The Best Teen Movies on Netflix Right Now (October 2023)

Director: Susan Johnson | Genre: Romantic Comedy | Run Time: 1 hr 39 min

Cast: Lana Condor, Janel Parrish, Anna Cathcart, Noah Centineo

Based on the New York Times best-selling YA novel of the same name, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before was a breakout sensation for Netflix, launching Noah Centineo to the heights of internet boyfriendom, and sweeping social media trends. And it’s easy to see why. Director Susan Johnson delivers a light but modern update on the classic rom-com yarn with the tale of Lara Jean (Lana Condor), a hard-working teenage girl who finds her life thrown into chaos when her childhood love letters hit the public eye. Condor is a charmer as Lara Jean, a lovely revamp of the traditional rom-com lead, from her Korean heritage to her understated confidence and disinterest in high school politics. And she’s well-matched by the endlessly charming Centino, who plays heartthrob Peter Kavinsky, a childhood crush who strikes up a fake romance to protect both of their images. Naturally, real romance ensues. It’s a delightful, breezy romance that will sweep you off your feet and take you back to all the best (and none of the worst) of teen romance. — Haleigh Foutch

Run Time: 1 hr 43 min | Genre: Comedy | Director: Sammi Cohen

Cast: Adam Sandler, Idina Menzel, Jackie Sandler, Samantha Lorraine

This coming-of-age comedy-drama based on the 2005 novel of the same name sees best friends Stacy (Sunny Sandler) and Lydia (Samantha Lorraine) ruin their dreams of a legendary Bat Mitzvah by fighting for the attention of a boy. A film for all ages, You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah relishes its label as a family film by taking the title literally, with Jackie and Adam Sandler’s real-life children Sunny and Sadie also appearing in the movie. Sandler’s famous crude brand of humor is toned down (somewhat akin to his work on Bedtime Stories) in a narrative that warms hearts and finds moments of genuine emotion in its mostly comical plot. Not to be taken too seriously, this film acts as a fun, harmless ride that does well to educate on Jewish practices along the way. – Jake Hodges.

Run Time: 1 hr 32 min | Director: Brett Haley

Cast: Auli’i Cravalho, Rhenzy Feliz, Justina Machado

Based upon the novel Sorta Like a Rockstar by Matthew Quick, All Together Now is the story of Amber Appleton (Auli’i Cravalho), an overachieving student who gets an offer to audition for the Carnegie Mellon drama program while her life is on shaky ground. Experiencing homelessness with her mother, this selfless young high school student tries to hide her misfortunes and must fight her own pride to accept the myriad of loving hands reaching out to help her achieve her dream. The film is a touching tale of resilience, connection, and having the strength to ask for help when you need it. – Tauri Miller

Director: Jennifer Kaytin Robinson | Genre: Black Comedy | Run Time: 1 hr 58 min

Cast: Camila Mendes, Maya Hawke

Do Revenge only recently came out, but it’s already looking to be a teen comedy classic along with the likes of Clueless and Mean Girls. With electric performances by Camila Mendes and Maya Hawke, Do Revenge tells the tale of two scorned high school students – one popular, one outcast – as they team up and help each other get revenge on those who wronged them. With impeccable direction and cinematography, Do Revenge is an immersive, hilarious, and unpredictable ride. – Taylor Gates

Director: Sofia Alvarez | Genre: Romantic Drama | Run Time: 1 hr 46 min

Cast: Emma Pasarow, Belmont Cameli, Kate Bosworth, Dermot Mulroney

Based on the Sarah Dessen novel, Along for the Ride is a sweet romance between two insomniacs, Auden (Emma Pasarow) and Eli (Belmont Cameli), who meet the summer before college. The summer is full of changes for Auden, as she chooses to spend it with her absent father and attempt to experience a fun, carefree life she missed out on during her childhood. Eli is pivotal in introducing her to these things, and the two spark up a relationship along the way. Along for the Ride is sure to please fans looking for something in the vein of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before or The Summer I Turned Pretty. – Taylor Gates

Director: Mark Waters | Genre: Romantic Comedy | Run Time: 1 hr 31 min

Cast: Addison Rae, Tanner Buchanan, Madison Pettis

A gender-swapped remake of the 1999 classic She’s All That, He’s All That modernizes the classic tale. Starring Addison Rae as an influencer who’s pretending to be rich to gain and keep followers and sponsors, the plot kicks off once she goes viral for all the wrong reasons when an outburst of her yelling at her cheating boyfriend goes viral. To fix her reputation, she accepts a bet to change the unpopular Cameron into prom king – and develops genuine feelings for him along the way. – Taylor Gates

Director: Alice Wu | Genre: Coming-of-Age Comedy Drama | Run Time: 1 hr 44 min

Cast: Leah Lewis, Daniel Diemer, Alexxis Lemire

A sensitive, subtle, and smart coming-of-age film, The Half of It centers around Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis), a high schooler who lives with her widowed father and makes extra money by writing papers for her classmates. When she gets asked by Paul (Daniel Diemer) to write something different – a love letter to his crush Aster (Alexxis Lemire) – an unexpected friendship sparks between the two. And when Ellie finds herself falling for Aster, too, things get even more complicated. Alice Wu’s masterful screenplay and direction, combined with the excellent performances, make this a beautiful and enduring queer dramedy. – Taylor Gates

