B Movies Blog

Hello, Movie Mavens! Welcome back to the B Movies Blog. Today, we’re popping teenage Shakespeare adaptations into the ol’ VCR. 

Gather around, youths. I have a story to tell. 

Once upon a time, there was a magical trend in cinema where filmmakers decided to modernize Shakespearean works and turn them into either teen films or “cool” movies. 

As in, someone went into a room of executives and said, “You know what teens and young adults need? Shakespeare! All of the hip kids LOVE Willy Shakes.” 

And a group of people who make more money than any of us will ever see said, “You’re a genius!” 

Now, children, not all of these adaptations were created equal. 

Some of them were “inspired by” Shakespeare’s works, at best, and others became iconic entities in the world of teen cinema. 

And, y’know, one of them is My Own Private Idaho. 

And some are even directly adapted from Shakespeare, word for word, and placed in a modern setting like Romeo + Juliet. 

Either way, we salute you. 🫡

Be you High School Musical with a literal vengeance or one of the best movies of all time, we’re glad to be here. 

Without much ado about nothing, here are six of my favorite teen(ish) Shakespearean adaptations: 

• O (Othello) 
• 10 Things I Hate About You (Taming of the Shrew) 
• Just One of the Guys (Twelfth Night)
• She’s the Man (Twelfth Night…again)
• My Own Private Idaho (Henry IV) 
• Get Over It (A Midsummer Night’s Dream)