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From witty comedies to heart-wrenching dramas, these films tackle teenage pregnancy with unique perspectives. Join us as we count down our picks for the greatest teen pregnancy movies! Our list spans from indie darlings to mainstream hits, showcasing powerful performances and unforgettable stories about young lives forever changed by unexpected parenthood.
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00:00Look, I really, I want, I wanted to tell you, but...
00:05For the first time?
00:06Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the greatest movies centered around teenage pregnancy.
00:13You're 16, you're still in junior high school, and you're pregnant with your second child.
00:21Number 20, Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Always.
00:24Bad cramps?
00:26Yeah.
00:26I get those two pretty much burned through a bottle of painkillers, like, every month.
00:34Yeah, same.
00:36Don't you ever just wish you were a dude?
00:40All the time.
00:41Kicking off our list is an indie darling that proves you do not need screaming matches to make a powerful point about reproductive rights and abortion access.
00:50Unlike the usual melodrama we see in this specific genre, Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Always is a masterclass in less is more.
00:59Following two cousins on a desperate bus trip to New York City, the movie feels less like a script and more like a documentary.
01:05Sydney Flanagan's performance is so raw and real that it demands attention, and the film around her is a quiet heavy hitter that puts a human face on the logistics of choice.
01:17With rave reviews and a slew of awards, Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Always is undoubtedly one of the best films that the genre has to offer.
01:26Can you tell me what led to your decision to terminate the pregnancy?
01:31I'm just not ready to be a mom.
01:34That's totally fine.
01:35Whatever your decision is, it's totally fine as long as it's yours.
01:39Number 19, Manny and Lowe.
01:41You know, you guys didn't have to give me that urine test thing.
01:44I already know what the deal is.
01:46The deal?
01:48I'm pregnant.
01:50Yes, you are.
01:52Forget the melodrama of your typical teen pregnancy movies and after-school specials.
01:57Manny and Lowe is a 90s indie gem that throws the standard moral rulebook out the window of a stolen station wagon.
02:04Starring a savagely cynical and adorably young Scarlett Johansson, the film follows two desperate runaway sisters who realize they are clueless about childbirth.
02:15Their solution isn't a doctor or books, but kidnapping a matronly store clerk named Elaine to act as a makeshift grandmother.
02:23It's a bonkers premise that evolves into a hilarious, heartwarming found family sitcom where the hostage starts nagging the kidnappers about nutrition.
02:32With its deadpan humor and gritty charm, Manny and Lowe proves that sometimes it takes a village to raise a child, even if you have to kidnap the village first.
02:43Say some cousin of yours is sick, some cousin in France.
02:47No, don't write that.
02:50How about, uh, dear friends, I need a vacation, love lane.
02:58Alright, go ahead.
03:00Number 18, Gimme Shelter.
03:02You got people asking all types of questions, coming around my place, looking around you crazy.
03:07Huh?
03:09She said you carrying a baby.
03:13And I gotta hear about it from a stranger.
03:16That's nice.
03:17That's real nice.
03:18Remember when Vanessa Hudgens traded in her high school musical microphone for piercings and a pixie cut?
03:23Yeah, this is that movie.
03:25Hudgens commits as Apple, a pregnant teen running from an abusive home to find her rich Wall Street father.
03:31The transformation here is wild.
03:34Hudgens completely disappears into the role, proving that she has serious acting chops to go with the stellar voice.
03:40While the script lays on the drama a bit thick, the intimate look at the foster care system and the grit of street life still feels genuine,
03:48and gives the movie a unique personality in the teen pregnancy genre.
03:53It's a rough watch at times, but Gimme Shelter is a powerful survival story that needed to be told.
03:58Now I'm just asking you for a little time, because I am done being passed off as someone's case number.
04:06I want out of the system!
04:11So are you gonna help me out so I can get back on my feet?
04:16Number 17.
04:17Double Daddy.
04:18How do you know it's mine?
04:19Because I do.
04:21No, there's no way.
04:22I mean, it was like one time.
