Loser

That this so neatly expounds the changeless themes of US teen romance is a reflection of its creator's credentials: Heckerling graduated with the 1982 classic Fast Times at Ridgemont High and pulled teen cinema back to form in the mid-'90s with Clueless. Paul (Biggs) moves to NY from Hicksville, carrying comforting adages from Pa (Aykroyd). He at once stands out as a socially awkward scholarship student, dissed by his camp rich-kid roommates. Meanwhile, sparky Dora (Suvari) struggles with college fees and conducts a clandestine affair with tutor Kinnear. These opposites find refuge in one another. The film is less explicitly bawdy than others of its ilk, and its sentimentalism is cut with wit. There are references to youth dramas such as My So-Called Life, angsty rockers Everclear make a noisy cameo, and Paul admits his Sarah McLachlan T-shirt is seriously uncool. American Beauty starlet Suvari even sneaks into Sam Mendes' Broadway production of Cabaret. Heckerling has described Losers as 'the anti-Clueless', but it's also an entertaining fantasy. And on screen, being the outsider is always a plus.