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The 46 Best Teen Romance Movies of All Time

sheknows.com 2024/7/3
MEAN GIRLS, from left: Jonathan Bennett, Lindsay Lohan, 2004.
MEAN GIRLS, from left: Jonathan Bennett, Lindsay Lohan ©Paramount/courtesy Everett Collection.

Whether you’re trying to relieve your teenage angst or you’re still in the thick of it, we all love a good teen romance movie. Let’s face it, you’re never too old to reminisce on high school romance and some of our favorite teen movies live in our hearts well into adulthood.

We all remember our first love: the butterflies, the quick glances, the pure awkwardness while trying to navigate it all. While we’re older and with jobs (and hopefully with people we love), there’s something almost nostalgic about teenage romance movies. It gives you that glimpse back into young love, and all the ups and downs that come with it.

Teen romance movies leave an impact on you and can become some of your instant comfort films, especially if it’s a John Hughes film. There are so many out there that it can be hard to pinpoint the best ones, but that’s where we come in.

From more modern, quirky romances like to Disney classics like and , we have the best teen romance movie picks here.

Check out the Best Teen Romance Films Ever

‘Your Name’

is often considered one of the best films ever made, and we agree. It follows high school students Taki Tachibana and Mitsuha Miyamizu, who are ordinary kids until, suddenly, they start swapping bodies with one another. Then, they begin to fall in love, despite never meeting, and things end up being way more wild than they expected.

  • ‘Clueless’

    Image Credit: ph: Elliot Marks / © Paramount Pictures/ Courtesy: Everett Collection

    As one of the most classic ’90s movies, is one of the perfect teen romcoms. The coming-of-age film, starring Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash and Paul Rudd, follows a group of high schoolers as they navigate dating, academics and fashion.

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  • ‘She’s All That’

    SHE'S ALL THAT, Rachael Leigh Cook, Freddie Prinze Jr., 1999(c)Miramax/courtesy Everett Collection (image upgraded to 17.7 x 12.1 in)
    Image Credit: ©Miramax/courtesy Everett / Everett Collection

    Starring Rachael Leigh Cook, Freddie Prinze Jr., is a very deservedly loved 90s teen romance movie that follows high school stud Zach (Prinze Jr.) as he makes a bet to transform his high school’s nerdy outcast Laney (Cook) into the next prom queen; but they fall in love.

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  • ’10 Things I Hate About You’

    10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU, from left: Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, 1999, © Buena Vista/courtesy Everett Collection
    Image Credit: ©Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

    Starring Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, and more, tells the story of two completely different sisters; one who is happy being an outcast while the younger one can’t wait to come out of her shell. House rules, however, dictate the youngest can’t date if the oldest is still single; and soon, sparks start to fly everywhere. This is definitely one of our must watch teen romance movies on Disney Plus!

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    $7.99/month

  • ‘High School Musical’

    HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL, Zac Efron, Vanessa Anne Hudgens, 2005, photo: Fred Hayes / © Disney Channel / Courtesy: Everett Collection
    Image Credit: ©Disney Channel/Courtesy Everett Collection

    The Disney Channel original movie,  is still making waves today. When Troy Bolton (Zac Efron) meets Gabrielle Montez (Vanessa Hudgens) one New Year’s Eve night, he immediately falls for her. Not knowing who she is, the two head back to high school just as casting for the spring musical is underway. New girl Gabriella auditions, with a reluctant Troy at her side, upsetting the status quo of who does what in which clique.

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  • ‘Along for the Ride’

    ALONG FOR THE RIDE, from left: Belmont Cameli, Emma Pasarow, 2022. ph: Emily V. Aragones /© Netflix /Courtesy Everett Collection
    Image Credit: ©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection

    Starring Kate Bosworth, Belmont Cameli and Emma Pasarow follows two teens meeting by chance, and one of them shows the other the fun, carefree teen life they never experienced.

  • ‘Tuck Everlasting’

    TUCK EVERLASTING, Alexis Bledel, Jonathan Jackson, 2002, (c) Walt Disney/courtesy Everett Collection
    Image Credit: ©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection

    Starring Alexis Bledel and Jonathan Jackson, follows a girl from the Tuck family named Winnie, who has become immortal by the power of a magic stream of water. Winnie’s first love is put to the test as she risks her life, and mortality, for the boy she loves — a boy who also loves her back. 