04:23Yeah, well, I haven't been with anybody else.
04:25I mean, I just moved here like two months ago.
04:28I don't know anybody.
04:30Except you.
04:31Okay, we can't help ourselves.
04:33We absolutely had to include a guilty pleasure on this list.
04:36Grab the popcorn because we are diving straight into lifetime movie territory.
04:41The silly title tells you everything you need to know.
04:44A high school heartthrob manages to get two different girls pregnant at the exact same time.
04:49Is it subtle?
04:50Heck no.
04:51Is it a masterpiece of cinema?
04:53Definitely not.
04:53But is it incredibly entertaining?
04:56You bet it is.
04:57It's a lifetime movie.
04:58Double Daddy captures that specific brand of high school hysteria where rumors spread like wildfire
05:03and the stakes feel life or death.
05:06It's campy, it's soapy, and it's the perfect flick for a wine and gossip night with friends.
05:11Proving that sometimes you just need to embrace the trashy drama.
05:15Look, Amanda, I have no idea what's going on right now.
05:18You obviously suck with her or she just lying.
05:20I'm not lying.
05:20Shut up.
05:21Look, I'm not the one who cheated on his girlfriend.
05:23I didn't even know he had a girlfriend.
05:27Amanda, can we just talk about this?
05:29No, you have no idea how bad you just screwed up.
05:32Number 16.
05:33Electric Children.
05:34Are you storing up for an apocalypse?
05:38I just, I haven't gotten it for a while.
05:42How much of a while?
05:46Months.
05:46This is probably the weirdest and dreamiest teen pregnancy movie ever made.
05:51Forget the gritty realism.
05:52This movie asks, what if the Virgin Mary was an indie rocker?
05:56The now famous but then unknown Julia Garner shines as a sheltered Mormon teenager who was convinced that she got pregnant just by listening to a cassette tape.
06:05Yes, it sounds bonkers, but the movie is actually a visually stunning piece of magical realism.
06:11It swaps out the usual tragedy of teen pregnancy for a spiritual road trip filled with neon lights and grimp music.
06:19It's quirky, beautiful, and totally unique.
06:22A true hidden gem for the arthouse crowd.
06:25Garner is fantastic as always, effortlessly commanding a coming-of-age story that feels like a modern fairy tale.
06:31It's certainly unlike anything else we've seen in the genre.
06:34Rachel, whoever did this to you is obviously unfit to be the father of your child.
06:40I'm true.
06:41Rachel, you have committed sin.
06:43I didn't sin.
06:45Well, maybe I listened to something that I wasn't supposed to, but then, then I'm pregnant.
06:52Number 15, Freshman Father.
06:55Now I feel bad.
06:57God, this stupid sweater.
07:04Usually, the teen dads in these movies are either deadbeats, losers, or total creeps,
07:16which is why this entry is such a breath of fresh air.
07:19Based on a true story, this Hallmark flick follows a dad who decides to raise his baby while attending Harvard.
07:25Now, doesn't that sound difficult?
07:27Freshman Father has that feel-good, overcome-the-odds vibe that we all secretly love from these kinds of schmaltzy movies.
07:35Watching the main character try to balance chemistry 101 with early morning feedings
07:39and an increasingly frustrated partner is both stressful and heartwarming.
07:44Not only is it a cute movie, but it's a solid salute to the single dads out there making it work,
07:49showing that ambition and parenthood do not have to be mutually exclusive.
07:53I just want to get him on a schedule, you know?
07:56Little guys up such weird hours.
07:59He'll sleep like a rock tonight.
08:00A little trip-tuck at him out.
08:01You came with me to turn in my economics paper while you were at the store today.
08:05Number 14.
08:0617 Girls
08:07French cinema just hits different, doesn't it?
08:10Inspired by a real-life pregnancy pact in Massachusetts, we'll talk more about that later,
08:16this film explores the terrifying power of peer pressure.
08:19When the cool girl at school gets pregnant,
08:22she convinces her classmates to do the same so they can raise a commune of babies together.
