Time moves forwards, standards and people change, and, as with every other age group, Gen-Z movies pop up to reach the up-and-coming generation. Unlike other groups, Gen-Z is famous for the amount of content it consumes daily. To capitalize on this rising consumption, Hollywood is rushing to create one Gen-Z movie after another. However, since this generation has different values, movies have to adapt. For this reason, it seems like romantic and high school-themed movies are taking the lead among Gen-Z people.
Teen romance movies have to walk a careful line. If they can’t balance characters and storylines, they will either be too cringy to watch or super unrealistic beyond imagination. When the majority of screenwriters in Hollywood are older than the oldest Gen-Z member, they can’t understand how young people act, speak or think. So it’s not a wonder why independent studios have taken the lead in this genre. A24, for example, dominates the market with its movies. Usually, these kinds of romantic stories are also visible in high school movies. Since they are the origin grounds for the biggest gossip stories ever, romance is always guaranteed to bloom.
It’s important to remember that teen movies vary in the genres and themes they try to analyze. To save some time, we have compiled a list of movies that members of Gen Z would surely love. We even threw in some coming-of-age movies for any growing person to watch. Check out the list and upvote the films you would watch. If you’ve watched some already, share your thoughts on how good or bad they are.
#1 Do Revenge
2022 | 1h 58m | Directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson
Starring Camila Mendes, Maya Hawke, and Austin Abrams
Revenge is best served cold — especially when it involves some school bullies who like to spread horrible rumors. Eleanor and Drae, two girls who suffered from their respective bullies, decide to enact their revenge. Drae and Eleanor agree to exact revenge on each other’s enemies and do it with style.
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#2 Spider-Man: Homecoming
2017 | 2h 13m | Directed by Jon Watts
Starring Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, and Robert Downey Jr.
Being a superhero in New York City and pretending to be an ordinary schoolboy are two impossible things to balance. Yet, Peter Parker, a.k.a Spider-Man, had to do it to preserve his safety. However, when Adrian Toomes, a.k.a Vulture, starts to ravage the city, his secret identity soon lands him in hot water.
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#3 Spider-Man: Far From Home
2019 | 2h 09m | Directed by Jon Watts
Starring Tom Holland, Samuel L. Jackson, and Jake Gyllenhaal
Trouble seems to follow Spider-Man from New York City to the cities of Europe. Peter Parker, a teenage boy still in high school, travels to Europe with his classmates and visits multiple cities. However, problems, in the form of elementals and Mysterio, soon appear, forcing him to save the world as Spider-Man once again.
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#4 Five Feet Apart
2019 | 1h 56m | Directed by Justin Baldoni
Starring Haley Lu Richardson, Cole Sprouse, and Moises Arias
Cystic fibrosis — a life-long genetic and lethal disease — is the center of this movie. Stella and Will, both of whom were stricken with this disease, have to stay six feet apart from each other. However, they seem to form a friendly and even romantic bond, which gets tested by the many medical requirements they have to live by.
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#5 To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before
2018 | 1h 39m | Directed by Susan Johnson
Starring Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, and Janel Parrish
Teenagers like to keep secrets, especially when it comes to crushes. When Lara’s secrets, in the form of love letters, leak, she has to face the uncomfortable consequences of her actions at school and personal life. These letters land her into some romantic troubles that give her some options on who to date.
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#6 Me And Earl And The Dying Girl
2015 | 1h 45m | Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
Starring Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler, and Olivia Cooke
Cancer is horrible, especially when you are alone with no friends to give that needed support. Greg, an awkward high schooler, and Earl, his friend and fellow filmmaker, start to hang out with Rachel, a girl with leukemia. While they did hang out during childhood, their relationship gets rekindled.
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#7 Booksmart
2019 | 1h 42m | Directed by Olivia Wilde
Starring Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, and Jessica Williams
Studying is good and everything, but everyone should have some fun in their teenage years, especially at the end of high school. Amy and Molly are two students that missed parties and studied to get into better universities. Realizing what they missed, they decide to break the rules on the last day of school.
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#8 The Fallout
2021 | 1h 36m | Directed by Megan Park
Starring Jenna Ortega, Maddie Ziegler, and Niles Fitch
Tragedies have been happening for a long time, and in the past few years, schools have become full of them. Vada and Mia are two students that survived a school shooting, start to bond, and form a romantic relationship. However, the tragedy left a long-lasting negative impact on the two girls.
