Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Explain Which Teen Movies Made Them Think 'The Older I Get, The More I Agree With The Adult'

People Explain Which Teen Movies Made Them Think 'The Older I Get, The More I Agree With The Adult'
woman lying on bed while eating puff corn
Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash
Make us preferred on Google

There's a fairly common formula in movies geared toward a teenage audience.

A group of teenagers face one central conflict, to varying degrees of importance and severity, but manage to solve it in a surprisingly short manner of time.

The heroes of these films are usually a hodgepodge of traditional high school archetypes (star athlete, math nerd, girl whose beauty is disguised by a pair of glasses), all of whom the intended audience can completely relate to and root for.

And then we have the adult characters, who are often buffoonish stereotypes, or the outright villain, whose sole mission is to ensure the protagonist will not achieve their ultimate goal.

As teenagers, we often find ourselves ready to boo these grown-ups from the minute they appear on the screen.

But when we revisit these movies as adults, we find ourselves noticing that their behavior isn't quite as bad as we remembered.

Or, more shockingly, we actually find ourselves rooting for them!


Redditor roix_ducat was curious to hear which teen movies people found their loyalty shifting from the teen hero to the adult villain when rewatching it as a grown up, leading them to ask:
"What teen movie is the epitome of 'the older I get, the more I agree with the adult?'"

The Teacher Was Right All Along...

"Rewatching 'Scrubs', I realize I’m no longer a JD., I’ve become a Cox."- RenegadeRinker

They Were Just Being Protective!

"I watched 'Sixteen Candles' recently and I now do not approve of Samantha going anywhere near Jake Ryan."-goblininstigator

All It Takes Is A Little Perspective

"Sadly, 'The Wonder Years'."

"I always couldn’t believe the dad was real, with his pissed off attitude from work."

"Now I understand."- hashn

The Wonder Years Thumbs Down GIFGiphy

Nothing Wrong With A Little Precision And Order!

"The movie 'Juno'."

"Jennifer Garner's character is at first portrayed as a 'square', then you realize she's a mature adult and her husband is a man-baby."- DaveFarted

Add It Up, The Wedding Cost Nearly $150,00!

"Not a teen movie, but 'Father of the Bride'."

"Watching it as a kid, Steve Martin seemed like an old grump."

"Rewatching it as an adult, holy sh*t he is the only sane person in that movie."- DrOctopusMD

It Was Literally His Job To Protect Them!

"'The Lion King'."

"Oh I thought Zazu was just an old fun-killer."

"What do you mean, Simba can't be king?"

"Why would you prevent the kids from going where they want?"

"As an adult and father, I'm 100% Team Zazu."- Oneiric86

the lion king GIF by DisneyGiphy

Seriously, Would Your Dad Have Been So Cool About It?...

"'American Pie'."

"As a new father, I hope to be like Jim’s dad when my little one is a teenager."

"Caring, loving and a complete embarrassment to them."- BanjoPhatterson

It's A Parent's Job To Worry.

"The mom in 'Ice Princess'."

"So you have a daughter who has a talent for and seems to like physics and has a shot of getting into Harvard."

"This girl throws it away for ice skating where she has only been competing for less than a year, where if she gets injured she's done and when she reaches 30 she's pretty much done."

"There is no way she is at an olympic level at that point she would need years of training! "

"Hell yes I would advise against it to!"- testmonkey254

Always Be Respectful Of Your Roommate!

"Goob, 'Meet the Robinsons'."- beepboop232

Meet The Robinsons Google GIFGiphy

People Are Complicated

"Dr Doofenschmirtz."

"He’s just trying to do something right and being a good dad."- LukeLJS123

Dancing

"In Dirty Dancing, Jerry Orbach just wanted a family summer vacation and instead learned entirely too much about his daughters’ sex lives." - User Deleted

Menace

"Mr. Wilson in Dennis the Menace. Seriously, f**k that little miscreant and his parents that turn a blind eye to his shenanigans." -HotTub_MKE

Wimpy

"Haven't watched the movies, but I assume that the movies are similar enough, Diary of a wimpy kid, bro, your mom just wants to stop being a housewife and have a job and you complain that she isn't in the house anymore to be your personal slave, when you get from school you don't even greet her, you just give her your back pack, you little sh*t, do one thing in your life, did you ever thank her for anything Gregory?" - Torture-Dancer

Wonka

"Gene Wilder in original Charlie and the Chocolate factory “stop, don’t... come back” - isaacmorton

Good Will

"Good Will Hunting."

