You know we all love the swoon here at FYA, so we decided to each pick our very favorite swoony scenes from our very favorite YA movies to compile a list that we can all whet our, er, appetites with.
Now, as you can imagine, there were some overlaps in our faves, but, this website being ever democratic, we decided to vote that whomever could take the most shots in quick succession got to pick first. Haha, just kidding. Or am I?
Meghan’s Picks:
The Princess Diaries (2001)
Scene: The pop
Michael opens the door to see a pizza delivery guy with an M&M pizza he didn’t order. While that’s totally gross, it’s always been a dream of mine to have someone send me apology pizzas. Anyway, after Mia’s speech, Michael asks, “Why me?” and she says it’s because he saw her when she was invisible and you just KNOW she’ll never be invisible to him! Her CLOTHES might be, though, judging from the kiss.
The Breakfast Club (1985)
Scene: Bender’s fist pump
Claire and Bender leave the school along with the other members of the Breakfast Club. She gives him her earring and kisses him slowly, then gets in the car with her dad. As he walks home across the field, Bender jumps in the air and gives a massive fist pump, and damn if I dont want to, also. (P.S. Am I the only one who was sad for poor Brian? No girl, AND he gets stuck writing the shitty paper.)
Sarah’s Picks:
Bring It On (2000)
Scene: Cliff and Torrance on the Swings
With the tooth-brushing scene a close second (who knew dental hygiene could be so smoking hot?), this sweetly innocent yet simmering moment between Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Bradford is one of the 1,000 reasons I love this movie. Not even those awful floral pants can distract me from the chemistry between these two, esp. when Cliff stops the swing to whisper into Torrance’s ear and then they almost kiss and I SAID BRRR! IT’S COLD IN HERE! THERE MUST BE SOME SEXAY IN THE ATMOSPHERE!
Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)
Scene: Watts Tests Keith’s Kissing Skills
When you take someone as crazy fierce as Watts, and you put them in a dirty mechanic shop with someone as beautiful as Keith (Eric Stoltz, seriously dude, what happened?!), the swoon level is already hovering around a 7. Throw in the awesome idea of kissing practice and you’ve got a solid 11 on your hands. With her teasing bravado, Watts knows just how to get a rise out of Keith (HEYO!), and their verbal sparring is the perfect foreplay. Then the music swells, the camera spins, and my panties melt at the sight of this insanely slow and sensuous lip lock. Kids, not only did you ace it, I’d say you earned yr PhD.
Erin’s Picks:
Clueless (1995)
Scene: Staircase Scene
Like any good Emma adaptation, we were all rooting for Josh and Cher to get it on long before Cher realized she was totally butt-crazy in love with Josh. And it could be frustrating, waiting for them to GET ON WITH IT ALREADY. But all that frustration evaporates at the top of the staircase in Cher’s Bel-Air mansion, when Josh tells her she’s not just a ditz with a credit card and Cher admits that Mel isn’t the only one in the house who loves Josh (though admittedly her love is a bit more carnal in nature). And then they lean towards each other and . . . well, you can guess what happens next.
Can’t Buy Me Love (1987)
Scene: Hat Stealing
Oh, its themes are problematic, and Cindy’s poetry is seriously the worst ever, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that a young Erin’s dreams weren’t fueled by the fantasy of hopping onto a riding lawnmower and stealing young Patrick Dempsey’s hat.
Megan No H’s Picks:
Sixteen Candles (1984)
Scene: Outside of the church
This was my go-to feel-good comedy I constantly watched to cheer myself up during high school. And okay, maybe there were some issues in the movie that I can see now that I’m older. So maybe Jake Ryan wants Sam’s underwear, and maybe Sam and Ryan don’t know each other at all and maybe, mayyyybe Jake Ryan kiiiinda sorta offers his girlfriend up to be date raped. But even with all those issues, I still find myself swoony at the end of the movie, when Jake Ryan shows up outside the chapel, leaning on his little red car, waiting for Sam. Because he’s so damn handsome and Molly Ringwald looks so pretty in her silly bridesmaid dress and because I love that Thompson Twins song. And who didn’t want the dreamy boy you thought didn’t know you existed to proclaim his affections in a showy, yet UNcreepy fashion, to be utterly caught off guard by a surprise romantic gesture (and one that you actually wanted!) I know I sure did (and spoiler alert…it never happened!)
Get Over It (2001)
Scene: Berke’s bedroom
Raise your hands if you’ve seen this movie? Really, is that all? EVERYONE SIGN INTO YOUR NEXTFLIX AND PUT THIS AT THE TOP OF YOUR QUEUE RIGHT NOW, YOU WILL THANK ME, YOU’RE WELCOME. Seriously, just read the cast list and that should be all you need to know. Not enough people have seen/are obsessed with this movie which is too bad because IT IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT* TEEN COMEDIES, EVER. And Ben Foster is the leading man! How much did you have a crush on him in Flash Forward? Nothing makes for a swoonworthy kissing scene like setting up make outs by “practicing” your “lines” for a “play.” Role playing. Nice.
*Doesn’t know what that word means
Jenny’s Picks:
10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
Scene: Serenading in the Bleachers
There are so many amazing and swoonworthy moments in 10 Things, but what’s that sound when Patrick recruits practically the whole school in his plot to serenade Kat with I think it’s Frankie Valli’s “You’re Just Too Good To Be True”? That sound, my friends, is the sound of panties melting around the world. That scene and that scene alone places Heath Ledger eternally in the role of perfect perfect perfect swoony high school boy who is so smooth and suave that no actual high school boy could ever ever compete with him, ever. May he rest in peace.
Sense and Sensibility (1995)
Scene: When Edward Ferrars tells Elinor he is not, in fact, wed
No matter HOW many times I watch this film, the moment those words are out of his mouth, a sob escapes my lips right along with Elinor, and I, too, would sit and clutch at my breast, if I weren’t already sitting, clutching my adult beverage to my heart. Cinematic gold.
