The 50 Best Teen Movies from the 1990s
by kjtenorman | created - 11 Jan 2016 | updated - 08 Dec 2019 | PublicHere is a chronological list of the best teen-centered films from the year 1990-1999 (as chosen by me).
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1. Pump Up the Volume (1990)
R | 102 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
Mark runs a pirate radio station and causes an uproar when he speaks his mind and enthralls fellow teens.
Director: Allan Moyle | Stars: Christian Slater, Samantha Mathis, Anthony Luke Lucero, Andy Romano
Votes: 31,139 | Gross: $11.54M
2. Cry-Baby (1990)
PG-13 | 85 min | Comedy, Musical
In 1950s Baltimore, a bad boy with a heart of gold wins the love of a good girl, whose boyfriend sets out for revenge.
Director: John Waters | Stars: Johnny Depp, Ricki Lake, Amy Locane, Susan Tyrrell
Votes: 64,783 | Gross: $8.27M
3. Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead (1991)
PG-13 | 102 min | Comedy
Five siblings are left alone all summer when their mom leaves town and the evil babysitter bites the dust.
Director: Stephen Herek | Stars: Christina Applegate, Joanna Cassidy, John Getz, Josh Charles
Votes: 37,945 | Gross: $25.20M
4. Boyz n the Hood (1991)
R | 112 min | Crime, Drama
Follows the lives of three young males living in the Crenshaw ghetto of Los Angeles, dissecting questions of race, relationships, violence, and future prospects.
Director: John Singleton | Stars: Cuba Gooding Jr., Laurence Fishburne, Hudhail Al-Amir, Lloyd Avery II
Votes: 154,501 | Gross: $57.50M
5. Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991)
PG | 93 min | Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
A tyrant from the future creates evil android doubles of Bill and Ted and sends them back to eliminate the originals.
Director: Peter Hewitt | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, William Sadler, Joss Ackland
Votes: 81,008 | Gross: $38.04M
6. Encino Man (1992)
PG | 88 min | Comedy
When they find a frozen caveman in their back yard, two high school outcasts thaw him and introduce him to modern life while he in turn gets them to actually enjoy life.
Director: Les Mayfield | Stars: Sean Astin, Brendan Fraser, Pauly Shore, Megan Ward
Votes: 45,207 | Gross: $40.69M
7. Dazed and Confused (1993)
R | 103 min | Comedy
The adventures of high school and junior high students on the last day of school in May 1976.
Director: Richard Linklater | Stars: Jason London, Wiley Wiggins, Matthew McConaughey, Rory Cochrane
Votes: 199,275 | Gross: $7.99M
8. Heavenly Creatures (1994)
R | 99 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Two teenage girls share a unique bond; their parents, concerned that the friendship is too intense, separate them, and the girls take revenge.
Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Melanie Lynskey, Kate Winslet, Sarah Peirse, Diana Kent
Votes: 67,381 | Gross: $3.05M
9. Clueless (1995)
PG-13 | 97 min | Comedy, Romance
Shallow, rich and socially successful Cher is at the top of her Beverly Hills high school's pecking scale. Seeing herself as a matchmaker, Cher first coaxes two teachers into dating each other.
Director: Amy Heckerling | Stars: Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy, Paul Rudd
Votes: 245,615 | Gross: $56.63M
10. Empire Records (1995)
PG-13 | 90 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
Twenty-four hours in the lives of the young employees at Empire Records when they all grow up and become young adults thanks to each other and the manager. They all face the store joining a chain store with strict rules.
Director: Allan Moyle | Stars: Anthony LaPaglia, Debi Mazar, Maxwell Caulfield, Rory Cochrane
Votes: 61,796 | Gross: $0.30M
11. The Doom Generation (1995)
R | 83 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Jordan White and Amy Blue, two troubled teens, pick up an adolescent drifter, Xavier Red. Together, the threesome embark on a sex-and-violence-filled journey through an America of psychos and quickie marts.
Director: Gregg Araki | Stars: James Duval, Rose McGowan, Johnathon Schaech, Cress Williams
Votes: 17,868 | Gross: $0.26M
12. Hackers (1995)
PG-13 | 105 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Teenage hackers discover a criminal conspiracy with plans to use a computer virus that will capsize five oil tankers.
Director: Iain Softley | Stars: Jonny Lee Miller, Angelina Jolie, Jesse Bradford, Matthew Lillard
Votes: 74,806 | Gross: $7.56M
13. Kids (1995)
Unrated | 91 min | Drama
A day in the life of a group of teens as they travel around New York City skating, drinking, smoking and deflowering virgins.
Director: Larry Clark | Stars: Leo Fitzpatrick, Justin Pierce, Chloë Sevigny, Sarah Henderson
Votes: 84,594 | Gross: $7.42M
14. Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995)
R | 88 min | Comedy, Drama
An awkward seventh-grader struggles to cope with inattentive parents, snobbish class-mates, a smart older brother, an attractive younger sister and her own insecurities in suburban New Jersey.
