Customer Reviews

Teen Dreams: Reading Teen Film and Television from 'Heathers' to 'Veronica Mars'

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Finally! A way to explain to non-believers why we LOVE teen movies, no matter our age. I had almost as much fun reading this book as I have when I watch the films it's critiquing. Roz Kaveney deftly balances postmodern feminist and queer theory with her patently clear enjoyment of the genre of teen films. For anyone who's gone head over high heels for Heathers, or ape over American Pie, this is the book that will allow you to watch your fave films yet one more time with a deeper understanding of their context and social significance... not to mention all the hidden fun moments you missed the first time. Ms. Kaveney doesn't miss a trick, and after you've read this book neither will you.

What this book is is an in depth analysis of several teen movies starting with John Hughes to about 2004. They are arranged by chapters in a fitting category and every bit of them is discussed in depth.

What the book is not is a relation to how these movies reflect on culture or how culture reflects on the movies.

This book contains an interesting analysis of teen movies and television. It mentions 86 films&shows, and of these the following get an in-depth treatment:
10 things I Hate About You
Adventures in Babysitting
American Pie
Bend It Like Beckham
The Breakfast Club
Bring It On
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Clueless
Cruel Intentions
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
The Girl Next Door
Heathers
Mean Girls
Popular
Pretty In Pink
Saved!
She's All That
Sixteen Candles
Some Kind of Wonderful
Veronica Mars
Weird Science

There's an index, which considerably increases the books usefulness. Reading the book once from cover to cover gives an overview of the genre and made me decide to check out some movies I hadn't seen, while the index let's you find the analysis for a specific movie.

This book was very fun to read, especially if you grew up in the Eighties. The book does a great job on giving you the behind the scenes information on all of your favorite "Brat Pack" films, as well as information and scoop behind the actors in these films. Each time I picked up the book I was always pleased to find out something new that I was never aware of in each of these films chronicled in the book.

There are many factual errors in this book, which immediately drove holes into its credibility. The author is smug and unlikable. I had to read this for a book club; otherwise I would not have finished it. Not worth reading.