Top 10 Greatest Netflix Teen Movies
#10: “The Kissing Booth” (2018)
Top 20 Best Netflix Teen Movies
This movie may have as many detractors as it has fans, but if you’re looking for a very lighthearted pick that isn’t too challenging, this might be a great choice for you. “The Kissing Booth” stars Joey King as a teen who finds herself falling for her best friend’s bad boy older brother, who is totally off limits, creating a classic love triangle of sorts. The couple end up hooking up at a fundraiser kissing booth, and the drama ramps up from there. It’s fun and frothy and features plenty of memorable moments, just don’t listen too much to what the critics have to say about it.
#9: “Tall Girl” (2019)
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This movie has a loyal fanbase despite the fact that it doesn’t seem to have the widespread recognition of some of the other movies on our list. The protagonist of “Tall Girl” is Jodi Kreyman, who is 16 and struggles with the fact that she’s taller than nearly everyone else at school, measuring in at exactly six feet one and a half inches tall. Throughout the story, she deals with the insecurities that this fact has always brought her, and works to figure out her dating life, which is difficult, because she doesn’t want to be taller than a boyfriend.
#8: “The Perfect Date” (2019)
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This is the first, but certainly not the last, time that a Noah Centineo movie appears on our list. He has become the quintessential Netflix hottie, and for good reason! In “The Perfect Date” he plays Brooks, a high schooler who dreams of going to Yale, but needs the funds to make it happen. To make some extra cash, he develops an app where he offers up his service as a date for hire. Of course, though, things don’t always go smoothly . . . and he finds himself behaving badly, before developing real feelings for someone he’d roped into his schemes.
#7: “All the Bright Places” (2020)
Top 10 Greatest Teen Movies
Netflix has released a lot of teen movies which follow a similar bright and sunny formula that is reminiscent of classic rom-coms from the ‘80s and ‘90s. But “All the Bright Places” is not actually one of them. Based on the novel of the same name, which was popular in the YA genre, this deeply moving, well-crafted story looks at teen mental health issues revolving around a variety of themes. There is a love story at the center of it, between troubled teens Violet and Finch, and the plot takes some powerfully unexpected twists along the way.
#6: “Candy Jar” (2018)
Despite receiving largely positive reviews and plenty of praise from critics, this movie still seemed to fly under the radar after being released in 2018. “Candy Jar” has a classic rom com premise, where two sworn enemies, from different socio-economic worlds, find themselves having strong feelings for one another, in ways that they didn’t expect. Lona initially hates her debate teammate Bennet because the two are competing to be captain, in order to get the credit they need to get into Ivy League schools. But things change when they realize that they’re actually more similar than they’d believed. Pass the popcorn!
#5: “Let It Snow” (2019)
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It doesn’t need to be December to enjoy a good old fashioned snowed-in holiday movie. “Let It Snow” was released in 2019 and feels a bit like “Love Actually,” with a younger cast of characters. The interweaving storylines feature several different love stories, all of a different variety. While there are instances of high school romantic love and longing, it also looks at friendships and relationships with family. It’s honestly hard to choose which plotline is the most charming, and it helps that the cast is so talented. “Let It Snow” has all the makings of becoming a teen Christmas classic.
#4: “Dumplin’” (2018)
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Based on the popular YA novel by Julie Murphy, “Dumplin'” is set in small-town Texas, and takes a look at the beauty pageant scene. Rosie (played by Jennifer Aniston) is a former beauty queen, but her daughter Willowdean (whom she affectionately calls Dumplin’) couldn't be less interested in pageantry. To prove a point though, she decides to enter the Miss Teen Bluebonnet Pageant. Willowdean is obsessed with Dolly Parton, so the movie’s soundtrack is definitely on point, and it’s a great movie if you’re looking for something layered and complex, yet fundamentally inspirational.
#3: “The Half of It” (2020)
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Both written and directed by Alice Wu,“The Half of It,” takes a familiar premise and then turns it on its head. High school jock Paul is in love with Aster, but he’s not exactly eloquent, so he hires top student Ellie to write her love letters on his behalf. The problem is though, that Elle has complicated feelings for Aster in her own right. We won’t tell you how this one unfolds, but it’s a fresh story that feels perfect for the modern times, and is another film that deals with big themes with respect and humor.
#2: “Alex Strangelove” (2018)
Another modern teen rom com that deals with sexuality is “Alex Strangelove”, which has become something of a cult favorite in the years since it was released. The plotline initially seems to follow some standard teen movie tropes when two best friends, Alex and Claire, make the decision to lose their virginities to each other. After Alex meets Elliot however, who is out and proud, he starts to be unsure whether he should proceed with the original plan. The story follows Alex as he discovers who he really is, and includes many bumps along the way.
#1: “To All the Boys I've Loved Before” (2018)
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Of course our number one spot had to go to this all-time charmer. “To All the Boys I've Loved Before” gives us pretty much everything we could want from a high school flick, and brings us back to a simpler time when it seemed like all great movies were like this. Lara Jean writes love letters to her crushes that she never intends to send, but one day they somehow make their way to the boys in question. In order to hide her true crush, Lara Jean ends up convincing one of her old crush-ees, Peter Kavinsky, to pretend to be her boyfriend. It’s hard to decide whether the first or second movie is better, because the 2020 sequel stands out in its own right!
