Book Review: Hollywood High

What influence did Francis Ford Coppola have on George Lucas’s American Graffiti? And Lucas on John Singleton’s Boyz n the Hood? How does teenage sexuality in Fast Times at Ridgemont High compare to Twilight? Which teen movies pass the Bechdel test? Why is Mean Girls actually the last great teen film of the 20th century?

Bruce Handy’s Hollywood High situates iconic teen movies within their times and reveals the intriguing stories, artists, and passions behind their creation. These films aren’t merely beloved stories; they reflect teens’ growing economic and cultural influence, societal panics, and shifting perceptions of youth in America. Much more than a nostalgia trip, Hollywood High is a lively, provocative, and affectionate cultural history, spanning nearly one hundred years.

Hollywood High: A Totally Epic, Way Opinionated History of Teen Movies by Bruce Handy will be published on May 20, 2025. Avid Reader Press provided an early galley for review.

I like that Handy starts with an introduction that outlines the early history of when the teenaged demographic came into being in the 1940's. It is a reminder of something we just take for granted now in the 21st Century. That set the stage for the discussion of the seismic shift in pop culture that would follow. I also got a lot out of the earliest teen movies from that era (man, Mickey Rooney was a Hollywood hound at such a young age).

As a teen of the late 70's/early 80's, I found Handy's commentary of this period to be very spot on. Given that, I have every belief that his portrayals of the earlier and later decades in this book to also ring very true. His analysis of the films chosen are also very detailed and reflective of commentary of the teen cultures, serving as mirrors back to their intended target audiences.

In the end, too, I realized that some cherished films from my past (ones that I would consider having influences on views and storytelling) contain problematic elements. But, as Handy shows, that seems to have been the case with teen movies all throughout their eighty-year history. Some things do not change.