Two 80s teen dramas made overnight stars of a band of young actors including Molly Ringwald, Demi Moore and Rob Lowe – and Andrew McCarthy, whose new documentary looks back on those years
September 2022
Catherine Called Birdy review – the perils of medieval teendom in Lena Dunham’s sparkling comedy
Bella Ramsey, ex-Game of Thrones, is all mischief in Dunham’s inspired adaptation of Karen Cushman’s YA classic
November 2021
How we made
‘Tom Cruise was an intense kid’: How Francis Ford Coppola made The Outsiders
‘I was famous for casting unknown actors. I had Nicolas Cage, Robert Downey Jr and Matt Dillon in a circle watching each other try for parts’
June 2021
Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie’s Dead Aunt) review – lesbian romcom could do better
Well-intentioned gay coming-of-age ghost story haunted by a naive storyline and an easily avoided 15 certificate
October 2020
Grand Army review – no kidding about for Netflix's troubled teens
The streamer’s Gen Z drama series is no Breakfast Club, incorporating everything from toxic relationships to terrorism in ambitious fashion
August 2020
Babyteeth review – teen illness drama earns its emotional impact
Perfect 10 review – teen drama marks the arrival of a special talent
November 2019
Bilched review – coming-of-age teen dramedy with authentic attitude
19-year-old Hal Cumpston’s punchy film depicts a universe of scallywags in which the acquisition of alcohol and pot are tasks of monumental significance
April 2019
Shazam! review – likable teen superhero flick
A 14-year-old boy becomes a superpowered man at the click of his fingers – japes, of course, ensue
March 2019
Five Feet Apart review – sickly teen romance mopes to morbid conclusion
A pair of lovestruck hospital patients trade love letters and latex gloves in cinema’s latest exercise in mawkishness
July 2018
Pent-up emotions: how Flowers in the Attic inspired today’s female writers
A new TV drama, Sharp Objects, is the latest work of fiction that owes a debt to Virginia Andrews’s fevered 80s bestseller
March 2018
Midnight Sun review – no toe left uncurled
This earnestly acted teen-abstinence sob-fest reduces a medical condition that makes sun exposure fatal into a quirky foil for a high-school romance
December 2017
Wonder review – nuanced young adult tale
Strong performances and shifting viewpoints steer the story of a disfigured boy overcoming bullying clear of mawkishness
November 2017
Fireworks review – anime romance sparkles with strangeness
This disorientating teen tale – think Japan’s answer to Sliding Doors – follows the divided destinies of three characters in wholly un-Hollywood style
July 2017
Pretty in pink – or navy or red: how teens choose their prom dresses
It used to be the stuff of Hollywood films, but prom is now an unmissable end-of-school celebration for many British teenagers. We talk to young women about the search for the dream frock
May 2017
Spaceship review – unconvincing teen adventure
Poor dialogue and plotting hamper this neon-toned alien abduction feature
November 2016
Girls Lost review – a pointed, complicated trans identity parable
Three schoolgirls are magically turned into boys in this ambiguous Swedish teen fantasy, which might remind you of Lukas Moodysson’s films
October 2016
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children review – return to Burtonworld
A young adult novel of time loops and paranormal teenagers is adapted in classic Tim Burton fashion
April 2016
First look review
All This Panic review: a remarkably intimate portrait of female youth
For three years, director Jenny Gage and her cinematographer husband Tom Betterton followed ta group of girls growing up in New York. The results are astonishing
October 2015
Back to the Future’s parents were way ahead of their time
Eighties film fan Hadley Freeman on BTTF’s message about rebellion, love and ambition down the ages for young and old
