59 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?

Emilio Estevez was Hughes's first choice for Bender but moved to jock Andrew Clark when no one else fit; Bender then went to Judd Nelson after John Cusack was dropped.

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

Maine North High School in Des Plaines, Illinois, had closed in 1981; Hughes built the library set in its gym, and the film cost about $1 million.

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

New York magazine writer David Blum coined 'the Brat Pack' in a 1985 cover story, riffing on Sinatra's Rat Pack; the actors it tagged, Rob Lowe among them, mostly hated the label.

Clueless is loosely adapted from which Jane Austen novel?

Heckerling reworked Austen's 1815 novel Emma: Cher Horowitz is Emma Woodhouse, the matchmaker who meddles with a new friend and ends up with her ex-stepbrother, a stand-in for Mr. Knightley.

Where did Clueless director Amy Heckerling first spot Alicia Silverstone?

Heckerling noticed Silverstone in an Aerosmith music video, 1993's 'Cryin'', one of three Aerosmith clips she appeared in; her only prior feature lead was the 1993 thriller The Crush.

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

Tai Frasier, played by Brittany Murphy, is the makeover project who ends up with skateboarding slacker Travis Birkenstock.

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

Heckerling sat in on classes at Beverly Hills High School to catch real teen slang; the film's fictional Bronson Alcott High is named after the 19th-century educator.

Mean Girls was written by which Saturday Night Live alumna?

Tina Fey, then SNL's head writer, adapted Rosalind Wiseman's parenting book Queen Bees and Wannabes and plays maths teacher Ms. Norbury.

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

The Plastics are Regina's trio with insecure gossip Gretchen Wieners and airheaded Karen Smith; their rules include wearing pink on Wednesdays.

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

The Burn Book is Regina's pink scrapbook of rumours; after adding a page about herself, she scatters photocopies through the school to frame Cady and her friends.

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

Cady spent twelve years homeschooled in Africa by her zoologist parents, which is why she knows animal behaviour but nothing of cliques when she enrols at North Shore High.

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

Amanda Seyfried, previously a soap actress on As the World Turns, made her film debut as Karen Smith, whose breasts can predict the weather.

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

Most of Mean Girls was shot in Toronto, with Etobicoke Collegiate Institute and Malvern Collegiate standing in for North Shore High; the stage musical opened on Broadway in 2018.

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

Cameron's father's 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder (three replicas played it) is joyridden by two garage attendants, and the miles on its odometer become the day's great problem.

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

Dean of students Ed Rooney, played by Jeffrey Jones, ends the film boarding a school bus in shreds after the Buellers' Rottweiler chases him.

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

The float is in the Von Steuben Day Parade, Chicago's German-American celebration held each September; Ferris mimes Wayne Newton's 'Danke Schoen' before 'Twist and Shout'.

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

Hughes wrote the script in less than a week, reportedly about six days in early 1985, racing to beat a looming writers' strike; he called the film his love letter to Chicago.

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

Her sister is getting married the next day, and Ginny's wedding consumes the whole family; the film was Hughes's directorial debut, and he lobbied to have its initial R rating cut to PG.

Who plays Samantha Baker in Sixteen Candles?

Molly Ringwald, then 15, played Samantha Baker; Hughes wrote the part for her after seeing her headshot, and she followed with The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink.

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

The Psychedelic Furs' 1981 single 'Pretty in Pink' gave Hughes his title, and the band re-recorded it for the film; OMD's 'If You Leave', also on the 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?

Duckie, real name Phil Dale, is played by Jon Cryer; Hughes's original ending paired Andie with him until test audiences preferred Blane, and James Spader plays the sneering rich kid Steff.

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

It updates The Taming of the Shrew: Kat Stratford is the shrew Katherina, her sister Bianca keeps her name, and the school is 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?

Heath Ledger, then 19 and in his first American lead, played Patrick Verona; the film was shot at Stadium High School in Tacoma and around Seattle in 1998.

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?

Sean Penn plays Jeff Spicoli, who orders pizza to class and whose nemesis is history teacher Mr. Hand, played by Ray Walston.

In Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Linda Barrett's poolside fantasy scene plays which song?

Phoebe Cates's pool scene is scored by The Cars' 'Moving in Stereo'; Jackson Browne's 'Somebody's Baby', written for the film, was its hit single and reached the US top ten.

Danny and Sandy attend which school in Grease?

Rydell High, named for singer Bobby Rydell, is the school; Sandy was rewritten as an Australian transfer student because Olivia Newton-John was, and the accent stayed.

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

Kenickie's jalopy is Greased Lightnin', celebrated in the song Danny leads in the auto shop; he rebuilds it to drag race at Thunder Road, where Danny ends up driving it.

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

Saturday Night Fever's soundtrack, driven by the Bee Gees, topped Billboard's 1978 year-end album chart, with Grease second; John Travolta starred in both films.

