Top 10 Teen Movies That Are So Bad They're Good
#10: “Stick It” (2006)
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After breaking the law, hooligan Haley has to return to the world of competitive gymnastics. Sure, some of the behaviors we see portrayed athletics-wise are kind of questionable. Plus the characters are like onions, except every layer is pretty much the same. Despite this, the heart of the story, as well as the team bonding, has us rooting for each of them to succeed. Poorly executed high school film tropes like “rebel with more to her than meets the eye” aside, “Stick It” has some genuinely touching moments. In them, sincerity manages to shine through, even if only briefly. It’s nowhere near a masterpiece of filmmaking, but it’s ideal for whenever we need to feel inspired by an underdog tale.
#9: “The Perfect Man” (2005)
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Finding love while raising kids isn’t always easy. Whenever things turn sour in a relationship for Holly’s mother Jean, she moves the family. Holly, however, is sick of this. So she devises a scheme to find her mother a partner. That’s pretty sweet – except she pretends to be her friend’s uncle in order to woo her mom. Okay, yes, the plot is getting weird. Her intentions are good, but catfishing is, needless to say, not the best method. The cringe is real as we watch Holly try to keep up the ruse. But we can’t lie. It’s heartwarming when the actual romances blossom in the story. Plus, Hilary Duff and Heather Locklear make an adorable mother-daughter duo!
#8: “The New Guy” (2002)
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Being unpopular is hard for Dizzy Harrison. He wants to change his social status so badly he turns to a prison inmate to learn how to be cool. Yeah, you heard that right. Although the premise is unique, everything else about “The New Guy” is extremely predictable. There are too many stereotypical characters to even keep track of, and the plot veers too abstract to keep us captivated. Critiques aside though, it’s pretty entertaining. Most importantly, the music goes so hard, we hum along to it for days. We’re talking bangers from the likes of Phil Collins, OutKast and Green Day, to name a few. It’s worth suffering through the nonsense for that alone.
#7: “Sleepover” (2004)
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It goes without saying, but high school is the biggest deal ever in a lot of teen movies. “Sleepover” is no exception. The story sees a squad of 8th graders complete a scavenger hunt in a bid to sit with the cool kids during the next school year. For all the wild antics, there’s not much substance. If you’re a viewer who isn’t attached to the nostalgia-factor of it all, you probably won’t be super amused. That being said, it’s great for when we’re looking to pass the time with an easy-to-digest film. Go into it head empty – no thoughts, just enjoy the silly comedy!
#6: “F the Prom” (2017)
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Besties to strangers to friends to strangers to lovers to friends within the span of one movie is too much. That’s especially true in the case of “F the Prom”, since the main reason said friendship keeps suffering is because one of its members is selfish. A redemption arc is great – in fact it’s greatly welcomed. Yet here, Maddy essentially ditches her friend Cole in a bid for popularity not once, but twice, so it becomes a little hard to swallow. It’s a teenage trainwreck, but weirdly, it’s one we can’t look away from. The absurdity has us obsessed. The Cole/Maddy relationship is such a rollercoaster, we find ourselves sticking around to see how they’ll work things out.
#5: “The Hot Chick” (2002)
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Picture this: a mean teen and a criminal end up in each others’ bodies, and the clock is ticking to make things right. The classic switcheroo is a tale as old as time. Unfortunately, the crass language and incoherent plot make “The Hot Chick” widely hated among the majority of critics. If we look at it from purely an entertainment perspective instead of a cinematic one, though, it’s not that bad! The jokes are funny in their own way, and the over-the-top dramatics are unreal. What else would you want in a terrible movie? Plus, the star-studded cast, which includes names like Rachel McAdams, Rob Schneider, and Anna Faris, adds a whole other level of awesomeness.
#4: “Love Wrecked” (2005)
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Being stranded on an island is a nightmare. It’s even worse when the person you’re with is gaslighting you into thinking there’s no way home. Here, the protagonist, Amanda Bynes’ Jennifer, tries to keep her celebrity crush Jason stuck with her. She’s hoping for romance, of course. Her best friend Ryan, who loves her, even gives her a hand. Somehow, the real villain of the movie gets a fairytale love story with her bestie. What the heck? The main characters should be facing major consequences, not getting a happy ending. Okay, despite that, we have to admit Jennifer and Ryan are super cute together. Plus, the lengths they’re willing to go to are so unbelievable we have to keep watching.
#3: “Swiped” (2018)
When will we learn that get-rich-quick schemes never work out well? In “Swiped,” polar opposites James and Lance create an app that’s perfect for people wanting casual relationships. This is probably supposed to provide comedic commentary on modern dating, but it totally misses the mark. There’s absolutely nothing intellectual or deep about the movie. It may star Noah Centineo, but there is none of that “To All the Boys I've Loved Before” magic. For what it’s worth though, each moment is so atrocious it’s borderline amusing. We can’t sit there without chuckling at how low-quality the lines feel. Just when we think the film has peaked in terribleness, it finds a way to outdo itself. Of course, that’s the fun of it.
#2: “The Kissing Booth” (2018)
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Striking up a romance with the person you promised your best friend you’d never date is a bad idea — especially when it’s their relative. Yet Elle finds herself in a pickle after participating in her high school’s fundraiser’s kissing booth. Unbeknownst to her, she smooches her BFF’s brother Noah — who’s supposed to be off limits, and who she’s had a crush on forever. You can imagine where things go from there. This film is so cheesy you could make a million pizzas from it. But we can’t get enough of how cringey it is. The teen angst, the fighting, the confession scenes — they all have us hooked. The fact that there are two sequels that are also so bad they’re good is nothing short of perfect.
#1: “Tall Girl” (2019)
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The entire concept of this flick is that the main character is tall and wears size 13 shoes. We wish we were kidding, but that’s basically the plot. Somehow, the Netflix original incorporates a handsome exchange student, a feisty life-long friend, and you guessed it, romance. The final product is so dumb we have no choice but to be strangely entranced by it. Indeed, there are many ridiculous scenes that live in our brains rent-free. The outfit protagonist Jodi wears to the dance is…something. The reason male lead Dunkleman carries around a milk crate is comedy gold. The awkward dialogue and weak premise have us gasping for air from laughing so hard. Oh, and there’s a sequel. Need we say more? Which of these teen movies have you seen? Let us know in the comments!