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  • ‘The Princess Diaries’

    THE PRINCESS DIARIES, Anne Hathaway, Heather Matarazzo, Robert Schwartzman, 2001
    Image Credit: ©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection

    While 2001’s  focuses on the love between Mia and her grandmother Queen Clarice, there’s still plenty of high school dating drama (and romance). Mia (Anne Hathaway) can’t help but fall for Josh, who only really notices Mia after her major princess makeover, but then, of course, there’s her longtime buddy Michael.

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  • ‘The Fault In Our Stars’

    THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, l-r: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, 2014. ph: James Bridges/TM and Copyright ©20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved./courtesy Everett Collection
    Image Credit: ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection

    based on the novel by John Green, stars Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort as two teens battling cancer who form a unique, loving bond on their journey to try and connect with a famous author in Amsterdam.

    Disney Subscription

    $8/ month

  • ‘Never Been Kissed’

    NEVER BEEN KISSED, from left, Leelee Sobieski, Drew Barrymore,  1999. TM & Copyright ©20th Century-Fox Film Corporation/courtesy Everett Collection
    Image Credit: ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection

    Starring Drew Barrymore, follows the up-and-coming journalist Josie (Barrymore) as she goes undercover in a high school to investigate teenage culture, but starts to fall for her dreamy English teacher (Michael Vartan).

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    $7.99/month

  • ‘To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’

    TO ALL THE BOYS I'VE LOVED BEFORE, from left, Lana Condor, Israel Broussard, 2018. ©Netflix/courtesy Everett Collection
    Image Credit: ©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection

    This series is probably one of the best teen romance movies on Netflix and luckily for us, there are three instalments.

    Starring Noah Centineo and Lana Condor, the book-to-movie adaption of follows every single high schooler’s worst nightmare: then your private love letters to your crushes get sent out to them. As Lara Jean Covey (Lana Condor) crushes some to confront her, she tries a series of wacky events to avoid all of this, but fails miserably.

  • ‘Grease’

    GREASE, Olivia Newton-John, John Travolta, 1978. ©  Paramount Pictures
    Image Credit: ©Paramount

    In the movie musical , bad boy Danny Zuko (John Travolta) falls for the sweet, girl-next-door Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) during the summer. Things make a wicked turn when she surprises him, saying she transferred to the same school as him. Now they have to pick: reputation or love?

  • ‘Monte Carlo’

    MONTE CARLO, from left: Selena Gomez, Leighton Meester, Katie Cassidy, 2011. ph: Larry Horricks/©Fox 2000 Pictures/TM and Copyright 20th Century Fox Film Corp./All rights reserved./Courtesy Everett Collection
    Image Credit: ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection

    Starring Selena Gomez, Leighton Meester, and Katie Cassidy, the 2011 film follows three girls who plan a trip to Paris, where everything goes wrong. Then Grace (Gomez) gets mistaken for a British heiress, and all of them go along with it, and are whisked away to Monte Carlo, where each of them find a love story.

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  • ‘Mean Girls’

    MEAN GIRLS, from left: Jonathan Bennett, Lindsay Lohan, 2004. ©Paramount/courtesy Everett Collection
    Image Credit: ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection

    Starring Rachel McAdams, Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Seyfried and Lacey Chabert, follows a recent transfer (Lohan) and her journey to public school in America. As soon as she bonds with the outcasts, she also is able to infiltrate the popular girls (aka the Plastics). She hatches a plan to take them down, and also get her man.

  • ‘Love, Simon’

    LOVE, SIMON, Nick Robinson, 2018. ph: Ben Rothstein /TM & copyright © Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved. /Courtesy Everett Collection
    Image Credit: 20th Century Fox Licensing/Merchandising / Everett Collection

    follows a boy named Simon, who sparks an unlikely connection with someone online who recently came out as gay. As he bonds with this person,he’s grappling with the idea of coming out himself, all while dealing with both of their secrets somehow coming to light.

  • ‘Warm Bodies’

    WARM BODIES, from left: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, 2013. ph: Jonathan Wenk/©Summit Entertainment/courtesy Everett Collection
    Image Credit: Summit Entertainment/courtesy Everett Collection

    follows a zombie named R (Nicholas Hoult) who saves a girl named Julie (Teresa Palmer). Julie’s dad is at the forefront of killing all the zombies, but she tries to help R. They form a beautiful connection, and this romance may change how the world sees zombies.

