Last month, I brought you guys a post on what funny YA books to read in June, so I thought we’d change it up a bit this month and give you a list of what book-based movies to watch!
Because we all need a break from reading sometimes… well, at least I do.
So, I’ve come up with a list of 5 funny teen movies you can watch during the high heat of the summer, and since there are 5 weeks total in July this year… you can watch one per week! Or just binge them all in a day, I mean, no judgement.
All of the movies in this list are not only based on various books, but they are also all teen/young adult comedies (my favorite!) AND focus on female protagonists. Hey, bonus points!
And, the great thing about watching a book-based movie is… after you watch the movie, you can read the book, too. Or the other way around! Because I know, even though I like breaks from books, not everyone can stay away from them for long.
So, what will you be watching next?
1. The Princess Diaries
The original 2001 film The Princess Diaries stars Anne Hathaway (whom we all love) and is based on the book/series “The Princess Diaries” by Meg Cabot. The movie follows Mia, a teen girl who just finds out that she’s the heir to the throne of a pretty much unheard of kingdom. Mia doesn’t exactly fit the mold of a princess, though, and so the whole film is about her new princess training.
This movie is not only a great, feel-good comedy, but I’d say it’s a total classic, as I come back to watch it time and time again. And, if you find you do enjoy it, you can watch the sequel movie and read the whole book series!
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Similar to The Princess Diaries, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is based on a YA book series of the same name by Ann Brashares. It’s also cleverly funny and, really, an amazing classic… but it also pulls at the heart strings.
The movie follows four teen best friends as they buy and share a pair of jeans during their first summer apart from one another. One friend stays home to work, one goes off to Greece, one goes to soccer camp, and one visits her distant dad. They mail the pants back and forth to one another, along with written letters, and it just becomes the kind of story where you get super involved with the characters’ lives.
There’s a sequel to this one, too, and Wikipedia even says a third one may be in the works!
10 Things I Hate About You
Based on a much different kind of book, 10 Things I Hate About You is a classic teen rom-com with a fresh take on the Shakespearean play “The Taming of the Shrew.”
When the new guy at school wants to date the outgoing Sophomore student Bianca, he figures out that she’s off-limits because of a family “no dating policy” . However, Bianca begs her dad to let her date, and he agrees with one exception: Kat, her older “shrewish” sister, must date someone first.
Bianca works with other classmates to get Kat dating the school “bad boy” , which obviously has its ups and downs due to Kat’s rash personality.
Staring Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger, this is a total romantic comedy classic. And, by checking it out, if you ever have to pick up “Taming of the Shrew” for a class or theatre assignment… you’ve got the basic plot down!
Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging
I love a Nickelodeon movie, and this just happens to be one of ’em! Based on the “Angus, Thong and Full-Frontal Snogging” book and series by Louise Rennison, it’s a good way to get in some good laughs.
The whole story centers on Georgia, a 14 year-old teen that’s desperate to get a boyfriend. So, naturally, she uses the help of her friends to go out and just get one… and the journey to catch him is, to say the least, pretty humorous. It’s also about family life, high school life, and the worries all teen girls have… like the size of your bra. Hey, we’ve all been there. And, my favorite part of the film: the beautiful British accents–what’s there not to love?
Easy A
And, of course, I saved what I’d argue to be the very best for last.
Easy A is easily one of my all-time favorites. Our protagonist, Olive Penderghast, is a hilarious 17 year-old that tells one lie about a supposed weekend she had with a college boy… and the rumors that she’s begun sleeping around spread like wildfires.
Easy A is loosely based on the novel “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and watching the movie definitely helped me through reading the book in high school. Just like in “The Scarlet Letter” , Olive is condemned for her supposed promiscuous behavior, and she owns up to it by embroidering the red ‘A’, standing for ‘adulterer,’ on all her skankiest clothes.
In fact, I loved this movie and Olive Penderghast so much that I took inspiration from her when writing my Emma Lenford series, making my Emma a 17 year-old just as hilarious and sarcastic in my books!
And… this concludes our July list of all the teen comedies you need to watch next! Let me know, of course, if you’ve already seen a few… and what your favorites are!
–Kari
Image sources: The Princess Diaries, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, 10 Things I Hate About You, Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, Easy A
Kari Lynn M. 