The Halftime Snack Teen Movie Bracket
The Halftime Snack staff prides itself in believing we grew up in the golden age of Teen Movies. However, we live in a democracy and believe the people should have a say in which era and specific movie reigns supreme. We’ve compiled the top Teen Movies from the last four decades (along with a couple outliers) and put them in a bracket. Each day you will have the opportunity to vote on our Instagram story @thehalftimesnack and decide which movies move forward. If you need a refresher on any of these classics, all movie titles below are hyperlinked to the movie’s trailer.
Eighties and Before
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
Director: John Hughes Screenplay: John Hughes
“One man’s struggle to take it easy”
Director: John Hughes Screenplay: John Hughes
“They were five total strangers, with nothing in common, meeting for the first time. A brain, a beauty, a jock, a rebel and a recluse.”
Director: Robert Zemeckis Screenplay: Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale
“He was never in time for his classes . . .He wasn’t in time for his dinner… Then one day he wasn't in his time at all.”
Director: Peter Weir Screenplay: Tom Schulman
“He was their inspiration. He made their lives extraordinary.”
Director: John Hughes Screenplay: John Hughes
“This is Samantha Baker and today is her 16th birthday. The problem is, nobody remembers.”
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
Director: Amy Heckerling Screenplay: Cameron Crowe
“At Ridgemont High Only the Rules get Busted!”
Director: John G. Avildsen Screenplay: Robert Mark Kamen
“He taught him the secret to Karate lies in the mind and heart. Not in the hands.”
Director: Cameron Crowe Screenplay: Cameron Crowe
“To know Lloyd Dobler is to love him. Diane Court is about to get to know Lloyd Dobler.”
Director: Randal Kleiser Screenplay: Jim Jacobs, Warren Casey, Bronte Woodard, and Allan Carr
“GREASE is the word.”
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)
Director: Stephen Herek Screenplay: Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson
“History is about to be rewritten by two guys who can’t spell.”
Director: Francis Ford Coppola Screenplay: S.E. Hinton and Kathleen Rowell
“They grew up on the outside of society. They weren’t looking for a fight. They were looking to belong.”
Director: Paul Brickman Screenplay: Paul Brickman
“There’s a time for playing it safe and a time for… Risky Business.”
Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
Director: Nicholas Ray Screenplay: Stewart Stern, Nicholas Ray, and Irving Shulman
“Jim Stark... a kid from a 'good' family - what makes him tick... like a bomb?”
Adventures in Babysitting (1987)
Director: Chris Columbus Screenplay: David Simkins
“A lifetime of fun in just one night.”
Director: Herbert Ross Screenplay: Dean Pitchford
“One kid. One town. One chance. All he wanted to do was dance.”
Director: Michael Lehmann Screenplay: Daniel Waters
“Best friends, social trends and occasional murder. A killer comedy.”
Nineties
10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
Director: Gil Junger Screenplay: Kristen Smith and Karen McCullah
“How do I loathe thee? Let me count the ways.”
Director: Richard Linklater Screenplay: Richard Linklater
“It was the last day of school in 1976. A time they’d never forget (If only they could remember).”
Director: Paul Weitz Screenplay: Adam Herz
“There’s something about your first piece.”
Director: Amy Heckerling Screenplay: Amy Heckerling
“Sex. Clothes. Popularity. Is there a problem here?”
Director: Wes Anderson Screenplay: Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson
“Love. Expulsion. Revolution.”
Director: Roger Kumble Screenplay: Choderlos de Laclos and Roger Kumble
“In the game of seduction there is only one rule, never fall in love.”
Director: Brian Robbins Screenplay: W. Peter Iliff
“Make your own rules.”
Director: Alexander Payne Screenplay: Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor
“Reading, Writing, Revenge.”
Director: Wes Craven Screenplay: Kevin Williamson
“Someone has taken their love of scary movies one step too far. Solving this mystery is going to be murder.”
Director: Robert Iscove Screenplay: M. Night Shyamalan and R. Lee Fleming Jr.
“A new comedy that proves there’s more to attraction than meets the eye.”
Director: John Singleton Screenplay: John Singleton
“Once upon a time in South Central L.A.”
Director: Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont Screenplay: Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont
“Yesterday’s history. Tomorrow’s the future. Tonight’s the party.”
Director: Sofia Coppola Screenplay: Jeffrey Eugenides and Sofia Coppola
“Beautiful, mysterious, haunting, invariably fatal. Just like life.”
Director: Reginald Hudlin Screenplay: Reginald Hudlin
“If they get caught, it’s all over. If they don’t, it’s just the beginning.”
