Great Movies for Teens About Teens

Are you tired of your teen watching movies about slashing and sex, sex and slashing, or Will Farrell and out there wondering if there are any good movies exist anymore? There are plenty of movies for teens which are good in several important ways: they will entertain teens, they won't pass on or glorify objectionable content, and they're well made. Here are a few good teen movies. Some of them, your kids have likely already seen. Others, they may not have even heard of. But all of them feature teen characters and good moviemaking.

MEAN GIRLS
I don't think there's anything that justifies the rise to fame of Lindsey Lohan. But this is a pretty funny funny movie that teen girls especially will enjoy. It's got it's share of sexual innuendo and lots of cattiness, but it's all carried off in a PG-13 way and with some actual wit. The point of the movie: that girls need to stop torturing each other and find self-esteem from within, not without, is also worth hearing. The actors, including Lohan and SNL's Tina Fey are pretty good. Fey's script might be about ten minutes too long, but it's still funny.

REMEMBER THE TITANS
High school jocks will enjoy this fact-based film about an undefeated, recently integrated Virginia high school football team. The film stars Denzel Washington, Will Patton and a host of recognizable young guys. You may not recognize Randy from "My Name Is Earl" because he's lost a ton of weight since appearing in the film. Yes, the emotions driving the film and the "work had and get along" message are completely Disney, but there's humor, some realistic dialogue, and characters high school kids will be able to relate too. Not a bad way to discuss race issues with your teens, either.

HOOSIERS
Here's another good sports movie for teens, also set in the past. This one's got Gene Hackman as a former college hoops coach who's fallen from grace and ended up in smalltown Indiana. As he tries to get the boys of Hickory in shape, Hackman's character must overcome the skepticism of the local parents and the school vice principal (Barbara Hershey). The values espoused include teamwork, tolerance, patience, and dedication. The acting, music, script, photography and soundtrack combine for a well-made film.

BACK TO THE FUTURE
It may well be that your teen hasn't seen this movie yet. Afterall, it's a whopping 20 (!) years old, and probably not on his or her "must see" list. Introduce them to this classic movie about a high school slacker transported back to his father and mother's era: the fifties. Wow, and your kids thought "That 70s Show" was a blast from the past. The film has aged well, with the 80s world of Marty McFly becoming as entertainingly retro as the 50s world of his parents. The movie isn't sappy and the humor and situations have a good combination of edge and heart.

BETTER OFF DEAD
This is another 80s classic high school movie today's teens may never have watched. Unlike the more angst-ridden films of the era (Pretty In Pink, The Breakfast Club) this one is straight up farce. A young John Cusack plays a (sort of) suicidal slacker whose will to live is enhanced by a ski contest and a French exchange student. Your teen audience will likely end up quoting some of the movie's most familiar lines ("I want my two dollars." "He's skiing on one ski!") for weeks to come.

SCHOOL TIES
Today's teens will recognize big stars Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Brendan Fraser here in some of their first roles. The movie stars Fraser as David Green, a Jewish-American football star who plays his senior year for a prestigious private school. David soon learns Jewish people are less than well-respected by his classmates. As the year goes on and David is more and more accepted, he learns he may be paying a price for keeping his religion a secret, especially after one of his classmates, played by Damon, uses his story against him. Though this movie does have a great message about tolerance, the message isn't heavy handed but told through an entertaining story involving loyalty and peer pressure. There's also a great performance by Fraser as a teen who comes of age by standing up for himself and his beliefs