08:26It's a fascinating and hazy look at teenage herd mentality and that invincible feeling of youth.
08:32Luckily, the movie is also smart enough to refuse judgment.
08:36Instead, it floats along in their dream world,
08:39showcasing how a desire for unconditional love can lead to some pretty wild life choices.
08:44It's eerie, atmospheric, and totally captivating,
08:48offering a stylized look at female friendship that feels both incredibly beautiful and deeply disturbing.
08:53Number 13.
08:55Love Rosie
08:56Get your tissues ready because this one is going to frustrate you in the best way possible.
09:10Lily Collins and Sam Claflin play best friends who are clearly soulmates,
09:15but life, not to mention a surprise teen pregnancy, gets in the way.
09:19It may sound like a tragedy, but this is actually a rom-com through and through.
09:23Love Rosie shows that having a baby young does not mean your love life is over.
09:27It just means that the road gets a lot windier.
09:30The chemistry between the leads is off the charts good,
09:33and watching them navigate missed connections over the years is pure romantic drama.
09:38It's fluffy, cute, and utterly charming, proving that true love waits for no one.
09:43It might just wait for the baby to grow up first.
09:45Where is he done?
09:47Can I take you to the dance?
09:49Can I take you to the dance?
09:51Can I take you to the dance?
09:53Can I take you to the dance?
09:55Number 12.
09:56Maria Full of Grace
09:58While some of these movies bring the quirky laughs,
10:10Maria Full of Grace delivers nail-biting anxiety.
10:13This 2004 drama is a stark departure from typical teen pregnancy narratives,
10:19trading high school hallways for international drug smuggling.
10:22The titular Maria is a 17-year-old Colombian girl who becomes a drug mule to support her unborn child.
10:29The film is legendary for the stunning debut of Catalina Sandino Moreno,
10:34who became the first-ever Colombian actor or actress to earn an Oscar nomination.
10:38It's a harrowing journey that involves swallowing pellets and making a terrifying flight to New York.
10:44It's a gritty and realistic look at the extreme lengths that a young mother will go to for a future,
10:49proving that maternal instincts often kick in mighty early.
10:52Number 11. Riding in cars with boys.
11:12My daughter's a tramp.
11:14My daughter's a tramp.
11:16My daughter's a tramp.
11:18You're 15 years old.
11:20How can you do this to me?
11:21This is the teen pregnancy movie that proves the old adage.
11:24Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans.
11:27Directed by Penny Marshall, this biopic spans decades and features Drew Barrymore
11:32in what is arguably her greatest performance.
11:35No exaggeration.
11:37We watch her go from a naive 15-year-old with big dreams to a married woman to a struggling single mom,
11:42and eventually an established author.
11:45It's funny, it's heartbreaking, and the soundtrack is an absolute banger.
11:49It doesn't sugarcoat the resentment or the feelings of lost youth,
11:52but it wraps it all in a layer of warmth and humor, making it all a bit easier to go down.
11:58It is the ultimate story of resilience,
12:00and it's worth it just to see Barrymore absolutely crush it for 130 minutes.
12:05Number 10.
12:18The Pregnancy Project
12:19Featuring former Spy Kids star Alexa Penovega in the lead role,
12:24The Pregnancy Project is a made-for-TV movie that chronicles a year in the life of a teenager pretending to be pregnant.
12:30Would everyone pile on you and tell you how dumb you are for having a kid?
12:33No.
12:34Your life honors everything.
12:39It's like if you were to get pregnant, maybe people wouldn't be so judgmental about it, you know?
12:44Based on a novel of the same name,
12:46which was in turn the product of a real-life experiment conducted by American high schooler Gabby Rodriguez,
12:51The Pregnancy Project delves into the stereotypes associated with teen pregnancy.
12:56I think it's cool you're still going to graduate.
12:57Why wouldn't I graduate?
13:01I don't know, I just thought you might not care anymore.
13:05Or something.
13:06Rodriguez's goal was to help teenagers realize that, quote,
13:10the decisions they make now will ultimately affect their lives.
