Five Must-See Teen Movies From The 2000s
Five Must-See Movies From The 2000s. From Bring It On to Mean Girls, the 2000s had some of the best teen movies that ever graced the big screen.
Nothing gets me in the best mood like a high school movie from the 2000s. There are so many good 2000s movies from sci-fi thrillers like Freaky Friday to drama films like Princess Diaries. It was hard to choose but these are a few of my favorite coming-of-age teen movies from one of the greatest teen film eras.
Mean Girls (2004)
Mean Girls is one of the most iconic movies from the 2000s and is personally one of my favorite movies of all time. Lindsay Lohan who plays Cady Heron gets a hard lesson of what it’s like being an American teenage girl after having spent her whole life homeschooled in Africa. Cady Heron's social life gets a huge makeover when she is chosen to be a part of the hottest clique in high school, The Plastics. This 2004 comedy film is filled with so many memorable scenes, like when the Plastics perform at the Christmas talent show or when Janis gives Cady a breakdown of all the social groups at their high school. And even if you have never seen the film, I’m sure you’ve heard one of its many quotable lines. Such as “You Don’t Even Go Here,” “On Wednesdays We Wear Pink,” “That is so fetched,’” If you’re from Africa, why are you white?” You go, Glen Coco!” and so many others. If you haven't seen Mean Girls or feel like reminiscing, listen to our first-ever podcast episode where we recap this iconic film.
2. John Tucker Must Die (2006)
If you like films where a group of girls get together to inflict pain on a well-deserving serial cheater, then John Tucker Must Die is the perfect film for you. This film is about a group of teenage girls who plot to break the heart of John Tucker, the school’s basketball star after they find out he’s been secretly dating each girl. Most teenage movies involve some popular guy accepting a bet to turn the loser girl at school into a prom queen, but this is one of the few films of its type that we see the girls scheming instead. And I love that! This is a fun movie to watch, relax, and be entertained. Also, a scruffy younger Penn Badgley is in it and he’s not playing a serial killer so you can gush over him without feeling guilty.
3. Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (2004)
Lindsay Lohan stars in another 2000s teen comedy movie, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen. That girl was a teenage drama queen on and off the big screen and Lohan is a legend for it. In this film, Lohan plays Lola, an aspiring teenage actress, whose dream of making it big is setback when her family moves from New York City to the suburbs of New Jersey. Don’t let the rotten tomatoes rating fool you, this movie is lovely and enjoyable. Lola accomplishes every teenage girl's dream of meeting her favorite boy band, fights for attention with the school’s popular girl who is played by Meghan Fox and achieves her dream of becoming a star.
4. Sleepover (2004)
Everyone loves an underdog story and Sleepover the 2004 teen film starring Alexa PenaVega is just that. PenVega who plays Julie is desperate to upgrade her social status when she and her friends agree to take part in an all-night scavenger hunt against the popular clique in their high school. Julie’s crew though lovely girls are not THOSE girls at their high school so when they are given the chance to secure the most exclusive lunch table at their school by winning the scavenger hunt, they don't pass up the opportunity. The girls must do things like steal a pair of boxers from the hottest guy at their school, change the clothes of a store mannequin, and sneak into a nightclub. Check out this film if you want to see the outcasts win and Evan Peters playing someone happy.
5. Bring It On (2000)
Bring It On is another great teen movie that came out of the 2000s era. Bring it On starring Kristen Dunst as Torrance and Gabrielle Union as Isis are cheerleading captains of rival schools. Torrance is distraught when she discovers that the Torros' previous captain stole all of their routines from Isis’s cheer squad the East Compton Clovers. And chaos ensues when the Clovers say no more and the Torros must actually come up with their own original routine. GASP. Not only did this film address cultural appropriation before we were addressing cultural appropriation, but this film also launched a cheer franchise. Stars like Solange, Christina Milian, Hayden Panettiere, and many others have joined the cast over the years to shoot their shot of being as amazing as the original. But there is only one number one. Bring It On still to this day is a fan favorite and a staple of its generation. Check out our Bring It On podcast episode where we recap this iconic film.