The Best Teen Drama Movies

Ranker Film
Updated June 23, 2023 12.1K votes 1.7K voters 57.2K views
Over 1.7K Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Best Teen Drama Movies
Voting 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 for young adults featured on this list include Juno, Dirty Dancing, and Dead Poet's Society.

 

Which teen drama do you think is the best? Vote up your favorite teen dramas and vote down you think other fans can skip.

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  • The Breakfast Club
    1

    The Breakfast Club

    Emilio Estevez, Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson
    415 votes
    • Released: 1985
    • Directed by: John Hughes
    In the film The Breakfast Club, five high school students, each representing a different stereotype, meet in detention. There's the brainy Brian Johnson (Anthony Michael Hall), the athletic Andrew Clark (Emilio Estevez), the rebel John Bender (Judd Nelson), the princess Claire Standish (Molly Ringwald), and the outcast Allison Reynolds (Ally Sheedy). As they spend a Saturday together under supervision of the strict assistant principal Richard Vernon (Paul Gleason), they gradually open up to one another, revealing their deeper selves beneath their public personas. This 1985 coming-of-age comedy-drama directed by John Hughes explores themes of identity, peer pressure, and adolescence within its 97-minute runtime. To this day, it remains a classic in teen cinema.

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  • Dead Poets Society
    2

    Dead Poets Society

    Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard, Ethan Hawke
    243 votes
    • Released: 1989
    • Directed by: Peter Weir
    In the captivating drama, Dead Poets Society, English teacher John Keating (Robin Williams) introduces his students at the conservative Welton Academy to the world of poetry. His unconventional teaching methods, centered around the motto Carpe Diem - seize the day, inspire his pupils to challenge the status quo and explore their individual identities. The narrative unfolds as Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard), an aspiring actor, grapples with his authoritarian father's expectations. This 1989 Peter Weir-directed film was nominated for four Academy Awards, winning Best Original Screenplay.
  • The Perks of Being a Wallflower
    3

    The Perks of Being a Wallflower

    Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller
    455 votes
    • Released: 2012
    • Directed by: Stephen Chbosky
    In The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Charlie (Logan Lerman), an introverted high-school freshman, navigates through the trials and tribulations of adolescence. His world opens up when he befriends two seniors, Sam (Emma Watson) and Patrick (Ezra Miller). As they introduce him to the real world beyond textbooks and tests, Charlie grapples with first love and deep-seated secrets. A coming-of-age drama, this movie shines a spotlight on the joys and heartbreaks of growing up. Garnering critical acclaim, it won the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature.

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  • Dirty Dancing
    4

    Dirty Dancing

    Jennifer Grey, Patrick Swayze, Jerry Orbach
    280 votes
    • Released: 1987
    • Directed by: Emile Ardolino
    In the heart of summer 1963, Frances 'Baby' Houseman (Jennifer Grey) vacations with her affluent family at a high-end Catskills resort. She's an innocent daddy's girl until she stumbles upon the resort's dance instructor, Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze). A tough-talking guy from the wrong side of the tracks, Johnny introduces Baby to an intoxicating world of dirty dancing and steamy after-hours parties. As they dance, they fall in love - a passionate affair that defies class boundaries and family expectations. Dirty Dancing, a music-filled drama that won the 1987 Oscar for Best Original Song, is a timeless tale about love, growth, and the power of dance.

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  • The Outsiders
    5

    The Outsiders

    Matt Dillon, C. Thomas Howell, Ralph Macchio
    234 votes
    • Released: 1983
    • Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
    In the heartland of 1960s Oklahoma, The Outsiders tells the story of a group of underprivileged teenagers known as the Greasers. Ponyboy Curtis (C. Thomas Howell), an introspective youth, and his friends Johnny Cade (Ralph Macchio) and Dallas Winston (Matt Dillon) navigate their way through social inequalities and personal struggles. This coming-of-age drama, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, is built on themes of friendship, societal pressure, and the harsh realities of socio-economic divisions. The film has been recognized for its authentic portrayal of teen angst amidst class conflicts.

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  • Five Feet Apart
    6

    Five Feet Apart

    Haley Lu Richardson, Cole Sprouse, Moises Arias
    165 votes
    • Released: 2019
    • Directed by: Justin Baldoni
    Seventeen-year-old Stella spends most of her time in the hospital as a cystic fibrosis patient. Her life is full of routines, boundaries and self-control -- all of which get put to the test when she meets Will, an impossibly charming teen who has the same illness. There's an instant flirtation, though restrictions dictate that they must maintain a safe distance between them. As their connection intensifies, so does the temptation to throw the rules out the window and embrace that attraction.

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