14 millennial classic movies to make you feel young and old at the same time.

Have you ever listened to a song that takes you right back to a point in time, or a certain memory in your life? Well, the same goes for movies. And for Millennials, there's a long list of classics that will make you feel all of the emotions, including feeling about 80 years old and like a teenager again.

If you're ready for a dose of nostalgia, throw on one of these classic millennial era movies and then get in, loser – we're going for a trip down memory lane. 

Clueless (1995)

Image: Paramount Pictures

"Ugh, as if!" Some of us weren't even teenagers when we first saw the totally fashionable Cher light up the big screen with her amazing customised wardrobe and super-cool slang, but we couldn't wait to be just like her. 

Her experience of high school may not have been anything like our own (unless you had a cupboard full of Alaia dresses and a maid to serve you your afternoon tea), but the make-believe world of this scatty but loveable teen and her equally cool friend Dion – a tale loosely based on Jane Austen's classic novel Emma – will forever live in our minds as cinematic genius.

Mean Girls (2004)

Image: Paramount Pictures

This gem of a comedy was not only Lindsay Lohan's finest acting hour, it was also one of the wittiest, well-cast movies for Gen Ys – and a rather clever take on the often brutal dynamics of high school. 

Written by the inimitable Tina Fey, aka deadpan maths teacher Ms Norbury, Mean Girls showed the chaos that happens when the outcasts at school (Lohan's Cady and Lizzy Caplan's memorable 'lesbian' character Janis) try to mess with the queens of the school's hierarchy the 'Plastics' – headed up by Rachel McAdams' bitchy Regina George.

American Pie (1999)

Image: Summit Entertainment

Struggling, hormonal teen boys Jim, Oz, Finch and Kevin make it their life's mission to lose their virginity before the big prom night, and the antics that follow are nothing short of hilarious. Sure, the premise is ridiculous, but this raunchy film brought the LOLs for any teenager going through the highs and lows of adolescence when it hit cinemas in the late '90s. 

Plus, it introduced us to the queen who is Jennifer Coolidge – otherwise known as 'Stifler's mum' – and for that we say, thank you. 

Cruel Intentions (1999)

Image: Columbia Pictures

Hopefully none of us were as badly behaved as the spoilt teenagers in this cult classic, but nonetheless, it made for entertaining viewing. 

Sarah Michelle Gellar – a fixture of this era in film history – was so good as the conniving Kathryn, who bets her just-as-slimy stepbrother Sebastian (Ryan Phillippe) to sleep with the headmaster's innocent daughter Annette (Reese Witherspoon).

Bring It On (2000)

Image: Beacon Pictures

Be aggressive, be, be aggressive! 

Cute but fierce Kirsten Dunst killed it as head cheerleader Torrance in this American comedy about a privileged champion cheer squad's rivalry with a talented underdog team who will do anything to win the championships. 

This is also the film that brought us spirit fingers – again, something to be truly #grateful for. 

The Notebook (2004)

Image: New Line Cinema

Noah (Ryan Gosling) and Ally (Rachel McAdams) falling for each other as naïve teenagers and growing old together through life's many obstacles remains a favourite among millennial fans. Based on a novel by romance writer Nicholas Sparks, Noah and Ally's at-times turbulent romance takes us back to those overwhelming feelings of first love, and the devastating depths of heartbreak that seem to hit you so much harder when you're young. If you can make it through that iconic scene in the rain without crying, you're doing well!

Legally Blonde (2001)

Image: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

This sassy rom-com just might have been our first taste of feminism in the mainstream. When 'bimbo' blonde Elle Woods (a young and charming Reese Witherspoon) is dumped by her Harvard-bound boyfriend and told she's not smart enough, Elle goes to great lengths to win him back... by getting into the same prestigious law school and proving she's just as smart as he is (ahem, smarter).

Along the way, it becomes less about winning the approval of a man and more about overcoming limitations, expectations and stereotypes placed on women everywhere. Elle Woods walked so Barbie could run!

Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (1997)

Image: Touchstone Pictures

Just the thought of a school reunion is enough to induce panic. Who will be the most successful? Will that unrequited teenage crush be there? Will there be bitchiness and drama? The answer is yes to everything, if you're fun-loving but not so successful best friends Romy and Michele. 

Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow perfectly capture the dread of facing one's past when they invent new identities and life stories to present at their high school reunion. But is it really such a big deal if we weren't the most popular kids at school? These cool blondes will make you think otherwise.

The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

Image: 20th Century Studios

Designer fashion, high drama, glamour and an impossibly bitchy villain – The Devil Wears Prada has all the makings of a classic comedy. Anne Hathaway undergoes an impressive style transformation as daggy graduate Andy, who yearns to be an esteemed journalist but must first make it through the gauntlet of fashion magazine Runway (pretty much the fictional Vogue) and survive working as an assistant to the ruthless editor Miranda Priestly (the always-brilliant Meryl Streep).

8 Mile (2002)

Image: Universal Pictures.

This movie was basically Eminem's life story, only he played an aspiring rapper called Jimmy 'B-Rabbit'.

Get your mom to make you some spaghetti (millennials will get it), dust off your 8 Mile DVD (and, er... DVD player if you still have one) and give it a watch – we promise you'll be reminded of those angsty teenage times in the best way.

How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days (2003)

Image: Paramount Pictures.

Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey's chemistry = rom-com magic. Hudson is at her sunniest as columnist Andie Anderson, who pitches an article/experiment on how to win over and then lose a guy in the space of 10 days. 

When she meets charming ad man Ben, little does she know that he, too, has a wager going on with his colleagues – that he can make a woman fall in love with him in record time. The premise is silly, but it's harmless fun, plus there's a moment with a stunning yellow dress that every Gen Y teen melted for. 

Twilight (2008)

Image: Summit Entertainment.

Were you Team Edward or Team Jacob? As a teen in the noughties, it was basically impossible to escape the Twilight phenomenon, fuelled largely by the love triangle between Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). 

And if you weren't obsessed with this teenage girl-glittery-vampire-werewolf love triangle, then you were just as fixated on the real-life romance between its leading couple, Kristen and Robert. Lucky for Twihards, there were five films to keep us going for years!

The Secret Garden (1993)

Image: Warner Bros.

Based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, this film was set in reality – yet there was something purely magical about the way the story would unfold on screen. 

Ten-year-old Mary has lived in India her whole life, but when her (frankly, neglectful) parents die of cholera (this was set in 1911, guys), she's shipped off to live with her mysterious ailing uncle on his sprawling Yorkshire estate, in country England. First crushes, shifts from child to tween, and plenty of bringing stuff to life ensues and excuse us while we go and put it on right now for a rewatch.

Now and Then (1995)

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It's not an exaggeration to call this the ultiamte coming-of-age film, in this humble writer's opinion, and it no doubt holds a special place in many millenials' hearts. How could it not? It's a heartwarming tale of true friendship. 

Now and Then follows four friends – Roberta, Samantha, Teeny and Chrissy – as grown-up women looking back on the summer of 1970 and the year they went from girls to women. We could all see ourselves in Christina Ricci, Gaby Hoffmann, Thora Birch and Ashleigh Aston Moore's on-screen besties.

Feature image: Columbia Pictures; Warner Bros.

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