Hollywood High is a non-fiction history of popular teen movies from as early as the 1940s to today, though the strongest sections of this book definitely revolve around older teen movies. Great for fans of movie history and old Hollywood.

I'm tempted to rate this down to 3 stars because I'm so annoyed by the author's apparent aversion to the word WHOM, but anyway:

This is a truly informative, organized, well-researched book. I love teen movies, and I even have a limited affection for the Andy Hardy movies. This book is organized roughly into decades, centering around a couple of well known teen movies in each; it's not exhaustive but is pretty representative. While a lot of it deep dives on plots (spoilers abound), an equal part is a social history of teens as a demographic, starting somewhere in the ballpark of WWII. As such it's a pretty excellent overview.

My main complaints, aside from grammatical quibbling, are a) the omission of Empire Records and b) the folksy/pandering tone that's sprinkled around (summarized succinctly in this week's NYT review). I don't need humorous overtones; just give me the content please - even for readers who haven't read de Tocqueville, you don't need to assume that we'll be driven off by the mere mention.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

Competently done and covering all the greatest hits, though likely nothing you haven’t seen before.

If you just want a survey of milestone teen movies this is fine, though it’s pretty much following the usual narrative on the included movies. There are a few things here that probably don’t belong (Hunger Games as a true teen movie is a tough sell), and a lot that was left out that probably needed a mention.

As for the distribution in terms of what *was* included…not wonderful. We get an entire chapter on Mean Girls (perhaps the most over-analyzed piece of pop culture of the last hundred or so years), yet all the John Hughes movies share a single chapter. Clueless merits only a few of pages. A lot of more recent material gets name dropped but is left entirely out of any real discussion.

The problem certainly isn’t Hardy’s writing, which is concise and conversational in the way that writing about this type of pop culture analysis should be. He makes a likable narrator who is good at pointing out where these movies may have failed their audiences without belaboring it too much.

Perhaps the highlight: A smart and lengthy discussion of Boyz n the Hood, which is typically left out of discussions of teen films. This alone makes the book worth a read, even if the rest is content you’ve likely encountered before.

Hollywood High is a compelling read for cinephiles and casual moviegoers alike. Handy's engaging prose and thoughtful critique make it a valuable addition to discussions about film and youth culture. For anyone interested in the intersection of cinema and adolescence, this book offers both nostalgia and critical insight.

🏫 Hollywood High 🏫

✨ The Vibes ✨
An deep dive on the history of teen movies

📖 Read if…
✨ You know Mean Girls by heart
✨ You had a Hunger Games and/or Divergent phase
✨ YA is one of your favorite genres

Teen movies are some of the most iconic films out there. Many critics have downplayed their significance, but these films are arguably some of the most important examples of how culture changes over time and Bruce Handy explains all of this in more in Hollywood High.

One of the things I enjoyed most about Hollywood High was the breadth of information and the examples that Handy included. He explores the early days of the teen genre and the films of Mickey Rooney, teen beach movies starring Annette Funicello, raunchy comedies like Fast Times at Ridgemont High and dystopian franchises like Hunger Games and Divergent, and how each of these films represented the state of adolescence at the time. I appreciated how Handy didn’t try to downplay the significance of these films, but instead acknowledged how they can be evaluated as time capsules of sorts, providing examples of how they capture the social concerns of the time (The Hunger Games is a PERFECT example of this).

I usually enjoy all sorts of entertainment focused nonfiction, but admittedly I did struggle a bit with this one. It was never really clear what point the author was trying to make, as the book bounced between explaining general trends in adolescence, teen movies, and teen stars. Obviously, these things are all intertwined, but the way the information was presented wasn’t as organized as it could be, and as a result, the book felt dry and choppy. I also wanted just a few more fun behind-the-scenes anecdotes, which I usually find to be the most interesting parts of books like these.

Overall, I’d probably recommend this book to anyone who, like me, enjoys reading entertainment nonfiction, or anyone who’s interested in teen culture. Hollywood High is out today; thanks to Avid Reader Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

As a big movie watcher I thought the idea of a book focusing on high school movies was a cool idea. It's very thorough going back to the 1940's and the early chapters cover movies I was less familiar with.

I think at times I thought the book was too thorough and spent too much time recounting plots or setting the stage with the historical context in which the films were released in. The book was a bit more academic than I expected but I still learned interesting tidbits I didn't know.

