Surprisingly enough, the 1990s was filled with a plethora of teen movies. While most look to the 80s as the definitive era for the subgenre, the 90s still offered a great range of teen movies, especially as they came to take hold in other genres. Rather than focus solely on relationships and love triangles, teen movies from the 90s also began to play around more with teens involvement in their community, such as sports or even family life. That being said, there were still plenty of times where the 90s failed to capture certain elements that make movies like the 1985 classic Breakfast Club withstand the test of time.
The following list looks at some of the more popular/cult films from the 90s to see how they hold up today. While none of the movies on this list are now considered to be “bad,” this list does aim to note that certain aspects of these films haven’t aged as well as they could have. With that in mind, here is our list of 5 90s teen movies that didn’t age well, and 5 that remain better than ever.
Doesn't Age Well: Scream (1996)
Scream is most known for reinventing the slasher-horror genre by giving it a more modern feel and even adding a lot of humor to counteract the more scary moments. Following the brutal murder of one of her classmates, Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) discovers that she is the next target following a phone call from the killer. At the time, Scream was successful in capturing a larger audience. By making the killer something real instead of supernatural, they were able to ground the story and characters. Their use of humor, on the other hand, also helped balance the tone and gave the audience’s heart rates a break before the next scare.
Unfortunately, Scream is held down today by cheesy special effects, obviously fake blood, hokey situations, and some less desirable sequels. While Scream may have been the first of its time, horror movies nowadays are far scarier. The killers don’t stumble around obviously, and many of the technological limitations from the 90s are now simply more humorous rather than scary. Had Scream not relied so much on 90s tech, it could have easily held up much better for much longer.
Holds Up: Friday (1995)
When Friday first released in theaters, Ice Cube was fresh off of N.W.A. and into his solo career. Friday really showcased his other talents outside of music as he starred with Chris Tucker in the highly comedic film. Ice Cube plays a young man who is down on his luck following being fired from his job. On such a bad day, he agrees to smoke with his friend Smokey (Tucker), only to realize that they now owe their dealer $200.
The chemistry between the two is great, and many of the laughs still hold up. The story is also unique in its own way, and the sequels aren’t as bad as those of other popular teen movies. Friday successfully captures the struggles of teens that aren’t common in a typical teen movie while still maintaining a great balance of humor and heart.
Doesn't Age Well: Dazed and Confused (1993)
Dazed and Confused follows a group of teens on their last day of school. Set in the 70s, Dazed and Confused aims to capture a sense of nostalgia while also telling an appealing coming of age story. As the story progresses, different groups of kids from incoming freshmen to departing seniors are seen around the town as they celebrate their first day of educational freedom. The film excellently showcases very different personalities and does a great job of capturing the look of 70s culture. Furthermore, with a cast featuring the likes of Ben Affleck and Matthew McConaughey, the film instantly became a cult classic “stoner film.”
While Dazed and Confused may have been phenomenal at the time of its initial release, a lot of that appeal can easily get lost among a more modern audience. The sense of nostalgia is the biggest thing that the movie loses, as teens nowadays typically don’t do the same things. A lot of the pranks and antics that take place in the film feel dated along with how kids interact with each other. Fortunately, though, Dazed and Confused is the type of film that could easily be updated to suit each coming generation, even if they don’t do a full reboot.
Holds Up: The Sandlot (1993)
While The Sandlot can easily be viewed as more of a family movie than a teen movie, it doesn’t change the fact that the film does a great job of capturing ideas of adolescence and emphasizing nostalgia for any who played sports as a kid.
The Sandlot is full of humor and heart that echoes through today. Many quotes from the movie are still heard and understood as a part of pop culture. Furthermore, The interactions between the characters are very believable and all around fun to witness. The Sandlot captures a great tone that can easily remind its audience of something like The Goonies. Looking at how these kids interact with each other really drives the film and helps it hold up in modern times.
