Uglies review – Netflix’s drab and dated YA dystopian mess is not pretty
Fitting In review – rare biological condition gets thrown into typical teen movie mix
April 2024
How we made
‘We shot it in the murder capital of the world’ … how we made The Lost Boys
‘I had no interest in teen vampire films and turned it down five times. But Joel Schumacher promised I wouldn’t have to wear the makeup and teeth, or have to fly around. Of course, he lied’
November 2023
‘We all knew what we were getting into!’ Gross-out lesbian comedy Bottoms and its audacious director
Emma Seligman reveals how she made this outrageous romp about schoolgirls setting up a fight club in order to bed cheerleaders – and explains why a ‘really gay’ Marvel movie might be next
January 2023
Stream team
Blue Crush at 20: the teen film that inspired a generation of surfers
Flipping the script on the macho sports films of its time, this 2002 classic about a bunch of wave-chasing friends knows what it’s like to be a teenage girl
September 2022
Do Revenge review – biting Netflix comedy updates Strangers on a Train
Camila Mendes and Maya Hawke play teens swapping revenge plots in this enjoyable, if overlong, throwback teen comedy
July 2022
Hello, Goodbye and Everything in Between review – charming Netflix romance
The streamer’s latest YA offering from the producers of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is a surprising romcom winner
May 2022
Along for the Ride review – Netflix teen romance is missing a spark
The latest film from To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before scribe Sofia Alvarez hits the beats of a rom-com without much heart or heat
March 2022
Turning Red celebrates how pop fandom shapes our lives for the better
Maria Sherman
Pixar’s new film is a refreshingly respectful exploration of how much teenage girls invest in their pop idols – and what they get in return
December 2021
Top US films 2021
The 50 best films of 2021 in the US, No 7: Licorice Pizza
Paul Thomas Anderson’s funniest film yet makes stars of newcomers Cooper Hoffman and Alana Haim as unlikely lovers in 1970s LA
March 2021
The Adventures of Wolfboy review – charm and vulnerability in magical realism fable
There are lovely performances in this teen drama tackling dysphoria, that a kid wrestling with their identity will treasure
Mark Kermode's film of the week
Moxie review – upbeat defiance wins out in Amy Poehler's rebel girl comedy
A quiet student finds her voice in print, battling everyday sexism at her high school in Poehler’s forthright but fun #MeToo drama
The stage on screen
Sarah Plays a Werewolf: a biting drama about theatre and teenage terror
Katharina Wyss’s film features a phenomenal debut from Loane Balthasar as an adolescent who uses theatre to both escape – and express – her demons
February 2021
The Sinners review – inept teen horror dead on arrival
The Map of Tiny Perfect Things review – charming time loop romcom
Peter Bradshaw's film of the week
Slalom review – abuse on the slopes in tense teen ski prodigy drama
Winter Flies review – teen tearaways ride their luck with a smile
January 2021
Stream team
Ladies and Gentleman, the Fabulous Stains: teenage Diane Lane and Laura Dern rock punk
This long-buried gem from 1982 about a teen-girl punk band subverts the great rock’n’roll swindle of the Sex Pistols
December 2020
Best films of 2020
The 50 best films of 2020 in the UK, No 6: Rocks
This fun, vibrant drama about a young girl thrust into adulthood – led by a supercharged non-professional cast – bursts from the screen with creativity and passion
November 2020
Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie’s Dead Aunt) review – delightful and distinctive queer romcom
Monica Zanetti’s new film is distinctively Australian without being annoying about it, steering clear of tropes – and bringing some big laughs
