Top 10 Teen Movies You Forgot Had Stacked Casts
#10: “Now and Then” (1995)
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Not only do many people forget that “Now and Then” had a pretty outstanding cast. Some people sadly don’t remember it at all. Although it has become a cult classic over the ensuing decades, the film didn’t make much of a splash back in 1995 when it raked in $37.5 million. However, while the gross might not impress you, the cast sure will with names like Christina Ricci, Rosie O'Donnell, Thora Birch, Melanie Griffith, and Demi Moore in prominent roles. And let’s not forget a supporting cast featuring the likes of Hank Azaria and Janeane Garofalo. Back in the 90s, this cast was shining bright in the Hollywood sky.
#9: “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” (1982)
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Yeah, we all remember the red bikini in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.” However, people sometimes overlook just how many of the film’s stars were on the cusp of breaking through in big ways. This class had Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, and Sean Penn experiencing the highs and lows of teenhood (more “highs” than lows for Penn). While they weren’t big names at the time, the film also marked the debut of two future movie stars, Nicolas Cage and Eric Stoltz. Oh, and it was Phoebe Cates who made that red bikini famous.
#8: “The Outsiders” (1983)
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How could anyone forget that Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Matt Dillon, Tom Cruise, and Patrick Swayze all starred in a movie together? Probably because, in the early 80s when Francis Ford Coppola cast them, none of these guys were the big names they would eventually become. “The Outsiders” came out 4 years before Swayze lifted Jennifer Grey, two years before Estevez got Saturday detention, and five months before Cruise slid across the floor. “The Outsiders” is a coming-of-age movie, but for the cast of actors, it could be called a coming-of-stardom film.
#7: “Easy A” (2010)
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While she definitely wasn’t the household name she is today, we all remember that Emma Stone was in “Easy A.” Not only was she the star of the movie, but her face was right there, front and center, on the poster as well. However, what tends to slip our minds about this 2010 teen rom-com is the rest of the stacked cast. Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson played Emma’s parents while Malcolm McDowell was the school principal. Amanda Bynes, Penn Badgley, Lisa Kudrow, Fred Armisen, and Thomas Haden Church are just some of the other stars who pop up alongside Stone. This film gets an A for all-star ensemble!
#6: “Bring It On” (2000)
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As of this writing, there have been 5 direct-to-video “Bring It On” sequels with more on the horizon. And while none of the film follow-ups bring us anything resembling a stacked cast, the first film certainly did. “Bring It On” remains one of the definitive teen comedies of the 2000s thanks in part to then-rising talents like Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku, Jesse Bradford, and Gabrielle Union. With none of them returning for the sequels, you can see why the original will never been topped. If you don’t have it yet, you don’t have it. This cast had it, then and now!
#5: “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” (2005)
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America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, Blake Lively, and Alexis Bledel have, individually, worn many pants in a variety of roles, from “Ugly Betty” to “The Handmaid’s Tale.” But it was only in 2005’s “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” - and in the 2008 sequel - that they all shared the screen (and, in the first film, one pair of magical pants). Both films were modest successes, but there’s no denying the success each of the talented women went on to have in the years following the release of the heart-warming, coming-of-age dramedy.
#4: “17 Again” (2009)
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What would you say if we told you you could be 17 again? What if we also told you that you could hang out with Zac Efron and Matthew Perry? Well, you can’t. But you can see them both in the 2009 hit teen comedy. And while most of us remember those two as the stars of the movie, we often forget the rest of the well-known cast. A group that includes Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon, and Michelle Trachtenberg, as well as the great stand-up comedians Jim Gaffigan and Margaret Cho. So, while you can’t be 17 again, at least you can watch “17 Again” … again.
#3: “Dazed and Confused” (1993)
Alright, alright, alright. We can probably all admit that 90s moviegoers will never forget that Matthew McConaughey was in “Dazed and Confused.” But as we’ve gotten farther and farther away from 1993, many of us might not remember how many other recognizable names can be found on that cast list, from Parker Posey, to Milla Jovovich, to Joey Lauren Adams. As well as Adams’ “Chasing Amy” co-star Ben Affleck, in one of his first film roles. In fact, it was early in the careers of all of them. But, to paraphrase McConaughey’s David Wooderson: That's what we love about this stacked cast, man. We get older, they stay the same age.
#2: “Wet Hot American Summer” (2001)
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“Wet Hot American Summer” only cost $1.8 million to make, but it was still a financial failure at the box office. However, that lack of profits certainly wasn’t due to a lack of stars in the film. If we told you Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler were in the movie, that would be enough to wet anyone’s comedy pallet. But, wait until we stack the rest of the cast on the plate: Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Molly Shannon, Christopher Meloni, Elizabeth Banks, and maybe the one who’d become the biggest star of them all, Bradley Cooper. It’s a wet, hot stacked cast. No wonder it’s become a cult classic in the years since its release.
#1: “Drop Dead Gorgeous” (1999)
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“Drop Dead Gorgeous” is a dark comedy beauty pageant mockumentary. However, while the documentary aspect of the film might be fake, the stacked nature of the cast sure isn’t. From Ellen Barkin, who'd been acting in movies for over 20 years, to Amy Adams making her film debut. Not to mention Kirsten Dunst, Brittany Murphy, Allison Janney, Denise Richards, and Kirstie Alley. The film didn’t make much of an impact at the time, but has since gained an appreciative cult following. Not only was the cast drop dead gorgeous, but you can add drop dead talented and drop dead stacked as well.