Eric Stoltz

Louisa May Alcott's classic coming-of-age story follows the childhood adventures of the four free-spirited March sisters: beautiful Meg (Trini Alvarado), fragile Beth (Claire Danes), romantic Amy (Kirsten Dunst) and impetuous Jo (Winona Ryder), who's determined to defy social conventions by seeking her fame and fortune as a writer. As Jo chronicles the family's struggle during the war, their turbulent romances and their lasting friendship, her story unwraps a gift of humor and heartfelt emotions that no one - young or old, male or female - can resist.

The traditions of old-fashioned melodrama are given a hip facelift in this homage to the Brill Building era (the late 1950s to the early 1970s) of pop-music glory, providing a perfect match between writer-director Allison Anders and her excellent cast. Illeana Douglas plays a singer-songwriter (loosely modeled after Brill recording artist Carole King) whose life runs emotionally parallel to popular music trends. John Turturro is a stand-in for "wall of sound" producer Phil Spector and Matt Dillon is a thinly disguised version of maverick Beach Boy Brian Wilson.

After dominating the teen-movie genre for the bulk of the 1980s, writer-producer (and sometimes director) John Hughes proved that he had at least one good movie left in him before squandering his talent on lame comedies throughout the 1990s. Like The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink, Some Kind of Wonderful treated its teenaged characters like real people with real feelings, hopes, fears, and desire.

It's Awesome! Totally Awesome! Fast times at Ridgemont High, directed by Amy Heckerling (Clueless), is simply a modern cult classic. First-time screenwriter Cameron Crowe (Jerry Maguire), went undercover as a high school student and came back with the straight dope on sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll, while capturing some of the most memorable screen characters ever.