Drama The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked  

Ranker Film
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List Rules Vote up your favorite dramas that star teenage characters.

This list contains information on the best teen drama movies, ranked from best to worst by user votes. The best teen drama films come in many forms. Some good teen dramas follow high school students as they look for love while other good teen drama movies revolve around the big game. Many of the best classic teen drama movies were directed by John Hughes.

What films will you find on this top teen drama movies list? The Breakfast Club has to be near the top. This film finds a brain, a beauty, a jock, a rebel and a recluse discovering new friendships over the course of Saturday detention. Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, and Judd Nelson led the all-star cast of this classic Hughes film. Pretty in Pink is another one of the best teen dramas of all time.

A group of friends have one final adolescent adventure in the coming-of-age film, Stand By Me. Other good teen dramas featured on this list include Juno, Dirty Dancing, and Dead Poet's Society.

Which teen drama do you think is the best? Give your favorite movies a thumbs up and get in on the conversation in the comments section.

list ordered by

1
172 79
A Walk to Remember is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Mandy Moore, Marisa Miller, Daryl Hannah A Walk to Remember is a 2002 American coming-of-age teen romantic drama based on the 1999 romance novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks. The film stars Shane West and Mandy Moore, was ...more

2
175 81
The Perks of Being a Wallflowe... is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Emma Watson, Nina Dobrev, Paul Rudd The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a 2012 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film, and an adaptation of the 1999 epistolary novel of the same name; it was written and directed by the novel's ...more

3
143 65
The Last Song is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Miley Cyrus, Liam Hemsworth, Kelly Preston The Last Song is a 2010 American coming of age teen romantic drama film developed alongside Nicholas Sparks' novel by the same name. The film was directed by Julie Anne Robinson in her feature ...more

4
162 80
Everything, Everything is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Amandla Stenberg, Nick Robinson, Anika Noni Rose Everything, Everything is a 2017 American romantic drama film directed by Stella Meghie and written by J. Mills Goodloe, based on the 2015 young-adult novel by Nicola Yoon. It involves a romance ...more

5
149 72
If I Stay is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Chloë Grace Moretz, Mireille Enos, Stacy Keach If I Stay is an American romantic drama film directed by R. J. Cutler, based on the novel of the same name by Gayle Forman. The film stars Chloë Grace Moretz, Mireille Enos, Jamie Blackley, ...more

6
202 107
The Fault in Our Stars is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Shailene Woodley, Willem Dafoe, Laura Dern The Fault in Our Stars is a 2014 American romantic drama film directed by Josh Boone, based on the novel of the same name by John Green. The film stars Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, and Nat ...more

7
156 77
The Breakfast Club is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall The Breakfast Club is a 1985 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by John Hughes and starring Emilio Estevez, Paul Gleason, Anthony Michael Hall, John ...more

8
112 53
Dirty Dancing is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey, Jerry Orbach Dirty Dancing is a 1987 American romantic drama film. Written by Eleanor Bergstein and directed by Emile Ardolino, the film stars Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey in the lead roles, as well as ...more

9
116 57
Before I Fall is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Zoey Deutch, Halston Sage, Logan Miller Before I Fall is a 2017 American teen drama film directed by Ry Russo-Young, based on the novel by Lauren Oliver. Stuck reliving her last day over and over, Sam (Zoey Deutch) untangles the ...more

10
82 42
The Outsiders is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Tom Cruise, Nicolas Cage, Diane Lane The Outsiders is a 1983 American drama film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, an adaptation of the novel of the same name by S. E. Hinton. The film was released on March 25, 1983. Jo Ellen ...more

11
66 31
Endless Love is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Alex Pettyfer, Gabriella Wilde, Emma Rigby Endless Love is a 2014 American romance film directed by Shana Feste and co-written by Feste with Joshua Safran. A remake of Franco Zeffirelli's 1981 film of the same name and the second ...more

12
75 41
Cruel Intentions is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Reese Witherspoon, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Tara Reid Cruel Intentions is a 1999 American drama film starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon, and Selma Blair. The film is an adaptation of Les Liaisons dangereuses, written ...more

13
81 46
Romeo + Juliet is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Leonardo DiCaprio, Paul Rudd, Brian Dennehy Romeo + Juliet is a 1996 American romantic drama film adaptation of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. It was directed by Baz Luhrmann. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes in ...more

14
72 39
Remember the Titans is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Hayden Panettiere, Ryan Gosling, Denzel Washington Remember the Titans is a 2000 American sports drama film produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Boaz Yakin. The screenplay, written by Gregory Allen Howard, is based on the true story of ...more

15
62 32
Save the Last Dance is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Kerry Washington, Julia Stiles, Bianca Lawson Save the Last Dance is a 2001 American film produced by MTV Films, directed by Thomas Carter and released by Paramount Pictures on January 12, 2001. The film stars Julia Stiles and Sean Patrick ...more

