58 Fun Facts About Teen Movie

In The Breakfast Club, what must each student write during detention?

An essay about themselves, at least a thousand words on who they think they are, is the day's assignment; the group talks Brian into writing one reply for all five, and it closes the film.

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?

Emma is the template: Cher Horowitz is Emma Woodhouse, the matchmaker who meddles in a new friend's love life and ends up with her ex-stepbrother Josh, the film's Mr. Knightley.

Where did Clueless director Amy Heckerling first spot Alicia Silverstone?

In an Aerosmith music video, 1993's 'Cryin'', Silverstone caught Heckerling's eye; Clueless then turned the near-unknown into a star and won her a multi-million-dollar deal with Columbia.

In Clueless, what is the name of the transfer student Cher takes on as a makeover project?

Tai Frasier, played by Brittany Murphy, gets Cher's makeover and is steered away from skater Travis, yet ends the film dating him.

Where did Amy Heckerling sit in on classes as research for Clueless?

Beverly Hills High School was her research trip: Heckerling set the film in a city she saw as a 'hyper-pastel fantasy place', then sat in on classes to hear how its teenagers talked.

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 Gretchen Wieners and Karen Smith, bound by a strict dress code; when Regina herself turns up in sweatpants on a Monday, the others shut her out.

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

The Burn Book is the clique's scrapbook of rumours; Regina adds a page about herself, then scatters photocopies through the school to frame Cady, Gretchen and Karen.

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 first read for queen bee Regina; the producers thought her better suited to dim Karen Smith, and the part became her film debut.

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

Toronto doubled for Evanston, a Chicago suburb the film's screenwriter knew from a day job at its YMCA; she says she never set foot in its high school.

Which car does Bueller borrow from Cameron's father for his day off?

A 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder, though rarely a real one on screen: only about 100 were ever built, so three replicas were made, one of them just to be wrecked.

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.

At Chicago's Von Steuben Day Parade, Ferris Bueller jumps on a float to lip-sync which Beatles hit?

Twist and Shout: the film helped send the Beatles' recording back into the US chart in 1986, 22 years after its first release there, and it climbed to No. 23.

At which ballpark does Ferris Bueller catch a foul ball on his day off?

Wrigley Field: the catch is broadcast on a pizzeria's television at the very moment the dean hunting Ferris stands at its counter.

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

Her sister is getting married the next day, and Ginny's wedding swallows the household: even the grandparents who take over Sam's bedroom forget her birthday.

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 re-recorded their 1981 song for the film; singer Richard Butler says the lyric is about a woman who wrongly believes her many lovers make her popular, not a schoolgirl romance.

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

Duckie, real name Philip Dale, won Andie in the original ending; after a test audience rejected it, a new prom finale pairing her with Blane was shot.

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

The Taming of the Shrew supplies the plot: younger sister Bianca may not date until fierce Kat does, so a suitor pays a classmate to woo Kat.

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

Heath Ledger's Patrick wins Kat round by serenading her from the bleachers with 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You', a routine director Gil Junger says he let Ledger make up himself.

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

He enrolled undercover as a student: at 22, Crowe spent a year at San Diego's Clairemont High under the name Dave Cameron, reliving the senior year he never had.

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

Jeff Spicoli, Sean Penn's surfer, spars all year with history teacher Mr. Hand, who on the night of the last dance makes him sit through a lecture to repay the class time he wasted.

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

Moving in Stereo by The Cars scores the daydream, yet the song was left off the film's soundtrack album, whose hit was Jackson Browne's 'Somebody's Baby'.

Danny and Sandy attend which school in Grease?

Rydell High, named for teen idol Bobby Rydell, is the school; Sandy became an Australian so Olivia Newton-John would not have to fake an American accent.

What do the T-Birds call Kenickie's car?

Greased Lightnin' is Kenickie's car, and on stage its song is his too; for the film John Travolta used his clout to sing it himself as Danny.

