30 Movies like The Duff Among the Classics

You’re not alone if you’ve completed watching The Duff a thousand times. It’s one of the funniest rom-coms of all time, and it was an immediate hit when it first came out. This list is excellent for your next movie night if you’re seeking more hilarious, feel-good movies about love and high school like The Duff.

If you enjoy “The DUFF,” you’re looking for feel-good, funny, and goofy films in the Comedy and Romance genres about/with teenagers, high school, school, high school life, youth, teenage life, and adolescence. Find your next absolute favorite and similar flicks.

She’s All That (1999)

• Genre: Comedy, Romance
• IMDB- 5.8
• Duration: 1.58 hours

Zack, the most popular boy at school, loses Taylor to television celebrity Brock Hudson. Zack then tells his friends that he can turn any female student into a prom queen. With only five weeks till prom, his pals pick the odd, art geek Laney Boggs. Zack gets more than he bargained for when he falls in love with his “creation.” 

 

She’s All That is another beautiful teeny-bopper film with a small societal critique a la Clueless. Hollywood continues its never-ending search for new wave Brat Packs in the vein of John Hughes in this forgivably bad coming-of-age drama starring Freddie Prinze Jr. from I Know What You Did Last Summer, the over-the-top Matthew Lillard from Scream, and newcomer Rachael Leigh Cook. The tried-and-true film method is the age-old transformation from ugly duckling to a beautiful girl, complete with a prom queen pageant. In this case, gloss triumphs over substance, but the film’s substance is the lovely people.

Easy A (2010)

• Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
• IMDB-7.0
• Duration: 1.53 hours

Olive Penderghast wants nothing more than to be loved. So much so that when Olive’s best friend, Rhiannon, inquires about her weekend plans, the bored adolescent concocts a spicy white lie in order to keep things interesting. When motor-mouth gossip Jesus fanatic Marianne hears about modest Olive’s unrepentant weekend of wickedness, it takes on a life of its own, and the entire student community is abuzz. Of course, none of it is true, but that doesn’t stop everyone at school from discussing it, or Olive from participating in the fun.

Easy A is yet another film that digs into adolescent life in the digital age, telling the narrative of Olive’s (Emma Stone) social experiment as a modern-day Hester Prynne, which blossoms into a not-so-innocent reputation that spirals out of control. Stone has excelled in supporting roles (Zombieland, Superbad), but in this lead, she completely embraces her style, spitting rapid pop-culture references and critiquing her contemporaries’ crazy. This type of character has the potential to become pretentious, but scriptwriter Bert V. Royal keeps things lighthearted and entertaining.

Geek Charming (2011)

• Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family, Romance
• IMDB-6.3
• Duration: 1.56 hours

A snooty high-school junior offers to be the subject of a film geek’s documentary, unaware that he wants to make a hard-hitting video exposing her social order, hoping it will help her become even more famous.

Because it isn’t blatantly satirical or postmodern, Geek Charming is one of the most natural sequels to 1980s teen romances in recent decades. Rather, it captures the essence of those simple love stories while telling a simple story about star-crossed lovers. Even the cultural references, like going to witness a re-enactment of the 1986 Disney science-fiction classic Flight of the Navigator, are clearly situated in the 1980s. We’re not sure if children still watch these classic films, but it’s nice to know that the authors do and that they’re making good use of them. Despite a strong Mean Girls (2004) vibe and certain direct-to-camera documentary-style aspects in the early half of the film, Hyland and Prokop have an on-screen chemistry that drives this into the amusing territory. Their marriage is unavoidable, but that doesn’t stop them from making fun of common stereotypes along the road.

Mean Girls (2004)

• Genre: Comedy-drama
• IMDB-7.1
• Duration: 2 hours

Cady Heron, 15, has spent most of her childhood in Africa, where her naturalist parents homeschooled her. Cady ends up at a high school in suburban Illinois after her family relocates, where she immediately learns about the student body’s many sub-groups: jocks, cheerleaders, stoners, “cool” kids, and so on.

