The Teen & Young Adult Drama film subgenre typically encompasses tried and tested themes of adolescent angst. Regardless of the decade, this subgenre is built on one or more themes of adolescent love, medical issues, socio-economic issue and self-expression and identity. Building upon these foundational themes are microgenres that integrate social issues of the time.
Self-expression and identity has been a proven microgenre across multiple decades with popular films including Saturday Night Fever (1977), Footloose (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985), Some Kind of Wonderful (1987), Singles (1992), Rushmore (1998), 8 Mile (2002), The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), Whiplash (2014), and Eighth Grade (2018).
Socio-economic issues are often specific to the decade and show an impact on an adolescent’s journey to adulthood. Popular films in this microgenre include The Outsiders (1983), Pretty in Pink (1986), Dirty Dancing (1987), Stand and Deliver (1988), Boyz in the Hood (1991) and Lady Bird (2017).
Medical issues are prevalent across many different genres and we even have a dedicated list of Drama Films About Medical Issues. Specific to the Teen & Young Adult subgenre, medical issues can be of a physical or mental nature but often deal with an adolescent’s inability to deal with a tragedy (usually involving their family or friends). Popular films in this microgenre include Mask (1985), Less Than Zero (1987), Bright Lights, Big City (1988), What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), Good Will Hunting (1997), A Walk to Remember (2002), Antwone Fisher (2002), Charlie St. Cloud (2010), The Fault in Our Stars (2014) and Beautiful Boy (2018).
Finally, we have adolescent love. This is the most popular theme and can often be categorized into its own subgenre of coming-of-age films. Popular films include The Blue Lagoon (1980), Class (1983), St. Elmo’s Fire (1985), Say Anything (1989), Romeo + Juliet (1996), Titanic (1997), Twilight (2008), Paper Towns (2015), and Call Me by Your Name (2017).
Our list of Drama Films About Teens & Young Adults includes over 635+ films and really warrants both ‘best of decade’ lists as well as some lists featuring more specific Teen & Young Adult themes. For now, we’ve included an overall list of Top Teen & Young Adult Films You Haven’t Seen with the following honorable mentions: Class (1983), Vision Quest (1985), Some Kind of Wonderful (1987), Three O’Clock High (1987), Barcelona (1994), Better Luck Tomorrow (2002), Elephant (2003), Lords of Dogtown (2005), The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), Summer of 84 (2018), and Flashback (2021).
Here’s the list of Top Teen & Young Adult Films You Haven’t Seen:
#10
Summer of ’42
Plot: Teen falls for wife of an army pilot during the summer of 1942.
KBZ’s Take: One of the better coming of age films that is much more dramatic than comedic. Also features a somewhat suspenseful scene where you’re wondering ‘will she or won’t she’ end up with our teen hero. Highly recommended film to watch in the “Mrs. Robinson” subgenre of teen love.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3Hmquq4
Plot: Typical day in the life of 12-year-olds as they prepare for Halloween.
KBZ’s Take: If you’re familiar with Don Coscarelli’s Phantasm (1979), you’ll recognize most of the actors in this film. Prior to the cult classic Phantasm, Coscarelli made this film about life growing up in the 70’s. If you also grew up in the 70’s, you’ll have a smile on your face as you watch similar moments from your childhood on screen. For members of the latest generations, this is a great time capsule to watch to see how youths entertained themselves without computers, cell phones, cable TV, etc.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3HhJlmc
#8
Flower
Plot: Teens get caught up in the accidental murder of a middle-aged school teacher.
KBZ’s Take: This film is a dark comedy with a career making performance by Zoey Deutsch. Though the film has a somewhat preposterous plot, you eventually get enamored with the lead characters to some weakness in the plot. Buried underneath the darkness of the film, is an unconventional love story with a lot of heart. Worth watching if only for Zoey Deutsch’s character.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3DpyXYq
Plot: A college graduate takes a job at a local amusement park in 1987.
KBZ’s Take: Great film that mixes the nostalgia of the 80’s with a teen dramedy (drama/comedy). A much lesser-known film than Greg Mottola’s hit Superbad (2007), Adventureland isn’t driven by plot as much as by the great character interaction between Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart and Ryan Reynolds. Another positive to this film – it shows how they rig all the games at the amusement parks. Definitely worth watching for those secrets alone!
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3Y9qW1L
#6
Alpha Dog
Plot: Teen drug dealers and his gang kidnap the 15-year-old brother of a rival.
KBZ’s Take: Based on a true story, this film shows the escalation of a feud that ends in tragedy. Emile Hirsch, Justin Timberlake, Ben Foster, Shawn Hatosy and the late Anton Yelchin all give amazing performances as young adults caught up in a deteriorating situation they obviously can’t handle.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3DmH4VG
Plot: Disillusioned young writer in New York turns to drugs and alcohol.
KBZ’s Take: This oft-overlooked Michael J. Fox film features a young adult succumbing to drugs and alcohol at the expense of everything else in life. The film excels in showing the parallel deterioration of his work life which makes what you’re watching even more tragic. The film was a risk (worth taking) for Fox as it was released during the height of his popularity after comedy films Back to the Future (1984) and Teen Wolf (1985).
Where to Stream / Buy: https://tubitv.com/movies/448661/bright-lights-big-city
Plot: Military Academy student is asked to watch over the academy’s first black student.
KBZ’s Take: This film often gets overshadowed by the more popular “young adults experience at a Military Academy” film Taps (1981). While Taps showed students rebelling against authority, The Lords of Discipline is a time capsule-look at the end of segregation in the South. David Keith gives one of his best performances as a student unraveling a conspiracy within the institution.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3WPSoAG
#3
5 to 7
Plot: Young adult begins an affair with an older woman in an open marriage.
KBZ’s Take: Of all the “Mrs. Robinson” coming-of-age young adult romances, 5 to 7 is both one of the lesser-known while also being one of the best. There is great chemistry between Anton Yelich and Bérénice Marlohe that turns the viewer from a casual observer to invested in how this situation will last. The married couple have a 5pm to 7pm ‘open marriage’ rule that gets increasingly endangered as affairs on both sides intensify.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3XRVN3k
Plot: The trials and tribulations of classmates at a Catholic Boys School in 1965’s Brooklyn.
KBZ’s Take: This is another film that might be popular with the 40 and over crowd, but it’s also a must-see for later generations as well. Hilarious situations in the film are balanced with a dramatic foundation involving Andrew McCarthy’s family and love interest. The film is unique in the unabashed look at life as a student at a Catholic School – the uniforms, male or female only schools and the brothers who could get away with punishment public schools could not.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3jevLIi
#1
My Bodyguard
Plot: New student hires a fellow student as his bodyguard to protect him from the school’s bully.
KBZ’s Take: A special film that everybody should watch at least once. This film features an early career performance from Matt Dillion who plays a bully that you’re rooting against from the first moment he’s on screen. But the film is more than just a film about bullying in school – it’s about the growing friendship between two friends and coming to terms with a family tragedy. Great film that can (and should) be watched by the entire family.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3DqWngh
