21 Teen Movies With Brilliant Secret Details That Make Them Even More Fun

In The Breakfast Club, the nerd's license plate says, "EMC 2" and the jock's says, "OHIOST."

In my definitely-not-humble opinion, teen movies are one of the best genres of them all (suck it, biopics). So, in honor of their greatness, here are 31 small details in teen movies that make them even better.

Paramount Pictures / Via giphy.com

1. In The Princess Diaries, there is a lovely reference to Pretty Woman.

In The Princess Diaries (2001) Mia breaks her glass at a dinner party and a waiter reassures her “It happens all the time.” In Pretty Woman (1990) a waiter played by the same actor says the exact same line to Vivian after she flings a snail across the room. Both films are directed by Garry Marshall. from MovieDetails

This is the full moment in The Princess Diaries.

Walt Disney Pictures

2. Cher's report card in Clueless is a gem hidden in plain sight.

Okay this is a silly one. Watching Clueless (1995) and paused to read her report card. Her geometry one kills me: “Nice Shapes” from MovieDetails

You can see above that some of Cher's grades have been changed. She made that happen, as she says to her father, "Totally based on my powers of persuasion. You proud?" He responds with, "Honey, I couldn't be happier than if they were based on real grades."

3. In Superbad, Fogell – aka McLovin – already bought the friends sambuca.

Superbad (2007)- In the scene where they give Fogell the list to buy the alcohol they tell him “Don’t fuck it up and get Sambuca again.” In a brief scene earlier, Fogell can be scene holding a bottle of Sambuca. from MovieDetails

Here's the moment where Seth demands Fogell do better this time.

Columbia Pictures

4. In Mean Girls, there is a specific type of necklace the queen bee wears.

In Mean Girls (2004), queen bee Regina wears a “R” necklace around her neck. Cady begins wearing a “C” necklace once she has humiliated Regina and taken her place. from MovieDetails

5. And you know how hoop earrings are Regina's thing? Well, after Cady usurps the crown, she wears hoop earrings.

In Mean Girls (2004), we learn that Regina, leader of the Plastics, told Gretchen that she couldn’t wear hooped earrings because they were her thing. Later in the movie, when Cady becomes leader of the Plastics, we see her wearing hooped earrings, showing that she became just like Regina. from MovieDetails

6. But at the end of the movie, Gretchen is finally wearing some hoops.

In Mean Girls (2004), Regina forbade Gretchen to wear hoop earrings. Once they broke up, she is seen wearing hoop earrings. from MovieDetails

Here's Gretchen's whole hoops moment.

Paramount Pictures

7. Adult Jenna's apartment in 13 Going on 30 looks just like the apartment in an article she read when she was 13.

In “13 Going on 30” (2004), Jenna’s apartment is furnished to look identical to the “30, Flirty & Thriving” article she read when she was 13. from MovieDetails

Kudos to the production design department for not making this furniture noticeably dated to either 1987 or 2004.

8. These license plates in The Breakfast Club aren't simply irrelevant license plates.

In The Breakfast Club (1985), the car "the brain" gets out of has the license plate "EMC 2," while the car "the jock" gets out of has the license plate "OHIOST" from MovieDetails

E=MC² ("EMC 2") is Einstein's formula for a specific relationship between energy and mass. Ohio State ("OHIOST") is a university famous for its athletic program's success.

Universal Pictures

9. In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Michelle is reading a book with a somewhat familiar premise.

In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Michelle (MJ) is reading a book titled "Of Human Bondage", a story of an orphan boy sent to live with his aunt and uncle. from MovieDetails

Of course, Peter Parker, Spider-Man himself, was an orphan raised by his aunt and uncle.

10. In 10 Things I Hate About You, one of the teachers sustains his arrow injury.

In 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) David Leisure’s character ‘Mr. Chapon’ flinches when he tries to sit due to getting an arrow in his backside earlier in the day while teaching archery. from MovieDetails

Bianca accidentally hits him with her arrow when she lets go to talk to Joey.

11. Mr. Worth from Love, Simon wears a pin to show his support for Simon.

In "Love, Simon (2018)" when everybody is making fun of Simon about his sexuality, Mr.Worth uses a pride pin to support him from MovieDetails

12. In Back to the Future, the drummer at the school dance in 1955 plays in a swing style because he doesn't know about rock drumming yet.

In Back to the Future (1985), when Marty plays “Johnny B. Goode” with the band, the drummer plays in a swing style since he’s never heard rock drumming before from MovieDetails

OK, yes, Back to the Future isn't really a teen movie, but, like, also, it is. Marty McFly is a teen, and so are his parents! Plus, one could argue the film is a coming-of-age story. Certainly the trilogy basically is. In conclusion, Back to the Future counts as a teen movie — admit it...or are you chicken?

13. This license plate from A Cinderella Story partially reads, "2SAM," foreshadowing the fact that Sam actually owns everything her father left behind.

In A Cinderella Story (2004), the license plate says "2SAM" which foreshadows her Father's will that is later found in the movie, giving her the rights to everything. At the end of the movie, she sells that car to help pay for college. from MovieDetails

This is totally unrelated, but let's take a moment to celebrate this line from A Cinderella Story, one of the best lines in anything ever: "Sweetheart, now that you're old enough, there's something I've always wanted to tell you and I think you're ready to hear it: You're not very pretty, and you're not very bright. I'm so glad we had that talk."

