Best Teen Movie Ever?

[coalescent]

A little while ago, I happened to mention that I've recently seen Bring It On. ninebelow opined that it was the best teen film ever; I rejoined that in my opinion, the crown belonged now and forever to Clueless. At this point, flickgc and danmilburn, with backup from applez, put a strong word forward for Heathers. Now, I'd never seen Heathers, and said as much, so danmilburn offered to lend me his copy. Tonight, I watched it.

The first thing to note is that comparing Clueless and Heathers is comparing chalk and cheese, or at least chalk and some other form of calcium carbonate. Yes, they're both 'teen movies', but where Clueless is witty and frothy, Heathers is cynical and black. It's the story of Veronica, a smarter-than-average high-school student who's somehow become an honorary member of the pre-eminent school clique: the Heathers, so called because all of the other three girls in the clique are called Heather. They are brutal and crude, in a way that the PG-rated Queen Cs of the cinema world could never get away with (and indeed, you imagine would be too classy to stoop to). It's not clear how Veronica, who is deeply uncomfortable with the group, has become a member; it's even less clear why.

Relatively quickly, Veronica falls into the world of the latest school rebel, all Spike-like black coat and red shirt, JD--Jason Dean. After one particularly humiliating night out, Veronica confesses to JD that she wishes the Heathers, or at least the lead Heather, were dead. You can see where this is going: without quite knowing how (the film frequently has a dreamlike, vaguely surreal air to it), Veronica ends up an accomplice to Heather's murder. At JD's prompting, she fakes a suicide note that puts them in the clear, but has the unpredicted side-effect of making Heather even more popular in death than she was in life. And that's just the start; increasingly, Veronica finds herself drawn into JD's bleak, sociopathic undertow.

Heathers aspires, in a way that Clueless does not, to social critique. The school, says JD at one point, isn't ignored by society; it is society; so of course another Heather moves into the power vacuum left by the demise of the first. And now and then, this metaphor throws up what I think are moments of real wisdom. For example, when Veronica is trying to describe the Heathers, she says 'it's like they're people I work with, and our job is being popular and shit!' Or there's Veronica's mother's acute observation: 'when teenagers say they want to be treated like adults, it's usually because they are being treated like adults.'

In the end, though, my suspension of disbelief snapped. Partly (oddly, because I'm not usually bothered by such things) because there were some obvious moments when logic was ignored for the sake of the plot--in the final confrontation, why doesn't Veronica just trip the fire alarm to evacuate the school?--but mostly because, well, it's not an accurate match. A high school is not really much like wider society. There are certainly similarities, and it can be a rich source of comparison, but the environment is too artificial, too subject to external control, to be an exact match.

Mind you, at times I have difficulty believing I actually know what an American High School is like. For all I know, the self-perpetuating presentation of them on television and in films--cheerleaders and jocks and nerds and all--may just be as inaccurate as a myth. It's hard to tell, and maybe that affects my perception of Heathers, because maybe it bleeds into my reading of the film's metaphor. And I'm not saying it's a bad film--it's not. It has mesmerising performances from Christian Slater and Winona Ryder, and a number of interesting things to say, and I'm glad I've seen it.

In the end, though, I prefer Clueless. I could wax more pretentious, and say that I prefer it because it targets the larger-than-life myth of high school directly, rather than trying to use it as a metaphor for something else; or I could keep it simple, and say that I just prefer it because I enjoy it more. The truth would probably include elements of both.

So: any other nominations for the accolade of Best Teen Movie Ever?

Comments

Hmmm...

[xsabx.livejournal.com]

'She's All That'
'Gregory's Girl' (Scottish Teens :D)
'Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure' (it's a teen movie)
'Ten Things I Hate about You'
'Cruel Intentions'
'Porkys' (flippant Hubby comment :D)
'Donnie Darko'

and many, many more... :D

Re: Hmmm...

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

'Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure' (it's a teen movie)

Well, it's a movie with teenagers as the principal characters ... I'm not sure it's quite the same sort of 'teen movie' as Clueless and Heathers (and this also goes for Donnie Darko). Then again, I'm not sure exactly what I mean by 'teen movie', so ... :)

'Ten Things I Hate About You' is excellent. Cruel Intentions I thought so-so. The others I haven't seen.

[celestialweasel.livejournal.com]

Real Genius. Possibly actually my favourite film. A bunch of geeky students at a top science school (probably supposed to be Cal-Tech though it doesn't say so explicitly). Very sweet and funny.

Buffy Has Black Hair And Says F*** A Lot (a.k.a. Cruel Intentions i.e. Dangerous Liaisons with rich american teenagers)

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

A bunch of geeky students at a top science school

I'm sold. :-D

[fba.livejournal.com]

Not a huge fan of the genre tbh - though I do have a soft spot for 'Pretty In Pink'.....

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

Never heard of it. Details ...?

[ajr.livejournal.com]

I've heard the song, but I've never seen the film. The song's great, at any rate.

[andrewducker]

"Society" or "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", depending on my mood.

I'd choose "The Breakfast Club" but due to circumstances beyond my control I've now seen the first half three times. I _will_ see the second half one day, I'm sure.

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

The Breakfast Club is on that vague list of 'films I haven't seen but am pretty sure I should see one day.'

I haven't heard of Society at all.

[scribeoflight.livejournal.com]

Well, there's Teen Wolf.

And Girl, Interrupted is very much a "teen" movie.

