Hoopla’s Movie Club for April: Coming-of-Age Rom-Coms

The Kiss List (2023) 

When her crush spreads a rumor that she’s a bad kisser, high schooler Camille Varma (Megan Suri) decides to prove him wrong with a bold “kiss list.” While she’s working through social media drama, school backlash, and her own sexuality, tension with her best friend and mom makes things way more complicated than she expected. Based on Sara Jo Cluff’s YA novel of the same name, this story is as fun to watch the first time as it is the tenth! (Trust us on that.) 

The DUFF (2015) 

High school senior Bianca (Mae Whitman) is shocked to discover she’s been labeled the “DUFF” (designated ugly fat friend) among her more popular peers. (We’re shocked too; Whitman is neither ugly nor fat!) Determined to change her story, she teams up with charming jock Wesley (Robbie Amell) to reinvent herself. As senior year unfolds, Bianca builds confidence and challenges the school’s social hierarchy. Based on the book Kody Keplinger wrote when she was 17. 

Sleepover (2004) 

Right before high school, Julie (Alexa Vega) and her friends turn a boring sleepover into a wild scavenger hunt against the popular kids. They steal a car, sneak into a nightclub, dodge a security guard (Steve Carell), and try not to get caught by Julie’s mom (Jane Lynch), all while navigating crushes and learning to own their wonderfully nerdy selves. 

She’s All That (1999) 

Zach Siler (Freddie Prinze Jr.), big man on his high school campus, has it all…until his beautiful girlfriend dumps him. His pal Dean tries to cheer him up by challenging him to turn a nerdy, unpopular girl into prom queen. They select Laney Boggs (Rachel Leigh Cook, neither nerdy nor unpopular in our estimation) and give her a makeover. But Zach finds himself falling for Laney, and this shakeup in the high school social hierarchy causes some major complications. 

Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (2008) 

This British coming-of-age comedy follows 14-year-old Georgia Nicolson (Georgia Groome) as she navigates puberty, body image, and teen drama. Determined to win over Robbie (Robbie Jennings) and plan the perfect birthday, she documents her chaotic life in a diary. Along the way, Georgia faces awkward mishaps, family worries, and the ups and downs of growing up. Based on the book series Confessions of Georgia Nicolson by Louise Rennison.