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Everyone has seen at least one “teen girl comedy;” yes, even you. Ever heard of Clueless (1995), Bring it On (2000), Easy A (2010), What A Girl Wants (2003), Heathers (1988), Jawbreakers (1999), Mean Girls (2004), Sisterhood of Traveling Pants (2005), To All The Boys (2018), The Kissing Booth (2018), John Tucker Must Die (2006), Pitch Perfect (2012), The Princess Diaries (2001), Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (2004), The Half of It (2020), or 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)? Oh, you have? We told you. (( Ranker Film, “The Best Teen Comedy Movies, Ranked,” Ranker, 2020. ))
They are movies that scream “Ew, As If!” when they encounter any form of the male species. They are movies that focus undividedly on friendship, love, and family. They make you feel all warm inside and often make you want a relationship like the one depicted in the movie. Throughout cinema, we’ve had many versions of ‘teen girl comedies,’ but what makes these films so universally well-treasured? Is it the ability to channel well-rounded characters within an hour and thirty minutes? Is it the mise-en-scene? (( We would go as far as to say films like the Edge of Seventeen (2016) also fall under “teen girl comedies.” ))
The Formula For ‘Teen Girl Comedies’
Each of the films that fall under ‘teen girl comedies’ have similar formulas: a girl, typically the main character, has a group of friends; she, the main character, falls out with one of those said friends, or all, also while juggling romance and her newfound attractiveness, alongside her parents trying to be parents and give her ample morals as she grows up. At the end of the film, the girl finds love, values her parents more, and stays friends with her group.
They all live happily ever after. The main character learns to be less selfish and opens her eyes to what is right in front of her. (( Basically Clueless, 1995. )) The ending is always felicitous, there may be some destruction in between (( Heathers, 1989 )), but it always ends in favor of the main character. In the best teen comedies, they likewise defeat the patriarchy at the same time. They take down the jock and tell them how everyone genuinely feels. It is all about understanding and staying true to yourself. (( However, ‘teen girl comedies’ are not solely for “girls.” The films range as far as to relate to any gender or species that lives on this planet. Including you. ))
Heathers (1988) To Clueless (1995) To Bring it On (2000)
1989 brought Heathers, before that, Sixteen Candles (1984), Pretty in Pink (1986), and to an extent, The Breakfast Club (1985); you also can’t forget the plethora of 2000’s inspired ‘teen girl comedies.’ Those would include She’s The Man (2006) and Pitch Perfect (2012), the movies that pushed forth the feminist narrative in the 2000s. They are usually ‘some sort of’ pretty blonde or brunette character (( Legally Blonde (2001) )) with a lot of spunk and attitude.
Where It Began: Pretty In Pink (1986), The Breakfast Club (1985), John Hughes (1950–2009) + Amy Heckerling (1954-)
The earliest memories I have of ‘teen girl comedies’ are with John Hughes: Sixteen Candles (1984), Pretty in Pink (1986), and The Breakfast Club (1985). Hughes was not the only one who created this ‘teen girl’ vision in my brain, no, Heckerling was. Heckerling created Clueless (1995) and Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982). Two films that I am constantly reminded of in everything I do. Two films that devised a sense of femme (( Wiki, see also: John Tucker Must Die (2006) )) and a feminist narrative. (( See: She’s The Man (2006) for more examples of underlying femme narratives, also Jennifer’s Body (2009). ))
Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982); Amy Heckerling. 
Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982); Amy Heckerling. 
Sixteen Candles (1984); John Hughes. 
The Breakfast Club (1985); John Hughes. 
Clueless (1995); Amy Heckerling.
In Clueless (1995), Cher is the voice of reason for Beverly Hills, at least that is what it seems like; she creates this voice of loss, uncertainty, and discovering her voice. Throughout, Cher struggles to find what inspires her, what interests her, and who she ultimately loves. She further conflicts with being a good person, having moral judgment, and learning to be less self-centered — even if just in the moment. By the end of the film, Cher learns that making mistakes is human, finding love is not easy, and although some may give you a hard time, it is because they care.
