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The teen comedy that launched a thousand locker-room chants and made 'MILF' a dinner-table word—whether your parents were ready or not. A crew of high schoolers make a pact, and the resulting chaos defined the 2000s comedy formula. You either rented this VHS or pretended you didn't watch it on cable.
One high-school graduation night, one undelivered letter, and four years of bottled feelings ready to spill. Preston Meyers has spent his high-school career invisibly loving Amanda Beckett, and in the chaos of a packed house party, he's got one last shot to tell her before everyone scatters for good. An ensemble of misfits, jocks, goofballs, and dreamers—each chasing their own moment—makes it the whole 90s teen-movie yearbook in one house.
"As if!" Amy Heckerling's 1995 teen comedy turned a Beverly Hills high schooler's makeover schemes into a fashion bible and a quotable phrasebook — yellow plaid, knee socks, and a computer that picked your outfit.
![Video thumbnail — Simple Plan - I'm Just A Kid (Official Video) [HD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_GOR5gvQwDI/maxresdefault.jpg)
Simple Plan's debut single, released February 4, 2002: a pop-punk tantrum about a Friday night with nobody to call, filmed in a Long Beach high school with DJ Qualls in tow. It never cracked the US or UK singles charts, then became the song a generation re-created its childhood photos to on TikTok in 2020.
John Hughes High, the slow clap, the makeover that takes off her glasses and ponytail, and conjoined twins for prom queen. The 2001 spoof put two decades of teen movies in a blender, cast Chris Evans as the jock, and led its soundtrack with Marilyn Manson's "Tainted Love."
Tim Blake Nelson's modern Othello, relocated to an elite Southern prep school where basketball replaces Venice's wars. Mekhi Phifer as the only Black student and star athlete, Josh Hartnett as the jealous rival, Julia Stiles as Desdemona. It was made to be released in 1999—but held from the world for two years after Columbine.
"Synchronize Swatches." Fox's live-action cartoon of a high-school sitcom gave Corin Nemec loud shirts, a secret headquarters above the gym and a catchphrase — "Not a problem" — for every scheme against Principal Musso. Ferris Bueller with a weekly time slot.
Before Glee and Nip/Tuck, Ryan Murphy's first series put a cheerleader (Leslie Bibb's Brooke McQueen) and a school-paper editor (Carly Pope's Sam McPherson) under one roof when their single parents got engaged. The WB's candy-colored high-school satire ran two seasons from 1999 to 2001, gave the world Mary Cherry, and ended with a car hitting its lead.
Two best friends, one Tucson reunion, and the lie that they invented Post-its. Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow in 1997, with a dance number Roger Ebert called "the weirdest choreography I have seen outside a 1960s revival." A modest hit in theaters that became a sleepover classic on tape and cable.
A modern Pygmalion: class president bets he can turn an art-nerd girl into prom queen in six weeks. Released January 29, 1999, directed by Robert Iscove, it became the surprise smash that crowned the entire late-90s teen-movie wave. A staircase reveal, a perfect song, and one of the era's most-rewatched moments.
Disney's superhero high school movie, where freshmen get sorted into Heroes and 'Hero Support.' Will Stronghold — powerless son of the world's two greatest supers — starts ninth grade at a school that floats above the clouds, and Kurt Russell plays super-dad with total sincerity.
A last-week-of-high-school panic attack disguised as a party movie. Two best friends on a doomed one-night quest to buy alcohol, and a fake ID bearing a single name — McLovin — that instantly became the decade's most famous prop. This was the R-rated teen comedy that felt like watching your own friends instead of a movie.
Nickelodeon's high-school comedy lived a double life: it kicked off as a sketch show before pivoting into a genuine sitcom halfway through its run. Set at Hawthorne High with a chaotic crew of teens and a perpetually flustered vice principal, it's the kind of show you caught between Salute Your Shorts reruns and forgot you ever loved.