Finding good movie role models for teenage boys in dating relationships is not easy. There is so much emphasis on the strict adherence to guy rules (which are bad for emotionally intimate relationships), the overly romanticized characterizations of boys and girls who don’t expect much from their boyfriends. Here are some movies with better guy role models.
A poor teenage girl struggles with issues of social class when asked out by a wealthy, well-meaning boy. What to do? What to do? All the characters struggle with the ways in which social expectations make it hard for them to see the real person inside. This movie presents several examples of decent and jerk guys. No Sex
Beastly (PG)
Other possibilities include:
Hunger Games, Circle of Friends, A Walk to Remember, Here on Earth, Say Anything, The Art of Getting By, All the Right Moves, Flirting, Juno, Riding in Cars With Boys, Swimming Upstream (2002), Strictly Ballroom, You’ve Got Mail, Pride and Prejudice, Angus, The Spectacular Now
And gay and lesbian teens also need to know about healthy relationships: Get Real, Beautiful Things, The Incredible True Adventures of Two Girls In Love
You can find all kinds of resources including an extensive list of movies that have a point by visiting the resource pages over on my website. The links in the right margin of this newsletter will take you right to them.