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

It is set on May 28, 1976, the last day of school in a Texas town; Linklater drew on his own teens in Huntsville and lifted real classmates' names, which later drew a lawsuit.

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

Matthew McConaughey, cast after meeting casting director Don Phillips in an Austin bar, improvised Wooderson's 'all right, all right, all right' and made the role his breakout.

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

The MPAA gave the cut an NC-17 repeatedly before trims earned an R; the film went on to gross about $235 million worldwide on a budget near $11 million.

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

Fogell's fake Hawaii licence bears the single name McLovin, which the liquor store clerk and later the two cops seize on; Christopher Mintz-Plasse was 17 when he played him.

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

Rogen and Goldberg began the script at 13 as students at Vancouver's Point Grey Secondary, naming the leads Seth and Evan; Rogen, too old by the time it was made, played a cop instead.

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

Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, which Olive's class is reading, inspires her to stitch 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?

The film's Westerburg High sits in fictional Sherwood, Ohio; screenwriter Daniel Waters originally hoped Stanley Kubrick would direct what became Michael Lehmann's 1989 debut.

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

Heather Chandler, played by Kim Walker, rules the clique until Veronica and J.D. kill her with drain cleaner; Heather Duke then takes her red scrunchie and her place.

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

Josie is a newspaper copy editor at the Chicago Sun-Times who gets her first reporting assignment going undercover as a student; she ends the film waiting at a baseball field for a kiss.

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

Like Shaw's Pygmalion, it has a confident man bet he can remake an overlooked woman: Zack wagers 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?

It transposes Laclos's 1782 Les Liaisons dangereuses to Manhattan prep-school stepsiblings; Kathryn stands to win Sebastian's vintage Jaguar XK140 if he loses the bet to seduce Annette.

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

The East Compton Clovers, captained by Gabrielle Union's Isis, had their routines filmed and copied by the Toros' former captain Big Red.

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

Lloyd hoists the boombox playing Peter Gabriel's 'In Your Eyes'; John Cusack resisted the scene at first, thinking Lloyd would never be so theatrical, and played it defiant rather than pleading.

Napoleon Dynamite lives in which small Idaho town?

Preston, Idaho, is director Jared Hess's hometown; the film was shot at Preston High School in summer 2003 for about $400,000 and premiered at Sundance in January 2004.

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

Uncle Rico lives in the orange camper van he parks in the yard, filming himself throwing footballs; he and Kip go door to door selling plastic bowl sets and herbal breast enhancers.

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

Bella moves to Forks, a logging town on the Olympic Peninsula that Stephenie Meyer chose for its record rainfall; the film was largely shot in Oregon.

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

Lady Bird is Christine McPherson, played by Saoirse Ronan; after arriving at college in New York she introduces herself as Christine in a voicemail to her parents.

Booksmart was the feature directing debut of which actress?

Olivia Wilde made her feature directing debut with Booksmart in 2019 after acting and directing music videos; Beanie Feldstein earned a Golden Globe nomination as Molly.

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

Her little sister Kitty mails the five letters from Lara Jean's hatbox to get her a life; the 2018 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?

Dean died on September 30, 1955, and Rebel opened on October 27, less than a month later; it was the only one of his three films to give him top billing.

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

Griffith Observatory hosts the planetarium field trip and the night-time climax where Jim coaxes Plato to hand over his gun and gives him the red jacket; a bust of Dean was later installed on the grounds.

In Footloose (1984), Ariel, the girl Ren falls for, is the daughter of whom?

Ariel Moore, played by Lori Singer, is the rebellious daughter of the town's preacher, Reverend Shaw Moore (John Lithgow), whose crusade against dancing after a fatal crash underpins Bomont's ban.

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

Chinese fortune cookies, handed out by a restaurant owner's mother, trigger the swap; Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan returned for the 2025 sequel Freakier Friday.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower was directed by whom?

Novelist Stephen Chbosky wrote and directed the 2012 adaptation of his own 1999 book, having refused to sell the rights unless he could; Logan Lerman stars as Charlie.

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

Krista starts dating Nadine's older brother Darian, the golden boy she resents; Woody Harrelson plays Mr. Bruner, the deadpan teacher she confides in.

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

Juno lives in Elk River, a town northwest of Minneapolis, while the adoptive couple live in tonier Saint Cloud; Diablo Cody won the Original Screenplay Oscar, and Elliot Page was nominated for Best Actress.

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

Daniel and his mother land in the South Seas apartments in Reseda, in the San Fernando Valley; director John G. Avildsen had made Rocky, and Pat Morita earned an Oscar nomination as Mr. Miyagi.

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

Joel's father's Porsche 928 rolls off a pier into Lake Michigan, and Joel turns the family home into a one-night brothel to pay for the repair before his Princeton interview.

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

The time machine is a phone booth that Rufus, played by George Carlin, brings back to San Dimas in 1988 so the pair pass history and keep Wyld Stallyns alive.