Director: Amy Poehler | Genre: Comedy Drama | Run Time: 1 hr 51 min

Cast: Hadley Robinson, Lauren Tsai, Patrick Schwarzenegger

Moxie deserved as much hype as Booksmart, but for reasons beyond me, the film fell through the cracks. Moxie is a life-affirming adaptation of Jennifer Mathieu’s novel of the same name. Teenager Vivian’s (Hadley Robinson) eyes are opened to the rampant misogyny in her school when new girl Lucy (Alycia Pascual-Pena) starts questioning the school’s practices. But what makes this meek-mannered teenager take action? Vivian is inspired by her mother’s rebellious years as an activist and musician to start a revolutionary zine, and it’s not long before her anonymous efforts spark a movement among the girls at her school. This isn’t an easy film to watch as the story deals with a lot of heavy subject-matter, but there are plenty of heart-warming moments to tide you through. The diverse cast of characters, the realistic take on school dynamics, several great needle-drops and the bonds of friendship conquering all makes Moxie rock! – Monita Mohan

Director: Harry Bradbeer | Genre: Mystery | Run Time: 2 hr 3 min

Cast: Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, Sam Claflin, Helena Bonham Carter

You’ve heard of Sherlock Holmes (Henry Cavill), the world’s most famous detective. You might even have heard of Mycroft Holmes (Sam Claflin), his stuffy older brother. But what about their free-spirited younger sister, Enola Holmes (Millie Bobby Brown)? Based on the YA novel by Nancy Springer, this fourth-wall-breaking adventure serves as Enola’s origin story. Raised in relative isolation by their mother Eudoria (Helena Bonham Carter), Enola’s unusual education comes in handy when Eudoria goes missing. She gives her famous older brothers the slip and determines to find her mother all on her own – before being waylaid by the young Viscount Tewkesbury (Louis Partridge), who has a mystery of his own that needs solving. Serving mystery, action, and comedy in equal measure, Enola Holmes will delight audiences of all ages. — Mary Kate Carr

Director: Anne Fletcher | Genre: Coming-of-Age Drama Comedy | Run Time: 1 hr 50 min

Cast: Danielle Macdonald, Jennifer Aniston, Odeya Rush, Maddie Baillio

A body-positive tale of self-empowerment through pageantry and heavily inspired by the great Dolly Parton, Dumplin’ is a downright delight about learning to love people on their own terms. Patti Cake$ breakout Danielle Macdonald stars as the titular teen Willlowdean, aka Dumplin’, a powerhouse of charisma who’s masking a serious crisis of confidence with her good cheer. It doesn’t help that the plus-sized teen has a beauty pageant queen for a mother (Jennifer Aniston), whose passion for pageant culture always struck Willowdean as a condemnation on herself. But through the power of shared grieving and a little good old Dolly, the two find their common ground while Willowdean learns to embrace her own beauty and accept that other people (including a rather handsome heartthrob from a neighboring school played by Luke Benward) see that beauty too. It’s about as adorable and uplifting as it gets, with a scene-stealing cast of supporting players and a message of self-love we probably all wish we heard as teens. — Haleigh Foutch

Director: Ari Sandel | Genre: Comedy | Run Time: 1 hr 41 min

Cast: Mae Whitman, Robbie Amell, Bella Thorne

The Duff is silly, cliched, and incredibly cringe-y. And yet, you’ll find yourself grinning from ear to ear at the ridiculousness on display and the adorable chemistry between leads Mae Whitman and Robbie Amell. Fair warning, this film is very different from the book, so once you’re over that hurdle, you can enjoy the film for what it is—a teenage rom com. When Bianca Piper (Whitman) finds out she’s being referred to by a derogatory term, she decides to make a change in her life. She turns to her old friend and super-hot neighbor Wesley Rush (Amell) and together they make a pact. Wesley will help Bianca snag her crush, and she’ll help him with his grades. As they continue to help each other out, along the way they form a bond that neither wants to admit. The Duff is the kind of comfort viewing you’ll want to watch whenever you’re feeling a little down. – Monita Mohan

Director: Jake Szymanski | Genre: Comedy | Run Time: 1 hr 34 min

Cast: Daniel Doheny, Geraldine Viswanathan, Sadie Calvano

The Package is a film in which the plot entirely revolves around a guy accidentally slicing off his own junk in the woods, so you pretty much know if you’re in or out from the beginning. Produced by Ben Stiller and Workaholics creators Adam Devine, Anders Holm, and Blake Anderson—this film follows five friends on a camping trip: awkward Sean (Daniel Doheny), his more awkward best friend Donnie (Luke Spencer Roberts), long-haired stoner Jeremy (Eduardo Franco), his sister Becky (Geraldine Viswanathan), and Donnie’s ex-girlfriend Sarah (Sadie Calvano). One extremely unfortunate swing of a knife later and Jeremy’s privates are flying into the surrounding greenery, and it’s up to the teenaged crew to shepherd the severed organ to safety. So, yeah, it’s raunchy as raunch-fests get, but the young cast is genuinely charming—especially Viswanathan, who’s even better in the must-watch Blockers—and there’s some surprisingly heartwarming stuff in here, underneath all the dick jokes, about being awkwardly on the cusp of adulthood. —Vinnie Mancuso