Cady is surprised to learn that she has been admitted into “the Plastics,” a bunch of wealthy and influential students led by Regina George, Karen Smith, and Gretchen Weiners. Cady immediately realises how manipulative they can be, but she also realises she’s broken an unwritten rule by going on a date with Aaron, who is charming, attractive, and Regina’s ex-boyfriend. It doesn’t take long for Regina and her accomplices to go on the offensive, forcing Cady to face vengeance, unlike anything she’d witnessed in her years in the woods.

Mean Females works because it gets into an underutilised component of juvenile comedy: the inner workings of teenage girl backstabbing. It is based on Rosalind Wiseman’s nonfiction best-seller Queen Bees and Wannabes: Surviving Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and Other Adolescent Realities. The film is at its best when it’s at its most caustic, thanks to a slew of SNL regulars and graduates, notably Amy Poehler’s part as a hideously eager-to-please, ageing, and enhanced trophy wife of a mother. Despite a few cliched epiphanies, Mean Girls is a self-aware, brilliant attempt at analysing the superficialities of high school life, particularly in the post-Columbine era.

She’s the Man (2006)

• Genre: Comedy, Romance, Sport
• IMDB-6.3
• Duration: 1.75 hours

When Viola Hastings first comes to Illyria Prep School, she has great reason to conceal her identity, and with her twin brother, Sebastian, ditching school to break into the London music scene, Viola sees her sibling’s well-timed absence as the incredible opportunity to assume his identity. When Viola is assigned to a shared dorm room with Duke, the campus’s renowned boy, her veneer begins to crumble as she develops a genuine crush on her naive new roommate. The issue worsens when Duke confesses his emotions for Olivia, a campus beauty who looks to be captivated by the sensitive phoney known as Sebastian.

Many of Shakespeare’s plays have been adapted for young audiences, but She’s the Man outperforms them all. Andy Fickman’s adaptation of Twelfth Night. Bynes, known for her quick wit and elastic face since she was a child, uses her elastic face and acute intuition as both Viola and her twin brother Sebastian, whose identity she constructs to try out for the squad. It will be ruined if She’s the Man succumbed to modern skepticism. It succeeds by retaining a true understanding of Twelfth Night’s screwball absurdity.

LOL(2012)

• Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
• IMDB- 6.3
• Duration: 1.6 hours

In a world connected by YouTube, iTunes, and Facebook, Lola and her friends deal with the peer pressures of high school romance and friendship while evading their frequently overbearing and confused parents. Lola, seventeen, recovers from a recent break-up by attempting to woo her ex-closest boyfriend’s friend, as well as dabbling with drugs and sex, while her naive mother deals with it. When Lola’s mother, Anne, “accidentally” reads her teenage daughter’s racy journal, she realises how far their communication gap has grown. 

Lisa Azuelos, a French writer-director, translated LOL: Laughing Out Loud for American audiences in 2008, but something must have been lost in translation. While there are some French elements (family members bathing in front of each other, adults smoking marijuana at dinner parties, and even a spring break trip to Paris), the social media-laden plot (texts and status updates pop up on the screen) appears to be a Lifetime cautionary tale for parents rather than a compelling teen drama worth renting. The supporting actors, such as Fisher Stevens and Gina Gershon as Anne’s married best friends, who occasionally provide well-acted respites from the melodrama, can’t save this oddly paced and over-the-top soap from its primary flaw.

17 Again (2009)

• Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Sport
• IMDB-6.4
• Duration: 1.7 hours

When a former high school basketball player is changed into a teenager and given the opportunity to reconstruct his fate, he is granted a second chance at life. Mike O’Donnell had it all in 1989: not only was the 17-year-old senior king of the court, but college scouts were circling as well. But, just when Mike’s future seemed promising, he gave up everything to be there for his pregnant girlfriend, Scarlet, and to be a loving parent. Mike has recently been passed up for a significant promotion at work, his wife is on the edge of a nervous breakdown, and his adolescent children despise him 20 years later. Mike moves in with his best friend, Ned, a former high school geek-turned-techno billionaire after his dreams are dashed and his family is in turmoil. Mike is then transferred back into his youthful body and given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to relive his salad days.