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#9 If I Stay
2014 | 1h 47m | Directed by R.J. Cutler
Starring Chloë Grace Moretz, Mireille Enos, and Jamie Blackley
Sometimes, the aftermath of a car crash is much worse than the immediate effect of it. Mia Hall, a talented cello player, and her family decide to visit their relatives when their car crashes and sends most of the members into a hospital. Mia relives her old memories and tries to cope with the devastating car crash in present times.
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#10 The Edge Of Seventeen
2016 | 1h 44m | Directed by Kelly Fremon Craig
Starring Hailee Steinfeld, Haley Lu Richardson, and Blake Jenner
The teenage years are best used to experiment with romance, even if it is with a literal alien from another planet. In this movie, Nadine, seventeen years old (hence the title), falls in love with an alien boy when her friend starts to date her brother. At the same time, as these romantic dramas grow, Nadine still has to go to school.
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#11 The Sun Is Also A Star
2019 | 1h 40m | Directed by Ry Russo-Young
Starring Yara Shahidi, Anais Lee, and Charles Melton
America is the land of opportunity for work, studies, and even true love. Natasha and Daniel, children of immigrants, find themselves in a very loving relationship, which gets hampered by their troubles. Where Daniel has to deal with his Korean family members, Natasha has to deal with the deportation of her relatives.
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#12 Love, Simon
2018 | 1h 50m | Directed by Greg Berlanti
Starring Nick Robinson, Jennifer Garner, and Josh Duhamel
Coming out is always a mentally tasking process for teenagers, because after all, it’s hard to guess how less liberal people might react. Simon, a closeted teenager, keeps his secret from everyone around him. Sadly, when pushed to reveal it, he has to face unknown consequences that would come out from saying he is gay.
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#13 Eighth Grade
2018 | 1h 33m | Directed by Bo Burnham
Starring Elsie Fisher, Josh Hamilton, and Emily Robinson
Kids these days would do anything to be accepted by their peers in school. In the case of Kayla, this journey of acceptance backfired in a very major and destructive way, which might have cost her a great relationship with her father. However, when she was at her lowest point, her dad was always there to support her in any way he could.
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#14 Thoroughbreds
2017 | 1h 32m | Directed by Cory Finley
Starring Olivia Cooke, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Anton Yelchin
Some friendships are recreated in need of social satisfaction, while others are rekindled to commit a cruel crime. Lily and Amanda are two old friends — where Lily is more innocent-looking, Amanda gets labeled as being the more dangerous one. Both of them conspire to commit a crime against Lily’s stepfather.
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#15 Hello, Goodbye, And Everything In Between
2022 | 1h 22m | Directed by Michael Lewen
Starring Jordan Fisher, Talia Ryder, and Ayo Edebiri
College breaks relationships, as some couples are afraid that the relationship they have will become weaker over time. Aidan and Claire made a pact — to break up before they go off to college — but while on a last epic date, they seem to change their minds. No matter how hard it is, this couple has to make a drastic decision.
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#16 Bodies Bodies Bodies
2022 | 1h 34m | Directed by Halina Reijn
Starring Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova, and Myha’la Herrold
Parties don’t always go as we plan, and when that happens — trouble will be coming. For Bee and her friends, when they are at a hurricane party, all hell breaks loose when they start to use some substances and bicker with each other. The party takes an even darker step that costs friendships and lives.
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#17 The Worst Person In The World
2021 | 2h 08m | Directed by Joachim Trier
Starring Renate Reinsve, Anders Danielsen Lie, and Herbert Nordrum
A lot of things can happen in the span of four years, especially in the life of a young woman. Julie from Oslo and her four years are the centers of attention in this movie, as we see her life going through some troublesome times. Share falls in love, gets married, and changes majors a couple of times.
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#18 Everything, Everything
2017 | 1h 36m | Directed by Stella Meghie
Starring Amandla Stenberg, Nick Robinson, and Anika Noni Rose
Usually, love is found not too far from where you are, especially if you have two young people living next door to each other. Madeline Whittier falls in love with the boy next door, Olly, while confined inside her home due to SCID (autoimmune disorder). However, she wishes to go out, see the ocean and feel the warm touch of Olly.
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#19 Life In A Year
2020 | 1h 47m | Directed by Mitja Okorn
Starring Jaden Smith, Cara Delevingne, and Cuba Gooding Jr.
