The dog days of winter are here, prompting most people to stay inside and watch movies as a pastime to avoid the cold and liven up their day. With a plethora of decades and film genres at one’s disposal, what better ones to choose to make the day fun than teen comedies from the 90s?
During the 1990s, teen comedies stood out by often being modern film adaptations of famous plays like The Taming of the Shrew and Pygmalion, as seen in the films 10 Things I Hate About You and She’s All That, respectively. They also stood out on the opposite end through lovable parodies and tongue-in-cheek style, like the films Cry-Baby and Clueless. From this subset genre, audiences were entertained through hilarity, heart, and the simple fun of being a teenager. Kick back on the couch for a fun day with these iconic teen comedies from the 90s.
1) 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
Adapted from the notable Shakespeare play, 10 Things I Hate About You is a funny and delightful film about two sisters, Bianca and Kat, known notoriously at their high school as off limits to date. However, their father implements a new rule that Bianca, the younger sister, can finally date once her older sister does, but Kat has no intention of dating anybody.
Bianca soon mentions this to a smitten classmate, Cameron, who enlists his friend to help him find a guy to take Kat on a date so that he can pursue Bianca. They end up persuading Patrick, who’s essentially the school’s bad boy, to take Kat out on a date. Unexpectedly to both of them, Kat and Patrick begin to fall for each other, although he becomes torn about telling Kat the truth. Filled with smart wit and stellar performances from Julia Stiles and the late great Heath Ledger, this film will have viewers laughing and rooting for all the couples to get their happily ever after.
Available on Disney+.
2) Clueless (1995)
Hop into the car with Cher and Dionne in the wonderfully quotable film Clueless, a modern film adaptation of the literary classic Emma by Jane Austen. Follow the main character, Cher Horowitz, a well-meaning blonde ditz, as she navigates the everyday struggles of high school with her best friend, Dionne. Upon receiving a bad grade from her grumpy teacher, Mr. Hall, Cher determines that she must make him happy by setting him up with another lonely teacher, Ms. Geist. Through her matchmaking, the two teachers actually end up falling in love, and it’s reflected in their now-happy teaching.
While this is occurring, Cher befriends a new student named Tai, who is clueless about how to fit in. As Cher helps her new friend get a makeover and find love next, she begins to experience her own romantic endeavors that simultaneously go well and badly. Through these missteps, Cher begins to realize that maybe it’s she who is clueless and needs an internal makeover. Filled with memorable one-liners like “As if!” and “You’re a virgin who can’t drive,” preppy fashion, and an endearing main character, this film is sure to liven up a regular day.
Available to watch for free on PlutoTV.
3) She’s All That (1999)
Diving into another adaptation of a notable play, She’s All That is a humorous and surprisingly touching film about a jock turning a nerd popular, and falling for her in the process. Zach Siler is a star student and popular at his high school. However, he is abruptly dumped by his cheerleader girlfriend, damaging his popularity. Claiming that he made his ex-girlfriend popular to begin with, Zach makes a bet with his friends that he can make any girl in school popular enough to win prom queen. His friends accept and pick the nerdy outcast Laney Boggs as his subject.
At first, Laney has no interest in giving Zach the time of day. Despite that, Zach persists, and he and Laney end up forming a friendship. This leads to Laney hanging out with Zach and his friends and slowly building popularity. She and Zach also grow closer into something more through this. Unfortunately, Laney finds out that she was just a bet, and Zach now has to prove to her that his feelings are real. With the 90s heartthrobs Freddie Prinze, Jr., and Paul Walker, and the infamous scene of Laney’s makeover reveal with Zach looking at her starry-eyed, this film will warm audiences up on a winter day.
Available to watch on YouTube for free.
4) Cry-Baby (1990)
As the sole musical in the list, Cry-Baby is the exaggerated and silly film by John Waters, known for his shock value and cult films. This parody set in the 1950s follows Wade “Cry-Baby” Walker and his delinquent gang of “drapes” as they reject societal norms from the upper-class “squares.” One day at school, a square named Allison Vernon-Williams meets Cry-Baby, and they fall in love. But they are from two different worlds, and it strikes a commotion in their town.
Cry-Baby and Allison continue seeing each other despite their peers’ opinions. Allison’s ex-boyfriend, Baldwin, tries to break them up by inciting a riot at the Drapes’ hangout spot, blaming Cry-Baby for it. They are sentenced before a judge for the riot, and Cry-Baby is put in jail. Allison and the gang then try to break him out and succeed, leading to a showdown between Cry-Baby and Baldwin. Chalked full of campy characters and musical numbers, plus a young Johnny Depp, this film can make any day hilarious upon watching.
Available to watch on YouTube.
5) Encino Man (1992)
Rounding out the list is the cult classic, Encino Man. Dave Morgan is a teenager in Encino, California, wishing he were popular. One day, as he’s digging a hole in his backyard for a swimming pool, he discovers a frozen caveman. With the help of his friend, Stoney, they set the caveman in his garage and head to school. When they return, they find that the caveman has thawed and is alive. After calming the bewildered caveman down, they name him Link and attempt to pass him off as an exchange student.
At school, Link quickly becomes popular, and so do Dave and Stoney by association. Things begin to turn sour when Link’s presence causes Dave and Stoney to argue and have problems. It doesn’t help either that Dave’s crush ends up wanting to go to prom with Link instead of him. Dave wants to ditch Link after the fact, and it creates a fight between Dave and Stoney. Luckily, Link is able to break up the fight, and the friends make up. Featuring Brendan Fraser’s breakout role, this film is a great choice to end a fun day.
Available to watch on YouTube.
The humor that teen comedies bring
Teen comedies from the 1990s represented a decade of new heartthrobs and a specific, stylish humor that all audiences enjoyed. They ranged from adaptations to parodies to new concepts like a high schooler digging up a real caveman. Mixing heart and fun, these films have withstood time and still remain people’s favorites. Overall, these kinds of films are perfect for adding fun to one’s day, especially during the winter when most people are cozied up inside.