 

Do you remember the late 1980s? When there were so many films depicting middle-aged folks discovering their youth, why did I choose this one? When Vice Versa, Like Father, Like Son, and 18 Again! were all released in theatres, life became a little easier. The central protagonist in Burr Steers’ 17 Again surely did, and he longs to return to it. As a result, 17 Again never finds its voice and devolves into an unappealing mishmash.

Sydney White (2007)

• Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
• IMDB-6.1
• Duration:1.8 hours

Sydney White, a freshman at Southern Atlantic University, is eager to join her late mother’s sorority. This sorority was once dignified and revered, but now that blonde tyrant Rachel has taken over as student council president, that pristine reputation has been shattered. Syd is dismissed soon after surviving the sorority’s arduous pledging ritual for criticising Rachel’s rule. With nowhere else to go but a run-down house on the fringes of Greek Row, the dejected and rejected pledge quickly makes friends with seven of the school’s worst outcasts. While these socially inept frat boys may not be handsome, Syd quickly realises that they all have good qualities, especially love-struck super-geek Tyler.

Revenge of the Nerds is definitely cooler in its zealous defence of geekdom. In Sydney White, a perky and chaste Y.A. take on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Amanda Bynes simply happens to be cute as she rolls her eyes and twists her lipgloss smile. Sydney, a motherless plumber’s daughter and college student who is rejected by the cruel sisters of her dream sorority, moves to a loser campus and lives with seven-man dorks. For example, fix the bathroom sink. Obtain the campus prince as well.

Clueless (1995)

• Genre: Comedy, Romance
• IMDB-7.0
• Duration: 1.6 hours

Cher and Dionne, both named after “famous singers of yesteryear who now perform infomercials,” are upper-class rich and powerful females who prioritise appearance and prestige over academic achievement. Cher, who lives with her stern but warm-hearted lawyer father and magnificent, empathetic stepbrother, has an innate impulse to help those in need, such as the two reclusive instructors she brings together and new chum Tai, who begins as a geek and ends up a Cher prodigy. Cher, like everyone else, is sensitive, and she is always looking for the ideal boyfriend, whom she finds in the most unexpected locations.

Clueless, a modern teen adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic novel Emma puts a fresh spin on the time-honoured “what’s on the inside that counts” premise. In contrast to other high-school comedies, the film avoids clichéd sex-and-beer escapades and rarely relies on crude humour. Plenty of chuckles are provided by the script’s bizarre lexicon of juvenile lingo and its admirably over-the-top representation of high-school cliches.

Expelled (2014)

• Genre: Comedy
• IMDB-4.7
• Duration: 1.4 hours

Felix was EXPELLED from Eastwood High School for a series of significant infractions. Instead of being offended, Felix accepts it; however, he must be careful not to inform his parents, since they have already committed his far more notorious older brother to a Montana rehabilitation centre. To conceal his parents from discovering about his expulsion, Felix enlists the help of tech-savvy friends and opponents to falsify a scorecard, monitor phone calls, and conduct surveillance on the principal. The ruse, on the other hand, quickly becomes a full-time job for Felix, who begins to question his decisions.

The narrative is a clear homage/steal of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Just like in John Hughes’ classic, someone impersonates Felix’s father, he has a mannequin in his bed, and he fools a principal determined on his demise. Expelled has been downloaded and streamed on one of the devices in your home. If not, there’s no reason to pay to see the attractive but untalented young star saunter around with a permanent sneer.

10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

• Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
• IMDB-7.3
• Duration: 1.6 hours

Bianca Stratford, in the film 10 Things I Hate About You, is a tenth-grader who has never been on a date since her parents have a rule that she is not permitted to date guys until her elder sister finds a partner. While her older sister Kat is attractive and bright, she is also a cruel misanthrope who irritates practically everyone, especially boys. But because Bianca and her crush, Joey Donner, are ready to date, Joey introduces Kat to Patrick Verona, a new kid in town who may be bitter and mysterious enough for her.

