Films feature groups of teens - like Breakfast Club, that represent a range of teen 'types,' in other cases a teen is the focus for a coming of age film, like "The Way Way Back," or "The Spectacular Now," or "Boyz in the Hood." These films feature developmental challenges and norms for teens - exposure to sex, drugs, playing with new identities, new conflicts at school, work and home. Some offer the societal context as challenge when violence, poverty, domestic abuse, broken homes, rural life or a changing political landscape introduce conflict and negotiation to the developing young adult.
And maybe if we are lucky, the film features teens in the family context. Hopefully a healthy family - like that briefly shown in a film like "Easy A" who support Emma Stone with her misadventures with her peers. Yet all too often parents are represented in films about teens as a joke (Exhibit A: Amy Poehler as Regina George's mother in "Mean Girls" That said, there are other positive adults in the film - Tina Fey's math teacher for one).
What is your favorite film about teens? Why? (No judgment). Was it helpful to you when you were a teen? Does it evoke painful/'glad its over' memories, or does it just make you laugh - or fall in love all over again? And what, if anything, would someone watching the film learn about parent-teen relationships?
One of my favorite movies about teens is "A Cinderella Story", part of the reason being is because at the time I was a HUGE Chad Michael Murray (I'm also a One Tree Hill fan). As for how helpful it was for me as a teen- not very much. High school in my opinion is very very different than in the movies. However I do think the movie did have a good point in showing us that children can lose parents through death, separation/ divorce and often times it does affect the child. Having said that remarrying also affects the child and the adjusts they have to make in order to cope with the new additions in the family.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite 'teen' movies is "Donnie Darko". Something about the family dynamics in that movie, though not the main focus, were pretty great and summed up in a short amount of time so you really got a feel for the way things work in their system. Though the father is unfortunately portrayed as somewhat of a dimwit, the mother, 'Rose Darko' has some pretty great parenting moments. The iconic scene where they all sit at the table as a family for dinner is a good scene to catch a hint of the parenting styles of both parents, where it becomes obvious that Rose Darko is an authoritative style parent and the father, Edward Darko seems a bit more on the lax side of parenting, likely somewhere in between authoritative and permissive. Although it's a short, simple scene, I really quite like the way Rose handles her son Donnie in this scene where she reassures her son that no matter what he is going through, she loves him: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKIx1Aq4XX8
ReplyDeleteAs I think more about it, I don't think that it really evokes anything in me, however my family was quite opposite in comparision to the Darko family, so seeing a drastically different system was eye opening as to the different possibilities there are when it comes to the characteristics of a family. As I had mentioned in my previous comment, I really like how Rose sat down with Donnie in the clip that I posted. Something a person could learn from watching this film is that even though teenagers can be troubled and a pain in the behind, it is important to continually support these fragile beings.
DeleteLike Andrew, I totally love Donnie Darko, though I like the creepiness factor much more than the familial context.
ReplyDeleteI'm a sucker for all things John Hughes, or really most movies from the 80s and early 90s.
But my absolute favorite teen movie is The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I prefer the book, but the movie adaptation was actually pretty excellent. Though it mostly focuses on Charlie and his friends, there are a few interactions with the parents that are pretty interesting. The movie came out when I was in my late twenties, but I first read the book in my teens. It was helpful to me because Charlie is an introvert, and a bit of a weird kid, and he sort of always feels out of place. But then he finds his tribe of weirdos, and they really help him get through the ups and downs of adolescence. It's sort of dark, sort of messy, sort of funny, and sort of beautiful. Just like life.
When I was growing up, my favorite teen movie was "American Graffiti." Summer is over and some are going on to college, others to the military, some to work. It was an innocent time, as this was set in 1962, 3 months before the assassination of John F. Kennedy. It has everything; all-star cast, great soundtrack, cruising the 'strip' in cool cars, dancing at a sock hop, and end-of-summer hi-jinx. It was not helpful to me at the time. I hadn't made it to high school yet. The movie makes me laugh still today, and the music is definitely nostalgic.