14. In Dope, there is a connection to The Wood, another movie made by director Rick Famuyiwa.

In 'Dope' (2015) a school security guard comes to the defense of the main character, telling a bully "I came up with your daddy, you better ask him about Stacey". Stacey was a character in 'The Wood' (1999), which was also directed by Rick Famuyiwa from MovieDetails

15. Students in Fast Times at Ridgemont High smell their papers to get high from the ink.

In Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Mr. Hand passes out the class schedule of quizzes. After the paper is passed out, the students put the page up to their noses and deeply inhale. This was a popular school ritual of the 60s,70s and early '80s because the transfer agent for the ink got you high. from MovieDetails

16. Ester Dean, the actor who plays Cynthia-Rose in Pitch Perfect, was one of the writers of "S&M" by Rihanna — a song her character sings in the riff-off.

In Pitch Perfect (2013) Ester Dean’s character sings S&M in the riff-off. Dean actually wrote this song which was then given to Rihanna for her album Loud (2010). from MovieDetails

Dean was also a writer of "Come & Get It" by Selena Gomez, "All Things Go" by Nicki Minaj, and "Countdown" by Beyoncé, to name a few.

Here's the full riff-off scene.

Brownstone Productions / Universal Pictures

17. Mark, the potential father in Juno, dresses more and more like Juno throughout the movie.

In Juno (2007) Mark dresses more and more like Juno after each encounter with her from MovieDetails

In case you forgot, Mark develops feelings for 16-year-old Juno and connects with her as a way to make himself feel better.

Here's the wonderful, hard scene where Mark's Mark-ness comes to a head.

Fox Searchlight Pictures

18. To All the Boys: Always and Forever gives a small shoutout to another movie Lana Condor, who plays Lara Jean, starred in.

In “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before: Always and Forever” (2021), “X-Men: Apocalypse” is on Peter’s “favorite movies” list. Lana Condor (Laura Jean Covey) played Jubilee in that movie from MovieDetails

19. In Napoleon Dynamite, the farmer shoots a cow because Grandma needs steak.

In Napoleon Dynamite (2004) the older farmer was there shooting a cow because Grandma said she was running out of steak. from MovieDetails

20. Miles Morales' spidey-sense in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse goes off before Gwen Stacy's and Peter B. Parker's do.

In Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), before meeting the other spider-people, Miles spider-sense goes off a split second later than both Gwen and Peter. from MovieDetails

If you don't view Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse as a teen movie, I get it, but I'm keeping it on this list.

21. In 13 Going on 30, the same material is used for Younger Jenna's blindfold, Older Jenna's eye mask, and Older Jenna's infamous dress.

In 13 Going On 30 (2004) Jenna's party dress and sleep mask in the future are the same material as the blindfold she wears in the closet during her 7 minutes in Heaven in the past. from MovieDetails

22. The Eighth Grade end credits are a microscopic view of a laptop screen.

Eighth Grade's (2018) end credits were achieved by filming a laptop screen through a microscope. from MovieDetails

23. In this Clueless scene, Lucy, the Horowitzes' maid, is hiding from Cher's father.

It's my hundredth time watching Clueless (1995) and I just noticed Lucy the maid hiding from Cher's dad behind the door from MovieDetails

24. Mr. Keating's yearbook picture in Dead Poets Society is Robin Williams' real yearbook picture.

When the students in Dead Poets Society find Professor Keating’s old yearbook, it is, in reality, Robin William’s high school senior picture when he was a student at Redwood High School in Larkspur, California from MovieDetails

25. At the big party in 10 Things I Hate About You, Nigel with the brie is indeed the (first) person at the door.

In 10 Things I Hate About You, the first person quickly rushing through the door at Bogey Lowenstein’s party is in fact Nigel with the brie from MovieDetails

Here's the full moment.

Touchstone Pictures

26. Mia's fall on the bleachers in The Princess Diaries is genuine. Anne Hathaway slipped in a puddle.

In the Princess Diaries (2001), the scene where Mia trips and falls in the bleachers wasn’t a part of the script. Anne Hathaway had accidentally slipped in a puddle. Director Garry Marshall liked it so much that he decided to keep it in the movie. from MovieDetails

Hathaway later said of the film and its director Garry Marshall], "If it was good, it was in the movie. He didn't care where it came from, he didn't care what happened."

27. One of the scientists on the wall of Peter's classroom in Spider-Man: Homecoming is Bruce Banner.

In Spider-Man: Homecoming Bruce Banner's face is alongside the other "famous scientists" on the wall of Peter Parker's physics class. from MovieDetails

For all you Marvel illiterates out there, Bruce Banner is a scientist in that world. He is also the Hulk.

28. The tape Marty plays for his dad in Back to the Future is specifically an Edward Van Halen tape and so not a Van Halen tape.

In Back to the Future (1985) when Marty McFly scares George McFly into following his plan, the cassette he plays him is labelled as "Edward Van Halen". This is because the band denied the filmmakers' request to use their music, but Eddie Van Halen himself agreed to perform some licks from MovieDetails

29. In Pitch Perfect 3, it's revealed that Lilly was born in Area 51.

In Pitch Perfect 3 (2017) during a quick flash of passports, we learn that Bellas beat boxer Lilly Onakuramara was born at Area 51 in Nevada. from MovieDetails

30. The stepsisters in A Cinderella Story wear the same colors as the original stepsisters in Cinderella.

In A Cinderella Story, the evil stepsisters always wear pink or green throughout the movie just like in the original Cinderella. from MovieDetails

31. And finally, in Mean Girls, the idea of being hit by a yellow school bus is seeded multiple times.

Rewatched Mean Girls (2004) and noticed foreshadowing of ‘Yellow School Bus’ in the start of the film Cady almost gets hit by a bus as she’s going into the school, then later when she meets Aaron she says ‘this one hit me like a Big yellow school bus’ foreshadowing scene towards end of movie from MovieDetails

Regina George is hit by a school bus later on in the movie.