16
69 38
Twilight Saga Franchise is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
1523057205202 added The Twilight Saga is a series of five romance fantasy films from Summit Entertainment based on the four novels by American author Stephenie Meyer. The films star Kristen Stewart, Robert ...more

17
78 47
The Karate Kid is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Elisabeth Shue, Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita The Karate Kid is a 1984 American martial arts romantic drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by Robert Mark Kamen, starring Ralph Macchio, who was 22 years old during principal ...more

18
69 43
Stand by Me is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Kiefer Sutherland, Corey Feldman, John Cusack Stand by Me is a 1986 American coming of age comedy-drama adventure film directed by Rob Reiner and starring Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman and Jerry O'Connell. Based on the novella ...more

19
55 33
Pretty in Pink is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
James Spader, Gina Gershon, Molly Ringwald Pretty in Pink is a 1986 American romantic comedy-drama film about love and social cliques in 1980s American high schools. It is one of John Hughes' films starring Molly Ringwald, and is ...more

20
80 55
Paper Towns is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Nat Wolff, Cara Delevingne, Halston Sage Paper Towns is a 2015 American mystery, comedy-drama film directed by Jake Schreier, based on the novel by John Green. After an all night adventure, Quentin's life-long crush, Margo (Cara ...more

21
65 42
The Spectacular Now is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Shailene Woodley, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jennifer Jason Leigh The Spectacular Now is a 2013 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by James Ponsoldt, written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber and starring Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley. The ...more

22
54 33
The Lovely Bones is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Rachel Weisz, Mark Wahlberg, Susan Sarandon The Lovely Bones is a 2009 supernatural drama film directed by Peter Jackson and stars Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, Michael Imperioli, and Saoirse Ronan. A film ...more

23
52 32
West Side Story is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Natalie Wood, Rita Moreno, John Astin West Side Story is a 1961 American romantic musical drama film directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. The film is an adaptation of the 1957 Broadway musical of the same name, which in turn ...more

24
63 43
Dead Poets Society is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Robin Williams, Ethan Hawke, Lara Flynn Boyle Dead Poets Society is a 1989 American drama film written by Tom Schulman, directed by Peter Weir and starring Robin Williams. Set at the conservative and aristocratic Welton Academy in the ...more

25
36 25
The Fundamentals of Caring is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Paul Rudd, Craig Roberts, Selena Gomez The Fundamentals of Caring is a 2016 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Rob Burnett, based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Jonathan Evison and stars Paul Rudd, Craig ...more

26
42 31
Almost Famous is listed (or ranked) 26 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Zooey Deschanel, Kate Hudson, Anna Paquin Almost Famous is a 2000 comedy-drama film written and directed by Cameron Crowe and starring Billy Crudup, Kate Hudson, and Patrick Fugit. It tells the fictional story of a teenage journalist ...more

27
42 34
Thirteen is listed (or ranked) 27 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Vanessa Hudgens, Evan Rachel Wood, Holly Hunter Thirteen is a 2003 semi-autobiographical American drama film directed by Catherine Hardwicke, and written by Hardwicke and Nikki Reed based on events in Reed's life at age twelve and thirteen. ...more

28
9 3
Hot Summer Nights is listed (or ranked) 28 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Timothée Chalamet, Maika Monroe, Alex Roe Hot Summer Nights is a 2017 American drama film directed by Elijah Bynum. Daniel (Timothée Chalamet) comes of age, while spending the summer in Cape Cod.

29
33 30
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is listed (or ranked) 29 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler, Olivia Cooke Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is a 2015 American comedy-drama film directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon and written by Jesse Andrews, based on Andrews's 2012 debut novel of the same name. It is the ...more

30
31 28
Friday Night Lights is listed (or ranked) 30 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Amber Heard, Connie Britton, Tim McGraw Friday Night Lights is a 2004 sports drama film, directed by Peter Berg, which documents the coach and players of a high school football team and the Texas city of Odessa that supports and is ...more

31
26 26
Boyz n the Hood is listed (or ranked) 31 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Ice Cube, Angela Bassett, Cuba Gooding Jr. Boyz n the Hood is a 1991 American hood drama written and directed by John Singleton in his directorial debut, and starring Ice Cube, Cuba Gooding Jr., Morris Chestnut, Laurence Fishburne, Nia ...more

32
27 28
Rebel Without a Cause is listed (or ranked) 32 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Natalie Wood, James Dean, Dennis Hopper Rebel Without a Cause is a 1955 American drama film about emotionally confused suburban, middle-class teenagers. The film stars James Dean, Sal Mineo and Natalie Wood. Directed by Nicholas Ray, ...more

33
22 23
The Basketball Diaries is listed (or ranked) 33 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Wahlberg, Juliette Lewis The Basketball Diaries is a 1995 American drama film directed by Scott Kalvert, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Lorraine Bracco, James Madio, and Mark Wahlberg from the non-fiction work of the same ...more