ReplyDeleteThe other movie I liked when I was in high school was "Carrie." That was a scary movie about an odd girl in high school who is bullied by her peers, then gets her retribution on prom night. Likewise, this movie wasn't much help. I was working at Bridgeman's Ice Cream Parlor that night, both junior and senior year. This was the movie that got me interested in Stephen King, and I own hard copies of all his books. Of course, I didn't go to either of these movies with my parents.
In 2001 when my daughter was 7, I brought her to see "Princess Diaries." She really liked it because she knew who Julie Andrews was. It has personal meaning for me because the following month I deployed to Saudi Arabia, and was gone for 7 months. The movie is cute. It was a coming of age/learning identity movie, and how to treat friends, type of movie. Much of the humor went over her head because when she saw it again later, and the 2nd one, the 1st one finally made sense. She is 23 now, and we can laugh about some of the movies we've seen together when she was growing up.
I really enjoy reading about everyone's favorite teen movies. Juno is definitely one of my favorite because of the perfect soundtrack and the goofy humor. I loved Juno as a character and appreciated all of the relationships portrayed throughout the movie. As a teen, it did help to see someone on screen who acted like me (and a movie that takes place in MN). I never had a kid in highschool but just seeing Juno's weird relationships with adults especially Jason Bateman's character who she is intending to give her baby to. It was very reminiscent of those kinds of "kid/adult" men that were somehow in my life at the time. Her support from her family and friends was also very sweet and I really loved that. I think parents could see a great example of still supporting their teen regardless of their choices.
ReplyDeleteI also ADORE the movie "Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl". The movie has the exact amount of artsyness to it that i like. It's goofy and beautifully shot. It helped me a lot even though I saw it in my late teens (19). When I was 13 my best friend died from cancer and went through a lot of the same things that the characters in this movie go through. I thought it was actually a very accurate representation of the experience, at least for me. I wish this movie could have come out sooner because I could have definitely used it when I was trying to cope with the loss of my friend. However, it still helped because once I saw it, I bawled, and then I felt a lot more healed. I think people could learn about the strange occurrence of losing a friend as a teen by watching this and seeing the ways in which families support or damage their teen through this process. I definitely recommend it!!
As a child I really love the movie the Parent Trap. I love the idea of twins switching places and living different lives. As a child of divorce it seemed like a dream of mine to map up a plan to bring my parents back together. Unfortunately we aren't as lucky as the twins in this movie. Their parents actually get back together and I'm not sure how often that happens. This movie shows the twins as having positive relationships with the parent they are living with. They can rely and trust their parent to love and take care of them always. However close the relationship is though, the parents weren't able to tell the twins apart when they switched lives. This makes me wonder how parents form positive relationships with twins and how they make both feel loved and equal. Overall, I thought this was a great movie that shows the strength and love of an ideal family.
ReplyDeleteOkay, let's not judge... But my favorite teen movie was Twilight! Even more embarrassing, I'm JUST starting to read the series and it's amazing and 10x better than the movies. But to talk about the movies, I'll say why I loved Twilight. I enjoyed watching the romantic relationship between Bella and Edward and then the conflict with choosing Edward or Jacob. There are two different family dynamics in the film. One important one is Edward's vampire family who is really close -- Esme acts as a mother to Bella and all of the siblings go to school with Edward and Bella. The other family relationship is the father-daughter struggle between Bella and her dad, Charlie. Throughout the series, Bella bonds well with her dad (she just moved back in with him after spending almost all of her life with her mom). It isn't until Bella has to cut ties with him when she becomes a vampire that she really screws up their relationship. She's always having to lie to her dad.
ReplyDeleteOverall, the Twilight series is fitting for teens because teens are always interested in romances. It was also relatable when Bella was depressed at one point because sometimes teenagers develop depression or mental illnesses and I think the movie helps get rid of that stigma. Furthermore, family and parent-child relationships are a big part of the films which is something teens can relate to.
My favorite teen movie HAS got to be the Hannah Montana movie. I was obsessed with Hannah Montana when I was in late elementary early middle school. Hannah / Miley was my idol. I grew up loving her... I even waited on the streets of NYC in the early morning to see her on Good Morning America when I was 12! She was a huge role model for me as someone to follow my dreams in becoming what I wanted. (Disclaimer, I realize that Miley Cyrus has not set the best example since that one performance at the VMAs or even since her album "Bangerz" came out... She is no longer my main source for inspiration however I am still a loyal fan!)
ReplyDeleteThe parent-child relationship in the Hannah Montana MOVIE (and even truly, throughout the show) is portrayed as a single, widowed father raising his two kids, Jackson and Miley. "Robby-Ray" does a fantastic job as playing the role as father, mother, and even Hannah's agent. We do see, however, some power struggles when it comes to Hannah or even Miley getting her way and Robby Ray often being permissive in those matters.
Overall, great show, great movie, a little bit cheesy now that I see it from an adult point of view, but boy did it have an affect on me when I was young - good and bad!
My favorite teen movie is... HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL!! the original first one is the best. I love this movie because it has to go with the struggles of being a star everyone knows you are and a hidden talent you may have. Troy Bolton and Gabriellas relationship was like.. amazing and i only dreamed to have something like that. It also shows the hard relationship between the father and Troy. The dad wanted to Troy to be the basketball star and leader but Troy wanted to be the singer. So that had a strain on their relationship which probably happens a lot when your dad is the coach of your team. Also the lunch room scenes were the best. I remember lunch being the highlight of the day in high school!
ReplyDeleteLove love love that movie!!
My favorite teen movie is... HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL!! the original first one is the best. I love this movie because it has to go with the struggles of being a star everyone knows you are and a hidden talent you may have. Troy Bolton and Gabriellas relationship was like.. amazing and i only dreamed to have something like that. It also shows the hard relationship between the father and Troy. The dad wanted to Troy to be the basketball star and leader but Troy wanted to be the singer. So that had a strain on their relationship which probably happens a lot when your dad is the coach of your team. Also the lunch room scenes were the best. I remember lunch being the highlight of the day in high school!
ReplyDeleteLove love love that movie!!
I definitely just double posted somehow.. don't ask.
Growing up, my favorite teen movie was Mean Girls. EVERYONE had seen it and it was quoted left and right. Even today, it is quoted constantly, probably as often if not more than other pop culture references from my generation like Spongebob. This definitely isn't the best movie to look to for guidance/support throughout high school, but there were some good guiding principles present. At one point, a teacher gathered all of the teenage girls in one room to hash everything out and talk about why they were acting the way they were; turning against each other rather than standing together. The main character, Cady, was forced to decide whether or not she should be popular and hurt those around her or if she would be bottom of the food chain and be happy. I think a lot of teenagers go through this struggle, I know that I did. I think it shed light on what it is really like to be in highschool while making a joke of it as well, which I believe made it more influential on teenagers rather than some documentary on bullying would.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite teen movies is "Now and Then". It's kind of an older film, it came out in 1995. It follows the friendship of four girls. The movie starts in modern times, when the women get together for Chrissy's baby shower, but the majority of it takes place when they were all teenagers in the 1970s. It's your classic coming-of-age film. The story is funny, touching, and very realistic. I think that a lot of young girls can relate to it because each character is unique.
ReplyDeleteThe movie also focuses on family relationships because each girl has a different family life. One girl, Chrissy, is very close to her mother and lives a very sheltered, naive life -- her mom is played by Bonnie Hunt and when she tries to explain sex to her daughter she uses a potted flower. A different girl, Samantha, experiences her parents divorce and then her mother's new boyfriend moves in. Teeny, the third friend, is a very independent girl and her parents are wealthy and never home. And the fourth friend is Roberta, whose mother died when she was 4 years old and is being raised by her father and two brothers. For this reason, Roberta is quite the tomboy.
The girls experience many different things throughout the movie and the viewer is able to see how they lean on each other through parental separation, first kisses, grieving from death, and puberty in general.
The film definitely evokes a "glad it's over" feeling for me because the girls are so awkward and uncomfortable in their early teen years. But I also love the movie because it showed me what tight female friendships should be like. It also gave me the reality check that childhood best friends will grow apart as they age, but they can still come together for special moments as adults.
One of my favorite teen movies is "John Tucker Must Die," which came out in 2006. This movie was a great selection when my friends and I would get together- funny, relative, and great to just laugh and enjoy the pranks the girls played on John Tucker. Watching this movie makes me so thankful that I am past the adolescence stage in my life!! The parent-teen relationship in this movie illustrates how the mother's involvement with not-so-great guys has impacted Kate, the main character, and how their relationship develops throughout the movie.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite teen movies were for sure the Twilight Saga. I can't even choose which of the movies is my favorite. I went to the midnight showing of each one and I even kept the ticket stubs for each time I went and saw them in theaters. I was absolutely obsessed. This movie series is about a human girl, Bella, who falls in love with a vampire, Edward (TEAM EDWARD). There are multiple differing aspects of these movies. The most prominent theme is romance for sure, but there are some family dynamics that can be found as well. Bella has a good relationship with her mother, though she seemed to be more of the parent in the relationship than her mother did. Her mother was free spirited and adventurous, while Bella was a lot more introverted. Bella and her father had a kind of awkward relationship, they didn't really know much about each other and they seemed to be very guarded while around each other. Although these movies are not primarily about family dynamics, if you look hard enough, you can see multiple themes are reoccurring characteristics.
ReplyDeleteI think that I was so obsessed with these movies because I was just beginning to learn about romance and fantasy when they were released. I read all the books and the thought of a very attractive, mysterious boy was alluring to me. I was really interested in romance and learning more about what relationships looked like overall. I think I looked at these movies as a set of guidelines for what relationships looked like and how you react while in one. Looking back, it seems a bit strange that I looked at a human and vampire couple as being an example for a healthy relationship! It's really interesting seeing what previous themes in my life looked like and how different I view things now.
I have literally seen the High School Musical movies so many times. I love the first movie but I also really love the second one. The third is ok. I'm not going to lie I know all of the dances to the songs throughout the movies. I don't know why I love these movies so much and I've never really taken the time to dive deep into the movies, I just love to dance and sing along. I think what I really love about the first movie in particular is that the kids get to express themselves in ways that may not be what is necessarily popular and they push themselves outside of their comfort zones by meeting kids in different friend groups.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite teen movies is 10 Things I Hate About You. If I'm being honest, the film itself probably wasn't a great influence on me during adolescence, due to the alcohol use, sexual activity, and general rebellious behavior. I think it made me feel as though I could partake in these semi-delinquent activities and get away with it. But looking back on it now, I think it motivated me, at least partially, to pursue my goals, even if they were things that my parents weren't completely supportive of. Additionally, it made me appreciate the relationship I had with my parents, due to the fact that the father in the film portrayed a rather authoritarian parenting style.
ReplyDeleteIn general, I didn't mind my adolescence, and I enjoyed high school. With that being said, I am definitely glad it is over because I think that my relationship with my parents, as well as with my brother, has strengthened since I left for school, and I now truly value the support they provided me with.
In watching the movie, one could learn that parenting style is very important, and that an authoritarian parenting style might not be as effective as authoritative parenting, and may even create a large void in the parent-child relationship. However, the film also shows how an open dialogue between parent and child could encourage the development of a positive and healthy parent-child relationship.
In class the movie that popped into my head immediately was Mean Girls. This is by far one of my all time favorite movies, it perfectly captures and amplifies what drama in high school feels like at times. The lunchroom scene shows that people in high school gravitate towards groups that they feel like they belong to. The main character struggles in finding what group she belongs to. She has met people that she really enjoys spending time with, but she also feels pressured to join the "Cool girls". Another interesting piece to the movie is how the main character interacts with her parents. She does in fact have loving and caring parents that trust her, and throughout the movie she drifts away from them. This mirrors reality in many ways, teens tend to struggle for independence against their parents. Even though this movie is dramatic and a comedy it holds true to so many things about adolescence life. Also, aside from the academic piece, it is an amazing movie that everyone should experience at least once!
ReplyDeleteWhat is your favorite film about teens? Why? (No judgment). Was it helpful to you when you were a teen? Does it evoke painful/'glad its over' memories, or does it just make you laugh - or fall in love all over again? And what, if anything, would someone watching the film learn about parent-teen relationships?
ReplyDeleteGoing through middle school there was one thing that made my imagination soar along with my confidence, and that was the Harry Potter Series. I went to every movie premier (at least when I was a teen) and dressed up and laughed and cried. The movies and the books impacted me in so many ways that I'm just starting to recognize. I can remember how empowered I felt because there were strong female characters like Hermione Granger and Molly Weasley. With those strong female role models and I'm sure my dream to be a brave Gryffindor I started to participate in activities that were seen as a bit crazy, such as airsoft/paintball and rugby. The movies and books helped to empower myself and they helped me to escape the tough realities of being a teen. I remember staying after school in the library reading for hours just trying to get a taste of a world far far away from where I was. I loved those moments of magic. Remembering those series and the time when I had first read the books makes me so happy and reminds me of how much I still adore the series and all the characters.
In terms of parent-child relationship I think there is a lot that can be observed. Harry's parents died protecting him which shows how much love parents have for their children. However, Harry's aunt, uncle and cousin who took him in treated him horribly, which might be unusual for a family member to actively reject another family member. The series did more to promote that family is more than blood relatives but instead often comes in many different packages. Harry finds his family through his friends, his friend's family, his teachers and mentors. JK Rowling really displayed that raising a child takes an entire village and that if you look, you will find that the people you surround yourself with have become your family.
My favorite movie about teens has to be Easy A. I wouldn't necessarily say it was helpful for me as a teen, but it definitely showed me that other teens had bigger problems than I did. It makes me laugh to think about how different people's lives were than mine in high school. For the most part I was quiet and outspoken compared to my peers. As I think back to high school, I am definitely glad I am not in there anymore. I'm glad I no longer have to deal with the school drama that was created by the popular kids, how much I was picked on for being a section leader in my high school band, who slept with who, or whose dad bought them a brand new car for their 16th birthday. High school wasn’t a terrible experience but it is definitely something I don’t want to relive again.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite parts about Easy A has to be how her parents reacted to the situation. Her parents were incredibly supportive of whatever she did. They were there to guide her, not question her motives for how she chose to live, and they supported her every step of the way. They even shared their own experiences as teens and young adults to help guide through her experiences as a teen. I really admired how they treated her as a young adult capable of making her own decisions. I think the movie shows how parent-teen interactions can vary from family to family.
My favorite teen movie has to be "Ten Things I Hate About You"! Just to clarify, I am not talking about the horrible 2009 TV show remake, I am referring to the 1999 film. This movie is hilarious, and though dramatized for entertainment the film does a great job at depicting family, school, and love in adolescence.
ReplyDeleteYoung beautiful Julia Stiles, Jason Gordon-Levitt, and Heath Ledger make the audience fall in love with their characters as they depict the struggles of early adolescence. This teen movie brings up many major topics like the need for adolescent freedom, sex, parent-child conflict, etc. This movie does make me think about my adolescence in a good way. Though I'd probably never go back to HS, the movie still makes me think fondly about the situations you only get to go through once in HS. If you like cheesy 90's movies, this one is worth watching. I promise you'll enjoy it!
I'm not really sure if these count as teen movies, but when I was a teen they were my favorite (and let's face it still are): the Harry Potter films. Having grown up reading these books, it was so fun to see them bought to life on the big screen. While there obviously wasn't a lot of emphasis on parent-child relationships for Harry, it still taught a lot. The stories showed the importance of having nurturing, warm caregivers (so not the Dursley's). It showed the innate need we all have to love and be loved. Harry Potter also taught me that the people we see as parents don't necessarily have to be the mom and the dad that gave birth to us; Harry finds a mother in Mrs. Weasley, and Professor McGonnagal, and finds a father in Hagrid, Sirius, and Dumbledore to some extent. As an audience we also do not know much about Hermione's relationship with her parents, but there are hundreds of pages about Ron's family and his mother and father. With them, we see a "traditional" mom (someone who cooks and cleans and takes care of a lot of children) and father (Arthur works a government job, comes home for dinner, is the breadwinner, etc.). I always liked how Rowling put these two very different family experiences in juxtaposition, because it allowed us to see the best and worst of each one. She showed that not all families are the same, and though we do not all come from the same backgrounds we can all still relate to one another. I fell in love with these books/movies really young and was able to learn a lot of lessons from them because of it, so yes it was helpful to me as a teen. Interestingly, I shared these stories with my parents, and so as I was growing up they became stories we all enjoyed together, and undoubtedly brought us closer.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite teen movie's, adult level, has to be American Pie. There are so many funny scenes and I love how the guys try to come up with a plan to get prom dates for their senior prom and lose their virginity. Tons of laughs throughout and even shows how it's not as easy to get laid. There are even some great parent interaction between Jim and his dad when he decides to try and give him about advice about sex. The awkwardness just makes you think about how awkward it was when you first had to talk to your parents about sex.
ReplyDeleteA favorite teen movie of mine has to be Dazed and Confused. While the movie doesn't have much of a plot-it really is just teenagers, well, being teenagers, it does offer some remarkably memorable lines such as Matthew McConaughey saying, "That's what I love about these high school girls, man. I get older, they stay the same age." Going off that, I think one of the reasons I like it too is because it features several now prominent actors in their early years. There's McConaughey, like I mentioned, as well as a young Ben Affleck. Really, this movie captures the teen spirit quite well. There's the younger teens being initiated/pressured into stereotypical adolescent behavior such as drugs, sex, and rock 'n' roll (it's set in the 70's) by the older teens. And that's really it. Like I said, it isn't a movie with a lot of depth to it, but it does capture the lures of teenage rebellion and recklessness quite well.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite movies that has teens is the movie RV. It’s one of those movies that never gets old and there are certain parts that continue to keep me laughing. It has Robin Williams in it and is about a family that goes on a trip in an RV. There are two teens in the family. One of the teens, a boy, is a lot smaller compared to his peers and tries to lift weights to get strong so that people will look up to him. He struggles throughout the movie and gets picked on by others. I connected to this because when I was a teen, I was always smaller than everyone else and looked a lot younger. Also, the movie shows that relationships with parents and teens can be difficult. Even though it can be difficult, those difficulties can be overcome and can bring a family together.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite teen movie was the Lizzie McGuire movie! Its about a teenage girl (Lizzie) who goes on a school trip to Rome and is mistaken for a pop music icon and then is transformed into a star, while also falling in love with her music star partner. As a young teenager this movie evoked feelings of Happiness, joy and freedom for me because I too wanted to escape my world, travel the word and have a week of fame. I was an awkward nerdy teenager who wasn't in the "in" crowd, but wasn't in the "out" crowd either and I felt like I didn't belong anywhere. I also had a pestering brother who wanted to make my life impossible by trying to ruin my life or so I thought. Overall, Lizzie's parent-child relationship brings back memories of my relationship with my overly attached and loving mother during my teenage years. This relationship changed when I began college because of our differences in opinion (politically & religiously) and me asserting my own independence and freedom to explore the world on my own terms.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite teen movies is Juno. I felt that for the time, the movie explored controversial topics that weren't generally discussed. I was around thirteen when the film came out, and no one around me talked about teen pregnancies beyond "Don't have sex!!!". However, not only did Juno tackle this taboo topic, but also the option of adoption. SPOILER: Juno ends up giving her baby up for adoption, and the film depicts how this doesn't always have to be a traumatizing event. Juno is secure with her decision and the woman who ends up adopting the baby is competent enough for the role. Beyond all of this, it was just a great movie that I hadn't thought of in a few years; I highly recommend!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite film about teens is The Way Way Back. Duncan is a 14 year old boy who dislikes his mothers boyfriend Trent (played by Steve Carrell). They are staying at Trent’s summer home when Duncan makes friends with a peer neighbor Susanna and Owen, the manager of the local waterpark. Duncan works at the waterpark and learns valuable skills from Owen and other cohorts. I think this would be helpful to teens going through a parent’s divorce or dating situation, because they would find it relatable and find it comforting to see Duncan’s awkward way of handling the situation. It shows the difficult side of parent child relationships, because it shows conflict during adolescence. I like that it shows what can happen when a third party is introduced (moms boyfriend) and gives the child an opportunity to figure out that relationship for themselves. In this case, Duncan was able to stand up for himself and his mom when he didn’t find Trent suitable for his family.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite teen film was/still is Princess Diaries. I think I watched I connected to it more as a pre teen than I teen, but the movie is set in a high school and the main character is 17. While the main hurdle of the movie is that Amelia, the main character finds out that she is a princess which is totally unrealistic, at the same time it demonstrates the overall struggle that can take place being a teenage female. Through gender socialization, which we have touched on in this class, there is a lot of pressure to act a certain way (for both genders). As we get older, hopefully, it gets easier to outwardly be ourselves. Princess Diaries really exemplifies the social pressure to fit into a certain mold at this age, as we have been discussing in class recently. I think this movie also shows the difficulty we can have as young people connecting to our older family members. Amelia has a hard time at first being able to connect with her grandmother, who also just so happens to be the Queen. As hard as it can be, Princess Diaries also shows the benefits of this valuable connection once/if it does take place.
ReplyDeleteI also have to say that my favorite teen movies are the Princess Diaries as well. Mia is portrayed as a kind of geeky, but individual person. Her mother is constantly supportive of her and the lifestyle she lives, but also finds creative outlets for them to do together (like throwing paint at the walls together). Mia's grandmother, the queen, is also very supportive of Mia and presents herself as a powerful female figure which is something that I have always admired about the film. The movie easily could've been Mia's grandfather as the king, however having a strong woman in the movie is very empowering for young girls. A second thing I love about these movies is that Mia is supposed to be married to be queen, however she takes her life into her own hands and knows that she does not need to be married or have a man in her life to do great things. I think that is a great message for young girls watching these films.
ReplyDeleteI also have to say that my favorite teen movies are the Princess Diaries as well. Mia is portrayed as a kind of geeky, but individual person. Her mother is constantly supportive of her and the lifestyle she lives, but also finds creative outlets for them to do together (like throwing paint at the walls together). Mia's grandmother, the queen, is also very supportive of Mia and presents herself as a powerful female figure which is something that I have always admired about the film. The movie easily could've been Mia's grandfather as the king, however having a strong woman in the movie is very empowering for young girls. A second thing I love about these movies is that Mia is supposed to be married to be queen, however she takes her life into her own hands and knows that she does not need to be married or have a man in her life to do great things. I think that is a great message for young girls watching these films.
ReplyDeleteI am well aware that this is an awful movie, but when I was a teen my favorite teen-parent movie was Freaky Friday with Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis. The two switch bodies after a night of fighting and enter into a week full of conflicts. Lindsay Lohan plays a rebellious teen with an attitude and loud mouth. I was kind of like her, and it was interesting to see a teen like me interact with their parents in a different way. Her parents are 'older' parents, so she doesn't get along with them well. At the same time they are mature and have their life in order so they attempt to handle her attitude in a mature way (they don't do a great job at it though). My parents are 'younger' parents. We usually got along okay when I was a teenager - I didn't mind going out to dinner or a movie with them or having a board game night. At the same time, they were not as mature in their parenting as Lindsay Lohan's in Freaky Friday so our conflicts were a lot more complex and difficult to resolve. I also liked it because she could play guitar really good and I always wanted to do that.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite teen movie would definitely be High School Musical! Doesn't everyone just love singing along to the lyrics? I don't think it taught me too much about high school considering no one was singing and dancing throughout the halls, but looking back it does show teenagers that they don't have to "stick to the status quo" and be themselves. Someone watching the film would be able to see that when a parent isn't supportive it can put a strain on the parent-child relationship. In the movie Troy's dad doesn't approve of him doing anything but basketball which resulted in arguments and secrets between the father and son.
ReplyDeleteOkay so I think I have a tie of favorite teen movies, I love Mean Girls! I mean honestly I don't really know how anyone could not love that movie! I know it was a comedy and really dramatized what it's like to be a girl in high school. BUT I think it hit on some really big points too. I think Amy Pohler's motherly character was a great offset of Tina Fey's no-nonsense supportive teaching role. And I think that Kati's relationship with her parents was a pretty accurate representation on parent's struggling with any teen who is changing, growing, and finding themselves. They had a close relationship until they moved back to the states where Kati is thrown into a new environment and works to fit in. I mean the movie is AWESOME!
ReplyDeleteALSO, I love Juno! I think it does have some humor, but shows a pretty normal modern family, dad, step-mom, daughter and how their relationship functions when Juno gets pregnant. I love how supportive Juno's dad is throughout her pregnancy and decision to give her baby up for adoption. I think also it's huge how it highlights the adoptive parents relationship with each other and their child and the adoptive mom's relationship with the birth mother.
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ReplyDeleteRepost: One of my favorite teen movies is Juno. I felt that for the time, the movie explored controversial topics that weren't generally discussed. I was around thirteen when the film came out, and no one around me talked about teen pregnancies beyond "Don't have sex!!!". However, not only did Juno tackle this taboo topic, but also the option of adoption. SPOILER: Juno ends up giving her baby up for adoption, and the film depicts how this doesn't always have to be a traumatizing event. Juno is secure with her decision and the woman who ends up adopting the baby is competent enough for the role. Beyond all of this, it was just a great movie that I hadn't thought of in a few years; I highly recommend!
ReplyDeletePerhaps a bit expected, but one of my favorite teen movies (and my mother's apparently) is "Boyz N The Hood." Not only is this the film which the first portion of my first name originates from, it's also one that I felt each time that I watched it I could relate more and more to--especially the greater in age I've became. Beyond just a shared name, the protagonist and I have experienced similar life-defining and character-shaping events (albeit if some portrayed in the film I feel are a bit clichéd). What resonates most with me is the protagonist and the other cast of characters' goal of being the best example(s) of themselves that they can be, and how their perception of such is influenced by the harsh realities of environment in which they life in.
ReplyDeleteHands down, my favorite teen movie is (not was) Mean Girls, I used to watch that movie EVERY night before I went to bed when I was in middle school on my iPod touch that Santa got me for Christmas that year (I was forced to believe in Santa by my parents because of my younger brother). I was afraid of the dark and would watch it until I fell asleep on my own. I can probably quote that entire movie today and it is slightly embarrassing when I do it in front of others. Although I did not understand all of the jokes when I was so innocent and pure in middle school, it just makes it even funnier when I watch it now. Although most of the parent-child relationships are not real or illustrate poor parent-child relationships (Regina George and her mother played by Amy Poehler, for example), Cady's relationship with her parents one that shows mutual respect as well as their readjustment to American life after spending the past years in Africa. This movie doesn't really make me reflect back on my own experience, but just like in the movies my high school had highly segregated "cliques" that were probably not as strict as they are in Mean Girls, but they did cause a plethora of issues among the community of students.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite teen movie is 'Stuck in Love.' It's about a dad trying to reconnect with his two children following his divorce. The dad himself is a writer and has always pushed his children to write everything that happens to them down in journals. He wants nothing more than for them to see the value writing can have in someones life like it did for them. The movie in general is a romantic comedy and follows the love lives of both children and the dad himself as well as the ex-wife/ children's mother. Every time I watch this movie I fall in love with it all over again. I think it really resonates with me because my dad also translated some of his experiences on to me and my brothers. For example, after he moved out to Minnesota when I was in high school he became obsessive over me going to college out here--- and here I am. I think people watching this film would learn that parent-teen relationships are rarely perfect and both the parents and children make so many mistakes a long the way. In the movie, everything works out and people are generally happy in the end, and I'd like to believe that is what happens in real life too.
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