The film’s title, 10 Things I Hate About You, calls for groan-inducing puns about its quality. The vast majority of them, it turns out, is well-deserved. 10 Things seeks to emulate the formula of Clueless, which set Jane Austen’s Emma among the pastels of modern youth, with a bubblegum replica of William Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew. While no high school comedy should be taken seriously, this one is more overtly satirical of genuine adolescent life than others.

Wild Child (2008)

• Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
• IMDB-6.1
• Duration: 1.6 hours

Poppy awakens one morning in her beautiful Malibu Beach bedroom to find her new stepmother has moved in. She takes action, assembling a gang of friends and wrecking the moving truck, as well as stealing or vandalising all of her stepmother’s belongings. Then she jumps off a cliff into the water. Her father, who is enraged and red-faced, scolds her and sends her to an all-girls boarding school in England. There, she attempts to get kicked out of school by breaking as many rules as possible in order to return to Malibu. Her roommates tolerate her long enough to help her with her plot to get kicked out. Meanwhile, teenagers build relationships and make pals. Poppy had fully grasped the meaning of true friendship by the time she is called before the school’s Honor Court. Is it, however, too late?

WILD CHILD’s ending is rewarding because Emma Roberts is talented enough to let forgiveness shine through for her horrible character. This is a pampered brat who is unable to think clearly. Do Malibu parents lack self-control? Because her mother died and she is in sorrow, she has been acting selfishly. But what are her spoiled pals’ excuses? Outside of Malibu, there is a world of emotionally balanced adults and peers who care about one another. Is such a huge life change really required to wake up a girl like Poppy? Is Poppy deserving of the attention her Abbey Mount prep school classmates lavish on her?

#RealityHigh (2017)

• Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
• IMDB-5.1
• Duration: 1.65 hours

Dani is a stereotypical overachiever. She defies the curve by acing tests, is dedicated to causes greater than getting lit and has one buddy, Freddie, who is also a social misfit. Cameron is at the bottom of the food chain. He’s an Olympic athlete dating Alexa Medina, a viral self-made YouTube and Instagram celebrity. Cameron is aware that Alexa is just interested in her image, but she has become acclimated to seeing the It Girl. But there’s something about Dani that piques his interest. Will these two eccentric youngsters ever find love? If they stayed friends, it’d be a brief movie, but #RealityHigh also explores Dani’s drive to fit in with a hilarious Mean Girls tribute.

While the plot is well-known, the scripting team of Hudson Obayuwana, Jana Savage, and Brandon Broussard makes significant changes. Online bullying, social media addiction, and self-discovery are all addressed candidly. Despite some odd dialogue and a preposterous scenario involving the principal and a disruptive student, the screenplay does not disrespect the audience simply because it is a teen romantic drama. Characters act organically and do not do absurd things to further the plot. The script’s departure from the norm is even more welcome.

Prom (2011)

• Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family, Romance
• IMDB-5.4
• Duration: 1.7 hours

A group of teenagers’ lives get intertwined as they prepare for the most important event of their high school careers. Nova Prescott is angered at first by a classmate who nearly derails her prom plans. But when the big day comes, she realises he could be the ideal date. Meanwhile, clandestine seniors Tyler and Mei wrestle with their consciences about how to make the most of their big night, while the rest of their classmates struggle to reconcile their euphoria with their growing uncertainty about how the dance will eventually turn out.

Some individuals connect prom with horrible moments of total and utter public embarrassment, while others yearn for that one magical night when, regardless of social structure, a simple dance brings everyone together. The film Prom, directed by Joe Nussbaum from such a script by first-timer Katie Wech, is rife with high-school movie clichés and recycled archetypes: the goody-two-shoes, the motorbike rebel, the goofy stoner, the couple facing the end of their relationship as they go to separate colleges, and a slew of other teens who miss out on possibilities and communication breakdowns but come out better for it.

Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (2008)

• Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
• IMDB-6.3
• Duration: 1.6 hours

You’ll enter the world of precocious adolescent ladies with this narrative of a quirky child whose mind constantly drifts back to ideas of growing up, meeting the ideal partner, and throwing the biggest birthday party ever. While having the perfect social life and getting that much-desired nose job was once her top priorities in life, the girl who wanted it all eventually realises that family and friends are more important than any popularity contest.

Georgia (Georgia Groome), the adolescent protagonist of Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging observes, “I’m not boylingual.” The film is a colourful, irregular adaptation of two bestselling tween and teen novels by Louise Rennison. It is a playful depiction of adolescent angst directed by Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham) and produced in the United Kingdom under the auspices of a Hollywood production firm. Georgia (played wonderfully by Groome) is an alluringly flawed, vivacious, and aggressive person, and the film is at its best when it gives us her caustic take on the world, albeit tainted by a slew of teen-movie cliches.

Zapped (2014)

• Genre: Comedy, Family, Fantasy
• IMDB-5.8
• Duration: 1.7 hours

Zoey Stevens, a 16-year-old high school student, is an ordinary young lady who just remarried her widowed mother. Her new stepfather and three stepbrothers accompany her to a new home. Adam, Zoey’s oldest stepbrother, is always running around since he is the basketball team captain; Ben, the youngest, is always getting dirty; Zach, the middle child, has a habit of making bad food innovations; and Ted, their father, is the basketball team coach. After a bad first day at her new school, Zoey downloads an app whose primary role was to manage the family dog, but after her smartphone falls into dog food while sliding down solar panels, she realises the program’s purpose has shifted from manipulating her dog to dominating the boys in her life. She finds it unusual at first but soon realises how powerful she is and resolves to use it as a personal tool.

Given that it’s a Disney Channel Original Movie, I wasn’t expecting much from Zapped. In the end, it’s similar to most of those films, though nowhere near as bad as the worst. While the story isn’t particularly compelling or realistic, it’s a lighthearted and amusing enough affair to keep you entertained and fulfils its function as a fluffy kids’ film. Overall, there isn’t much to say about Zapped because it is a fairly simple and standard Disney Channel feature. because of a charming central performance, a silly and fluffy premise, and a few good jokes

The First Time (2012)

• Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
• IMDB-6.4
• Duration: 1.7 hours

Dave and Aubrey go to different high schools, and each of them wants to end their current relationship. This means pursuing a girl who is just out of reach for lonely senior Dave, and having a boyfriend who supports her dreams and ambitions for artistic junior Aubrey. They both notice a connection they’ve never felt before when they happen to meet at a party. The two teenagers experience a flurry of euphoric emotions over the next 48 hours, leaving them completely elated as they fall head over heels in love with one another.

Unfortunately, finding an audience will be the film’s most difficult task. Adults who don’t have warm and fuzzy feelings about first love or losing their virginity will be uninterested, and the film is far too mature and sincere to appeal to the legion of mentally deficient adolescents it depicts. Kasdan, like his father and brother, is clearly drawn to the out of the ordinary. It will be interesting to see where he goes from here.

Sleepover (2004)

• Genre: Comedy, Family, Romance
• IMDB-5.3
• Duration: 1.6hours

Julie, Hannah, Yancy, and Farrah, best friends, decide to throw the best pajama party of their lives to shed their uncool reputations before the start of their freshman year. This sleepover includes a scavenger hunt against the most reviled and coveted group of young women they’ve ever met: the atrocious “popular” cluster. While avoiding Julie’s mother’s prying eyes, the girls skillfully hijack a car, sneak into clubs, have their first kiss, and learn a lot about themselves and their capabilities.

Mika Boorem, Kallie Flynn Childress, and Alexa Vega are among the younger actors who have enough charisma to keep us interested in the teenagers’ appropriately frivolous pursuits, which include skateboarding, a school dance, and a desire to get the lunch spot by the fountain (rather than the one by the dumpsters). Sleepover has an unmistakably square feel because the girls listen to The Spice Girls five years after they were popular. A little squareness, on the other hand, is probably a good thing for the parents of these rapidly maturing viewers.

