The O.C. premiered on the FOX network in 2003 and took pop culture by storm. The series premiered to both high ratings and high praise from critics and was named one of the most popular new television shows for the 2003-2004 season. The series also launched the careers of Mischa Barton, Rachel Bilson, Adam Brody, and Ben McKenzie.
After the premiere, the series saw a steady decline in viewership and was cancelled after four seasons in 2007. All four seasons are now available to binge on the new streaming service, HBO Max. But if anyone needs a break between episodes, here are a few movies that fans of this hit teen drama series will love.
The Spectacular Now
Marissa Cooper and Ryan Atwood were always meant to be, despite their vastly different upbringings. Initially, the two seem like they could never work out because Marissa is from a wealthy, upper class family and Ryan, being a homeless and troubled teenager, is bad for her family’s image.
For fans who love rooting for the underdog, especially when it comes to love, the coming-of-age dramatic feature film The Spectacular Now, starring Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley, is a must watch.
Mean Girls
Marissa Cooper and Summer Roberts are two of the most popular girls at The Harbor School and thrive being the center of attention, especially Summer. Summer understands the importance of rank in the high school hierarchy and would never risk her status, at least not until she falls for the less popular, Seth Cohen.
The comedy feature film Mean Girls explores the high school food chain in a hilarious and very realistic way that fans of The O.C. will surely find both amusing and relatable.
Easy A
The rumor mill was constantly working on The O.C., both for the teens at school and the parents at home. There always seemed to be a new scandal or some new drama brewing with every new episode and that’s what kept fans coming back week after week.
The comedy Easy A starring Emma Stone and Penn Badgley, is also full of scandal and drama, but also parodies high school and the ridiculous rumors that can run rampant in that kind of environment.
How To Deal
If Marissa Cooper was good at one thing, it would be rebelling against both her parents and the teachers and administrators at school. Marissa had a dangerous side, and when she let loose, things would quickly become reckless and unpredictable.
Another rebellious teen is Mandy Moore’s character, Halley Martin, in the coming-of-age feature film, How to Deal. Like Marissa and Ryan, when Halley meets bad boy Macon, her life changes for the better and she falls in love for the first time.
Orange County
The name of this hit teen series The O.C. stands for Orange County, an upper class area of Southern California. The series not only has addictive storylines and relatable characters, but the backdrop is beautiful, and in a lot of ways, the beach town becomes a character of its own.
If anyone loves the setting of this series and loves fantasizing about living on the beach, the comedy feature film Orange County, starring Colin Hanks and Jack Black, should be high on the watch list.
Some Girls
One of the biggest breakout stars of this series was Adam Brody, who played the lovable and quirky Seth Cohen in the series. If anyone is looking for more entertainment featuring this charming and hysterical actor, they should watch Some Girls.
This movie, based on the play by the same name by Neil LaBute, tells the story of “The Man”, played by Brody, who visits women from his past, all with a new lesson for The Man to learn. This dark comedy also stars Kristen Bell and Zoe Kazan.
While You Were Sleeping
Sandy Cohen, Seth’s dad on the series, is played by veteran actor Peter Gallagher. Sandy Cohen gained a fan base of his own throughout the four seasons that this series aired, and for those fans, there are a lot of films starring Gallagher.
One of the most popular films is the 90’s romantic comedy, While You Were Sleeping, also starring Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman.
The Last Kiss
Playing Summer Roberts in this series may have made her a household name, but Rachel Bilson has sustained an impressive career since the end of this series, starring in many films and other television shows.
One of Bilson’s best performances is as Kim in the independent romantic comedy/drama, The Last Kiss, also starring Zach Braff and Jacinda Barrett. In this movie, Kim is someone Braff’s character Michael is having an affair with, and she doesn’t react very will when he tries to end things to make his marriage work.
Junebug
Ryan Atwood is one of the ultimate teen heartthrobs of the early 2000’s and the actor who played him, Ben McKenzie has had a lot of success following the series.
While still filming The O.C. Ben McKenzie also starred in Junebug, alongside Amy Adams who was nominated for her first Academy Award for this film. This comedy-drama is all about the family dynamic, and in the film, McKenzie’s character Johnny has just married Adams’ character, Ashley, who is pregnant.
Clueless
One of the other reasons fans love this series so much and still binge it years later is because it allows them to see inside the lifestyles of rich and rebellious teenagers. It’s fun for fans to see a different side of what life has to offer. And for fans who want to watch more of that, they should watch the 90’s comedy Clueless.
This film, starring Alicia Silverstone, is all about how the other half live and provides not only great fashion advice, but also a lot of laughs.