34
4 3
The Miseducation of Cameron Po... is listed (or ranked) 34 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Chloë Grace Moretz, Sasha Lane, John Gallagher The Miseducation of Cameron Post is a 2018 American-British drama film directed by Desiree Akhavan, based on the 2012 novel by Emily M. Danforth. In 1993, a teenage girl (Chloe Grace Moretz) is ...more

35
26 30
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playli... is listed (or ranked) 35 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Kat Dennings, Michael Cera, Mimi Imfurst Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist is a 2008 romantic comedy-drama film directed by Peter Sollett and starring Michael Cera and Kat Dennings. Written by Lorene Scafaria and based on the novel ...more

36
24 28
November Criminals is listed (or ranked) 36 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Chloë Grace Moretz, Ansel Elgort, Catherine Keener November Criminals is a 2017 American crime drama film directed by Sacha Gervasi. College bound friends (Chloë Grace Moretz and Ansel Elgort) find themselves falling for one another, but ...more

37
27 33
Adventureland is listed (or ranked) 37 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Kristen Stewart, Ryan Reynolds, Kristen Wiig Adventureland is a 2009 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Greg Mottola, starring Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart and co-starring Ryan Reynolds, Bill Hader, Martin Starr, and ...more

38
11 14
Sierra Burgess Is a Loser is listed (or ranked) 38 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Shannon Purser, RJ Cyler, Noah Centineo Sierra Burgess Is a Loser is a 2018 American teen comedy film directed by Ian Samuels, and a modern retelling of the Cyrano de Bergerac story. A case of mistaken identity results in unexpected ...more

39
23 30
Love & Basketball is listed (or ranked) 39 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Tyra Banks, Gabrielle Union, Sanaa Lathan Love & Basketball is a 2000 American romantic drama film starring Omar Epps and Sanaa Lathan. The film tells the story of Quincy McCall and Monica Wright, two next-door neighbors in Los ...more

40
23 30
The Virgin Suicides is listed (or ranked) 40 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Kirsten Dunst, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito The film is a 1999 American drama written and directed by Sofia Coppola, produced by her father Francis Ford Coppola, starring James Woods, Kathleen Turner, Kirsten Dunst, Josh Hartnett, and A. ...more

41
20 27
Varsity Blues is listed (or ranked) 41 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Ali Larter, Paul Walker, Amy Smart Varsity Blues is a 1999 American coming-of-age sports comedy-drama film directed by Brian Robbins that follows a small-town high school football team and their overbearing coach through a ...more

42
1 4
Down a Dark Hall is listed (or ranked) 42 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
AnnaSophia Robb, Uma Thurman, Isabelle Fuhrman Down a Dark Hall is a 2018 American supernatural horror film directed by Rodrigo Cortés, based on the novel by Lois Duncan. When her heated temper becomes too much for her mother to ...more

43
18 27
Some Kind of Wonderful is listed (or ranked) 43 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Lea Thompson, Candace Cameron-Bure, Mary Stuart Masterson Some Kind of Wonderful is a 1987 American romance film starring Eric Stoltz, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Lea Thompson. It is one of the several successful teen dramas written by John Hughes in ...more

44
20 30
American Graffiti is listed (or ranked) 44 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Harrison Ford, Ron Howard, Suzanne Somers American Graffiti is a 1973 American coming of age comedy-drama film directed and co-written by George Lucas starring Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Harrison Ford, Charles Martin ...more

45
18 28
Kids is listed (or ranked) 45 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Rosario Dawson, Chloë Sevigny, Harmony Korine Kids is a 1995 American drama film written by Harmony Korine and directed by Larry Clark. It features Chloë Sevigny, Leo Fitzpatrick, Justin Pierce, and Rosario Dawson, all in their film ...more

46
15 28
Stand and Deliver is listed (or ranked) 46 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Andy Garcia, Edward James Olmos, Lou Diamond Phillips Stand and Deliver is a 1988 American drama film based on the true story of high school math teacher Jaime Escalante. Edward James Olmos portrayed Escalante in the film and received a nomination ...more

47
16 32
Palo Alto is listed (or ranked) 47 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
James Franco, Emma Roberts, Val Kilmer Palo Alto is a 2013 American drama film directed by Gia Coppola and written by Coppola, based on James Franco's short story collection Palo Alto. Franco stars, along with Emma Roberts, Jack ...more

48
7 26
Samson and Delilah is listed (or ranked) 48 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Marissa Gibson, Rowan McNamara, Roland Gallois Samson and Delilah is a 2009 Australian film and was directed by Warwick Thornton. It stars Rowan McNamara and Marissa Gibson, both young first time actors. It was filmed in and around Alice ...more

49
7 27
Closet Monster is listed (or ranked) 49 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Closet Monster Connor Jessup, Aaron Abrams, Isabella Rossellini

50
6 26
Tanner Hall is listed (or ranked) 50 on the list The Best Teen Drama Movies, Ranked
Rooney Mara, Brie Larson, Amy Sedaris Tanner Hall is a 2009 independent drama film about four girls having their coming-of-age in boarding school. It was written and directed by Tatiana von Fürstenberg and Francesca Gregorini. ...more