It’s fitting that the spiritual successor to Superbad would star Jonah Hill’s real-life sister, Beanie Feldstein, who broke out big thanks to her hysterical performance in Olivia Wilde’s love letter to teen sex comedies. With several laugh-out-loud set pieces, an attitude akin to the productions of Judd Apatow and John Hughes, and an inspired pairing of Feldstein and co-star Kaitlyn Dever, Booksmart is one of the best comedies of the past several years as well as an essential new take on such a familiar and dependable genre. Produced by Pharrell Williams and Sean Combs, Dope surrounds a trio of high school “geeks” coming of age in a high-crime neighborhood in Inglewood who accidentally find themselves in the center of a treacherous drug transaction. A stylish and insightful blend of comedy and drama, Dope has slowly but surely grown in profile since its 2015 release went largely under the radar, though the film helped to shine a light on filmmaker Rick Famuyiwa, as well as stars Shameik Moore, Tony Revolori, and Kiersey Clemons. A long-in-development comedy-drama from the Academy Award-winning duo of Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, The Way, Way Back tells the story of a 14-year-old who develops a summer romance with a neighbor while vacationing with his dysfunctional family and learning about life from an unlikely mentor. An old-school teenage summer story that doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel, The Way, Way Back carries an infectious nostalgic charm guaranteed to please any well-versed fan of the genre. The directorial debut of cinematic provocateur Richard Bates Jr., Excision follows a disturbed teenage girl whose demoralizing home life and ambitions to become a surgeon have led to bizarre and gruesome delusions. A critically acclaimed genre picture that blends the coming-of-age story with fantastical body horror, Excision is also noted for its against-type lead performance from AnnaLynne McCord, who eschewed her previously established sex symbol image and garnered rave reviews for her twisted turn in the film. One of the most ironic things about Seth Rogen’s comments on high school movies is that it directly disregards a beloved teen movie from one of Superbad’s breakout stars, Emma Stone, who later headlined a stellar modern adaptation of The Scarlet Letter in Will Gluck’s Easy A. A critical and commercial smash hit, Easy A cemented Emma Stone as a performer to watch, subverted the tropes of sex comedies, and found new life in recent years via memes and streaming. A high school movie that doubles as one of the best and most tense domestic thrillers in recent memory, Luce surrounds the mind games between a manipulative high school student and his outspoken teacher which shakes the presumptions of the student’s adoptive parents. Tackling “nature vs. nurture” thinking with a prescient argument on contemporary racial politics, Luce is a captivating film that will keep you guessing and even questioning your own beliefs by the time the end credits roll. Praised by critics as one of the best films of 2017, Lady Bird surrounds a high school senior who deals with her rocky love life, her academic ambitions, and her complicated relationship with her mother while preparing for adulthood. Elevated by the stellar performances on display and the outstanding direction from Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird is not only an exceptional contemporary high school movie, but one of the best dramatic entries in the genre, full-stop. Produced by Superbad’s Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, Blockers follows a group of concerned parents who aim to prevent their teenage children from losing their virginity on prom night. Directed by Pitch Perfect producer Kay Cannon, this underrated sex comedy not only packs a strong punch of “OMG” humor, but offers a feeling of genuine, sometimes self-aware sweetness so often lacking in various raunchy Superbad clones (we’re looking at you, Project X). Who could have guessed that Spider-Man’s first major showcase within the MCU had more in common with The Breakfast Club than Iron Man? Mixing spectacle with fantastic coming-of-age drama and comedy moments, Spider-Man: Homecoming works as both a stellar superhero flick and throwback to classic high school movies, with the two tones perfectly converging in the scene in which Peter Parker and his nemesis, Adrian Toomes, have a tense confrontation outside of his prom under the guise of the typical “father-prom date” conversation. A contemporary mix between Heathers and Scream accentuated by an impressive ensemble cast, Tragedy Girls surrounds a pair of teenage sociopaths who decide to commit a series of copycat killings in order to boost the relevancy of their true crime blog. A biting and hilarious satire that offers both jaw-dropping slasher movie moments as well as sordid spins on teen movie tropes, Tragedy Girls seems destined to become the next great horror-comedy