Though the 1980s was largely seen as the heyday of the teen movie genre (in large part thanks to the brilliant John Hughes), the 90s wasn't exactly a slouchy period either. We've all seen the classics, the critically acclaimed likes of Scream, Dazed and Confused, Pleasantville, Election, Romeo + Juliet, Clueless and so on, but what about those movies that didn't exactly light up a storm with critics, and proved much more divisive? Nevertheless, these 10 movies have endured better with audiences, even if they still don't have the esteem they deserve: these movies, if not always perfect, were brilliantly iconic, and also perfectly captured the hormone-infused anxiety of being a teenager in the 1990s. They're distinctly different tonally and stylistically from those classic 80s movies, but that certainly doesn't mean that they're any worse. And if you're wondering why there's no American Pie on our list, that's because despite its mixed critical reception (61% on Rotten Tomatoes), we couldn't bring ourselves to label the film as underrated considering the three sequels and huge fanfare that have followed it. Still, which 90s teen movies (either comic or dramatic) do you find the most underrated? And did we miss any classics? Let us know in the comments!
Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes).
General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.
