60 Fun Facts About Teen Movie

In The Breakfast Club, what punishment brings the five students together on a Saturday?

Each must write a 1,000-word essay on who they think they are; the finished essay gives the film its closing narration.

Which actor was first cast as Bender in The Breakfast Club, then switched to Andrew Clark?

The Bender role came down to Judd Nelson and John Cusack.

The Breakfast Club was shot entirely at a real closed high school in which state?

Maine North High School in Des Plaines had shut down three years earlier; the film cost only $1 million.

What nickname did the media give the young actors of The Breakfast Club and similar mid-80s films?

The name riffed on Sinatra's Rat Pack and the actors mostly hated it.

Clueless is loosely adapted from which Jane Austen novel?

Director Amy Heckerling relocated the 1815 matchmaker to Beverly Hills.

Where did Clueless director Amy Heckerling first spot Alicia Silverstone?

Silverstone had made only one previous film, the thriller The Crush.

What is the name of the 'clueless' transfer student Cher makes her project?

She was played by Brittany Murphy, and she falls for skateboarding slacker Travis Birkenstock.

Where did Heckerling sit in on classes to research the slang for Clueless?

The film's fictional school is named Bronson Alcott High.

Mean Girls was written by which Saturday Night Live alumna?

She also plays maths teacher Ms. Norbury; the film was based on a nonfiction parenting book.

What is the name of the clique ruled by Regina George?

Its other members are the insecure gossip Gretchen Wieners and the airheaded Karen Smith.

In Mean Girls, what is the scrapbook of insults about classmates and teachers called?

Cady begins writing in it after joining the group as a spy for Janis.

Where had Cady Heron been homeschooled for twelve years before Mean Girls begins?

Her fictional school, North Shore High, was based on schools in Evanston and New Trier outside Chicago.

Which Mean Girls cast member made her feature film debut in it?

She played Karen, who can predict the weather with her breasts.

Although Mean Girls is set in suburban Chicago, where was it mostly filmed?

The stage musical version opened on Broadway in 2018 and got its own film in 2024.

What car belonging to Cameron's father does Ferris Bueller borrow for the day?

Two parking attendants take it on a joyride, and the odometer becomes the day's great problem.

What is the name of the dean of students obsessed with catching Ferris?

He ends the film hitching a ride on a school bus after being chased by the Buellers' Rottweiler.

Ferris lip-syncs to 'Twist and Shout' on a float during which Chicago event?

He also mimes Wayne Newton's 'Danke Schoen' on the same float.

How long did John Hughes take to write the Ferris Bueller screenplay?

He called the film his love letter to Chicago.

In Sixteen Candles, why does Samantha's family forget her birthday?

The film was John Hughes's directorial debut, and he lobbied to get its initial R rating cut to PG.

Who plays Samantha Baker in Sixteen Candles?

It began her run of three Hughes films in a row, followed by The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink.

Pretty in Pink takes its title from a song by which band?

OMD's 'If You Leave' from the same soundtrack reached number four in the US.

What is the nickname of Andie's devoted best friend in Pretty in Pink, played by Jon Cryer?

James Spader plays the sneering rich kid Steff.

10 Things I Hate About You is a modern take on which Shakespeare comedy?

The school is named Padua High, after the play's setting.

Who plays Patrick Verona, the bad boy paid to date Kat in 10 Things I Hate About You?

He was cast only three and a half weeks before shooting began in Tacoma and Seattle.

How did Cameron Crowe research the book behind Fast Times at Ridgemont High?

Cameron Crowe enrolled at Clairemont High in San Diego; the film was Amy Heckerling's directing debut.

Which perpetually stoned surfer does Sean Penn play in Fast Times at Ridgemont High?

His nemesis is history teacher Mr. Hand, played by Ray Walston.

Which two future stars made their feature-film debuts in Fast Times at Ridgemont High?

Whitaker and Edwards also appear early in their careers, but had acted on film before.

Danny and Sandy attend which school in Grease?

Sandy is an Australian transfer student because Olivia Newton-John was, and the accent stayed.

What is the name of Kenickie's car in Grease?

He plans to restore it to drag race at Thunder Road.

Grease's soundtrack was the second-best-selling album of 1978 in the US, behind which other soundtrack?

Both films starred John Travolta.

Dazed and Confused takes place on the last day of school in which year?