Life is a journey that takes multiple years to experience and which, unfortunately, sometimes gets cut short due to cancer. When Isabelle gets diagnosed with cancer, her boyfriend Daryn decides to cram an entire life’s journey into one year. However, their romantic relationship gets threatened by the growing cancer and other people.
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#20 The Diary Of A Teenage Girl
2015 | 1h 42m | Directed by Marielle Heller
Starring Bel Powley, Alexander Skarsgård, and Kristen Wiig
The teenage years are when teens become sexually active, or at least hope to be. Minnie Goetze, a 15-year-old aspiring cartoonist, becomes sexually active with her mother’s boyfriend, Monroe Rutherford. The experience leads Minnie to explore the world more sexually while striving to become a cartoon artist.
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#21 American Honey
2016 | 2h 43m | Directed by Andrea Arnold
Starring Sasha Lane, Shia LaBeouf, and Riley Keough
Now we can all admit that at some point in our lives, we had the idea of dropping everything and just going for a ride somewhere. Star decided to flee from her hostile home with the help of a magazine-selling crew. While traveling through the midwest of the US, she forms a romantic/friendly/rival relationship with Jake.
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#22 Scream
2022 | 1h 54m | Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett
Starring Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette
Twenty-five years after Ghostface terrified Woodsboro, California, it seems like the same killer has returned in the 21st century. As the town is stricken by a case of Ghostface, old characters and a new teenage group have to find the killer before they become the victims. Tara Carpenter’s hospitalization sparks the fire of the movie.
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#23 Unpregnant
2020 | 1h 43m | Directed by Rachel Lee Goldenberg
Starring Haley Lu Richardson, Barbie Ferreira, and Giancarlo Esposito
Friends are there to support you all the way, which sometimes means breaking state or federal laws. Veronica, a seventeen-year-old girl from Missouri, becomes pregnant and decides to get an abortion. However, since they are illegal in her state, she and her friend decide to go to another, where abortion is legal and safe.
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#24 Dope
2015 | 1h 43m | Directed by Rick Famuyiwa
Starring Shameik Moore, Tony Revolori, and Kiersey Clemons
Even the smartest high school students are known to find themselves in trouble. Malcolm and his only friends, James and Cassandra, are high schoolers that idolize ‘90s hip-hop music. However, his world is thrown into boiling water when dope is found in his backpack after a deadly party.
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#25 To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You
2020 | 1h 41m | Directed by Michael Fimognari
Starring Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, and Jordan Fisher
Past actions can play an important role in your romantic relationships, especially when love letters are involved. Her now official relationship with Peter gets thrown into chaos when an old crush of hers gets the last love letter. Lara’s old crush leads to her questioning the relationship she has with Peter.
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#26 To All The Boys: Always And Forever
2021 | 1h 49m | Directed by Michael Fimognari
Starring Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, and Janel Parrish
Returning to the life of Lara Jean, this is the last installment (for now) in her love journey with Peter. In her final year of high school, Jean goes to Seoul, reconnects with old memories, and back at home, tries to enrich her and Peter’s relationship. However, their relationship becomes strained when Jean gets accepted into Berkeley and New York universities.
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#27 Spontaneous
2020 | 1h 41m | Directed by Brian Duffield
Starring Katherine Langford, Charlie Plummer, and Yvonne Orji
School life is strange already, so why not spice it up with spontaneous explosions? High school seniors Dylan and Mara see their lives change explosively and decide to change the way they look at life. Uncertain when they will explode too, they try to live every day like it was their last one.
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#28 After
2019 | 1h 45m | Directed by Jenny Gage
Starring Josephine Langford, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, and Khadijha Red Thunder
College is the period where teens get that much-needed freedom and start to go on some romantic journeys. Tessa Young, who has a boyfriend, starts to have a fling and then a relationship with the mysterious Hardin Scott. However, this new relationship only brings trouble to her life and the people around her.
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#29 Teen Spirit
2018 | 1h 33m | Directed by Max Minghella
Starring Elle Fanning, Agnieszka Grochowska, and Archie Madekwe
Parents should be there to inspire and encourage their children to reach for their dreams and not anchor them. When Violet joins a singing competition in the United Kingdom, she starts to prepare for it with the help of a talented musician. This movie showcases how it’s sometimes important to step out of your comfortable world into a risky one.
