The prototypical teen movie began to take shape in the seventies with films like American Graffiti and The Last Picture Show, but it was in the eighties that the genre truly exploded thanks to filmmakers like John Hughes.
Teen movies have given audiences some of the most memorable characters in modern cinema, like Ferris Bueller, Cher Horowitz, and Regina George. And along with these iconic characters come equally iconic lines that perfectly capture the essence of their movies, while being catchy enough to stay in people's memories.
Clueless - "As If!"
"As if!"
Amy Heckerling's modern-day adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel, Emma, Clueless is one of the most important teen films in history. It launched Alicia Silverstone's career and became a staple of nineties culture. The film focuses on Cher Horowitz, a vain but sharp and ambitious teenager who enjoys meddling in her friends' lives.
Cher's lingo was inspired by contemporary slang and classical references. Throughout the film, she constantly uses the phrase "As if!" to express her disbelief or discontent to multiple situations, although it has a universal quality that makes it even more quotable. Other characters use the phrase too, but it's commonly related to Cher.
Sky High - "Hey, It's High School."
"In the end, my girlfriend became my arch enemy, my arch enemy became my best friend, and my best friend became my girlfriend. But hey, it's high school."
An underrated and underappreciated teen gem, Sky High tells the story of Will, the son of two superheroes who is enrolled in an airborne high school for teenage superheroes, where his powers finally kick in. Starring Kurt Russell, Michael Angarano, Danielle Panabaker, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, it was a moderate success for Disney.
The final line in the film, spoken by Will after the superpowered final act, perfectly summarizes not only the movie but high school as a whole. After all, friends can change and animosities can be resolved. Romances turn sour and new connections are formed. The important thing to remember is to enjoy the whole thing because it only comes once in a lifetime.
Mean Girls - "She Doesn't Even Go Here!"
"She doesn't even go here!"
Infinitely quotable and hilarious, Mean Girls was a true cultural reset for Millennials. Adapted by Tina Fey from the non-fiction self-help book Queen Bees and Wannabes, it follows Cady Heron, a homeschooled teenager who enrolls into high school after spending twelve years in Africa with her zoologist parents.
The film not only launched the career of multiple actors, like Rachel McAdams, Amanda Seyfried, and Lizzy Caplan, but nearly every main character gets a memorable line. Damian, one of Cady's best friends, gets to say the now-often repeated "She doesn't even go here!" during an all-girls trust exercise in which, ironically, he shouldn't even be in.
Grease - "Tell Me About It, Stud."
"Tell me about it, stud."
One of the most famous and important musicals of all time, Grease tells the story of Sandy and Danny, who after having a passionate but short summer romance, unexpectedly reunite in the new school year. With legendary songs like "Summer Love," "You're the One that I Want," and "We Go Together," Grease remains a staple of cinema.
Its ultimate message, that one must change who one is to better fit with a significant other, is rather problematic, especially under the modern gaze. Still, Olivia Newton-John speaking the line "Tell me about it, stud," post "bad-girl" transformation remains an iconic image in pop culture.
Bring It On - "Don't Slack Off..."
"Don't slack off because you feel sorry for us. That way, when we beat you, we'll know it's because we're better."
Bring it On is a brilliant, simple, and effective way to explain cultural appropriation. The film centers on Torrance Shipman, the newly appointed captain of the Toros, a champion-winning cheerleading squad, who discovers the team's entire routines were stolen from another, more talented but less popular squad, the South Hampton Clovers.
The captain of the Clovers, Isis, played by Gabrielle Union, confronts Torrance about the plagiarism, making it clear that she won't allow the thievery to continue. Isis is a commanding character who's confident enough in her and her team's talent and ability to not accept anyone's pity. Her empowering, take-no-prisoners attitude definitely makes her one of the most memorable characters in the Bring it On franchise.
Heathers - "Dear Diary..."
"Dear diary, my teen angst bulls**t has a body count."
Subversive, darkly comical, and full of quotable moments, Heathers ranks as one of the most influential coming-of-age films of all time. Winona Ryder plays Veronica Sawyer, a teenage girl at an Ohio high school who belongs to an exclusive clique along with three other girls, all named Heather. Her life is disrupted by the arrival of J.D., a chaotic misanthrope intent on exerting revenge upon the popular students.
As she descends deeper into J.D.'s nefarious plan, Veronica begins to realize the extent of her actions' consequences. She laments the state of her life by writing in her journal, employing the trademark dark humor that's made the film such an effective cult classic.
The Breakfast Club - "When You Grow Up..."
"When you grow up, your heart dies."
A celebration and intentional perpetuation of common teen archetypes, The Breakfast Club continues to be influential to this day. Starring Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, and Ally Sheedy, it follows five students from different cliques who are forced to spend their Saturday in detention.
Sheedy's oddball character, Allison Reynolds, fits the prototype of "the basket case." She has a bleak outlook on life, as evidenced by her quote about growing up. It's an extreme yet chilling thought that captures the essence of most teenage films, and one of the many reasons why The Breakfast Club remains one of the quintessential eighties films.
10 Things I Hate About You - "Just Because You're Beautiful..."
"Just because you're beautiful doesn't mean you can treat people like they don't matter."
A modern retelling of William Shakespeare's classic The Taming of the Shrew, 10 Things I Hate About You stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Cameron, a new student who becomes infatuated by popular girl Bianca. In order to date her, he attempts to get bad boy Patrick, played by Heath Ledger, to date Bianca's ill-tempered sister Kat, played by Julia Stiles.
When Cameron finally sees that Bianca is not interested in him and only used him, he delivers some hard truths to the sometimes inconsiderate but ultimately good girl. The story is truly about Patrick and Kat's complicated relationship, but it's Cameron who gets the film's most real and effective moment.
The Hate U Give - "It's Not The Hate You Give..."
"It's not the hate you give. It's the hate we give."
Powerful, relevant, and most importantly, honest, The Hate U Give is the perfect proof that the teenage genre has a lot more to offer than just romance. It tells the story of Starr Carter, a young girl whose life forever changes when she witnesses the fatal shooting of her best friend at the hands of a police officer.
During one of the film's most intense and emotional scenes, Starr's younger brother holds a gun at King, the abusive gang leader who controls the neighborhood. Starr then realizes that violence is a cycle that needs to and most importantly can be broken. The title of the novel upon which the film is based on takes inspiration from rapper Tupac Shakur and his concept of "THUG LIFE" The acronym stands for The Hate U Give Little Infants F***ks Everybody, which, according to the rapper means, "what you feed us as seeds, grows and blows up in your face."
Ferris Bueller's Day Off - "Life Moves Pretty Fast..."
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
Ferris Bueller's Day Off was not only the film that launched Matthew Broderick's career, it was a massive box-office success and a love letter to Chicago. Written, co-produced, and directed by John Hughes, it follows Ferris Bueller, a high school slacker who skips school and embarks on a one-day adventure around the Windy City.
The character of Ferris became a teen idol and his influence spread to the most unexpected of places, to the point when Barbara Bush even paraphrased his final line in the film during her 1990 commencement address at Wellesley College. The line in question summarizes the importance of living in the moment. It's a good reminder that life happens every second of every day, even at those moments where nothing seems to be happening.