3.5 stars

Kudos to this author for what must have been millions of hours of research! Admittedly after reading way more than I ever would need to know about Mickey Rooney, I skimmed through the chapters on James Dean and Frankie and Annette. They just weren’t in my category of interests. But for those who are interested, the details are there! Once I hit the 80s and after, about 50% in, I was invested. Very interesting insights and details on the teenagers (and older actors playing teens) involved in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, the John Hughes movies, Clueless, Mean Girls, and more.

If these chapters were about 15 pages shorter, the rating would be higher, but everything drug on too long for me.

See what you think when this book publishes May 20th! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader’s copy!

Come for the faces on the book's cover.
Stay for the fascinating cinematic history with its focus on teen culture.

This book was chock full of behind the scenes stories starting with Mickey Rooney's Andy Hardy whose personal life was anything but the wholesome character he played with his multiple marriages and his naughty shenanigans. Then there's those seminal films like "American Graffiti", "Boyz in the Hood". Their on screen stories resonate today,

The reader will appreciate the author showing how the concept of adolescence became part of society's vernacular but also became the focus of films.

This ARC was provided by the publisher, Avid Reader Press | Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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.

This fills a hole in writing on movie history that desperately needed to be filled. Handy's book traces the history of teen movies, from Mickey Rooney to Mean Girls. In doing so, he dives into questions about movie making and the appeal, definition, and impact of teen movies. In that sense, maybe Rooney and Sean Penn have more in common than what we think. And, maybe Mean Girls is more than just teen drama and wearing pink. Handy makes the case that there are trends that transcend decades, connecting the cares and concerns of younger people. The chapter on Boyz in the Hood was really enlightening for me. While it is a great film, I had not considered it a teen movie. Hardy makes the case for its inclusion in the canon, and connecting it to older films like American Grafitti and Cooley High.
I recommend this book for anyone who wants to understand how moviemaking changes throughout the late 20th century, and even for those who might like reading some nostalgia-induced history. Handy's writing is clear and thought-provoking, helping readers to consider the larger mpact from the production side and also the analytical side of film.

This was an extremely interesting history of teen movies and how they reflected the reality of the time period. Beware of spoilers if you haven’t seen the movies mentioned in the book. I recommend this book to all cinephiles, especially those who love teen movies. While reading, I was able to make a lot of connection to YA literature as well and how those books reflect the current times.
.

Look I am a SUCKER for these kinda of books. The entire history of a genre? count me in. I loved this book. You get an in depth analysis on the major films, directors, and actors of the teen movie. From good ol’ Andy Hardy to the John Hughes films to The Hunger Games

You also get side by side views on how America viewed the teenager during these eras of film. From awe to fright to economic pandering, you a great look into American society’s complex relationships with adolescents and how the films handled that as well.

Also, learned a LOT about Mickey Rooney’s “private” life if you catch my drift. I knew that man was a dog but wow.

Overall, great read. I would honestly love to see this book revisited one day as the teen movie genre shifts more and more

4 stars

A treatise on influential teen movies from Andy Hardy to “The Hunger Games” films from a former writer for “Vanity Fair.” Rather than a broad overview of a lot of movies, Handy does a deep dive into some of the most important/influential including “Rebel Without a Cause,” the “Beach Party” genre, “American Graffiti, “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” the John Hughes oeuvre, “Boyz N the Hood” and “Mean Girls” among others.

Sometimes there might be too much information if a reader has never seen a particular movie/read the book(s) on which a movie/the movies is/are based, but the book is well done and written by someone who (mostly) appreciates teen movies (although it’s fairly easy to tell which of these movies Handy likes versus those he doesn’t much care for.) This won’t be for everyone but I enjoyed it and I’m looking forward to catching at least one Andy Hardy movie sometime.

I loved this book. Honestly, I was mainly interested in Fast Times, the John Hughes films, Clueless and Mean Girls. That being said, even the parts about old teen movies like Mickey Rooney and Rebel Without a Cause were interesting. But for my money, the coverage of Fast Times and John Hughes makes this book worth the price of admission right there. Really great overview of the changing nature of teen movies as well as teen culture.

I received a free e-galley of the book in return for an honest review.

I have always been a fan of film history books so when I saw this title as an option for request on netgalley I knew I had to read it. I was not dissapointed, Handy takes through the history of the term "teenager" and explains all the way that the movies (from 1930s onward) reflect the lives of the teens that were living at the time (1950s movies are very different than present day ones in how they depict teenagers.) An excellent book that should be on any film lovers list.

I studied television and film in college and when I saw this book, I knew I needed to read it. I've always been fascinated with how television and movies play a huge part in our culture. I think Handy compiled a very detailed account of the history of Hollywood shows and a look at the ones that stand out in America. I loved it. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.