John Tucker Must Die (2006)

• Genre: Comedy, Romance
• IMDB-5.7
• Duration: 1.5hours

John Tucker is the big man on his high school campus; he is the captain and star player of the basketball team, he is wealthy, he is attractive and charming, and he can have any girl he wants. The latter, on the other hand, is about to land him in hot water when three different girls at his school — Heather, Beth, and Carrie — realise they’ve all been dating John at the same time. The girls devise a strategy to bring down the campus ladykiller: they choose Kate, a cute but socially awkward newcomer to school, and teach her how to steal John’s heart in a matter of days. Once Kate has John wrapped around her little finger, she is supposed to drop him like a bad habit and expose him to the reality of heartbreak. The initial stages of the plan, however, appear to go too well, and John and Kate end up falling in love for real.

In John Tucker Must Die, an airy teen comedy in desperate need of an attitude adjustment, sweetness does not always equal laughs. While the film may appeal to its eager-to-please audience, little in the production merits such praise. The premise seems ripe for high-school cynicism, but the overall tone is far too lighthearted to pack much of a punch.

Mean Girls 2 (2011)

• Genre: Comedy
• IMDB-7.1
• Duration: 1.9 hours

A sassy Queen Bee chooses a fight she will never win in this sequel highlighting the dangers of high school popularity. Jo is a self-assured senior who prefers to be alone. This rule has kept Jo safe so far, but when she notices their leader Mandi picking on mousy classmate Abby, she decides it’s time to speak up. Jo intends to give Mandi and the Plastics a taste of their own medicine if the entire school becomes involved in the fight.

One of the best movies ever shown on television. When I think of this masterpiece, the only adjectives that come to mind are perfection and flawlessness. This film will tug at your heartstrings as you watch an American girl traverse the high school jungle, but it will also play mind games with your head as you try to comprehend the beauty you have just witnessed. This film should be in your favourite film collection, but I would not recommend it if you want to sleep well at night. The all-consuming thought of “what if?” jolts me awake every time I try to sleep.

The Princess Diaries (2001)

• Genre: Comedy, Family, Romance
• IMDB-6.3
• Duration: 2.1 hours

Lana Thomas openly mocks teen klutz Mia Thermopolis (pop singer Mandy Moore). Mia’s only friend at her prestigious prep school is Lilly, a social outcast. Mia’s life changes dramatically when her mother reveals that her late biological father was the crown prince of Genovia, a small European country. Now that Mia is the sole heir to the throne, Queen Clarisse Renaldi wishes to teach the awkward teen proper royal protocol. Mia’s lack of table manners, poise, and hair care make the task difficult, but she perseveres with the help of her grandmother’s security chief and fashion expert, Hector Elizondo. Meanwhile, Mia is torn between Josh, the attractive and popular boy, and Michael, Lilly’s brother.

The Princess Diaries has a similar tone to “Pretty Woman Jr.” No, Anne Hathaway does not play a young prostitute trying to make it, but she does have Julia Roberts’ toothy grin and a talent for playing klutzy, which could propel young Hathaway to stardom. One of the few G-rated live-action films, The Princess Diaries, has a giddy throwback feel, even when it shows its star riding a scooter and includes concepts like virtual homework and an after-school feng shui club.

Radio Rebel (2012) 

• Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family
• IMDB-5.8
• Duration: 1.5 hours

Tara Adams is a shy high school junior in class, but give her a microphone and she transforms into Radio Rebel, an outspoken DJ who is popular with both popular kids and outcasts. When her school’s clique situation spirals out of control, Radio Rebel becomes the airwaves’ voice of reason. However, not everyone agrees with her; the principal is determined to permanently silence the pirate broadcaster, but she has no idea who she is. Meanwhile, when Stacy sets her sights on Gavin, their cute classmate, everyone’s favourite radio personality realises that if she doesn’t reveal her true identity, the boy she adores may slip through her fingers.