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#30 Honor Society
2022 | 1h 38m | Directed by Oran Zegman
Starring Angourie Rice, Gaten Matarazzo, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Sometimes, you have to be cunning to get that letter of recommendation from another person. Honor Rose, a very ambitious senior in high school, decides to ruin the lives of three students so that she can get a letter to get into Harvard. However, through the process of sabotaging them, she finds out how friendly they are.
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#31 Hot Summer Nights
2017 | 1h 47m | Directed by Elijah Bynum
Starring Timothée Chalamet, Maika Monroe, and Alex Roe
In the summer of 1991, a teenage boy’s life changes for the worse. Daniel, a shy teenager who will soon come of age, is sent to Cape Cod to spend the summer at his aunt’s place. However, he soon becomes entangled in the crime world, falls in love, and eventually figures out — he is over his head.
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#32 Ingrid Goes West
2017 | 1h 38m | Directed by Matt Spicer
Starring Aubrey Plaza, Elizabeth Olsen, and O’Shea Jackson Jr.
It’s one thing to stalk someone on social media, but it’s totally insane to go after a person you are obsessed with. Celebrities are not your friends, and Ingrid Thorburn, a young woman with a lot of inheritance money, learns this the hard way. When she begins to stalk the Instagram star, Taylor Sloane, she does so in a very creepy way.
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#33 Blockers
2018 | 1h 42m | Directed by Kay Cannon
Starring Leslie Mann, John Cena, and Ike Barinholtz
Parents are always there to protect their children from the horrible things that might happen before, during, or after prom night. In this movie, three parents, whose daughters are good friends, try to stop their children from taking that next step in a relationship. If you need any hints on what it is — it’s in the title of the movie.
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#34 Every Day
2018 | 1h 37m | Directed by Michael Sucsy
Starring Angourie Rice, Justice Smith, and Debby Ryan
We tend to experience one life, one journey, but what if you could see the world through multiple lenses? “A,” an entity of unknown origins, starts to inhabit teenagers close to Rhiannon and seems to form a loving relationship with her. Throughout the movie, Rhiannon and “A” bond, figuring out how to stay together.
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#35 Waves
2019 | 2h 15m | Directed by Trey Edward Shults
Starring Taylor Russell, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Alexa Demie
Tragic events in the family can impact each member differently and strain their general relationship. Tyler Williams’ relationship with his family becomes strained when he injures himself and commits a horrible crime against his girlfriend. Nevertheless, they try to work it out and stick together, as a family should.
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#36 He’s All That
2021 | 1h 28m | Directed by Mark Waters
Starring Addison Rae, Tanner Buchanan, and Madison Pettis
Social media has become prevalent in the Gen-Z demographic, so it’s not a wonder why some teens would do everything to retain their follower numbers. Padgett Sawyer loses her sponsorships and a portion of followers, and to get them back decides to popularize Cameron Kweller, an antisocial teen.
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#37 Midnight Sun
2018 | 1h 31m | Directed by Scott Speer
Starring Bella Thorne, Patrick Schwarzenegger, and Rob Riggle
Xeroderma pigmentosum, a condition that prevents people from seeing the sun, does not stop them from forming romantic relationships. Katherine, who suffers from this condition, starts to date her crush, Charlie, as her end comes closer. Despite the inability to go outside during the day, Charlie is there to love Katherine with all his heart.
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#38 Three Months
2022 | 1h 44m | Directed by Jared Frieder
Starring Troye Sivan, Viveik Kalra, and Brianne Tju
HIV can change lives for the better or (usually) worse. On the evening of graduation from high school, Caleb, a South Florida teenager, finds himself exposed to HIV and has to wait three months for definitive results. While waiting, he gets support from his new friends and finds love in unusual places.
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#39 See You Yesterday
2019 | 1h 24m | Directed by Stefon Bristol
Starring Eden Duncan-Smith, Dante Crichlow, and Astro
Even teenagers and kids would like to have the ability to travel to the past and change their actions. Luckily, C.J. Walker and Sebastian Thomas, two science prodigies, build a time machine to save Calvin from a wrongful end. However, their actions cause consequences that aren’t so easily solvable.
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#40 Middle School: The Worst Years Of My Life
2016 | 1h 32m | Directed by Steve Carr
Starring Griffin Gluck, Lauren Graham, and Alexa Nisenson
While breaking the rules might not be advisable, it is socially acceptable when it’s an annoying principal at the center of them. Rafe, a middle school student and a promising cartoon artist, starts to break the rules of the principal that ripped up his sketchbook. His small rebellion sees other students joining too.
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