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Denby
Teen movies are filled with stereotypes. The jocks, the cheerleaders, the nerds; we are very familiar with these groups and can easily identify the characteristics are associated with them. But movies are known to exaggerate everything, and stereotypes are no exception. In teenage movies, the jocks and cheerleaders become unsympathetic demons that terrorize the nerds, that are helpless. Their pranks are unrelenting and over the top. Obviously, this is an exaggeration. In real life, most teenagers aren’t single faceted; most of us are a hybrid of these stereotypes. The exaggeration of stereotypes in teenage movies is understandable, because otherwise there would be less conflict. If the jock wasn’t bull-headed and stupid to an extreme, he wouldn’t push the nerd to his breaking point, frequently demonstrated by mass murder in the movies listed by Denby. Movies will be movies; unrealistic and exaggerated things will always be entertaining.
