Whether we are laughing or crying, movies always have a way of telling stories in ways that take us on an emotional rollercoaster. It is no surprise that teenage pregnancy would be the center of some movies with the emotions, frustrations and sometimes even humor as a teen parent brings a baby into the world. Below I have gathered a mix of movies that have teen pregnancy at their core. If you have not seen these films, there are some real gems on this list.
Related: Could TV Shows Prevent Teenage Pregnancy?
5 Fantastic Hollywood Movies That Tackle Teen Pregnancy
Juno
If you missed Ellen Paige’s breakout film Juno, now is the time to catch up. Juno is a quirky and independent teenager who finds herself unexpectedly pregnant. We follow the ups and downs of her story as she decides to give birth to the baby, finds a couple through a newspaper who wants to adopt her baby and continues through the rest of her year improvising as she goes along. This film is enduring and offbeat and packed full of star cameos.
17 Girls
Whether or not you regularly watch foreign flicks, you should stop and pick up the compelling movie 17 Girls. This drama follows the story of Camille who accidently becomes pregnant. 16 of her closest friends decide to make a pact in solidarity and become pregnant also. The girls dream of all living together in a house where the children can grow up together as brothers and sisters. As the girls become pregnant one by one it throws the town into upheaval. This is a French film with subtitles. This same story was also made into a Lifetime film called The Pregnancy Pact.
Precious
Precious is a gritty drama that takes place in Harlem in New York City. The story focuses around 16-year-old teenager Precious who is abused by her mother, overweight, illiterate and pregnant with her second child that was fathered by her father. Precious often imagines herself in glamorous places to escape her life. When her principal finds out about her pregnancy, she is transferred into an alternative school where a teacher helps her to believe in herself and begin to stand up to try to escape the grips of her abusive situation. Bring out a box of tissues, this is a fantastic movie will pull at all of your emotions.
Sugar And Spice
The movie Sugar and Spice takes a lighthearted look at teenage pregnancy. The head cheerleader and the high school quarterback find themselves pregnant and are subsequently thrown out of their homes. Finding it difficult to make ends meet with a part-time job at a video store while still attending high school, Diane the head cheerleader recruits her fellow cheerleaders to help her rob a bank. This comedy has 90’s feel of the film Clueless and is defiantly a lighter movie with teenage pregnancy at the center.
Related: Teenage Pregnancy Effects On Mother And Father: A Closer Look
Unexpected
This film focuses on pregnancy at its core and is surprisingly heartwarming. A teacher in an inner-city school in Chicago suddenly finds herself pregnant. She then finds out one of the best students is suddenly pregnant. The two become very close as they progress through their pregnancies at the same time and both struggle with the balance of taking care of a new child, keeping their identity while balancing work and their other responsibilities. This is a feel good film though it has a few darker moments.
Are there any other movies about teenage pregnancy we should have included in this list? Which move above is your favorite?
Image Credit: Kenneth Lu
I remember watching Sugar and Spice many years ago, and then subsequently forgot all about it. It’s definitely within the same vein as Clueless. Now I want to watch it again! Precious was such a gut-wrenching movie, but I absolutely loved Juno.
The only one I’ve seen on the list is Juno, but it was outstanding. I think it’s great to be able to have a springboard for talking to our kids about stuff like this.
I love Juno! Such a fabulous film! Ellen is great in it.
I’ve been wanting to see Precious so much! I missed it in theaters, so I’ll be looking for that one.
Juno is a must-see. Really cute movie that gets you thinking, especially if you have daughters.
Teen pregnancy is such a tough subject. Kudos to film makers willing to tackle the subject.
Those are some great movie picks to discuss this. I have only seen Juno and Precious so I have to check the other ones out.
I have never seen any of these. I will add them to my Netflix queue. I am always looking for new things to watch on Netflix!
I have never heard of or seen any of these before. Several of them seem interesting and I will attempt to get them and watch them.
I have never seen any of these. I will add them to my Netflix queue.