13:13The Pregnancy Project's unconventional story offers viewers a unique perspective on a tired genre,
13:19and features enough competent acting to keep the action on screen believable.
13:23There must be something you're trying to prove by doing this.
13:25Well, yeah.
13:27I want to prove that even if I did get pregnant, I'd still be able to go after my dreams.
13:32The pregnant girls don't have to become statistics.
13:35Number 9.
13:36For Keeps.
13:37In For Keeps, Molly Ringwald plays Darcy,
13:40a high schooler who becomes pregnant while on the cusp of graduating.
13:43I can't believe this.
13:44I've been taking the pill forever.
13:46The unplanned bundle of joy throws hers and boyfriend's Stan's entire lives completely out of whack.
14:02It can't be that bad.
14:03It is that bad.
14:09Oh no.
14:12Oh no.
14:15Are you sure?
14:17The film was revolutionary for its time,
14:19tackling the topics of adoption, abortion, and postpartum depression from a teenage perspective.
14:25We've decided to keep the baby.
14:31You lied.
14:32No, I didn't lie.
14:33When I came home from the clinic, you asked me how it went, and I said that it wasn't so bad.
14:37But you didn't do anything.
14:40Oh yeah, that's why it wasn't so bad.
14:41And while the film performed well at the box office,
14:44and many praised Ringwald's performance,
14:47critics were quick to point out some of For Keeps' other flaws,
14:50causing it to receive a less than enthusiastic 18% on Rotten Tomatoes.
14:54But don't let that scare you off.
14:56The topics discussed in For Keeps are still irrelevant today,
15:00and you can never have enough Molly Ringwald in your life.
15:02She doesn't even want to hold a baby.
15:05The doctor says it's just a phase.
15:07Her age, all the changes.
15:09Hey, don't worry.
15:09The natural tendency of the mother will kick in.
15:11You mean it's a genetic animal instinct.
15:13What? You mean like, well, kingdom?
15:15Number 8. The Pregnancy Pact.
15:18Remember that pregnancy pact we talked about earlier?
15:20Yep, here it is again.
15:22In 2008, a truly unbelievable story hit newsstands all across America.
15:2718 girls from Gloucester High School in Massachusetts all got pregnant at the same time.
15:32Why would girls so young want to have a baby in the first place?
15:36And should the school system, the media, or society,
15:39shoulder any of the responsibility for what happened?
15:42Hardly a fluke, the girls planned the entire thing,
15:45going so far as to form a pact, though some have since denied it.
15:49Well, as soon as the powers that be at the Lifetime Network heard the story,
15:53they started working on a film version.
15:54Oh, my God. I have a tiny baby inside of me.
15:59I know. I hope we all have girls.
16:02Oh, my God, that would be so cool.
16:04The result was The Pregnancy Pact, starring Thora Birch as a blogger
16:08who returns to her alma mater to uncover why so many teenagers are getting pregnant.
16:14Teen birth rates are up for the first time in 15 years all over the country.
16:17I'm going to Gloucester to see if I can figure out what's going on.
16:22Number 7, Where the Heart Is.
16:24Oh! What the hell?
16:26Walmart. I can go to the bathroom.
16:31Whereas most teen pregnancy movies tend to collapse under the dramatic weight of the subject matter,
16:36Where the Heart Is leans into the levity of the situation,
16:39and the result is a film that is funny and uplifting.
16:42Of course, everybody wants to talk to the mother of the Walmart baby.
16:45Am I in trouble? They're going to arrest me.
16:47What for?
16:49For living in the Walmart.
16:51Featuring an all-star cast in Natalie Portman, Ashley Judd, Joan Cusack, and Sally Field,
16:57the film tells the story of Noveli Nation,
16:59a pregnant 17-year-old who was abandoned by her boyfriend at a Walmart in Oklahoma.
17:04Hooked yet?
17:05Noveli decides to double down, moving into the Walmart and eventually giving birth there.
17:10While reviews for the film were less than stellar,
17:12it performed well at the box office and remains one of the few positive flicks in the teen pregnancy genre.
