A Glean movie guide
Beyond the Breakfast Club
No John Hughes blockbusters allowed.
The best 80s teen gems you might have missed.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Better Off Dead
A surreal, darkly funny cult classic that trades standard tropes for bizarre visual gags and high-stakes ski races.
High school student Lane Meyer sinks into suicidal depression when his girlfriend dumps him for jock Roy Stalin, the high school ski racing champion. Meanwhile, he has to deal with his eccentric family, a tenacious paperboy and an obnoxious neighbor whose mother is hosting a beautiful French exchange student named Monique.
- 02
Three O'Clock High
A stylishly directed thriller-comedy that perfectly captures the ticking-clock anxiety of a schoolyard showdown.
Nerdy high schooler Jerry Mitchell is assigned to write an article for the school paper about the infamous new delinquent transfer student, Buddy Revell. When Jerry accidentally invades Buddy's personal space and touches him, Buddy challenges Jerry to an afterschool fight in the parking lot, which Jerry tries to avoid at all costs.
- 03
The Legend of Billie Jean
A rebellious anthem of teen justice featuring a fierce performance and a memorable synth-pop spirit.
Average Texas teen, Billie Jean Davy, is caught up in an odd fight for justice. She is usually followed and harrased around by local boys, who, one day, decide to trash her brother's scooter for fun. The boys' father refuses to pay them back the price of the scooter. The fight for "fair is fair" takes the teens around the state and produces an unlikely hero.
- 04
River's Edge
A haunting, gritty look at suburban apathy that stands as one of the decade's most provocative coming-of-age dramas.
A group of high-school friends must come to terms with the fact that one of them, Samson, killed another, Jamie. Faced with the brutality of death, each must decide whether to turn their friend in to the police, or to help him escape the consequences of his dreadful deed.
- 05
Real Genius
A sharp, witty celebration of nerd culture featuring a charismatic breakout performance by Val Kilmer.
When teenage geniuses Mitch Taylor and Chris Knight, working on an advanced laser project, learn that the military wants to use it as a weapon, they decide to thwart the plan.
- 06
Valley Girl
A vibrant time capsule of 80s subculture that pairs a classic romance with a young Nicolas Cage’s raw energy.
Julie, a girl from the valley, meets Randy, a punk from the city. They are from different worlds and find love. Somehow they need to stay together in spite of her trendy, shallow friends.
- 07
Gregory's Girl
A charmingly low-key British comedy that offers a refreshing, naturalistic take on adolescent awkwardness.
A teenager falls hard for the female soccer player who has replaced him on the team and attempts to pursue her.
- 08
Night of the Comet
A fun, genre-mashing survival story that puts a valley-girl spin on the post-apocalyptic wasteland.
After a comet wipes out most of life on Earth, two Valley Girls find themselves fighting against cannibal zombies and a sinister group of scientists.
- 09
Lucas
A deeply sensitive and sincere drama that avoids clichés to portray the genuine ache of first heartbreak.
A brilliant but socially inept 14-year-old experiences heartbreak for the first time when his two best friends – Cappie, an older-brother figure, and Maggie, the new girl with whom he is in love – fall for each other.
- 10
Some Kind of Wonderful
The most overlooked of John Hughes’ scripts, offering a more mature subversion of high school romance.
Keith Nelson, an artsy high school outcast, tries to land a date with popular girl Amanda Jones with some help from his tomboy best friend, Watts. However, Watts realizes she likes Keith as more than just a friend and tries to convince him to stop pursuing Amanda. Matters are further complicated when Keith's invitation draws the ire of Amanda's rich yet snobby ex-boyfriend, Hardy Jenns, who makes plans to get even.