Film

Not Another Teen Movie

Name: Not Another Teen Movie
Genre: Comedy
Released: 2001
Cast: Chyler Leigh, Chris Evans, Jaime Pressly, Eric Christian Olsen, Mia Kirshner

Parody
Light-hearted

A relentless spoof of '80s and '90s teen movies that treats every cliché as ammunition for jokes. Rapid-fire, often crude, occasionally inspired, aimed squarely at people who've watched enough John Hughes films to recognize what's being mocked. It's exhausting and silly in roughly equal measure—made for fans of the genre, not converts.

TMDb rating

2.9

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love spoof comedies that gleefully pile up references to the teen films you grew up with, and you laugh harder at a sight gag than at a punchline.

Skip it if you find parody exhausting when it runs on sheer volume, since the jokes come fast and many of them land on the same broad, crude note.

What it asks of you: Ninety minutes of nonstop, scattershot gags with little pause, so it rewards quick attention and a willingness to let the silly sketches wash over you.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Scary Movie 22001

Proves the parody formula works brilliantly when the jokes land fast and hard. Same anarchic energy, similar willingness to go absurd, and a genuine affection for the source material underneath the chaos.

But Relies heavily on gross-out humour and references that date it badly. If you need subtlety or restraint, this isn't your film.

Heathers1989

The dark teen comedy blueprint that makes fun of itself while being genuinely sharp about high school cruelty. Cynical, witty, and it actually has something to say beneath the jokes.

But It's from 1988 and looks it. More bite than belly laughs, which might feel slower after something as relentless as Not Another Teen Movie.

Clueless1995

A teen movie that's so smart and charming it transcends parody, but it's one of the exact films being mocked here. Understanding the original makes the spoof land harder.

But If you haven't seen Clueless, you'll miss half the references. And it's genuinely good, which might make you wish you were watching it instead.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Not Another Teen Movie

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Forbidden Zone1982

Both prioritize the avalanche of jokes over plot coherence. Both assume you'll find the relentless barrage of ideas funnier than story structure. Both are exhausting in intentional ways.

An insanely anarchic, low-budget musical that treats narrative as a suggestion and throws surrealism, vaudeville, and delirium at the screen without apology. Same philosophy as Not Another Teen Movie—nothing is sacred, everything is a joke—but in a completely different register.

But It's aggressively weird and visually chaotic in ways that read as avant-garde rather than funny. The humour is rarely legible to mainstream audiences; it might just feel like chaos.

10 Things I Hate About You1999

Genuinely funny Shakespeare adaptation masquerading as a teen movie. It has heart, charm, and enough wit that you're laughing with it rather than at what it's spoofing.

But Sincere and earnest in ways Not Another Teen Movie actively despises. The tone is almost the opposite.

Mean Girls2004

Tina Fey's script proves you can make a teen comedy that's both a solid film and a perfect satire of the genre. Sharp, quotable, genuinely clever without feeling contemptuous.

But It came after Not Another Teen Movie and does the job better. Watching them back-to-back shows the difference between parody and actual wit.

The Breakfast Club1985

The John Hughes film that started it all, the one being mocked relentlessly. Watch the original to understand what makes the spoof tick, and to appreciate what Hughes actually got right.

But It's earnest and genuine—the opposite of what Not Another Teen Movie does. Some find it dated and overpraised now.

Can't Hardly Wait1998

A teen ensemble comedy with genuine heart that doesn't take itself seriously but also respects its characters. Captures the '90s teen movie aesthetic being spoofed without contempt.

But It's sincere when Not Another Teen Movie is sneering. If you're in the mood for gentle fun, this works better; if you want aggressive jokes, it feels soft.

Superbad2007

Crude and silly but actually about something—friendship and growing up. The jokes come from character and situation, not just reference hunting, which gives it more lasting power.

But Came later and refined what teen comedy could be. Might make Not Another Teen Movie feel like an earlier, less focused version of the same impulse.

American Pie1999

A late-'90s teen comedy that plays it mostly straight, so it's a good example of what Not Another Teen Movie is satirizing. Earnest, horny, and genuinely affecting in places.

But If you've already seen the parody, the original can feel redundant. Some jokes haven't aged well, and the sincerity might feel dated.

A Hard Day's Night1964

Both are about entertainment itself rather than story. Both wink at the camera, break format, and treat the genre they're in as the joke. Both believe pace and abundance are funnier than setup and punchline.

The Beatles as themselves in a musical comedy that's almost all riffing, absurdism, and rapid-fire comedy. No plot worth mentioning, just four hours of pure comedic energy and joy. The ancestor of this kind of anarchic fun.

But It's a '64 musical without a real narrative, so it requires patience with sixties sensibilities and your tolerance for Beatles fandom. Comedy this old rarely translates.

Eating Raoul1982

Both mock and subvert the films of their era. Both use exaggeration and absurdism as their tools. Both believe the best way to kill a genre is to push it past the point of recognition—though Eating Raoul has something acidic to say while doing it.

A pitch-black comedy about suburbia, marriage, and murder that's technically a parody of home invasion films but also genuinely transgressive. Funny and uncomfortable at once, with ideas underneath the jokes—something Not Another Teen Movie never attempts.

But It's genuinely dark and weird in ways that might alienate you if you want straightforward teen comedy spoofs. The humour comes from horror as much as comedy.