girlfriend, Clara. Reminder: female friendships can be just as heartbreaking as romantic relationships.
The Edge of Seventeen
This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
Hailee Steinfeld’s awkward relatability makes this movie. After realizing that her cool brother is secretly dating her best friend, she launches into a journey of getting over that BFF heartbreak and figuring out how to get through being a teenager.
What a Girl Wants
This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
Don’t act surprised that another Amanda Bynes movie makes this list. When I was a kid and wanted to rent this movie at Blockbuster (RIP), my parents were a little concerned about its seemingly ~mature~ title. In reality, it’s a wholesome story about a teenage girl who wants to know the dad she’s never met.
John Tucker Must Die
This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
ICYMI, high school girls are not to be messed with. After three students from different cliques realize they’re all dating the same popular jock, they enlist help from the new girl to gain his love and then break his heart. Payback’s a bitch, John Tucker.
Dope
This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
High school senior Malcolm and his friends love ’90s hip-hop culture and playing music in their punk band. After a surprise encounter with a drug dealer, they end up accidentally stealing his ecstasy. Don’t you hate it when that happens?! Of course, funny events follow as they try to stay away from the people trying to retrieve the drugs.
Editor
Paulina is the Weekend Editor at Cosmopolitan.com. When she isn’t covering celeb and pop culture news, she can be found listening to Taylor Swift, watching a teen drama (One Tree Hill is her favorite), or perfecting her skincare routine.
Contributor
Katherine J Igoe (she/her) was a contributing editor for Cosmopolitan and is a freelancer covering style, lifestyle, culture, and beauty (she’s obsessed with gift guides, best-of movie lists, and beauty products). She’s been a freelance writer and editor for over a decade, previously working for Marie Claire (2018 to 2021) and Bustle (2021), with bylines in the The New York Times, Parents magazine, and elsewhere. She lives in Boston with her family, and you can follow her on Instagram or Twitte. It’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.
Laura is a NYC-based freelance writer. When she’s not binging the latest true crime docu-series, she’s obsessing over all things Harry Styles, RHONY, and John Mulaney. You can follow her on Instagram @lauraehanrahan