www.roanoke.com

Teen movies. Some say that if you've seen one, you've seen 'em all. To a certain extent that is true, but that technically means that if you love one, you'll love them all, right? In my case that is very, very true. I mean, come on, who really cares if you know that the nerdy girl is going to end up prom queen?

So, with prom season here, check out some of the very best prom movies around. They may all sound similar -- OK, well, they are all pretty similar -- but do watch a few. I can't help but assume that the tidy storybook romance might be more fun than prom night itself. Hey, a girl can dream, right?

• "Footloose": The setting is Bomont, a small town where dancing is forbidden because the adults have decided that it leads to drinking and debauchery. Who can save the desolate teen population? Why none but Ren (played by Kevin Bacon), a reckless big-city fellow who comes to town to stir things up and bring back dancing. Oh come on, don't pretend like you don't know the story.

• "Pretty in Pink": A classic rags-to-riches tale about a poor girl named Andie (Molly Ringwald) who falls for rich guy Blane. But Andie has a best friend named Duckie, a guy who is truly, madly, deeply in love with Andie. Who will Andie go to the prom with? Can rich people and poor people actually coexist? This '80s classic is way deep.

• "10 Things I Hate About You": How do I loathe thee, let me count the ways. You know, no one writes a teen flick like Shakespeare. In this modern take on "The Taming of the Shrew," Bianca and Kat are sisters. Bianca is beautiful and wants to date but can't until her sister Kat does. Kat doesn't date; she refuses to date the "unwashed miscreants" that go to her school. But when Cameron, the new kid at school, falls for Bianca he is willing to do anything to take her to the school dance. Even if that means enlisting the help of someone, well, terrifying (and gorgeous) to "tame the shrew."

• "Drive Me Crazy": Nicole and Chase used to be best friends. Preppy Ms. School Spirit Nicole wants the quarterback to ask her to their school "Centennial Dance." Her scruffy ex-best friend neighbor Chase wants his ... um ... unique girlfriend back. So they pair up, determined to make jealousy make their dreams a reality.

• "Whatever It Takes": This one is not as famous as the others, but it just might be the best. It's yet another "best friends who have no idea that they're in love" type scenario that is based on Cyrano de Bergerac. Ryan (Shane West) is in love with the most popular girl in school, who doesn't know that he's alive. So he enlists the scummy talents of Chris (James Franco), who wants to snag Ryan's best friend, Maggie. Needless to say, when Ryan agrees to this deal things between all four of these students are less than fine by the time the prom rolls around.

• "She's All That": It's perhaps the quintessential prom movie. Big man on campus Zack (Freddie Prinze Jr.) bets that he is such a powerful dreamboat that he can make any girl in the school prom queen. Even Laney, who has -- gasp -- glasses and -- gulp -- likes to paint. OK, so maybe the story is a little ridiculous and overdone. But there is synchronized dancing at the prom. And yes, the guy who does the school announcements is Usher.