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Everybody loves a good teen movie, but a bad teen movie — eh, those are a little harder to get behind. Fortunately, there are several teen movies on Netflix that have found their way around the bad movie hump by being so horrendously bad, they're actually kind of good.
For teen movies, being subpar can mean anything from having a super tired and stereotypical plot to awful acting and even worse production value. The best bad teen movies, though, have to be so ridiculously bad that they transcend their awfulness and become something different than the filmmakers probably intended — something unquestionably fun. The appeal of the "so bad it's good" movie is that it's enjoyable to watch, poke fun at, and maybe even start to like. If a bad movie can't make you smile, then what's the point?
This is especially crucial for "so bad they're good" teen movies, which have to be fun enough for anyone past the age of high school — aka anyone who has some genuine taste — to be willing to reopen the wounds of adolescence to sit down and watch. It's not a simple task, but nonetheless one that these 17 movies on Netflix manage to accomplish.
1
'Sleepover'
Like a generic, younger version of Mean Girls, Sleepover follows a group of graduating eighth graders who decide to get a head start on their freshman year by competing in a scavenger hunt led by a Plastics-like clique. If they collect everything in the hunt (including a pair of heartthrob Steve Phillips' boxers), they'll be granted the most coveted seats in the high school lunchroom. —Kayla Blanton
2
'Dude'
A reminder that yes, high school was that bad for most of us, Dude hilariously highlights the confusing, sometimes traumatizing sh*t teens go through and how they cope. (Hint: the answer is weed. A lot of weed.) —Kayla Blanton
3
'Sierra Burgess Is a Loser'
What's a Netflix teen flick without Noah Centineo? In this one, Sierra, played by Shannon Purser (aka Barb from Stranger Things), is basically bullied into catfishing Centineo's popular, football player Jamey. She finds herself texting him as her classmate Veronica and ends up catching feelings. —Kayla Blanton
4
'Candy Jar'
In this classic tale of rivals-turned-lovers, two high school debate champs spend so much time competing against each other that they accidentally fall in love. —Kayla Blanton
5
'SPF-18'
Love triangles have never been so...dull. SPF-18 tells the tale of romance and friendship on the beach, only in ways you've seen a million times before. Bonus: Pamela Anderson is in it. —Olivia Truffaut-Wong
6
'Alex Strangelove'
Alex plans on finally having sex with his high school girlfriend Claire, but becomes confused about his sexuality when he meets a handsome gay boy at a party. It's an ultimately stale but still unabashedly sweet story. —Kayla Blanton
7
'Swiped'
Think of Swiped like a low-rent Social Network: a group of college kids invent a dating app hoping to get rich, only for things to inevitably go awry. Come to see Noah Centineo play a womanizing douchebag, stay to watch his adorably nerdy roommate. —Kayla Blanton
8
'The Kissing Booth'
Elle (Joey King) has a big crush on her best friend’s older brother Lee (Jacob Elordi), but swore to her BFF that she'd never cross the line with him. When she starts a kissing booth for a school fundraiser and he shows up, that rule becomes a little harder to follow. (Its sequel, The Kissing Booth 2, is set to release in 2020.) —Kayla Blanton
9
'Malibu Rescue'
A summer teen movie that's epically corny, Malibu Rescue follows a group of aspiring junior lifeguards who team up to take down some snobby locals. —Kayla Blanton
10
'Step Sisters'
Jamilah is president of her black sorority, captain of the school step team, and an all-star student with dreams of attending Harvard law school. But after a group of hard-partying white sorority sisters take things too far, the dean tasks her with helping them win a step competition in order to restore the school's reputation. Yes, the plot is that ridiculous. —Kayla Blanton
11
'The Package'
A stereotypically raunchy summer camp story, The Package follows a group of teens who go on a spring break camping trip and end up scrambling to save their friend’s most prized possession. It was adapted from a screenplay titled Eggplant Emoji, if that gives you any clue as to what to expect. —Kayla Blanton
12
'Rip Tide'
After a viral video of her falling down stairs tarnishes her modeling career, Cora (played by Debby Ryan) escapes to her aunt’s Australian home to rediscover herself. —Kayla Blanton
13
'The Outcasts
This 2017 comedy stars Victoria Justice, Eden Sherr, and Ashley Rickards as group of — you guessed it — outcasts who hatch a plan to "overthrow" their school’s most popular clique. —Kayla Blanton
14
'Class Rank'
With the help of their families, high school outsiders Veronica and Bernard join forces to take over their local school board, abolish class rankings, and learn a thing or two about love in the process. —Kayla Blanton
15
'Oh, Ramona!'
Based on the novel Suck it, Ramona!, this comedy details nerdy Andrei’s pursuit of his high school crush, Ramona. He’s initially rejected by her and finds a connection with another girl, but when Ramona later decides she likes him back, he’s faced with a very difficult decision. —Kayla Blanton
16
'Naomi & Ely's No Kiss List'
Victoria Justice stars as Naomi, who, with her gay best friend Ely, creates a “No Kiss List” forbidding them both from kissing specific guys. When Ely ends up kissing — and ultimately falling for — Naomi's current boyfriend, their friendship takes a turn. —Kayla Blanton
17
'Bring It On: Worldwide #CheerSmack'
In Worldwide #CheerSmack, the Rebels’ cheer captain Destiny can only defeat rival group the Truth by calling for backup from an all guys’ squad, which presents a challenge, to say the least. It’s not the original Bring It On, but it'll do.
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