Underrated Teen Comedies

At the risk of looking like some sort of one-trick pony, I’m gonna talk about movies some more. Deal with it. Specifically, this post deals with movies that those old people you call Mom and Dad probably don’t appreciate as much as they should. You see, some of those teen comedies we’re all so fond of are more than just dick jokes. They’re about growing up, finding love, and dick jokes. You just have to look past the immaturity at movies like…

#5 American Pie

AT FIRST GLANCE:

For the six people in the world who haven’t seen American Pie, it’s about 4 high school seniors who make a pact to lose their virginity before graduation, showcasing the fact that sex is priority one for us teenage boys. Which, of course, is true. And the titular pie? Jason Biggs puts his penis in it.

 

“Now son, I’m going to sit here while you eat the whole thing.”

DIGGING DEEPER:

The reason American Pie is so low on this list is that, by now, it’s really not too underrated anymore. It’s pretty much a mainstream film and there’s not too much to say about it that you haven’t already heard. Still, it’s worth noting that, beneath the gross-out gags and pie-fucking, American Pie is a damn good movie.  No matter who you are, you can probably relate to one of the characters, be it the sensitive jock (Oz), the sophisticate who won’t use the school’s bathrooms (Finch), the ass who doesn’t seem to realize that everyone pretty much hates him (Stifler), or one of the many other typical and atypical high school archetypes.

 

Yeah, no, everyone just LOVES you. Is that shit!?

And the movie’s had an impressive impact on pop culture in general. Can you count the times you’ve heard the phrase “this one time, at band camp”? Didn’t think so. Hell, this is the movie that brought the term “MILF” into the spotlight. MILF! A once internet-exclusive word that might as well be in Webster’s by now. That’s pretty damn big.

 

Pretty…damn…big.

#4 Accepted

AT FIRST GLANCE:

When a high school graduate gets rejected from all the universities he applies to, he decides to make up his own college. The hoax is a little too realistic, though, and it gets out of hand when hundreds of students end up coming to the non-existent South Harmon Institute of Technology (It’s S.H.I.T.! Get it?) after facing their own rejections.

DIGGING DEEPER:

Okay, so that’s not a particularly immature plot line. But with all the S.H.I.T. jokes –S.H.I.T.Heads, the S.H.I.T. Sandwiches, isn’t wordplay fun? –and the simple fact that, from a distance, it looks like just another college comedy, the movie’s quality is sometimes missed. Then again, this is probably Jonah Hill’s first recognizable role, unless you count Grandma’s Boy…… and I don’t. Since then, he’s popped up in pretty much every movie Judd Apatow’s ever given a passing glance, and honestly, I’m getting a little tired of him.

 

For god’s sake, just ask him about his weiner.

Granted, much like American Pie, Accepted is moderately well known, and you’ve probably seen it on Comedy Central twelve times already. But I, for one, still enjoy watching it without feeling like I could be doing something better. After all, it ends up pitting the underdogs against the big fancy university-next-door with all their rules and traditions. And there’s nothing we love more than sticking it to the man.

 

Yeah, that man. That guy right there. Stick it to him!

#3 Eurotrip

AT FIRST GLANCE:

After a misunderstanding with the German pen pal he thought was a man, a high school graduate flies to Europe to find the frau of his dreams, with pit stops at all the hash bars, BDSM clubs, and nude beaches along the way.

DIGGING DEEPER:

EuroTrip is pretty much an unofficial sequel to Road Trip, though they’re completely unrelated and only have one producer in common. Somehow, EuroTrip was the less well-received of the two. Being as one of Road Trip’s stars was Tom Green, I’m still not sure how that’s possible.

Tom Green(Not Pictured: Talent)

Like so many other movies, EuroTrip’s probably had the majority of its run on Comedy Central. However, despite not being the most mainstream of movies, its impact is undeniable. Try going up to someone named Scott and singing “Scotty Doesn’t Know.” Chances are, he’ll respond with something to the tune of “Fuck off” or “I’m sick of hearing that shit” or “What the hell are you doing in my house?” At least, that’s what I heard. And I know I’ve gotten out of more than one awkward situation just by saying “This isn’t where I parked my car” or “Mi scusi, mi scusi!”

 

Hint: There’s no getting out of this one.

If nothing else, EuroTrip has the distinction of showing us that Michelle Trachtenberg (a.k.a. Harriet the Spy) is actually pretty hot. I applaud them for that. Well, that, and casting everyone’s favorite warrior princess as a dominatrix. Plus, the little boy pantomiming Hitler. Oh, and Hapi Djus.