Director: Craig Johnson | Genre: Romantic Comedy | Run Time: 1 hr 39 min

Cast: Daniel Doheny, Madeline Weinstein, Antonio Marziale, Daniel Zolghadri

There’s something really endearing about the fact Alex Strangelove is an R-rated movie that definitely didn’t need to be rated R. This John Hughes-ian story says “fuck” just a few too many times and is incredibly awkward about sex, as is to be expected from any virginity-crazed kids in their last days of high school. And that’s basically this movie’s story, but with a charming twist: Class president Alex Truelove (affable Daniel Doheny, who is somehow not related to Jay Baruchel) has set a date to lose his virginity to his girlfriend Claire (Madeline Weinstein, who adds wonderful, almost tragic layers to a thin role). But things go awry when Alex meets—and then cannot stop thinking about—an out-and-proud gay high school graduate named Elliot. Things come together a little too perfectly in the climax, but in these times we live in, a movie this concerned with accepting the things that make you different deserves nothing less than a happy ending. – Vinnie Mancuso

Director: Vince Marcello | Genre: Romantic Comedy | Run Time: 1 hr 45 min

Cast: Joey King, Jacob Elordi, Joel Courtney, Molly Ringwald

Pure indulgent fantasy, The Kissing Booth is what would happen if a romance novel and a fan-fiction had a baby and it grew up into a horny-as-hell teenager. The Act scene-stealer and always enjoyable Joey King stars as Elle, a teenage girl on the brink of womanhood who discovers her problematic attraction to her best friend’s brother (Jacob Elordi) isn’t a one-sided crush with the help of a kissing booth. The Kissing Booth is a pure jolt of hormones, sunshine, and melodrama, like the most eventful summer of your teen years rolled into one goofy, light-hearted romp. — Haleigh Foutch

Director: Chris Nelson | Genre: Romance Comedy | Run Time: 1 hr 29 min

Cast: Noah Centineo, Laura Marano, Odisseas Georgiadis, Camila Mendes, Matt Walsh

Noah Centineo became an overnight sensation with To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, so it’s no surprise that Netflix stayed in business with the instant heartthrob. Sierra Burgess Is a Loser followed soon after, and 2019 brings The Perfect Date. Centineo stars as a senior ready to leave his humble roots behind and blast off to the Ivy League, who decides to bank some funds by creating an app that lets women hire him as a dream date (no sex stuff, you weirdo). While The Perfect Date doesn’t quite reach the heights of To All the Boys, it’s plenty charming in its own right, and the script from Steve Bloom and Randall Green adds a little meat to the material with some (admittedly fairly surface-level and not super intersectional) themes of class anxiety and the sometimes toxic need to prove yourself. If you’re looking for some easy watching or another blast of Centineo’s charm, The Perfect Date will get the job done and he’s well matched in Disney Channel superstar Laura Marano, who’s got a great combo of vulnerability and spitfire personality to go toe-to-toe with the internet’s boyfriend. — Haleigh Foutch

Director: Luke Snellin | Genre: Christmas Romantic Comedy | Run Time: 1 hr 33 min

Cast: Isabela Merced, Shameik Moore, Liv Hewson, Odeya Rush

If you’re in the mood for some seasonal teen romance, Netflix delivered a bit of a Love Actually for the teen set with Let It Snow, a breezy holiday rom-com that finds a series of overlapping love stories on one fateful Christmas-season snow day. It’s a sweet film from top-to-tail, as interested in the dramas of teen friendship and domestic struggles as it the blossoming romances, and it’s filled with delightful performances from a knockout cast of young up-and-comers. A lot of the Netflix Christmas romances follow in the Hallmark Channel vein, and absolutely no judgment if that’s your preferred thing, but for those who want an old-fashioned feel-good holiday romance, Let It Snow is just the ticket. — Haleigh Foutch

Director: Olivia Milch | Genre: Coming-of-Age Comedy Drama | Run Time: 1 hr 37 min

Cast: Lucy Hale, Awkwafina, Alex Wolff, Kathryn Prescott, Alexandra Shipp

Centered on the lives of a group of friends in their senior year of high school following a tragedy at their junior prom, Dude is a heartfelt, if not always successful, coming-of-age dramedy that mixes in some raunchy content for good measure. Awkwafina is, of course, a standout, but there’s plenty to enjoy in the messy romances and through line of friendship that develops between the stoner antics and moments of grieving. If that sounds like a tonal mess, it kind of is, but there are a few laughs and touching moments along the way to make the journey worth some of the weirder leaps. — Haleigh Foutch