[flickgc.livejournal.com]

Permanent Record. Hmm. I wonder if it's available on DVD? I sense late night shopping coming on....

It's a shame you didn't likeHeathers. I think you need a particular mind set for it, I think it's a very good and very romantic film (cf this icon), but there is a bit of suspension of disbelief in there (as well as the example you gave, there's the whole running around the woods scene, which is a bit silly when you've watched it a few times and notice the scenery!).

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I think it's only romantic for very specific values of 'romantic', to be honest; to me it's not up there with, say, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (which I saw advertised on DVD this evening, hurrah!).

I did like it--I'm glad people recommended it, and I'm glad I watched it. I'm just an overly critical so-and-so. ;-)

[scribeoflight.livejournal.com]

And The Virgin Suicides - very good teen movie.

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

I was wondering if anyone was going to mention that--I haven't seen it or read it, but it was in my mind as 'teen film' (albeit of the Heathers lineage rather than the Clueless lineage) nonetheless.

[sharp-blue.livejournal.com]

I was going to say that!

[chance88088.livejournal.com]

Wow! can't believe no one has mentioned Sixteen Candles (which features a great line about being felt up by your grandma)

Ferris Bueller, definitely.

I also liked Heathers and Clueless quite a bit, though neither really achieved the iconic status of say Risky Business (which I also loved)

A stealth favorite is going to be Night of the Comet which is valley girls meet zombies, and is awful and all, but it is just great.

oh wait - one more and I am going to repile the heap and put it at the top - Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Best teen movie ever.

[snowking.livejournal.com]

I nominate you get your head examined.

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

Once again I am silenced by your unanswerable logic. ;-)

Regarding the shortcomings of Heathers

[applez.livejournal.com]

'Tis true, but then again, Heathers deserves special recognition for breaking open the teen mould, helping spawn the countless iterations that followed ... up to and including Clueless.

As for the US highschool experience, I have to say from my own experience, the films only deviate from the reality in slightly heightened drama, and broadcasting what most teens keep internally, bubbling under the surface.

The tribal divisions within US highschool culture should not be underestimated.

[tizzle-b.livejournal.com]

I'm tired so reading comments is an extra effort BUT you need to see:

Virgin Suicides
American Pie(s) [Personal preference takes place; 1/2/3 or some combination]
Bring It On (as you say; brilliant)
She's All That
Cruel Intentions
Go (although I think it's just me who really likes this film - others are all so-so about it).

I'm sure there're more but that's 6 to be going on with.

[ajr.livejournal.com]

Go (although I think it's just me who really likes this film - others are all so-so about it)

You're not the only one, fret not. I don't know if I'd call it the best (indeed, I don't know which teen movie I'd call the best), but Go is surely the teen movie that I've watched the most times.

And all this talk of teen movies has reminded me I should get around to watching my Rebel Without a Cause DVD.

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

I've said before that I really like Go. Pay attention. :-p

Is it really a 'teen movie', though?

[white_hart]

Clueless, Cruel Intentions and 10 Things I Hate About You are the first to spring to mind, even though none of them were released until after I'd left my teens.

Does The Lost Boys count as a teen movie or is teen horror a separate genre?

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

We're back to Venn diagrams again ... yes, I suppose The Lost Boys counts, but I think it's out on the edges of the set.

[itchyfidget.livejournal.com]

Although Heathers is very good, I agree with you that Clueless is a more enjoyable film.

I've seen 10 Things ... and Cruel Intentions and thought they were both OK, but nothing special. Nobody seems to have mentioned Dazed And Confused yet - again, not exceptional, but entertaining. How about O? (retelling of Othello, starring Julia Stiles and Mekhi Pfifer). It's very powerful and pretty dark (obviously).

I'm sure there are more, but I can't think ...

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

It's interesting how everyone seems to be coming up with different suggestions. Oh, there are some that overlap, but most people's absolute best must-see-this recommendations vary.

I haven't seen Othello, but I have been enthused at about it, and I think I can lay my hands on a copy. :)

[ex-toastie256.livejournal.com]

My favourite teen movie is probably Rushmore. It's an utterly beautiful and elegant movie about an underachieving geek who gets kicked out of an elite private school. Max (Jason Schwartzman) is the kind of boy who takes great pleasure in wearing the official school uniform and is a founder of pretty much every club and society going but, unlike the classic stereotype, is no genius and fails to get good grades.

When Max arrives at his new inner-city school, the reception is cold and he has to battle to gain the respect of students and try to find the resources to bring some kind of life to the otherwise grim environment. During the latter endevour, Max is supported by Miss Cross (the beautiful Olivia Williams), the complete picture of a truly caring teacher working in a difficult environment. Max falls for Miss Cross and attempts to compete for her affections with local businessman Herman Blume (Bill Murray), who is providing funding for Max's projects. Herman is almost as much a child as Max, and the consequences result in them both ultimately falling out of favour with Miss Cross. Together, they combine forces to build a million dollar aquatic centre to try and win back her heart.

Rushmore is a touching story of unrequited love, frequently witty and painfully sweet in places, as Max persues an unrealistic romance while blindly ignoring the affections of someone already closer to him than he realises. The writing is stunningly adult and free from stereotype, with complex characters and relationships handled in a remarkably believable manner. The blend of subtly dark humour and often raw drama is very seductive.

I've yet to form an opinion on if this is a teen movie because it's aimed at teens or just because it includes them as characters. Either way, I suspect Rushmore should appeal to more mature minds and is therefore deserving of greater respect then I think it appears to have recieved.