For every decade, there is a set group of teen actors and actresses that dominate the film industry. These teenage stars are the representation of a generation, the face of an era.
Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, John Cusack, and Matthew Broderick were the poster-children of the 80s- the ‘golden age’ of teen movies. Responsible for classic movies such as The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Say Anything, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, the 80s contribution to teen movies affected generations to come. The impact of their performances have withstood the test of time, particularly in influence. Modern day cult-classics like Napoleon Dynamite recapture the quirky and off-beat, yet relatable, style that made 80s films so beloved.
Ten years later, the 90s were ruled by Freddie Prince Jr., Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, and Leonardo DiCaprio. Ten Things I Hate About You and She’s All That stand as remnants of this decade, and are still favorites of teens today.
After the inexplicable genre defining 80s generation, what constitutes a teen movie today?
While Amanda Bynes, Channing Tatum, and Lindsday Lohan made a few appearances in the early 2000s it seems in the current film industry there is no definitive group of actors used in teen movies. Our decade’s teen film production seems to have peaked with the release of Mean Girls, and has since then failed to create anything that is so definitively a teen movie.
The release of High School Musical and other Disney films drew in large teen audiences, but the majority of films that could be considered a teen movie contain adult content. The actors used in such films are in between the stages of starring teen movies and progressing on to more sophisticated films.
Teen-targeted films today have a heavier reliance on soundtracks than in previous years. Many teens take into account the quality of a movie’s soundtrack when trying to determine its merit. In the past, a soundtrack was more of an accompaniment to the film itself, expressing what the characters could not. Now, filmmakers select songs for a soundtrack with the greater intent of selling albums, as opposed to being solely concerned with artistic expression.
Lacking a finite group of specifically ‘teen movie’ actors, or a modern Rat Pack, the quality and popularity of teen movies pales in comparison to past classics. Without this clan, the current decade will remain an irrelevant blip in teen movie history.
Kelsy Ensign, Opinions Editor