Pretty in Pink (1986) solidifies the gawky teenage angst within Molly Ringwald. A gal who is best friends with her boss and works at a record store. She has a quirky best friend and soon realizes that dating someone from a separate class spectrum is not as easy as it seems. The film concentrated more so on culture and society just as much as it did on ‘teen girl comedy.’ The film highlights a male best friend and a girl learning to grow up in a world that does not quite “understand” her. Molly Ringwald starred in many of Hughes’ other films before his death and she was a staple of the ‘teen girl comedy’ era of the 80s and 90s. (( Her feature in The Kissing Booth 1 is always painful because of this fact. ))
Modern ‘Teen Girl Comedies:’ What Do The Princess Diaries (2001), Mean Girls (2004), John Tucker Must Die (2006), And To All The Boys (2018) Have In Common?
When it comes to the modern version of ‘teen girl comedies,’ the films can be vigorous, montages included, but focus more on the contemporary version of teen girls of the time. Since the 2000s version of teen girls was emo and into rock music, it produced films like Freaky Friday (2003) to appeal to a mass audience. Nearly everyone once will go through a phase in life and it will always appeal to someone going through it. But the reason why it is relatable is not the reason why ‘teen girl comedies’ work, but we will get to that. The first half of the 2000s was campy and emo, and if you did not have Freaky Friday (2003) then you had Princess Diaries (2001) which was just as campy and delightful.
i. The First Half Of The 2000s
The first half of the 2000s focused on two feminist narratives in ‘teen girl comedies;’ you had either the preppy ‘teen girl comedies’ like Princess Diaries (2001) and Sisterhood of Traveling Pants (2005), or the polar opposites of those with Mean Girls (2004) and John Tucker Must Die (2006). The latter dealt with the opposing spectrum: “Men are bad and we need to get back at them for it. Defeat the patriarchy!” (( At least John Tucker Must Die (2006) felt that way. )) The latter, too, dealt with the notion of influential men and women and how to deal with them when you encounter them. John Tucker (’06) dealt with a powerful man who played with various women’s hearts and Mean Girls (’04) dealt with powerful women who took advantage of their status and how powerful they were.
Naturally, you have both ends of the spectrum: you have robust feminist narratives and robust “I am single, leave me be. If men are bad, defeat them” narratives. There is a film for any mood you could ever have as a ‘teen girl’ I am telling you. In the second half of the millennium’s 21st century, we began to form a pattern. Netflix, which was not apart of the ‘teen girl comedy’ game before, took over the mantel for much of the ‘teen girl comedies’ we see now. Movies like To All The Boys (2018) and Kissing Booth (2018) have begun to form a unique formula for ‘teen girls.’
‘Teen Girl Comedies’ Featuring Clueless
The cinematography, directing, and mise-en-scene of ‘teen girl comedies’ is considerably adolescent. The colors are frequently bright, they create a sense of a dream or a “happier time” than you are in right now. The shots are often naive but have some creativity in them as the movie moves forward and Cher grows up. The color palette is invigorating and crisp for the time; what makes Clueless so damn good is that Heckerling’s close-up shots of Cher are utterly charming. The shots are creative and audacious in that they give Cher a narrative, but they also give Dee, Tai, and Amber a narrative. They each have a feminist voice.
The beginning montage for the film is filled with girl power. The sequence with Cher and Dee in the car, on their way to school in the morning, is whimsical and amorous. The shot switches point-of-view(s) between Cher and Dee with elegant close up shots, as Cher’s hair waves in the wind – the spectator sees how gorgeous each of these characters feel and know they are. We get a glimpse into the forthcoming feminist power that will encompass the entire film.