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

Saturday Night Fever led US album sales in 1978 with Grease second; Bee Gee Barry Gibb wrote Grease's title song too, though the film's director at first thought it did not fit.

Dazed and Confused, Richard Linklater's last-day-of-school comedy, takes its title from which band's song?

Led Zeppelin's song gave the film its title, but the band's 'Rock and Roll' never made the closing scene: Jimmy Page agreed to license it and Robert Plant refused.

Which actor's breakout role was Wooderson, the too-old-for-high-school hanger-on in Dazed and Confused?

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.

Which comic actor plays Jim's awkward but supportive dad in American Pie?

Eugene Levy nearly turned the part down: he disliked the dad as written, so he remade him as a square, caring father and improvised his scenes.

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

McLovin is the lone name on Fogell's fake Hawaii licence; Christopher Mintz-Plasse was 17 during filming, so by law his mother had to be on set for his bedroom scene.

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.

In Heathers, which actress plays Veronica Sawyer, the clique's reluctant fourth member?

Winona Ryder took the role against her agent's pleas: the agent begged her to turn it down, convinced the dark comedy would ruin her career.

In Heathers, which actor plays J.D., the new boy who draws Veronica into murder?

Christian Slater won J.D. over a then-unknown Brad Pitt, who also read for it, and has said he channelled Jack Nicholson in the part.

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.

Which George Bernard Shaw play does the teen comedy She's All That rework?

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?

In Your Eyes was a late swap: the scene was first set to a Fishbone song, and Peter Gabriel at first refused permission, having confused the film with a John Belushi biopic.

Napoleon Dynamite lives in the small town of Preston in which state?

Idaho: Preston is where director Jared Hess went to high school, and in 2005 the state legislature passed a resolution commending him and the town for the film.

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

A camper van is home to Uncle Rico, who ropes Kip into a door-to-door get-rich-quick scheme while still pining for his days as a high-school athlete.

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

Forks is a real former logging town on the Olympic Peninsula; the film was shot mostly in Oregon, yet the story turned Forks itself into a destination for fans.

Who plays the title role in Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird?

Saoirse Ronan won the part in a hotel room at a 2015 film festival, reading the script aloud with Gerwig, who knew by the second page she had found her lead.

Booksmart was the feature directing debut of which actress?

Olivia Wilde made her feature directing debut with Booksmart, and to make its central friendship real she had Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever move in together for the shoot.

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

Her little sister Kitty finds the letters while Lara Jean sleeps and posts them; the meddler later got a spin-off series of her own, XO, Kitty.

Which star of Rebel Without a Cause died less than a month before it opened?

James Dean died in a car crash on September 30, 1955, weeks before Rebel opened; of his three starring films, only East of Eden reached cinemas while he was alive.

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 trades his red jacket for Plato's gun and quietly unloads it before police open fire.

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, read aloud at the same moment in a restaurant, trigger the swap; Annette Bening was first cast as the mother, and Jamie Lee Curtis stepped in days before filming.

Who plays Sam, the senior who befriends shy freshman Charlie, in The Perks of Being a Wallflower?

Emma Watson took the part as her Harry Potter years ended; the director was Stephen Chbosky, filming his own bestselling book from his own screenplay.

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

Her older brother Darian starts dating Krista; Nadine demands that Krista choose between them, and when she refuses, Nadine ends the friendship.

Which actor plays Paulie Bleeker, the school friend who gets Juno pregnant?

Michael Cera plays Paulie, whose taste for orange Tic Tacs Diablo Cody borrowed from a boy she dated at school; Juno fills his mailbox with them to show how she feels.

Which move wins Daniel the final in The Karate Kid?

A crane kick, a move Daniel had watched Mr. Miyagi practise on the beach, wins the final on one good leg after Johnny is ordered to sweep his injured one.

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, on the very night his Princeton interviewer calls.

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.