I didn’t laugh every time a man spoke in #getmenoutcomedy, preferring to laugh at the dynamic, sensual, boisterous, multitalented, and diverse female leads. As a Marxist-Feminist, I would have preferred to see less female gaze and no men; however, I applaud the costume designer’s efforts, who went to great lengths to ensure that each character wore a distinct hat.

The Kissing Booth (2018)

• Genre: Comedy, Romance
• IMDB-6.0
• Duration: 2.1 hours

The Kissing Booth, based on Beth Reekles’ YA novel of the same name, follows chaste teen Elle as she kisses for the first time with a high school bad boy and her best friend’s brother Noah while working at her high school’s spring carnival kissing booth. This kiss reveals the couple’s long-hidden feelings for each other, but their budding romance is hampered by Noah’s protective personality. The film was written and directed by Vince Marcello.

“The Kissing Booth,” Netflix’s newest potential hit, is generating similar buzz. Unfortunately, the high school rom-com is a sexist and regressive look at relationships that highlights the genre’s worst tendencies. Netflix isn’t new to the teen rom-com subgenre, and previous choices have proven to be successful. Craig Johnson’s delightful “Alex Strangelove” will be available on Netflix later this month, and Olivia Milch’s “Dude,” a female-driven comedy akin to “Bridesmaids” and “Mean Girls,” debuted last month.

Bring It On (2000)

• Genre: Comedy, Romance, Sport
• IMDB-6.1
• Duration: 1.8 hours

Torrance Shipman discovers that leading her San Diego high school’s six-time champion cheerleading squad is more difficult than she anticipated. Torrance’s parents want her to focus more on her homework, her boyfriend wants her to spend more time with him, and she finds out that the squad’s former captain stole some of their best routines from other teams – and that Isis, captain of a top squad at a crosstown, inner-city high school, intends to fight back this year. To make matters worse, when one of the cheerleaders is injured, Torrance is forced to replace her with Missy, a cynical newcomer who is only there because the school lacks a gymnastics programme. Torrance couldn’t have picked a worse time to fall in love with Cliff, a classmate who values punk rock over school spirit, with the national championship on the horizon. Dunst trained with a cheerleading squad for her role, though the more difficult stunts were performed by a double.

This amusing teen comedy delves into the dedication, hard work, and personal politics that go into “rah rah rah!” and “sis boom bah!” Torrance Shipman discovers that leading her San Diego high school’s six-time champion cheerleading squad is more difficult than she anticipated. Torrance’s parents want her to pay more attention to her homework, her boyfriend wants her to spend more time with him, and she discovers that the squad’s former captain stole some of their best routines from other teams – and that Isis, captain of a top squad at a crosstown, inner-city high school, intends to fight back this year.

High School Musical (2006)

• Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family, Music, Musical, Romance
• IMDB-5.9
• Duration: 1.7 hours 

Troy is best known as the scorekeeper for the East High basketball team. While Troy is slamming dunks on the court, Gabriella is contributing to East High’s reputation as an important member of the school’s successful academic team. No one would ever associate Troy and Gabriella with the theatre, despite their outgoing personalities. When word gets out that this popular couple is planning to try their luck on stage, East High students will learn an important lesson in teamwork while preparing for a musical performance that will have their audience dancing in the aisles.

High School Musical, despite receiving extremely high ratings from its target audience and spawning a chart-topping soundtrack CD, is, at best, a mediocre attempt to resurrect the old-school “tuner.” To begin, the young cast is extremely appealing, and their energy, enthusiasm, and dedication to the material (along with their teen-magazine cuteness) contribute significantly to Musical’s success – and help to explain why so many teens and tweens found it so appealing. Kenny Ortega has sharply staged the musical numbers; the choreography itself is of varying quality, but Ortega captures it well on film.

Drive Me Crazy (1999)

• Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
• IMDB-5.7
• Duration: 1.4 hours

Nicole is a fashionable adolescent who lives next door to Chase, a self-conscious, downbeat character who spouts political platitudes and reads poetry. Nicole and Chase have nothing in common and have nothing to say to one another. Nicole decides to make Chase into a suitable prom date after her prom date declines her invitation. Nicole and Chase will soon be more than friends.