Doesn't Age Well: Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1992)
Usually, when people mention Joss Whedon’s Buffy The Vampire Slayer, people immediately think of the widely popular TV show. However, a few years before the show’s pilot debuted, Buffy had a standalone movie of the same name. The movie was written by Joss Whedon and featured a much different cast. Many fan-favorite characters from the show are also absent from the film. While Buffy The Vampire Slayer did fairly well at the box office, Whedon noted that it was a significant departure from his original version and thus launched the show several years later.
The Buffy film would arguably have much more standing as a cult film had the show never come out. Almost any Buffy fan who has also seen the film will agree that the show is the superior interpretation of the character. The film also takes a much less serious, almost goofy tone that adds to its already cheesy nature, making it obvious that this film doesn’t hold up to its place in the 90s.
Holds Up: Wayne’s World (1992)
Wayne’s World spun out of the popular Saturday Night Live sketch. The film successfully captures the youthful voice while keeping the antics a bit more grounded. When a TV producer happens upon their show on the Public Broadcasting Network, Wayne (Mike Myers) and Garth (Dana Carvey) are suddenly offered their own show on a major network. While they’re initially excited for the opportunity, it comes with a lot of unanticipated drawbacks for the two.
While Wayne’s World parodies much of the film and music industry, it also offers great bouts of humor that still hold up today. It also focuses on a great friendship as the two try to navigate their rise to stardom. Any fan of SNL’s humor or general “stoner humor” can appreciate Wayne’s World, as it is bound to continue to withstand the times.
Doesn't Hold Up: American Pie (1999)
1999’s American Pie proved to be a great success and really set itself above many other movies in the “raunchy-teen” genre. The films cast had fantastic chemistry all around and featured a lot of varying personalities that helped make it more relatable to audiences. Thankfully, the film also relies very little on technology to establish the situations and setting. Really only one great scene involves technology and said webcam is still relevant today.
While American Pie itself still holds up better than many other 90s films, it is also in a mix with a bunch of other movies of the same caliber. Sequels and spinoffs aside, American Pie launched a series of back to back teen comedies like Road Trip (2000) and Dude, Where’s My Car? (2000). As this type of film became more popular, the market became flooded with both the good and the bad. From this point, American Pie is easy to forget among so many other choices for this style of comedy.
Holds Up: Varsity Blues (1999)
Varsity Blues distinguishes itself from other teen movies by focusing on the “sports” side of high school. The films follows a group of teens who all play on their high school football team. The sense of camaraderie between the characters is great, but audiences also get a great sense of the struggles faced by each and every one of them.
From dealing with the shady coach to their romantic relationships to living up to expectations, Varsity Blues casts a wide net in order to cover the varying personalities of people with similar upbringings. The rebellious nature of the boys also makes for some great antics that really push the situational humor in the film. Even though Varsity Blues does feel dated at times, It can still hold its own against many modern-day flicks of the same nature.
Doesn't Hold Up: Romeo + Juliet (1996)
This interpretation of William Shakespeare’s classic play saw the original dialogue carry into modern times. Starring Leonardo Dicaprio and Claire Danes, this version of Romeo + Juliet appeared very strange at first. While it certainly has its share of great symbols and use of costumes, scenery, etc., Baz Luhrmann’s film always seemed to be very over the top.
While it seems a bit unfair to judge the film in this regard, it can’t help but feel like a product of the 90s. Everything about the film just appears over the top and unnecessarily cheesy at times. Though it adds a lot to the original play in terms of visuals, Romeo + Juliet fails to age as well as the original play.
Holds Up: 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
10 Things I Hate About You has a way of making itself feel like a John Hughes movie. The characters are great, the interactions are believable, the romance feels true. The list goes on. There’s also the iconic moment where Heath Ledger sings “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” to Kat Stratford (Julia Stiles) in order to win her over. 10 Things I Hate About You juggles drama and romance in a very unique way that helps it stand apart from other teen movies. The cast, charm, and sense of nostalgia further help it to age just as well as classics like Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles.