Sifting through all the teen-targeted drivel to find a movie like this week's Mean Girls, which offers a smart, engaging story without talking down to its audience, wasn't easy. Here are some other movies from the last few years that high schoolers of all ages should check out:
Can't Hardly Wait (1998)
The best movie John Hughes never made, with writer-directors Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan channeling the king of '80s teen flicks in an ensemble comedy about the greatest of high school rites of passage: the graduation party. Elfont and Kaplan bring their archetypes to life, from nerds to the popular kid to the hilarious lily-white hip-hopper played by Seth Green. Old-school all the way, right down to the title cards at the end detailing what happened to each character after the movie ended. Sadly, a total box-office flop, as was Elfont and Kaplan's follow-up, the sly adaptation of Josie and the Pussycats.
10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
A loose adaptation of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, featuring Julia Stiles before she was trying to be Julia Roberts, Heath Ledger before he was trying to be Russell Crowe, and Larisa Oleynik and Joseph Gordon-Levitt before they needed to beg for work. The Bard provides a solid framework, of course, but writers Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith (who were also responsible for the smarter-than-it-needed-to-be screenplay for Legally Blonde) put together sharp, modern dialogue and characters who don't play into stereotypes. Also features the great Larry Miller as the typically disgruntled dad.
Bring It On (2000)
The definitive movie about cheerleaders and one of the best movies of 2000 (no, really) for one simple reason: It takes its subjects seriously. Not to say that this is a serious film, but it's perhaps the only teen movie ever to position the head cheerleader (played wonderfully by teen queen Kirsten Dunst) as smart, capable and not a self-absorbed bitch. Director Peyton Reed has a great sense of fun, the film has a good message without being preachy, and it will make you like cheerleaders even if they relentlessly picked on you.
Get Over It (2001)
Another Kirsten Dunst vehicle with "it" in the title, this was lost in the sea of generic teen flicks flooding the multiplex at the time, but it has a certain unassuming charm. Dunst enlivened many a teen flick in her day, and this is no exception. The star-crossed romance is pretty basic, but director Tommy O'Haver throws in musical numbers and Martin Short as a loopy drama teacher to add a little flair.