The Best Teen Movies on Netflix

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before: A Charming Rom-Com for Fans of All Ages

The setup: Lara Jean's young sister secretly mails the love letters she's written to five crushes. Lara Jean enlists the help of one letter recipient, Peter, to convince neighbor and crush Josh (and fellow letter recipient) that she and Peter are in a relationship and that she's moved on.

If you're a rom-com fan of any age, there's plenty to love in this sweet movie with two follow-up installments.

The Half of It (2020): A Hopeful Love Story

When a lovesick football player named Paul begs loner Ellie to help him woo popular-girl Aster with a love letter, Ellie finds herself in a confusing love triangle.

This intelligent and sincere story tackles friendship and self-discovery and offers a texting-era twist on Cyrano de Bergerac-style love letters and mistaken identity.

Moxie (2021): A Film About Fighting Toxic School Culture

This teen comedy from Parks and Rec comedienne Amy Poehler stars Hadley Robinson as Vivian, a shy 16-year-old who decides to rebel against her school's toxic atmosphere by publishing an underground zine called Moxie. Her writing sparks a movement amongst female students. While Poehler is relatively new as a film director, she's a proven talented comedic writer and actress, making this movie promising.

Skater Girl (2021): A Film About Blazing Your Own Path

This Indian film is about a young girl who discovers skateboarding and dreams of competing in the sport but faces opposition from her traditional parents and the rest of her village.

Meanwhile, the young woman who introduced her to skateboarding seeks to support her and the other village girls by building a skatepark. Skater Girl promises to be a heartwarming story about following your dreams.

All the Bright Places (2020): An Important Mental Health Conversation Starter

Violet and Finch start spending more time together while working on a school project about the wonders of Indiana. While both struggle differently, they look to each other for solace and hope for the future.

This story highlights the importance of finding support and looking out for one another—a meaningful message for all ages.

Enola Holmes (2020): There’s a New Holmes Detective In Town

When 16-year-old Enola's older brothers refuse to help her find their recently missing mother, she heads to London alone to solve the mystery. This spirited caper will appeal to true mystery-loving Sherlock Holmes fans or Millie Bobby Brown (from Stranger Things) fans alike.

Mixtape (2021): A Movie About Discovering Who Your Parents Were

Beverly Moody (Gemma Brooke Allen) is an orphan teen raised by her grandmother. One day, she discovers a broken mixtape her parents made before they died. Seeing this as an opportunity to learn more about her parents, she seeks to find all the songs on the tape with the help of a quirky neighbor and curmudgeonly record store owner.

The Magician's Elephant (2023): A Fairy Tale in the Fallout of War

After a war that left him an orphan, Peter (Noah Jupe) desperately searches for his sister Adele (Pixie Davies). Following the advice of a fortune teller, he sets out in search of an elephant.

The Magician's Elephant is an adaptation of a 2009 book by Kate DiCamillo. The movie isn't quite as dark as the novel, but in the tradition of classic kid's films like Bambi, Lion King, and Land Before Time, it has a serious message about coping with loss.

Finding 'Ohana (2021): For Anyone Who Misses The Goonies

If you're a fan of movies where precocious teens go on an adventure for hidden treasures, you may want to spend a weekend watching Finding 'Ohana. It just might fill that Goonies-sized hole in your heart.

The film is about two Brooklyn kids who go to Oahu to care for their ailing grandfather and discover a pirate's journal leading to a 200-year-old shipwreck. But they also learn to appreciate their Hawaiian heritage along the way.

Dog Gone (2023): A Boy, His Dog, and His Dad

A wayward college student sets out on the Appalachian Trail to find his missing best friend. Determined to heal their strained relationship, his dad joins the search.

Based on a true story, Dog Gone is a feel-good movie that boasts impressive performances from the human and canine cast.

We Have a Ghost (2023): Beetlejuice Meets E.T.

Kevin (Jahi Di'Allo Winston) moves into a new home with his family only to discover that it's already occupied by a ghost named Ernest (David Harbour). When his video of Ernest goes viral, they end up in the government's crosshairs.

We Have a Ghost, a fun comedy for teens and adults, puts a modern spin on age-old movie tropes.

Home Team (2022): A Feel-Good Football Comedy Loosely Based on a True Story

Sean Payton has the dubious honor of being the first modern NFL football coach suspended for an entire season. During his downtime, he took over coaching his son's football team. This comedy sports film starring Kevin James is based on real-life events.

You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (2023): A Different Shade of Sandler

With their coming-of-age ceremonies quickly approaching, lifelong friends Stacy (Sunny Sandler) and Lydia (Samantha Lorraine) begin to feud over boys and who will have the bigger bat mitzvah.

You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah is a more grown-up Adam Sandler movie than say, The Waterboy, but it's targeted toward young adults like his daughter (who plays the lead role).

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie (2022) — Heroes in a Half Shell Go Intergalactic

Casey Jones (Haley Joel Osment) travels through time to warn Leonardo (Ben Schwartz) and his brothers about an extraterrestrial threat. Will the team rise to protect the world from Krang (Jim Pirri) and his army?

This movie is based on the 2018 Nickelodeon TMNT series, not to be confused with the 2012 Nickelodeon TMNT series. If you like the movie, you can watch all of Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on Netflix.

Vampires vs. The Bronx (2020): Best Gentrification Metaphor Since Candyman

Miguel, Bobby, and Luis are a bunch of normal teens with an unusual problem—vampires have invaded their Bronx community and are eating their neighbors.

Plucky teens protect their neighborhood from invading monsters is not a new concept. Vampires vs. the Bronx wears that trope like a comfy blanket. But in between the fun frights and the witty one-liners is a clever meditation on gentrification and whitewashing.

Chupa (2023): E.T. Meets Mexican Folklore

While visiting his family in Mexico, Alex (Evan Whitten) meets a baby chupacabra. Although he believes Chupacabras to be ferocious, Chupa is adorable and friendly, so Alex vows to protect his new friend from the scientists who want to experiment on him.

In the long tradition of “boy and his (fill in the blank)” movies, Chupa hits all the familiar notes, but the connection to Mexican folklore puts a fresh spin on the concept.