If you are looking for iconic teen movies that categorized a genre like The Breakfast Club, you’re in the right place!
No film storyteller could hone a script and direct upcoming Hollywood hotshots better than John Hughes. His relatable storylines make coming-of-age look real, hopeful, quirky, yet enjoyable. This classic tale of five teens sharing an afternoon of detentionâand self-discoveriesâremains a shining example.
Want to know similarly-themed films? Then read on to find out my recommended movies like The Breakfast Club that will equally leave you pondering on youth, its societal follies, and personal victories.
10 Iconic 80’s Teen Movies Like The Breakfast Club
1. Rebel Without A Cause (1955)
A troubled young man feels alienated and left out in his family, which makes him run into trouble outside of it. Things changeâfor the better and the worseâwhen he falls in love with a girl and befriends a fellow outcast.
Iconic Hollywood legend James Dean put teen angst on the movie map with this film directed by Nicholas Ray, which was truly ahead of its time regarding depicting teen issues. Subtle depictions of closeted gayness and Electra complex, anyone?
Similar to The Breakfast Club, these so-called rebels will make you relate with issues that still haunt teens today.
2. The Lost Boys (1987)
A family moves to a new city, only to find out itâs infested with vampires secretly blending in. The younger teen befriends a local out to hunt these vampires down, not knowing his older brother has already been lured to the fold.
Seen as a teen comedy vehicle for The Coreys (Haim and Feldman), the whole cast holds their own in delivering a suburban tale of teens adjusting to life without a dad in a new townâbut with vampires.
Just like The Breakfast Club, teen issues of acceptance, peer pressure, and love resonate with those who felt the same.
3. Dead Poets Society (1989)
A newly-hired English teacher in an all-boys prep school becomes an inspiration and a mentor to troubled angsty rich teens who are out looking for their place in the world at their age. He does this by opening their eyes to the beauty of poetry.
Comedian Robin Williams takes a turn and delivers an outstanding performance among a group of equally talented young actors of the time, combining subtle humor and profound insight. Lost angsty teens soon find direction because of his character.
As with The Breakfast Club, expect familiar societal pressures of teen boys unravel in this touching drama.
4. Reality Bites (1996)
A new college grad grapples with life after school, struggling to preserve her valedictorian ideals while finding outâthe hard wayâwho the real world operates on a daily basis. She shares her thoughts and observations among her peers who also battle their own struggles daily.
The â80s and â90s had Winona Ryder headlining many an outcast teen movie, but this one shows how new adults also graduate from teen-hood to ânew adulthoodâ as teen issues also âgrow upâ with them in this older stage.
Reality Bites indeed unraveled personality-based young peopleâs struggles well as The Breakfast Club did. Classics!
5. Cruel Intentions (1999)
Affluent half-siblingsâone a snobbish girl and the other a promiscuous guyâenrolled in a Manhattan prep school develop their own form of teen rivalry by using an innocent virgin girl as a pawn and a plaything of their dark and devious pastimes.
Reese Witherspoon shines as the virginal pawn under the scrutiny of Sarah Michelle Gellarâs sly character and the manipulations of Ryan Phillipeâs playboy role, as the film touches upon universal youth-focused drama about sex, social hierarchies, and relationships.
This highly sensual film, like The Breakfast Club, reveals the darker side of teenage life yet still relatable in the process.
6. Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
A teen, recently recovering from clinical depression treatment, finds himself rejoining society where his social awkwardness is overtly displayed amongst peers. However, he befriends two unlikely individuals, and they become kindred spirits despite challenges.
Director Stephen Chbosky directs this script he adapted from his own young adult novel and made a coming-of-age film that highlights the loss of innocence and dealing with trauma. It showcases how teens deal with deep and dark issues of life.
Take The Breakfast Clubâs angsty detention and up its ante with child abuse, mental illness, and suicide, and youâll get this deeply profound touching film.
7. The Edge of Seventeen (2016)
A girl faces pimples, popularity woes (or the lack of it), and dealing with high school crushes and betrayals while burdened by the presence of a popular older brother and a vanity-focused mother with body image issues.
Hailee Steinfeld struts her Academy Award-nominated acting skills in this coming-of-age drama that presents life through the eyes of a witty, sarcastic, highly intelligent but also a self-aware teen. Others could surely relate to such issues.
Compared to The Breakfast Club, this filmâwhile lightheartedâstill strikes a nerve among girls who are similarly pressured. No wonder this film became a teen hit!
8. Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)
A working student from a blue-collar family tries his luck to snag the most popular rich girl in school. His boyish drums-playing BFF tries to help him, even if it means not banging her drums to announce her secret love to her BFF.
Yet another John Hughes classic makes it to this list since he did have the Hollywood pulse of teen drama down pat. This time, the angsty tug-of-war isnât limited to clashing social stereotypes, but also clashing social class backgrounds.
It definitely resonates with the social individualist theme of The Breakfast Club, but with a relatable romantic twist.
9. Heathers (1998)
Veronica and her vicious vixen friendsâall named Heatherâare the popular girls in school, but she soon gets tired of the clique. When she befriends and dates a rebel outlier, he starts turning her wistful but dark thoughts into reality.
Winona Ryder defined dark yet relatable teen angst in her teen films, and Heathers stood out as one of those defining movies of the era. Her interplay of wit and sarcasm makes her an approachable âit girlâ for teens.
It may not be as heartwarming as The Breakfast Club, but Heathers clearly stands on its own regarding angsty relatability.
10. Stand By Me (1986)
Four ordinary boys in a sleepy town spend an extraordinary summer by going on a hike to see a dead body featured in the news. The adventure turns into a coming-of-age journey as friendships unravel amidst the personal hardships they face in their lives.
Young adolescent versions of River Phoenix, Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman, and Jerry OâConnell exhibit formidable roles as relatable teenagers with common worries and daily struggles. But their strong bond forges well as they find the strength within each other.
As The Breakfast Club ended by the differing teens finding a commonality, so does this poignant film.