A teen romantic comedy will defy the standard Screenplay 101 formula on occasion by cleverly turning the genre on its head. Clueless, Bring It On, and Election are three films that elevate the potentially derivative teen formula. Drive Me Crazy, on the other hand, openly recycles late-’90s teen romantic comedies and contains a slew of cliched teen film tropes. Drive Me Crazy shares many thematic and narrative parallels with She’s All That, 10 Things I Hate About You, and Whatever It Takes, providing yet another look at high school’s intricate hierarchy, from the elite popular crowd to the desperate nerd herd.

Tall Girl (2019)

• Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family, Romance
• IMDB-5.2
• Duration: 1.6 hours

Jodi stands out in her class as the tallest student. As a result, she is constantly teased and mocked by her classmates. Jodi’s new crush on Swedish exchange student Stig completely changes her life. With the help of her best friends and sister, Jodi eventually gains the confidence to stand tall and recognise that she is more than her appearance. Sam Wolfson wrote the script, which was directed by Nzingha Stewart.

The film focuses on self-esteem while ignoring the title’s literal issue—tall girl. The film emphasizes how many teenagers are bullied at school because they are perceived to be different, but there is no mention of mocking people of different heights.

Simply broadening the definition of bullying to include all forms of bullying can prevent this. Tall Girl’s plot of a “different” person being bullied and eventually learning to love themselves is a basic and overused storyline that has been explored in many other films, so the meaning the directors attempted to imbue in the film comes across as stiff and unthought-out.

Paper Towns (2015)

• Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Mystery, Romance
• IMDB-6.3
• Duration: 1.3 hours

Two young neighbours gradually drift apart after discovering the body of a suicide victim. Years later, the girl appears at the boy’s window dressed as a ninja, pleading with him to help her punish those who had been cruel to her. The next day, she vanishes without a trace, leaving him in emotional turmoil as he searches for her using a bizarre trail of clues.

For the second year in a row, young-adult novelist John Green’s work has been adapted for the big screen. The Fault in Our Stars was a critical and commercial success in 2014, and the screenwriting team (Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber) behind that film is back with Paper Towns. Jake Schreier directed the film, but it is little more than a collection of tired clichés.

The Outcasts (2017)

• Genre: Comedy
• IMDB-5.4
• Duration: 1.5 hours

Mindy and Jodi, two bookish teenagers, lead a group of outcast high schoolers in a revolt against the in-crowd. They plot to turn the tide of popularity against snobby ringleader Mackenzie as retaliation for years of bullying. This coming-of-age comedy was directed by Peter Hutchings.

The Outcasts follows a well-told story format, a them-versus-us tale that pits geek against jock, pretty against plain… The genre’s stereotypical teen tropes, which have been present since its inception. Why reinvent the wheel, after all? This story has worked in the past and will work again in the future. Unlike some of the genre’s less memorable examples, however, this story has two things going for it: co-stars Victoria Justice and Eden Sher.

Sierra Burgess Is a Loser (2018)

• Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
• IMDB- 5.8
• Duration: 1.6 hours

Sierra Burgess transforms into a modern-day Cyrano de Bergerac after popular dreamboat Jamey texts her instead of her high school tormentor, queen bee cheerleader Veronica. Sierra makes a deal with the real Veronica for help in winning Jamey’s heart after becoming too engrossed in her lie. The cast includes Lea Thompso, RJ Cyler and Alan Ruck. Ian Samuels directed the film.

Much has been written about the self-esteem, mean girls, and self-respect of adolescent girls. Boys play a role in Sierra Burgess is a Loser, but it is a minor one. The most recent Netflix original romantic comedy demonstrates that there are many ways to be mean, confident, or bullied. In their respective fields, both women are thought leaders, but in very different ways. Veronica is introduced as a one-dimensional mean girl, but Kristen Froseth expertly brings her to life. However, Shannon Purser’s titular loser Sierra requires the most development.