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  • ‘A Cinderella Story’

    A CINDERELLA STORY, Hilary Duff, Chad Michael Murray, 2004, (c) Warner Brothers/courtesy Everett Collection
    Image Credit: ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

    The 2004 film is a modern-day retelling of the classic tale, Cinderella, with two of the biggest stars of th time. After first connecting over text, then at a masquerade party, social recluse Sam (Hilary Duff) finds out she’s falling for none other than the most popular guy in school (Chad Michael Murray).  

  • ‘Lisa Frankenstein’

    LISA FRANKENSTEIN, from left: Kathryn Newton, Cole Sprouse, 2024.  © Focus Features / Courtesy Everett Collection
    Image Credit: ©Focus Features/Courtesy Everett Collection

    is the quirky 80s romance we needed in 2024. Lisa (Kathryn Newton) accidentally reanimates the Victorian-era corpse she has fallen for (Cole Sprouse); and soon things get messy, bloody, and romantic.

  • ‘The Kissing Booth’

    THE KISSING BOOTH, from left: Joey King, Joel Courtney, 2018. ph: Marcos Cruz /© Netflix /Courtesy Everett Collection
    Image Credit: ©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection

    Every good teen romance movie needs a healthy dose of comedy and has it all. It follows innocent Elle (Joey King) and her life as a high schooler. She kisses and falls for one of the hottest guys in school (Jacob Elordi), who is her best friend’s brother; and of course, problem ensues as she deals with these feelings.

  • ‘Aquamarine’

    AQUAMARINE, Sara Paxton, 2006, TM & Copyright (c) 20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved.
    Image Credit: ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection

    Starring Sara Paxton, Jojo, and Emma Roberts, follows two best friends who find a mermaid (Paxton). After they all meet, they help Paxton, who’s on a mission to prove that true love exists to her father. 

  • ‘What a Girl Wants’

    WHAT A GIRL WANTS, Amanda Bynes, 2003, (c) Warner Brothers/courtesy Everett Collection
    Image Credit: ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

    Starring Amanda Bynes and Colin Firth, follows a care-free teen (Bynes) who travels all the way to London to find her birth father (Firth), who is a royal and running for office. And throughout her attempts to please him, she falls for another cool teen in London.

  • ‘Sixteen Candles’

    SIXTEEN CANDLES, Molly Ringwald, Michael Schoeffling, 1984. (c)Universal Pictures/ Courtesy: Everett Collection.
    Image Credit: ©MCA/Courtesy Everett Collection

    Starring Molly Ringwald, the classic 1980s film follows an angsty teen whose family completely forgets her milestone birthday. But throughout the chaos, she falls for a boy who makes sure her dreams can come true for her 16th birthday.

  • ‘Show Me Love’

    SHOW ME LOVE, (aka FUCKING AMAL), Rebecka Liljeberg, Alexandra Dahlstrom, 1998, (c) Strand Releasing/courtesy Everett Collection
    Image Credit: ©Strand Releasing/Courtesy Everett Collection

    is a love story between two teenage girls in small-town: Elin (Alexandra Dahlström), who is bored with life, and Agnes (Rebecka Liljeberg), who is depressed and in love with Elin. The pair navigate the highs and lows of high school, while falling for one another.

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  • ‘Anything’s Possible’

    ANYTHING'S POSSIBLE, from left: Eva Reign, Abubakr Ali, 2022.  ph: Tony Rivetti /© Orion Pictures /Courtesy Everett Collection
    Image Credit: ©Orion Pictures Corp/Courtesy Everett Collection

    This story is about two high-schoolers: Kelsa (Eva Reign), who is a transgender high school student who documents her life on YouTube, and Khal (Abubakr Ali), who gives relationship advice online. Their romance is tested throughout, and both have to face the biggest obstacle: being more open with themselves and each other.

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  • ‘Wild Child’

    WILD CHILD, Emma Roberts, Alex Pettyfer, 2008. ©Universal/courtesy Everett Collection
    Image Credit: ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection

    Starring Emma Roberts, is about a spoiled Beverly Hills teen who gets shipped to a boarding school in England; and she falls for the principal’s son.

  • ‘Twilight’

    Taylor Lautner, Kristen Stewart at arrivals for THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON Premiere, Mann Village and Bruin Theaters, Los Angeles, CA November 16, 2009. Photo By: Adam Orchon/Everett Collection
    Image Credit: Adam Orchon/Everett Collection

    Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner, follows a girl who recently moved to the town of Forks, WA; where she encounters a boy she’s instantly attracted to. And this boy? He turns out to be a vampire.

