Time moves forwards, standards and people change, and, as with every other age group, Gen-Z movies pop up to reach the up-and-coming generation. Unlike other groups, Gen-Z is famous for the amount of content it consumes daily. To capitalize on this rising consumption, Hollywood is rushing to create one Gen-Z movie after another. However, since this generation has different values, movies have to adapt. For this reason, it seems like romantic and high school-themed movies are taking the lead among Gen-Z people.
Teen romance movies have to walk a careful line. If they can't balance characters and storylines, they will either be too cringy to watch or super unrealistic beyond imagination. When the majority of screenwriters in Hollywood are older than the oldest Gen-Z member, they can't understand how young people act, speak or think. So it’s not a wonder why independent studios have taken the lead in this genre. A24, for example, dominates the market with its movies. Usually, these kinds of romantic stories are also visible in high school movies. Since they are the origin grounds for the biggest gossip stories ever, romance is always guaranteed to bloom.
It’s important to remember that teen movies vary in the genres and themes they try to analyze. To save some time, we have compiled a list of movies that members of Gen Z would surely love. We even threw in some coming-of-age movies for any growing person to watch. Check out the list and upvote the films you would watch. If you’ve watched some already, share your thoughts on how good or bad they are.
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#1 Do Revenge
2022 | 1h 58m | Directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson
Starring Camila Mendes, Maya Hawke, and Austin Abrams
Revenge is best served cold — especially when it involves some school bullies who like to spread horrible rumors. Eleanor and Drae, two girls who suffered from their respective bullies, decide to enact their revenge. Drae and Eleanor agree to exact revenge on each other's enemies and do it with style.
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17points
#2 Spider-Man: Homecoming
2017 | 2h 13m | Directed by Jon Watts
Starring Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, and Robert Downey Jr.
Being a superhero in New York City and pretending to be an ordinary schoolboy are two impossible things to balance. Yet, Peter Parker, a.k.a Spider-Man, had to do it to preserve his safety. However, when Adrian Toomes, a.k.a Vulture, starts to ravage the city, his secret identity soon lands him in hot water.
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16points
#3 Spider-Man: Far From Home
2019 | 2h 09m | Directed by Jon Watts
Starring Tom Holland, Samuel L. Jackson, and Jake Gyllenhaal
Trouble seems to follow Spider-Man from New York City to the cities of Europe. Peter Parker, a teenage boy still in high school, travels to Europe with his classmates and visits multiple cities. However, problems, in the form of elementals and Mysterio, soon appear, forcing him to save the world as Spider-Man once again.
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16points
#4 Five Feet Apart
2019 | 1h 56m | Directed by Justin Baldoni
Starring Haley Lu Richardson, Cole Sprouse, and Moises Arias
Cystic fibrosis — a life-long genetic and lethal disease — is the center of this movie. Stella and Will, both of whom were stricken with this disease, have to stay six feet apart from each other. However, they seem to form a friendly and even romantic bond, which gets tested by the many medical requirements they have to live by.
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16points
#5 To All The Boys I've Loved Before
2018 | 1h 39m | Directed by Susan Johnson
Starring Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, and Janel Parrish
Teenagers like to keep secrets, especially when it comes to crushes. When Lara's secrets, in the form of love letters, leak, she has to face the uncomfortable consequences of her actions at school and personal life. These letters land her into some romantic troubles that give her some options on who to date.
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15points
#6 Me And Earl And The Dying Girl
2015 | 1h 45m | Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
Starring Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler, and Olivia Cooke
Cancer is horrible, especially when you are alone with no friends to give that needed support. Greg, an awkward high schooler, and Earl, his friend and fellow filmmaker, start to hang out with Rachel, a girl with leukemia. While they did hang out during childhood, their relationship gets rekindled.
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15points
#7 Booksmart
2019 | 1h 42m | Directed by Olivia Wilde
Starring Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, and Jessica Williams
Studying is good and everything, but everyone should have some fun in their teenage years, especially at the end of high school. Amy and Molly are two students that missed parties and studied to get into better universities. Realizing what they missed, they decide to break the rules on the last day of school.
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14points
#8 The Fallout
2021 | 1h 36m | Directed by Megan Park
Starring Jenna Ortega, Maddie Ziegler, and Niles Fitch
Tragedies have been happening for a long time, and in the past few years, schools have become full of them. Vada and Mia are two students that survived a school shooting, start to bond, and form a romantic relationship. However, the tragedy left a long-lasting negative impact on the two girls.
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14points
#9 If I Stay
2014 | 1h 47m | Directed by R.J. Cutler
Starring Chloë Grace Moretz, Mireille Enos, and Jamie Blackley
Sometimes, the aftermath of a car crash is much worse than the immediate effect of it. Mia Hall, a talented cello player, and her family decide to visit their relatives when their car crashes and sends most of the members into a hospital. Mia relives her old memories and tries to cope with the devastating car crash in present times.