Director: John Schultz Screenplay: Todd Strasser and Rob Thomas
“The last guy she wants is the only one she needs.”
Director: Allan Moyle Screenplay: Carol Heikkinen
“They’re selling music but not selling out.”
Two-Thousands
Director: Mark Waters Screenplay: Rosalind Wiseman and Tina Fey
“Survival of the Ruthless. Watch your back.”
Director: Greg Mottola Screenplay: Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg
“Come and get some.”
Director: Jason Reitman Screenplay: Diablo Cody
“A comedy about growing up… and the bumps along the way.”
Director: Jared Hess Screenplay: Jared Hess and Jerusha Hess
“He’s out to prove he’s got nothing to prove.”
Director: Peter Berg Screenplay: Buzz Bissinger, David Aaron Cohen, and Peter Berg
“Hope comes alive.”
Director: Luke Greenfield Screenplay: David Wagner, Brent Goldberg, and Stuart Blumberg
“Matt never saw her coming... but all his friends had!”
Director: Peyton Reed Screenplay: Jessica Bendinger
“May the best moves win.”
Director: Richard Kelly Screenplay: Richard Kelly
“You can never go too far.”
Director: Jeff Schaffer, Alec Berg, and David Mandel Screenplay: Jeff Schaffer, Alec Berg, and David Mandel
“No actual Europeans were harmed in the making of this film.”
Director: Garry Marshall Screenplay: Meg Cabot and Gina Wendkos
“She rocks. She rules. She reigns.”
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008)
Director: Peter Sollett Screenplay: Lorene Scafaria, Rachel Cohn, and David Levithan
“This October, Press Play.”
Director: Gurinda Chadha Screenplay: Gurinder Chadha, Paul Mayeda Berges, and Guljit Bindra
“Who wants to cook Aloo Gobi when you can bend a ball like Beckham?”
Director: Andy Fickman Screenplay: Karen McCullah, Ewan Leslie, and Kirsten Smith
“Everybody has a secret... Duke wants Olivia who likes Sebastian who is really Viola whose brother is dating Monique so she hates Olivia who's with Duke to make Sebastian jealous who is really Viola who's crushing on Duke who thinks she's a guy...”
Director: Anne Fletcher Screenplay: Duane Adler and Melissa Rosenberg
“Every second chance begins with a first step.”
Director: Betty Thomas Screenplay: Jeff Lowell
“Don’t get mad. Get even.”
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005)
Director: Ken Kwapis Screenplay: Ann Brashares, Delia Ephron, and Elizabeth Chandler
“Laugh, Cry. Share the pants.”
Twenty-Tens
Director: Will Gluck Screenplay: Bert V. Royal
“The rumor-filled totally FALSE account of how I ruined my flawless reputation.”
Director: Greta Gerwig Screenplay: Greta Gerwig
“Fly Away Home.”
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
Director: Stephen Chbosky Screenplay: Stephen Chbosky
“We accept the love we think we deserve.”
Director: Olivia Wilde Screenplay: Katie Silberman, Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel, and Emily Halpern
“Getting Straight A’s. Giving Zero F’s.”
Director: James Ponsoldt Screenplay: Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber
“Hits You Like A Shot In The Heart.”
Director: Kelly Fremon Craig Screenplay: Kelly Fremon Craig
“You're only young once... is it over yet?”
Director: Phil Lord and Chris Miller Screenplay: Michael Bacall, Stephen J. Cannell, and Patrick Hasburgh
“The only thing getting blown tonight is their cover.”
Director: Gurinder Chadha Screenplay: Gurinder Chadha, Sarfraz Manzoor, and Paul Mayeda Berges
“For Anyone Who Has Ever Wanted to Dream. You're Not Alone.”
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
Director: Edgar Wright Screenplay: Edgar Wright and Michael Bacall
“An epic of epic epicness.”
Director: Nima Nourizadeh Screenplay: Michael Bacall and Matt Drake
“The party you’ve only dreamed about.”
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)
Director: Susan Johnson Screenplay: Jenny Han and Sofia Alvarez
“The letters are out.”
Director: Rick Famuyiwa Screenplay: Rick Famuyiwa
“It's hard out here for a geek.”
Director: Josh Boone Screenplay: John Green, Scott Neustadter, and Michael H. Weber
“They don't have forever, they have each other.”
Director: Kay Cannon Screenplay: Brian Kehoe and Jim Kehoe
“Parents can be such… Blockers.”
Director: John Carney Screenplay: John Carney
“Boy meets girl. Girl unimpressed. Boy starts band.”
Director: Jake Schreier Screenplay: John Green, Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber
“Get Lost. Get Found.”