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  • ‘Crush’

    CRUSH, from left: Rowan Blanchard, Auli'i Cravalho, 2022. ph: Brett Roedel / © Hulu /Courtesy Everett Collection
    Image Credit: ©Hulu/Courtesy Everett Collection

    While Paige is working to get into CalArts summer program, she gets into the school’s track team. She then has feelings for a teammate of hers and, of course, still has feelings toward her longtime crush, Gabby.

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  • ‘A Walk to Remember’

    A WALK TO REMEMBER, Mandy Moore, Shane West, 2002. ©Warner Brothers/courtesy Everett Collection.
    Image Credit: ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

    Starring Mandy Moore and Shane West, follows two unlikely teenagers falling in love after Landon Carter (West) has to fulfill community service with the help of Moore’s character Jamie Sullivan.

  • ‘Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging’

    Image Credit: Everett Collection.

    Based on the bestselling seriesshows the life of a teenage girl who keeps track of the ups and downs of her life, including her learning to kiss. There’s catty friends, a fluffy cat, and a dreamy rocker she can’t stop thinking about.

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  • ‘Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist’

    NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST, from left: Kat Dennings, Michael Cera, 2008. ©Sony Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection
    Image Credit: ©Sony Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

    The 2008 film stars Kat Dennings as Norah and Michael Cera as Nick. After Norah asks Nick to pretend to be her boyfriend, they form a bond to search to find the secret show of a legendary band happening in NYC.

  • ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’

    THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER, from left: Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, 2012, ph: John Bramley/©Summit Entertainment/courtesy Everett Collection
    Image Credit: Summit Entertainment/courtesy Everett Collection

    Based on the book with the same title, follows outcast Charlie (Logan Lerman), who meets a group of spirited teenagers who show him the awesomeness of teendom. However, like every person’s high school years, things get complicated, and he falls for his pal Sam (Emma Watson).

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  • ‘Can’t Hardly Wait’

    CAN'T HARDLY WAIT, Ethan Embry, Jennifer Love Hewitt, 1998. ©Columbia Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection
    Image Credit: ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

    Preston (Ethan Embry) has had a crush on Amanda (Jennifer Love Hewitt) ever since she transferred to his high school. Fast forward to the last day of school: she’s single and everyone is ready to start their adult lives, that is, after a sick party.

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  • ‘Beastly’

    BEASTLY, from left: Alex Pettyfer, Vanessa Hudgens, 2010. ph: Takashi Seida/©CBS Films/Courtesy Everett Collection
    Image Credit: CBS Films/Everett Collection

    Starring Alex Pettyfer and Vanessa Hudgens, is a modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast that teens couldn’t get enough of. The tale follows a wealthy kid who is cursed by a witch. He stays in a grotesque state until someone can fall in love with him for who he truly is. Then comes a girl from his former class, who teaches him the true meaning of love.

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  • ‘The Duff’

    THE DUFF, from left: Robbie Amell, Mae Whitman, 2015. ph: Guy D. Alema/©Lionsgate/Courtesy Everett Collection
    Image Credit: ©Lions Gate/Courtesy Everett Collection

    After finding out she’s her friend group’s DUFF, aka the designated ugly fat friend, Bianca (Mae Whitman) asks for help from a jock named Wesley (Robbie Amell). There’s a makeover, a mean girl, and of course, a teen romance.

  • ‘Save The Last Dance’

    SAVE THE LAST DANCE, Julia Stiles, Sean Patrick Thomas, 2001
    Image Credit: ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection

    stars Julia Stiles stars as a teen who has to move to the south side of Chicago after her mother’s death. She is dying to go to Julliard, and learns to embrace her love of dance with the help of her new pal (Sean Patrick Thomas); who also loves dance… and maybe her?

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  • ‘The Prince & Me’

    THE PRINCE AND ME, Luke Mably, Julia Stiles, 2004. ©Paramount/courtesy Everett Collection
    Image Credit: ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection

    Starring Luke Mably and Julia Stiles, follows a new college student named Paige (Stiles), who meets Eddie (Mably). It’s an enemies-to-lovers romance with an epic royal twist.

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  • ‘Say Anything’

    SAY ANYTHING, from left: Ione Skye, John Cusack, 1989. TM and Copyright © 20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved. Courtesy: Everett Collection
    Image Credit: ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection

    is one of the classic 80s teen romance movies, which follows a sweet slacker and the class valedictorian, who fall in love the summer before she leaves for university. It’s perfect for the hopeless romantics.

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  • ‘Easy A’

    EASY A, Emma Stone, 2010. ph: Adam Taylor/©Screen Gems/Courtesy Everett Collection
    Image Credit: ©Screen Gems/Courtesy Everett Collection

    2010’s starring Emma Stone, is one of the best films of the 2010s. It follows a girl named Olive, who finds herself in a complicated web of lies after lying to her best friend about losing her virginity. She’s battling with the truth, her persona, and trying to find time to talk to the guy she actually likes.

  • ‘First Daughter’

    FIRST DAUGHTER, Katie Holmes, Marc Blucas, 2004, TM & Copyright (c) 20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved.
    Image Credit: ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection

    The daughter of the U.S. President, Samantha Mackenzie (Katie Holmes), heads off to college for a semblance of a normal life. However, when she gets there, she starts to fall for a graduate student, who just so happens to be a secret service agent hired to look after her. 

  • ‘Beautiful Creatures’

    BEAUTIFUL CREATURES, from left: Alden Ehrenreich, Alice Englert, 2013. ph: John Bramley/©Warner Bros. Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection
    Image Credit: ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

    Starring Alden Ehrenreich and Alice Englert, is a fantasy romance that follows a boy named Ethan Wate (Ehrenreich), who is counting down the days until he can leave this small Southern town. However, everything changes when he meets a mysterious girl named Lena Duchannes (Englert); who has magical powers, and the two start a forbidden love story.

  • ‘Hairspray’

    HAIRSPRAY, Zac Efron (front, second from left), James Marsden (front, center), Brittany Snow (right of center), 2007. ©New Line/courtesy Everett Collection
    Image Credit: ©New Line Cinema/Courtesy Everett Collection

    This fun musical shows pleasantly plump teenager Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonksy) making waves as she lands a spot on a dance show. It’s 1962, and she’s going to teach everyone to stop racial segregation; and along the way, she and the star of the show, Link (Zac Efron) start to have feelings for one another.

  • ‘The Sun Is Also a Star’

    THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR, from left: Charles Melton, Yara Shahidi, 2019. ph: Atsushi Nishijima / © Warner Bros. / courtesy Everett Collection
    Image Credit: ©Warner Bros/courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection

    Sadly there are a severe lack of Asian and Black teen romance movies so we adore a movie that shows opposites do attract, including when it comes to a hopeless romantic who’s unsure about his future and starts to fall for a woman the exact opposite: someone who doesn’t believe in love.

  • ‘The Last Song’

    THE LAST SONG, from left: Miley Cyrus, Liam Hemsworth, 2010. Ph: Sam Emerson/©Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
    Image Credit: ©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection

    Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth star in this adaptation of the popular Nicholas Sparks novel, While spending her summer at a beach town with her father to reconnect, Ronnie (Cyrus) falls for Will (Hemsworth), leading to an insane summer romance.

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  • ‘Flipped’

    FLIPPED, from left: Callan McAuliffe, Stefanie Scott, 2010. ph: Ben Glass/©Warner Bros. Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
    Image Credit: ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

    Another film about opposites attracting is the book-turned-movie , which follows two eighth-graders who start to have feelings for each other. It’s 1957, and while Juli (Madeline Carroll) knows they’re meant to be, Bryce (Callan McAuliffe) needs to figure it out.

  • ‘Geek Charming’

    GEEK CHARMING, Sarah Hyland (center), Jordan Nichols (3rd from right), 2011. photo: Ed Araquel / © Disney Channel / Courtesy: Everett Collection
    Image Credit: ©Disney Channel/courtesy Everett / Everett Collection

    Starring Sarah Hyland and Jordan Nichols, follows Dylan Schoenfield (Hyland), who is the most popular girl in school, while Josh Rosen (Nichols) is a film club geek who’s allowed to document the queen bee’s popularity for a film. However, while it all falls apart, sparks start to fly.

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  • ‘The Last Summer’

    THE LAST SUMMER, Sosie Bacon (left),  2019. © Netflix /courtesy Everett Collection
    Image Credit: ©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection

    follows a group of kids who have to reexamine everything they know about relationships, and each other, before they all head out to college.

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