cult classic. The second off-the-wall horror-comedy featuring Josh Hutcherson on this list, Detention is a genre-hopping high school tale that deals with a disaffected generation in the most bonkers and unpredictable way possible. Driven by a unique visual language and rebellious attitude one can now expect from Bodied director Joseph Kahn, Detention definitely leans closer to the likes of Everything Everywhere All At Once than, say, Pretty in Pink. Based on the novel by Jesse Andrews, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl follows a teenage film buff, his coworker, and his leukemia-battling childhood friend as they navigate their kinship as the latter’s illness worsens. A heartfelt and emotional teen movie with a refreshingly off-beat sense of humor, this underrated teen movie is frequently insightful and touching, despite its inherently bleak premise. An unorthodox and surprisingly risqué Paramount+ original, Honor Society surrounds a viciously ambitious high school student who attempts to secure an important letter of recommendation by sabotaging the other potential recipients while avoiding the lecherous advances of her guidance counselor. With shades of Young Adult and Clueless, Honor Society is witty and funny while presenting enough new twists on the teen movie format to keep things unconventional. Academy Award-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody’s follow-up to Juno, Jennifer’s Body surrounds a pair of teenage girls whose bond is tested when one of them becomes possessed and begins consuming her classmates. A box office bomb upon its theatrical release, Jennifer’s Body has since found a critical and commercial reappraisal in recent years as a a high-camp feminist classic. Based on the true memoir and graphic novel from John Backderf about his teenage friendship with serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, My Friend Dahmer toes the line between teenage drama and psychological horror to great effect. Beyond the historical accuracy and unnerving atmosphere established by the film, My Friend Dahmer explores the story of a disturbed and lonely teenager exhibiting the warning signs of a potential serial killer as well as those who lived on the fringes of his high school experience, making this a must-watch for fans of true crime films. A modern anime masterpiece that was acknowledged as the Best Animated Feature at the 2016 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards, Your Name surrounds two Japanese high schoolers who intermittently begin switching bodies and incidentally fall in love. A financial smash hit in Japan and a crossover success with international audiences, Your Name exhibits amazing animation, tangible emotional stakes, and a deft balance of fantasy and reality that pays off in a big way. A solid mix between heartfelt coming-of-age drama with toe-tapping musical, Sing Street follows a budding young musician and an aspiring model who rage against their conservative upbringing while focusing on their blossoming romance and their band’s ambitious music videos. Even if you’re not swept off your feet by this fantastic high school comedy-drama, Sing Street’s soundtrack is guaranteed to become a staple of your go-to playlist, especially the film’s standout original track, “Drive It Like You Stole It.” A pulse-pounding, atmospheric thriller presented like a dark twist on Stand by Me, Super Dark Times transforms the coming-of-age teen movie into a loss-of-innocence psychological drama when a pair of inseparable teenage boys fall into a paranoid spiral after a traumatic accident takes the life of a close friend. To say anything more would delve into spoiler material, but Super Dark Times plays like Superbad by the way of Elephant, with a pair of extraordinary performances from Ozark’s Charlie Tahan and X’s Owen Campbell that will keep you glued to the screen. A really wonderful teenage romance film that was sadly released without bells and whistles during the COVID-19 pandemic, Spontaneous surrounds a pair of young lovers who are drawn together when a string of bizarre spontaneous combustions plague their high school classmates. It’s a bloody and occasionally bizarre affair, but Spontaneous contains buckets of heartfelt emotion, some genuine suspense, and a demented sense of humor that will garner a chuckle out of even the most straight-laced viewer. A refreshingly R-rated take on the high school movie that addresses the mature realities of growing up without kid gloves, The Edge of Seventeen surrounds a teenage girl who tries to navigate her strained family relationship, her emotionally confusing romantic prospects, and her mentorship with a no-B.S. teacher. Although audiences did not embrace the film upon its release in 2016, The Edge of Seventeen has slowly but surely found an audience and even put filmmaker Kelly Fremon Craig in the director’s chair for the long-awaited adaptation of Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret.