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14points
#10 The Edge Of Seventeen
2016 | 1h 44m | Directed by Kelly Fremon Craig
Starring Hailee Steinfeld, Haley Lu Richardson, and Blake Jenner
The teenage years are best used to experiment with romance, even if it is with a literal alien from another planet. In this movie, Nadine, seventeen years old (hence the title), falls in love with an alien boy when her friend starts to date her brother. At the same time, as these romantic dramas grow, Nadine still has to go to school.
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13points
#11 The Sun Is Also A Star
2019 | 1h 40m | Directed by Ry Russo-Young
Starring Yara Shahidi, Anais Lee, and Charles Melton
America is the land of opportunity for work, studies, and even true love. Natasha and Daniel, children of immigrants, find themselves in a very loving relationship, which gets hampered by their troubles. Where Daniel has to deal with his Korean family members, Natasha has to deal with the deportation of her relatives.
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13points
#12 Love, Simon
2018 | 1h 50m | Directed by Greg Berlanti
Starring Nick Robinson, Jennifer Garner, and Josh Duhamel
Coming out is always a mentally tasking process for teenagers, because after all, it’s hard to guess how less liberal people might react. Simon, a closeted teenager, keeps his secret from everyone around him. Sadly, when pushed to reveal it, he has to face unknown consequences that would come out from saying he is gay.
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11points
#13 Eighth Grade
2018 | 1h 33m | Directed by Bo Burnham
Starring Elsie Fisher, Josh Hamilton, and Emily Robinson
Kids these days would do anything to be accepted by their peers in school. In the case of Kayla, this journey of acceptance backfired in a very major and destructive way, which might have cost her a great relationship with her father. However, when she was at her lowest point, her dad was always there to support her in any way he could.
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11points
#14 Thoroughbreds
2017 | 1h 32m | Directed by Cory Finley
Starring Olivia Cooke, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Anton Yelchin
Some friendships are recreated in need of social satisfaction, while others are rekindled to commit a cruel crime. Lily and Amanda are two old friends — where Lily is more innocent-looking, Amanda gets labeled as being the more dangerous one. Both of them conspire to commit a crime against Lily’s stepfather.
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11points
#15 Hello, Goodbye, And Everything In Between
2022 | 1h 22m | Directed by Michael Lewen
Starring Jordan Fisher, Talia Ryder, and Ayo Edebiri
College breaks relationships, as some couples are afraid that the relationship they have will become weaker over time. Aidan and Claire made a pact — to break up before they go off to college — but while on a last epic date, they seem to change their minds. No matter how hard it is, this couple has to make a drastic decision.
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11points
#16 Bodies Bodies Bodies
2022 | 1h 34m | Directed by Halina Reijn
Starring Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova, and Myha'la Herrold
Parties don’t always go as we plan, and when that happens — trouble will be coming. For Bee and her friends, when they are at a hurricane party, all hell breaks loose when they start to use some substances and bicker with each other. The party takes an even darker step that costs friendships and lives.
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10points
#17 The Worst Person In The World
2021 | 2h 08m | Directed by Joachim Trier
Starring Renate Reinsve, Anders Danielsen Lie, and Herbert Nordrum
A lot of things can happen in the span of four years, especially in the life of a young woman. Julie from Oslo and her four years are the centers of attention in this movie, as we see her life going through some troublesome times. Share falls in love, gets married, and changes majors a couple of times.
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10points
#18 Everything, Everything
2017 | 1h 36m | Directed by Stella Meghie
Starring Amandla Stenberg, Nick Robinson, and Anika Noni Rose
Usually, love is found not too far from where you are, especially if you have two young people living next door to each other. Madeline Whittier falls in love with the boy next door, Olly, while confined inside her home due to SCID (autoimmune disorder). However, she wishes to go out, see the ocean and feel the warm touch of Olly.
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10points
#19 Life In A Year
2020 | 1h 47m | Directed by Mitja Okorn
Starring Jaden Smith, Cara Delevingne, and Cuba Gooding Jr.
Life is a journey that takes multiple years to experience and which, unfortunately, sometimes gets cut short due to cancer. When Isabelle gets diagnosed with cancer, her boyfriend Daryn decides to cram an entire life's journey into one year. However, their romantic relationship gets threatened by the growing cancer and other people.
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9points
#20 The Diary Of A Teenage Girl
2015 | 1h 42m | Directed by Marielle Heller
Starring Bel Powley, Alexander Skarsgård, and Kristen Wiig
The teenage years are when teens become sexually active, or at least hope to be. Minnie Goetze, a 15-year-old aspiring cartoonist, becomes sexually active with her mother's boyfriend, Monroe Rutherford. The experience leads Minnie to explore the world more sexually while striving to become a cartoon artist.
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8points