Teen Film

"Adolescence emerged as a social class in twentieth century America, largely as a product of industrial society and popular culture. The evolution of the youth culture film provides considerable insight into the changing power and status of young people in society and the role of popular culture in shaping and defining social class...generational relations are planted in traditional standards that support the authority and capacity of adults to socialize [sic] adolescents into adult roles." Richard Rosenfeld


Teen films (also called teen movie or teenpic) is a film genre targeted at teenagers and young adults in which the plot is based upon the special interests of teenagers, such as coming of age, first love, rebellion, conflict with parents, teen angst, and alienation. Often these normally serious subject matters are presented in a glossy, stereotyped or trivialized way.


When I was 14, I wanted, more than anything else on earth, to be am American. More accurately, I wanted to be an American student. I wanted to go to high school. I wanted the tuxedo to wear to the prom. I wanted the photograph in the yearbook. I wanted to date the cheerleaders. Everything I thought I knew about young Americans came from Hollywood films.
        - Sarfraz Manzoo


Films in this genre are often set in high schools, or contain characters that are of high school age. Sexual themes are also common, as are nudity and crude forms of humor.


The classic codes and conventions of teen film come from American films where one of the most widely used conventions are the stereotypes and social groups. The wide range stereotypes most commonly used include:

The Jock/Cheerleader

The Princess

The Geek/Nerd

The Rebel
The Misfit, or The Outcast
The Average Girl/Boy (the boy/girl next door)
The New Girl/Boy
The Loner
The Band Geek


Films for the teenage demographic are terrified of romance and intimacy between the sexes, and shyly specialize in boys plotting about girls and girls plotting about boys, with as few actual scenes between boys and girls as possible. Roger Ebert