The color palette of yellows, dark greens, and vibrant pinks with red worked fabulously alongside Cher and Josh’s courtship that takes place throughout the film. Where the film shines is when Cher and Dee meet Tai. The film builds in color, mise-en-scene, and drama. It is everything that ‘teen girl comedies’ were at the time. It’s a staple of what we see in forthcoming decades of cinema and culture. Clueless inspired an entire decade of girls and continues to do so.
ii. The Second Half Of The 2000s
While not the same narrative it once was, the same morals still rang true: feminism, men, and friendship/family relationships are necessary to understanding your authentic self. For example, To All The Boys (’18) focuses on Lara Jean’s truth about finding herself, her first love, and balancing school, friends, and family. Amidst all of it, she loses herself and some of her family and friends, but by the end of the film, she chooses what she finds valuable: Peter Kavinsky and her family.
Bring It On (2000); Peyton Reed. 
Half of It (2020); Alice Wu. 
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018); Susan Johnson. 
The Kissing Booth (2018); Vince Marcello. 
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018); Susan Johnson.
The Kissing Booth (’18), while not my favorite film of the past decade, set the formula for the ‘teen girl comedy’ films for the rest of the 20s. The girl falls in love with the undesirable, doesn’t recognize that it is unhealthy (seemingly), and has to choose between who she loves and her friends. Ultimately, she perseveres and can have both, but at what cost?
‘Teen Girl Comedies’ Featuring To All The Boys (2018)
The color palette is somewhat more polished than what we have seen in the past ten years. Technicolor is a blast, but To All The Boys changed the cinematic game for ‘teen girl comedies.’ The color palettes were much more polite, the shots were esthetic as well as tender, and the actors were, by far, some of the best we’ve seen in teen rom-coms; the close-up, yet wide shots that it uses, the subtle kisses of adventure in the mise-en-scene with the lighting. Lara Jean in wide frames mixes with the adolescence that we recognize from the novel.
The teen rom-com genre was praised when To All The Boys was released in 2018. Tasteful shots such as 6:31, or sumptuous scenes like that wide shot that Lara Jean exists in with both “boys” who have gotten her letters. As she talks to them, the shot and camera change accordingly. The shot is admirably directed, and the montages are not too bad. The establishing shots are scenic.
To Infinity And Beyond: A Look At The Future Of ‘Teen Girl Comedies’
Unfortunately, The Kissing Booth (’18) is not the greatest model of what is to come for the rest of the 20s, but it does give us a minute glimpse of what could be. The Kissing Booth (’18) could demonstrate what it means to set boundaries, Lee oversteps many of Elle’s boundaries and vice versa. They never have a conversation about it, but a movie where they should is in order. The forthcoming ‘teen girl comedies’ appear to be less frequent, but let’s hope films like Work It (2020) give some form of hope for Gen Z.
The formula for ‘teen girl comedies’ can never get old because it is pertinent to today. They conceive this warm place in your heart because you relate to them or have related to them at one point. At your lowest point, you have watched a ‘teen girl comedy’ to “cheer yourself up.” I will be the first to acknowledge that I have. But what makes them so exceptional is that they generate a form of friendship for you, they create a teenage you that says, “wow I am not the only one going through this.” When we hear Cher scream “As if!” we treasure the time we first heard her say it. How revolutionary it was and what a fad it started.
We all cherish our first “ship.” The movies we love always stay in our hearts for eternity — or what it feels like. There is something about ‘teen girl comedies’ that makes you think about how life was “simple then.” Our biggest worry was what guy we wanted to date or what shirt color we wanted to wear. (( Marisa LaScala, “These Teen Movies on Netflix Will Either Have You Swooning or Cringing,” Good Housekeeping (Good Housekeeping, March 8, 2019). ))
All adults are now onto “adult girl comedies” which include Banana Split (2018/2020), He’s Just Not That Into You (2009), Booksmart (2019), Lady Bird (2017), and the like. (( This is an entirely different article. ))