Left to right: Awesome, awesomer, awesomest, Redacted by the FCC

 

#2 Sex Drive

 

AT FIRST GLANCE:

A high school graduate decides it’s time to lose his virginity (sound familiar?), so he steals his brother’s car and drives 9 hours to hook up with a girl he met online. On the way, he runs into crazy hitchhikers, street racers, the police, and even the Amish. How wacky!

DIGGING DEEPER:

After those last three movies, I wouldn’t be all that surprised if you hadn’t even heard of Sex Drive. It only came out about a year and a half ago, so it hasn’t had time to run in syndication on any major networks, and none of the stars are all that well known, except for Ezekiel, as played by Seth Green, and the main character’s brother, Rex, as played by Cyclops.

There’s a Visine for that.

Some parts of the movie have sort of a Napoleon Dynamitesque, so-awkward-it’s-funny kind of humor, except it actually is funny and not just boring. Seth Green’s role as a bitingly sarcastic Amishman is one of his best yet. And the whole movie stands as a testament to the fact that that girl you met online is probably just as hot as she says.

 

Probably.

I’m not really sure what else to say about Sex Drive. The point I’m trying to make here is that, though it may not be the best movie, it’s a lot better than its paltry reputation might lead you to believe, and that’s why it’s number 2 on this list. But you’ll just have to watch it yourself to find out.

#1 The Girl Next Door

 

AT FIRST GLANCE:

Emile Hirsch, as yet another high school senior, falls in love with the girl next door. She’s sweet, she’s sexy, she’s everything he wants. As it turns out, she’s also a porn star. And when Emile runs into financial problems, he decides to use her connections to make a pornographic film himself. . . on school grounds no less! A movie about porn? Uh oh.

"Kids, go to your room. This movie is for mommies and daddies."

DIGGING DEEPER:

Alright, despite being about a porn star, this movie isn’t just some 90 minute porno with jokes. It’s 108 minutes. And in my personal opinion, which I know you appreciate, it’s pretty damn good. It’s funny without trying too hard, and I never get tired of watching it. Of course, people see “movie about porn” and immediately condemn it as the worst thing ever, unless, like me, you have a penis, in which case you praise it as the best thing ever. But again, it’s not just porn. Yes, Elisha Cuthbert plays a porn star, but our hero Emile knows she’s better than that and tries to convince her to put it all behind her.

You knew this was coming.

And that financial trouble he’s in? He’d been raising money to bring a poor Cambodian student to the U.S. to study, but it ends up getting stolen by a vengeful porn producer. You can’t tell me that hasn’t happened to you at least two or three times. And that porno he makes in the end? Turns out it’s actually a progressive sex-ed video that ends up making him millions. They’re pretty much just plagiarizing my life at this point. So if you haven’t seen this one, I’d definitely recommend it. Or you could just head down to the nearest smut peddler and pick up a copy of Furiously Fisting Flaming Firefighters 5. Your choice.

 

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Not Another Teen Movie

Being a spoof and all, Not Another Teen Movie doesn’t quite earn a spot on the above list. But as far as crappy spoofs go, this one is surprisingly decent. They crammed a bunch of movies in there, but it’s mostly She’s All That and Cruel Intentions. It’s pretty quotable, a trait characteristic of any good film, and the references aren’t forced, such as in the other “_____ Movie” movies, which will not be named.

10 Things I Hate About You

10 Things I Hate About You isn’t too underrated, or, at least, not in the same way as the others I’ve mentioned. I feel like it generally gets pegged as a chick flick, and it’s really not. Hell, it’s based on Shakespeare. Doesn’t get much manlier than that, right? Right? Bah, go fuck yourself, Internet. This is the movie that introduced Heath Ledger to American audiences! And it’s got Joseph Gordon-Levitt, everyone’s favorite Gordon-Levitt! What more do you need to convince you to watch it?

 

Out Cold

Alright, so this one isn’t exactly a “teen comedy” but it’s still pretty good. Again, I mostly see it on Comedy Central and have never really heard about it anywhere else, but it’s worth the watch. It’s like Johnny Tsunami, only without the surfing, and everyone’s older. Plus, it’s got that guy from The Hangover. You know, Zach Galifackis. Galifanananackis. Gallipoli. Eh, you know who I’m talking about.

AT FIRST GLANCE:

For the six people in the world who haven’t seen American Pie, it’s about 4 high school seniors who make a pact to lose their virginity before graduation, showcasing the fact that sex is priority one for us teenage boys. Which, of course, is true. And the titular pie? Jason Biggs puts his penis in it.