17:19Hey! There she is! That's the Walmart mommy!
17:21Number 6, 15 and Pregnant.
17:24This made-for-television movie stars a young Kirsten Dunst as Tina Spangler,
17:29a 15-year-old girl who, you guessed it, gets pregnant.
17:32You could give the baby up for adoption.
17:34Why didn't you?
17:35I'm not really sure.
17:41I wish I had never slept with Ray.
17:43The film does a great job of showing how an unplanned pregnancy affects an entire family,
17:48with Tina's mother, father, and sister all given ample screen time
17:52in order to explore their varied points of view.
17:55I don't want to live in the middle of this mess.
17:57That is not the way sisters behave in nice families.
18:02Nice families don't have pregnant 15-year-olds.
18:05Despite having already appeared in a number of high-profile films,
18:08including Interview with the Vampire and Jumanji,
18:12Dunst doesn't phone it in.
18:13Instead, she delivers a moving performance as Tina
18:16that is guaranteed to resonate with modern audiences.
18:18How did this happen?
18:23How could you get kissed and me not even know it?
18:28I didn't do it to hurt you.
18:30Number 5.
18:31Just Another Girl on the IRT
18:33I can't go through nine months carrying my baby, going through a labor.
18:39Are they giving it up for adoptions?
18:42Nah, I can't do that.
18:44One of the genre's most overlooked films,
18:46Just Another Girl on the IRT featured a breakout performance from star
18:50Arianne A. Johnson,
18:52whose portrayal of the confident and ambitious teenager Chantel Mitchell
18:56should have made her one of Hollywood's hottest up-and-comers.
18:59I'm a Brooklyn girl.
19:01Lots of folks think Brooklyn girls are real tough.
19:05I guess that's true.
19:08I let nobody mess with me.
19:10And I do what I want, when I want.
19:13The film deals with a number of pivotal issues,
19:15including race, gender, the AIDS epidemic, and of course, teen pregnancy.
19:20I mean, African-American males die every day from drugs, violence, and AIDS.
19:27African-American babies die twice as much as white babies.
19:30Right here in this country, what's our obligation to that?
19:34Made on a shoestring budget,
19:36Just Another Girl on the IRT proves that you don't need a lot of money
19:39to make a movie that stands the test of time.
19:42Number 4.
19:43Unexpected
19:44I'm gonna lose my job, John.
19:46I'm gonna lose my stupid job,
19:48and now I'm pregnant.
19:49Hey, hey.
19:52Come on.
19:54Come here.
20:00This is just not how I thought it would happen.
20:02One of the most charming films on our list,
20:05Unexpected is about a teacher at an inner-city school
20:08who becomes pregnant at the same time as one of her students.
20:11Are you pregnant?
20:14You're pregnant.
20:17How did this happen?
20:18You the science teacher?
20:20Come on, Jasmine.
20:22Miss Abbott, you know me since freshman year.
20:24You know this isn't something I planned on.
20:26Through their shared experience,
20:27the two women form an unlikely bond,
20:30learning more about each other and themselves
20:32with each passing day of their pregnancy.
20:34Starring How I Met Your Mother's Kobe Smulders,
20:37who was actually pregnant during filming,
20:39and featuring a strong performance from newcomer Gail Bean,
20:42Unexpected is guaranteed to put a smile on your face
20:45thanks to its unique premise,
20:47excellent acting,
20:48and a careful handling of the sensitive topic
20:50of teenage pregnancy.
20:51Hey, maybe we could go do yoga
20:54and get some milkshakes sometime soon.
20:56I think that place has baby yoga
20:57maybe after the baby comes we could go.
20:59Um, how about we just do milkshakes?
21:02Number three, Saved.
21:04A satirical cult classic from the mid-2000s,
21:07Saved takes a biting and hilarious look
21:09at teenage pregnancy
21:10from the perspective of students
21:12attending a Christian high school.
21:13Jesus, he loves you.
21:16You don't know the first thing about love.
21:20I am filled with Christ's love.
