If you’re reading this, it seems your obsession with To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before has gone up to a whole new level. You’ve probably watched it one too many times, and that scene where Lara Jean watches her favorite movie with Peter Kavinsky and her sister Kitty. Peter turns to Kitty to ask why her sister loves it so much, to which Kitty answered it’s because of Jake Ryan (Duh!) might have intrigued you enough to Google “Jake Ryan Sixteen Candles”—which would have eventually led you to watching the entire movie. Don’t worry, no judgments here. We completely understand. In fact, we’re here to feed your obsession even more. If you found the classic coming-of-age flick to your liking and can’t get enough of it, here are some more movies you probably would love too.
Say Anything
A touching tale about first love, this is the movie which gave birth to the iconic boombox scene, where we see a young John Cusack hold up a huge music player (yes, that’s what a boombox is) outside his girlfriend’s house as a symbol of his earnestness and devotion. It’s movies like this that’ll have you wishing we could go back to the old days of courting sometimes.
Some Kind of Wonderful
If you have a weakness for the girl-falls-in-love-with-her-best-friend trope, this is for you. The film revolves around a high school outcast who tries to win over the popular girl in school by asking the help of his best friend. The story gets complicated when said best friend realizes she has feelings for him. Plus points to this movie for showing the popular girl as someone more than some stuck-up snob who only cares about her looks.
Pretty in Pink
This is probably the film closest to Sixteen Candles. Aside from featuring the same lead actress, Molly Ringwald, it was also directed by king of teen movies, John Hughes. A cult classic widely remembered just as much for the protagonist’s bold fashion choices, this movie explores the awkwardness and difficulty of enduring social cliques while trying to survive the drama of young love.
Can’t Buy Me Love
Set in the late 80’s, here, we see a young Patrick Dempsey as the nerdy high-schooler, who strikes a deal with the school’s cheerleader to act as his girlfriend. He enjoys social success for some time before eventually realizing popularity isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. In true 80’s rom-com fashion, it has one of the most iconic ending scenes, and a killer nostalgic soundtrack to boot.
She’s All That
Timeline-wise, this is the farthest in the list, but a classic nonetheless. Set in the late 90’s, this tells the story of Laney, an artsy outsider who suddenly becomes the object of interest of the most popular guy in school. Laney’s makeover and the boys’ dare/ revenge for ex-girlfriend plot line might be problematic, but the eventual turnover of that story will definitely leave you swooning.
Art by Marian Hukom
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