"A great film to watch as a smug, witty underachiever, however genuinely smart & funny you might be (at least according to your friends)."

"But go back to it 15 or 20 years later, perhaps after losing your wife to cancer, and you'll freak out at this scene."

"Source: No idea how smart or funny I really used to be, but I was definitely smug. I married the person I'd been with since we were both 16. She died at 33." - cdeverett

Rugrats

"Rugrats. The parents were so young and just doing their best. I like it was a group of neighbors that were best friends too. I get really stressed out on their behalf now. Especially the one where didi just wants to make it home before her banana tree she bought died in the car but no one could get their sh*t together." - cunexttuesday12

Daria

"Way late to the party; but I’m gonna say “Daria”."

"I used to be a disaffected teen too. All my problems were SO HUGE! And Daria’s parents just DIDN’T UNDERSTAND!"

"I watch it now, and Jake Morgendorffer is who I identify best with. He’s supposed to seem silly and crazy and out of touch, but now I just see a guy who worries so much about providing for his family, dealing with insecurity about his masculinity, and trying to relate to his daughters any way he can in spite of being completely baffled by them, because his hypermasculine upbringing left him ill-equipped to relate to girls."

"Poor Jake. He just wants to be a better dad than his dad. And in spite of his goofiness, I think he does an okay job." - corran450

As teens we're inclined to revolt from our parents and teachers, or even be revolted by them.

But the older we get, the more we understand that nine times out of ten, they were just looking out for us.

Just as we realize that Mr. Hall of Clueless was being pretty generous giving a C to a student who didn't seem to know how to pronounce "Haitian"...

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Screenshot of Donald Trump during ribbon-cutting ceremony
Newsmax

Video Of Trump Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Is All Kinds Of Awkward After Media Ban Backfires Spectacularly

President Donald Trump's decision to ban CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House prompted a network boycott in solidarity and a ribbon cutting ceremony on the White House's South Lawn came with completely indecipherable audio because the press pool has decided to stop filming daily events.

Footage from a Monday ribbon cutting ceremony revealed that the sounds of the Marine One chopper just yards away drowned out Trump's remarks. The far-right network Newsmax was on the scene, and even they had to admit that Trump's attack against the free press seemed to be “backfiring just a little bit.”

Keep ReadingShow less
screenshots from Chris Gallant Instagram reel
@_gallantny/Instagram

Gay Congressional Candidate Refuses To Be Ashamed Of Fetish Model Past After Attacks From Conservatives—And We're Cheering

Openly gay New York congressional candidate Chris Gallant is a Black Hawk helicopter pilot in the New York Army National Guard and volunteer firefighter on Long Island. He was an air traffic controller with the Federal Aviation Administration and served in a union leadership role with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.

But he is being attacked for another job he once had.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mike Johnson flanked by other Republicans
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

House Republicans Get Hit With Epic Reminder After Tweet Warning About Communists Building Walls

After the official House Republicans X account tweeted a warning that "every communist country eventually builds a wall," critics were quick to point out the party's general hypocrisy.

President Donald Trump has long advocated for the United States to construct a border wall, making it a cornerstone of his immigration policy back in 2016. Since then, Republicans have continued to defend the wall as necessary for reasons of national security.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Mike Pence; Donald Trump
C-SPAN; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Mike Pence Reveals Trump's Telling Response After Pence Offered His Prayers Following Jan. 6 Rift

Vice President Mike Pence told the audience during his appearance at the Economic Club of Washington, D.C. that President Donald Trump rejected his offer of "praying" for him following their public rift in the aftermath of the January 6 insurrection.

Pence has long appeared to play both sides, on one hand condemning Trump for pushing the "Big Lie" that the 2020 election was fraudulent, while on the other accusing Democrats of not advocating for election integrity. But he has been out of Trump's good graces for years now since his decision to certify Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election.

Keep ReadingShow less
Shailene Woodley attends the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards at Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California.
Monica Schipper/Getty Images

Shailene Woodley's Stylist For The Emmys Calls Out 'Super Rude And Mean' Comments About Actor's Look

Shailene Woodley has plenty going on right now, including her first Emmy win and an ex-fiancé suddenly sharing intimate details about their relationship. Yet somehow, the internet has decided her red carpet outfit is the situation requiring immediate attention.

Woodley attended Monday’s 78th Primetime Emmy Awards after already having a pretty good reason to celebrate. The 34-year-old won her first Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for playing Annie Clay in season 2 of Hulu’s Paradise at the Creative Arts Emmys on September 6.

Keep ReadingShow less