Director: Todd Solondz | Stars: Heather Matarazzo, Christina Brucato, Victoria Davis, Christina Vidal
Votes: 37,146 | Gross: $4.77M
15. Angus (1995)
PG-13 | 90 min | Comedy, Drama
A miserable fat teenager secretly has a crush on the class beauty, ends up becoming the surprising participant to dance with her at a high school dance, meaning he's got to get his act together with the help of his best friend.
Director: Patrick Read Johnson | Stars: Charlie Talbert, George C. Scott, Kathy Bates, Perry Anzilotti
Votes: 7,114 | Gross: $4.82M
16. Mallrats (1995)
R | 94 min | Comedy, Romance
Both dumped by their girlfriends, two best friends seek refuge in the local mall.
Director: Kevin Smith | Stars: Shannen Doherty, Jeremy London, Jason Lee, Claire Forlani
Votes: 128,825 | Gross: $2.12M
17. The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love (1995)
R | 94 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
An adventurous love story between two young women of different social and economic backgrounds who find themselves going through all the typical struggles of a new romance.
Director: Maria Maggenti | Stars: Laurel Holloman, Nicole Ari Parker, Maggie Moore, Kate Stafford
Votes: 5,080 | Gross: $1.98M
18. The Basketball Diaries (1995)
R | 102 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
A teenager finds his dreams of becoming a basketball star threatened after he free falls into the harrowing world of drug addiction.
Director: Scott Kalvert | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Lorraine Bracco, Marilyn Sokol, James Madio
Votes: 120,968 | Gross: $2.42M
19. Scream (1996)
R | 111 min | Horror, Mystery
A year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a masked killer who targets her and her friends by using scary movies as part of a deadly game.
Director: Wes Craven | Stars: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Skeet Ulrich
Votes: 388,156 | Gross: $103.05M
20. Beautiful Thing (1996)
R | 90 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Jamie is a shy teenager, often bullied at school. His neighbour Ste has a rough time at home, being beaten by his father and brother. This issues bring them together and they find that what they feel for each other is more than friendship.
Director: Hettie Macdonald | Stars: Glen Berry, Linda Henry, Scott Neal, Tameka Empson
Votes: 25,742 | Gross: $1.50M
21. Fear (1996)
R | 97 min | Drama, Thriller
When Nicole met David; handsome, charming, affectionate, he was everything. It seemed perfect, but soon she sees that David has a darker side. And his adoration turns to obsession, their dream into a nightmare, and her love into fear.
Director: James Foley | Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Reese Witherspoon, William Petersen, Amy Brenneman
Votes: 54,778 | Gross: $20.75M
22. SubUrbia (1996)
R | 121 min | Comedy, Drama
A group of suburban teenagers try to support each other through the difficult task of becoming adults.
Director: Richard Linklater | Stars: Giovanni Ribisi, Steve Zahn, Jayce Bartok, Amie Carey
Votes: 10,654 | Gross: $0.73M
23. Romeo + Juliet (1996)
PG-13 | 120 min | Drama, Romance
Shakespeare's famous play is updated to the hip modern suburb of Verona still retaining its original dialogue.
Director: Baz Luhrmann | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, John Leguizamo, Harold Perrineau
Votes: 244,661 | Gross: $46.35M
24. The Craft (1996)
R | 101 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
A newcomer to a Catholic prep high school falls in with a trio of outcast teenage girls who practice witchcraft, and they all soon conjure up various spells and curses against those who anger them.
Director: Andrew Fleming | Stars: Robin Tunney, Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell, Rachel True
Votes: 107,627 | Gross: $24.88M
25. I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
R | 101 min | Horror, Mystery
Four young friends bound by a tragic accident are reunited when they find themselves being stalked by a hook-wielding maniac in their small seaside town.
Director: Jim Gillespie | Stars: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Anne Heche, Ryan Phillippe
Votes: 158,039 | Gross: $72.59M
26. Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997)
R | 92 min | Comedy
Two dim-witted, inseparable friends hit the road for their ten-year high school reunion and concoct an elaborate lie about their lives in order to impress their classmates.
Director: David Mirkin | Stars: Mira Sorvino, Lisa Kudrow, Janeane Garofalo, Alan Cumming
Votes: 52,986 | Gross: $29.21M
27. The Faculty (1998)
R | 104 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
When Casey Connor, Herrington High School's newspaper photographer, witnesses the murder of a nurse and sees her alive again, he decides to investigate the bizarre happenings.
Director: Robert Rodriguez | Stars: Jordana Brewster, Clea DuVall, Laura Harris, Josh Hartnett
Votes: 135,025 | Gross: $40.06M
28. Can't Hardly Wait (1998)
PG-13 | 100 min | Comedy, Romance
A complete graduating class, consisting of beautiful girls, geeks and promising footballers, assemble at a rich classmate's residence for a party. Interesting developments follow at the get-together.
Directors: Harry Elfont, Deborah Kaplan | Stars: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ethan Embry, Charlie Korsmo, Lauren Ambrose
Votes: 53,954 | Gross: $25.34M
29. Disturbing Behavior (1998)
R | 84 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
The new kid in Cradle Bay, Washington stumbles across something sinister about the town's method of transforming its unruly teens into upstanding citizens.