Richard Linklater based it on his own teens in Huntsville, Texas, and lifted real names for the characters.

Which Dazed and Confused actor became the film's breakout star as the too-old-for-high-school Wooderson?

The character heads to Houston at the end for Aerosmith tickets.

What was American Pie's working title during filming?

The original script title ran to a full sentence about being made for under $10 million.

What rating did American Pie initially receive from the MPAA before edits?

It went on to gross $235.5 million on a $10 million budget.

In Superbad, what mononym appears on Fogell's fake ID?

The ID lists Hawaii as his home state, which is where the clerk gets suspicious.

Superbad's writers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg based it on their own teens at a school in which city?

The main characters share the writers' first names; Rogen ended up playing a cop instead of Seth.

Easy A was partly inspired by which 19th-century novel?

Olive stitches a red A onto her clothes after a rumour about her virginity spreads.

Heathers is set at Westerburg High School in a fictional town in which state?

Screenwriter Daniel Waters originally wanted Stanley Kubrick to direct it.

In Heathers, which of the Heathers is the ruthless queen bee?

Winona Ryder's Veronica is the only member of the clique not called Heather.

What does Josie Geller do for a living before going undercover at a high school in Never Been Kissed?

She works at the Chicago Sun-Times and ends the film waiting on a baseball field for a kiss.

She's All That is a modern adaptation of which George Bernard Shaw play?

Zack bets he can turn art student Laney Boggs into prom queen in six weeks.

Cruel Intentions retells which 18th-century French novel among rich New York teenagers?

Kathryn stands to win Sebastian's vintage Jaguar XK140 if he loses the bet.

In Bring It On, the Toros discover their routines were stolen from which rival squad?

Gabrielle Union plays their captain, Isis.

In Say Anything..., which Peter Gabriel song does Lloyd Dobler play on the boombox under Diane's window?

John Cusack resisted the scene at first, thinking Lloyd would never be so theatrical.

Napoleon Dynamite lives in which small Idaho town?

It was filmed at the town's real high school in 2003 and premiered at Sundance the next year.

Which vehicle does Uncle Rico live in when he arrives in Napoleon Dynamite?

He and Kip go door to door selling plastic tubs in a get-rich-quick scheme.

In Twilight, Bella moves from Phoenix to which small town in Washington state?

The film itself was shot in Oregon and grossed $412 million.

What is Lady Bird's given name in Greta Gerwig's film?

She goes back to using it at the end, after arriving in New York.

Booksmart was the feature directing debut of which actress?

Beanie Feldstein was Golden Globe-nominated for it.

In To All the Boys I've Loved Before, who mails out Lara Jean's secret love letters?

The Netflix film launched a trilogy and the spin-off series XO, Kitty.

Rebel Without a Cause was released how soon after James Dean's fatal car crash?

It was the only film in which Dean received top billing.

What Los Angeles landmark hosts both a school field trip and the climax of Rebel Without a Cause?

Jim persuades Plato to trade his gun for the famous red jacket there.

In Footloose, Ren McCormack moves from Chicago to a small town in which state?

The town of Bomont has banned dancing and rock music; the story drew on a real Oklahoma town.

In Freaky Friday (2003), what causes the mother and daughter to swap bodies?

Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan returned for the 2025 sequel Freakier Friday.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower was directed by whom?

He refused to sell the film rights unless he could write and direct it himself.

In The Edge of Seventeen, Nadine's life unravels when her best friend starts dating whom?

Woody Harrelson plays the deadpan teacher she confides in.

In which Minnesota town is the pregnant teenager Juno MacGuff's story set?

Diablo Cody won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay; Elliot Page, then 20, was nominated for Best Actress.

In The Karate Kid, Daniel LaRusso moves from New Jersey to which Los Angeles neighbourhood?

Director John G. Avildsen had made Rocky, and Columbia wanted a similar underdog story; Pat Morita earned an Oscar nomination as Mr. Miyagi.

In Risky Business, which car belonging to Joel's father ends up in Lake Michigan?

Tom Cruise's Joel is meant to be interviewing for Princeton, his father's alma mater, while running a brothel out of the family home.

Bill and Ted's time machine takes the form of what?

Rufus, played by George Carlin, brings it back to San Dimas in 1988 to make sure the pair pass history class and keep their band Wyld Stallyns alive.