A List of 2000s Teen Movies to Watch That You Probably Forgot Existed

Though “Bring It On” is the more widely beloved cheerleader film from the early aughts, “Sugar & Spice” is memorable in its own right.

The 2001 dark comedy follows a group of cheerleaders who commit an armed robbery when one of them is in need of money after she finds out she’s pregnant.

Starring Marley Shelton, Marla Sokoloff, Mena Suvari, James Marsden, and Melissa George, this dark comedy blends high-school sports and crime. 

Teen parody films like “Scary Movie” and “Meet the Spartans” were quite popular in the 2000s, but 2001’s “Not Another Teen Movie” took the genre to the next level by parodying multiple films. 

“Not Another Teen Movie” parodies movies from a variety of decades, including 1978’s “Grease,” John Hughes’ classics from the ’80s like “The Breakfast Club” and “Pretty in Pink,” and even then-current hits like “She’s All That.”

Some popular teen movies from the ’90s are modern-day adaptations of classic works, including “Clueless” as a Beverly Hills version of Jane Austen’s “Emma” and “10 Things I Hate About You” as a ’90s adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew.”

“Whatever It Takes” was released shortly after those cult classics, and the 2000 movie is also inspired by classic literature. It’s loosely based on the 1687 play “Cyrano de Bergerac,” about a poet and guardsman who believes a woman will never love him because of his large nose.

Starring actors like Shane West, James Franco, Aaron Paul, Colin Hanks, and Marla Sokoloff, the movie follows two guys on an adventure to find love.

In terms of early aughts films, viewers probably recognize Lindsay Lohan from the mega-hit “Mean Girls.” But that same year, she starred in the Disney-produced teen film  “Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen.”

In the music-filled comedy from 2004, Lohan plays a city girl in the suburbs who has dreams of becoming a superstar. The film also features actors like Megan Fox, Carol Kane, and Glenne Headly.

Lohan was a staple actor in the early aughts, also appearing in “Herbie: Fully Loaded” the year after “Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen.”

The 2005 film follows Lohan as Maggie, a teen who wants to become a NASCAR driver against the wishes of her father, who used to be one.

The movie features Michael Keaton as Lohan’s character’s dad and includes a magical talking car. 

There were dozens of coming-of-age teen comedies that came out in the 2000s, but fans of Jack Black and Colin Hanks probably remember “Orange County.”

The 2002 film follows a smart teen whose dreams of attending a prestigious university are derailed when his college transcripts are mixed up with those of an underachiever.

Some audiences have called the movie “impossible not to love” and have said it’s worth watching solely to watch Black’s comedic prowess.

“Get Over It” follows a high-school athlete who auditions for a school musical in an attempt to win back his ex-girlfriend. Along the way, he ends up falling for someone else. 

Featuring a cast of modern-day stars (Kirsten Dunst, Mila Kunis, Martin Short, and Zoe Saldaña, to name a few) as well as early-aughts favorites like Colin Hanks, Shane West, and even Vitamin C, this 2001 movie is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” 

In the film, a talented swimmer Ben (played by early aughts staple Jesse Bradford) is stalked by a new student, Madison (Erika Christensen). 

Although the critics’ consensus of the thriller “Swimfan” was that it was a “‘A Fatal Attraction’ rip-off” and “mediocre thriller,” this 2002 film was beloved by some audiences who have called the movie an “entertaining thriller.”

Bynes was in dozens of teen movies in the 2000s.

She’s well-known for starring in 2006’s cult-classic hit “She’s the Man,” but the movie she filmed a few years prior, “What a Girl Wants,” shouldn’t be forgotten.

In the 2003 film, Bynes plays a city girl who’s on a mission to find her biological father, a prestigious lord who lives in London with his stuffy royal family.

This teen comedy with a royal twist features a cast that includes big-name actors like Kelly Preston and Colin Firth.

The characters from the “Archie” comics are enjoying a new life thanks to the success of the CW’s recent TV series “Riverdale,” but this isn’t the first time these comic-book characters were portrayed by real-life actors.

Inspired by the “Archie” comics, 2001’s “Josie and the Pussycats” follows the girl group of the same name as they rise to fame and uncover some secrets about the music industry.

Starring famed actors like Scarlet Johansson and Steve Buscemi, 2001’s “Ghost World” follows two mischievous high schoolers as they try to figure out what they want to do after graduation. 

Sometimes lost in the shuffle of more popular teen movies from the time, this comedy has been praised by both fans and critics alike for its portrayal of teen angst, with some critics calling it “disturbing and hysterically funny.”

Starring now-A-list actors like Johansson and Chris Evans, 2004’s “The Perfect Score” follows a group of high-school students as they attempt to steal the answers to their upcoming SAT exam.

Teen sex comedies first began entering the cultural landscape in the early 1980s, and the early-aughts movie “EuroTrip” tends to get lost in the shuffle among cult-classics of the same genre like “American Pie” and “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.”

This “raunchy” 2004 flick follows a group of teens as they embark on a backpacking trip around Europe.

The R-rated film features cameos from some famed actors, including Fred Armisen and Matt Damon. 

 This story was originally published on March 3, 2019, and most recently updated on July 21, 2025.