Director: David Nutter | Stars: James Marsden, Katie Holmes, Nick Stahl, Tobias Mehler
Votes: 25,262 | Gross: $17.41M
30. Edge of Seventeen (1998)
TV-MA | 99 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A teenager copes with his sexuality on the last day of school in 1984. It shows him coping with being gay and being with friends.
Director: David Moreton | Stars: Chris Stafford, Tina Holmes, Andersen Gabrych, Stephanie McVay
Votes: 7,105 | Gross: $0.87M
31. Slums of Beverly Hills (1998)
R | 91 min | Comedy, Drama
In 1976, a lower-middle-class teenager struggles to cope living with her neurotic family of nomads on the outskirts of Beverly Hills.
Director: Tamara Jenkins | Stars: Natasha Lyonne, Alan Arkin, Bryna Weiss, Marisa Tomei
Votes: 14,616 | Gross: $5.48M
32. Pecker (1998)
R | 87 min | Comedy, Drama
A talented young photographer, who enjoys snapping photos of his satirical, perverted Baltimore neighborhood and his wacky family, gets dragged into a world of pretentious artists from New York City and finds newfound fame.
Director: John Waters | Stars: Edward Furlong, Christina Ricci, Bess Armstrong, Mark Joy
Votes: 14,849 | Gross: $2.28M
33. Get Real (1998)
R | 108 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A tenderly romantic coming-of-age story as two boys in a British school fall in love.
Director: Simon Shore | Stars: Ben Silverstone, Brad Gorton, Charlotte Brittain, Stacy Hart
Votes: 14,676 | Gross: $1.20M
34. Pleasantville (1998)
PG-13 | 124 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Two 1990s teenage siblings find themselves transported to a 1950s sitcom where their influence begins to profoundly change that colorless, complacent world.
Director: Gary Ross | Stars: Tobey Maguire, Jeff Daniels, Joan Allen, William H. Macy
Votes: 136,270 | Gross: $40.57M
35. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
PG-13 | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A high-school boy, Cameron, cannot date Bianca until her anti-social older sister, Kat, has a boyfriend. So, Cameron pays a mysterious boy, Patrick, to charm Kat.
Director: Gil Junger | Stars: Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Larisa Oleynik
Votes: 384,787 | Gross: $38.18M
36. Cruel Intentions (1999)
R | 97 min | Drama, Romance
Two vicious step-siblings of an elite Manhattan prep school make a wager: to deflower the new headmaster's daughter before the start of term.
Director: Roger Kumble | Stars: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon, Selma Blair
Votes: 205,040 | Gross: $38.77M
37. Election (1999)
R | 103 min | Comedy, Romance
A high school teacher meets his match in an over-achieving student politician.
Director: Alexander Payne | Stars: Matthew Broderick, Reese Witherspoon, Loren Nelson, Chris Klein
Votes: 104,459 | Gross: $14.88M
38. American Pie (1999)
R | 95 min | Comedy
Four teenage boys enter a pact to lose their virginity by prom night.
Directors: Paul Weitz, Chris Weitz | Stars: Jason Biggs, Chris Klein, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Jennifer Coolidge
Votes: 433,501 | Gross: $102.56M
39. Never Been Kissed (1999)
PG-13 | 107 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A newspaper reporter enrolls in high school as part of research for a story.
Director: Raja Gosnell | Stars: Drew Barrymore, David Arquette, Michael Vartan, Molly Shannon
Votes: 97,514 | Gross: $55.47M
40. Drive Me Crazy (1999)
PG-13 | 91 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Nicole and Chase used to be BFFs, then junior high happened. The high school centennial dance is coming but Nicole gets dumped. So does Chase. They stage a relationship to get at their exes. They visit each other's worlds. Love in the air?
Director: John Schultz | Stars: Melissa Joan Hart, Adrian Grenier, Stephen Collins, Mark Metcalf
Votes: 21,281 | Gross: $17.85M
41. She's All That (1999)
PG-13 | 95 min | Comedy, Romance
A high school jock makes a bet that he can turn an unattractive girl into the school's prom queen.
Director: Robert Iscove | Stars: Freddie Prinze Jr., Rachael Leigh Cook, Matthew Lillard, Paul Walker
Votes: 103,747 | Gross: $63.37M
42. Jawbreaker (1999)
R | 86 min | Comedy, Crime, Thriller
Three of the most popular girls at Reagan High accidentally kill the prom queen with a jawbreaker when a kidnapping goes horribly wrong.
Director: Darren Stein | Stars: Rose McGowan, Rebecca Gayheart, Julie Benz, Alexandra Adi
Votes: 28,921 | Gross: $3.07M
43. The Virgin Suicides (1999)
R | 97 min | Drama, Romance
A group of male friends become obsessed with five mysterious sisters who are sheltered by their strict, religious parents in suburban Detroit in the mid 1970s.
Director: Sofia Coppola | Stars: Kirsten Dunst, Josh Hartnett, James Woods, Kathleen Turner
Votes: 169,073 | Gross: $4.86M
44. Varsity Blues (1999)
R | 106 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance