The hijinx of troubled teens are rough to deal with, unless you are watching them unfold on the big screen. The top juvenile delinquent movies feature characters dealing with drug use, crime and rebelling against authority. This is a list of rebellious teen movies featuring everything from Heathers to Less Than Zero to City of God.
What movies will you find on this list of the best movies about juvenile delinquency? Fans of the classics might rank Rebel Without a Cause at the very top. James Dean became the iconic misunderstood teen in this 1955 classic. A Clockwork Orange, with its unforgettable portrayals of juvenile "ultra-violence" and teen rebellion, also appears on this trouble teen movies list. Kids shocked movie-goers with its content when it was released in 1995. Other films that appear on this roundup of the best juvenile delinquent movies include Bully, The Outsiders, and Boyz n the Hood.
Which teenage rebellion movies deserve the top spot on this list? Decide by giving your favorites a thumbs up and get in on the conversation in the comments section.
1
11222The Outsiders
Tom Cruise, Nicolas CageReleased: 1983
Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
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 Misakian,... more2
6031Kids
Rosario Dawson, Chloë SevignyReleased: 1995
Directed by: Larry Clark
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 debuts. Kids... more- 32920
Menace II Society
Samuel L. Jackson, Jada Pinkett SmithReleased: 1993
Directed by: Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes
Menace II Society is a 1993 drama/hood film and the directorial debut of twin brothers Allen and Albert Hughes. Set in South Central Los Angeles, the film follows the life of a hoodlum named Caine... more - 42115
Mid90s
Sunny Suljic, Lucas HedgesReleased: 2018
Directed by: Jonah Hill
Mid90s is a 2018 American comedy drama film directed by Jonah Hill. A thirteen-year-old (Sunny Suljic) in 90s-era LA spends his summer navigating between his troubled home life and a group of new... more - 53331
West Side Story
Natalie Wood, Rita MorenoReleased: 1961
Directed by: Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise
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 was... more - 65560
Boyz n the Hood
Ice Cube, Angela BassettReleased: 1991
Directed by: John Singleton
Boyz n the Hood is a 1991 American hood drama film directed by John Singleton. Three young men weave in and out of violence, relationships, and racial issues in the Crenshaw ghetto of Los Angeles.... more - 75157
A Clockwork Orange
Malcolm McDowell, Warren ClarkeReleased: 1971
Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
A Clockwork Orange is a 1971 dystopian crime film adapted, produced, and directed by Stanley Kubrick, based on Anthony Burgess's 1962 novella A Clockwork Orange. It employs disturbing, violent images... more - 85463
Rebel Without a Cause
Natalie Wood, James DeanReleased: 1955
Directed by: Nicholas Ray
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, it... more - 95577
Heathers
Winona Ryder, Shannen DohertyReleased: 1988
Directed by: Michael Lehmann
Heathers is a 1988 comedy, drama film written by Daniel Waters and directed by Michael Lehmann.... more - 101725
Bully
Bijou Phillips, Rachel MinerReleased: 2001
Directed by: Larry Clark
Bully is a 2001 American film directed by Larry Clark, and starring Brad Renfro, Bijou Phillips, Rachel Miner, Michael Pitt, Leo Fitzpatrick, Kelli Garner, and Nick Stahl. The screenplay was written... more - 113046
Rumble Fish
Nicolas Cage, Mickey RourkeReleased: 1983
Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
Rumble Fish is an American 1983 drama film directed by Francis Ford Coppola. It is based on the novel Rumble Fish by S. E. Hinton, who also co-wrote the screenplay. The film centers on the... more - 124771
Thirteen
Vanessa Hudgens, Evan Rachel WoodReleased: 2003
Directed by: Catherine Hardwicke
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. It... more - 133251
Over the Edge
Matt Dillon, Vincent SpanoReleased: 1979
Directed by: Jonathan Kaplan
Over the Edge is a coming-of-age drama film directed by Jonathan Kaplan released in May 1979. Due to the negative publicity surrounding a wave of recent youth gang films such as The Warriors and... more - 141019
Brick
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Meagan GoodReleased: 2006
Directed by: Rian Johnson
Brick is a 2005 American neo-noir thriller film written and directed by Rian Johnson, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt. It was Johnson's directorial debut and won the Special Jury Prize for Originality... more - 151223
Pump Up the Volume
Christian Slater, Seth GreenReleased: 1990
Directed by: Allan Moyle
Pump Up the Volume is a 1990 comedy-drama film written and directed by Allan Moyle and starring Christian Slater and Samantha Mathis.... more - 161020
Elephant
Timothy Bottoms, Matt MalloyReleased: 2003
Directed by: Gus Van Sant
Elephant is a 2003 drama film edited, written and directed by Gus Van Sant. It takes place in the fictional Watt High School, in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon, and chronicles the events surrounding... more - 171736
Blackboard Jungle
Sidney Poitier, Glenn FordReleased: 1955
Directed by: Richard Brooks
Blackboard Jungle is a 1955 social commentary film about teachers in an inner-city school. It is based on the novel of the same name by Evan Hunter.... more - 181849
Heavenly Creatures
Kate Winslet, Peter JacksonReleased: 1994
Directed by: Peter Jackson
Heavenly Creatures is a 1994 New Zealand drama film directed by Peter Jackson, from a screenplay he co-wrote with his partner, Fran Walsh, about the notorious 1954 ParkerHulme case in Christchurch,... more - 191950
Less Than Zero
Brad Pitt, Robert Downey Jr.Released: 1987
Directed by: Marek Kanievska
Less Than Zero is a 1987 American drama film very loosely based on Bret Easton Ellis' novel of the same name. The film stars Andrew McCarthy as Clay, a college freshman returning home for Christmas... more - 201749
Lolita
Christopher Lee, Peter SellersReleased: 1962
Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
Lolita is a 1962 comedy-drama film directed by Stanley Kubrick based on the novel of the same title by Vladimir Nabokov, about a middle-aged man who becomes obsessed with a teenage girl. The film... more - 212359
Sleepers
Brad Pitt, Robert De NiroReleased: 1996
Directed by: Barry Levinson
Sleepers is a 1996 American legal drama film written, produced, and directed by Barry Levinson, and based on Lorenzo Carcaterra's 1995 novel of the same name.... more - 222055
Alpha Dog
Olivia Wilde, Amanda SeyfriedReleased: 2006
Directed by: Nick Cassavetes
Alpha Dog is a 2006 American crime drama film written and directed by Nick Cassavetes, first screened at the Sundance Film Festival on January 27, 2006, with a wide release the following year on... more - 231858
City of God
Alice Braga, Seu JorgeReleased: 2002
Directed by: Fernando Meirelles
City of God is a 2002 Brazilian crime drama film directed by Fernando Meirelles and co-directed by Kátia Lund, released in its home country in 2002 and worldwide in 2003. The story was adapted by... more - 241651
Reefer Madness
Dave O'Brien, Carleton YoungReleased: 1936
Directed by: Louis J. Gasnier
Reefer Madness is a 1936–1939 American propaganda exploitation drama film revolving around the melodramatic events that ensue when high school students are lured by pushers to try marijuana—from a... more - 251552
The Good Son
Macaulay Culkin, Elijah WoodReleased: 1993
Directed by: Joseph Ruben
The Good Son is a 1993 American psychological thriller film directed by Joseph Ruben and written by English novelist Ian McEwan. The film stars Macaulay Culkin and Elijah Wood.... more