21:23God.
21:24You are just jealous of my success in the Lord.
21:26Featuring an eclectic cast that includes
21:28Jenna Malone, Macaulay Culkin,
21:30Mandy Moore, Mary Louise Parker,
21:32and Patrick Fugate,
21:33the film is about a teen who becomes pregnant
21:36after sleeping with her boyfriend
21:37in order to cure him of his homosexuality.
21:40A prayer circle meeting at my house at 7 o'clock?
21:43I'm conducting it for Mary's gay boyfriending.
21:46While the absurdist comedy has been compared
21:48to both Mean Girls and Election,
21:50Saved is surprisingly heartwarming,
21:53balancing its laugh-out-loud moments
21:54with poignant scenes that any pregnant teenager
21:57could easily relate to.
21:59Patrick, uh...
22:00Mary...
22:03It really doesn't matter to me.
22:07Are you sure?
22:13Number two, Precious.
22:18That's in them welfare checks.
22:21I just couldn't lie no more.
22:24I shouldn't have said none of that.
22:29Mama gonna kill me.
22:30While some pregnancy films use levity
22:32to counteract the heavy subject matter,
22:35Precious veers wholeheartedly
22:36in the opposite direction.
22:38The film is about a 16-year-old girl
22:40named Precious,
22:41who discovers she is once again pregnant,
22:43having already given birth
22:44to a daughter with Down syndrome.
22:46In place of a loving and supportive family
22:48is a mother who is verbally
22:50and physically abusive,
22:51and a sexually abusive father,
22:53who is also responsible
22:54for both pregnancies.
22:56According to Precious Files,
22:58she has now had two children
23:00by your boyfriend,
23:02the late Carl Kenwood Jones,
23:05who is also her father.
23:07The film is filled with incredible performances,
23:09including Monique's Oscar-winning turn
23:11as Precious's truly horrible mother,
23:14Mary Lee.
23:15Because she let my man have her,
23:17and she didn't say nothing,
23:18she didn't scream,
23:19she didn't do nothing.
23:21So those things that she told you
23:23what I did to her,
23:24who else was gonna love me?
23:27Despite its bleak subject matter,
23:29the film is incredibly uplifting,
23:31as Precious fights to overcome
23:33her dire situation
23:34through perseverance and hard work.
23:36Gonna read to this baby too,
23:38and hang colors on its wall.
23:41Listen, baby.
23:43Mother not dumb.
23:44Mother love you.
23:45Okay.
23:46Listen.
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24:02Number 1.
24:04Juno.
24:04This laugh-out-loud feature
24:06flips the teen pregnancy genre
24:08on its head
24:08with a plethora of witty dialogue,
24:10zany scenarios,
24:11and totally unique characters.
24:13That little pink plus sign
24:15is so unholy.
24:18That ain't no edge-a-sketch.
24:20This is one doodle
24:21that can't be undid,
24:22Holmes Gillett.
24:23Leading the way
24:24is our titular hero, Juno,
24:26who's different from
24:27the other protagonists
24:28on our list
24:28in every conceivable way.
24:30I don't want to give the baby
24:31to a family that describes
24:32themselves as wholesome.
24:33Why?
24:33Well, I don't know.
24:34I just want something
24:34a little more edgier.
24:35Bringing the Oscar-winning words
24:37of Diablo Cody to life
24:38is director Jason Reitman,
24:40who gets the most
24:41out of his A-list cast
24:42from opening credits
24:43to final line.
24:45How much
24:47It ended with a chair.
24:54Juno was hailed by critics
24:56as one of the best films
24:57of 2007,
24:58winning widespread acclaim
25:00as well as four
25:00Academy Award nominations.
25:02Roger Ebert called it
25:03the best movie of the year.
25:05And honestly,
25:06cinematic praise
25:07doesn't get much higher
25:08than that.
25:08Third test today, Mama Bear.
25:10Your ego is prego.
25:12No doubt about it.
25:13What do you think
25:13of these movies?
25:14Let us know in the comments.
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