22 Movie Moments From The 2000s We Obsessed Over As Kids But Now See Are Low-Key Cringe
1.In She's the Man, when Viola's friends helped her pretend "Sebastian" was a lady's man at the pizza parlor:
IN WHAT WORLD WAS THIS CONVINCING??? I mean, the entire thing happens RIGHT in front of Duke's table...it doesn't seem staged to him? And everyone involved is so over the top. Don't get me wrong, I still love this scene (especially when Monique comes in) but so much of this movie is completely ridiculous.
Watch the scene here:
2.In 17 Again, when Zac stood up to Stan in the cafeteria:
17 Again is one of those movies I will always love. It's so stupid, but it's just incredibly nostalgic to me, and I remember having SUCH a crush on Zefron in it. My mom and I used to have an unspoken rule in place that whenever we were channel surfing and realized it was on TV, we had to stop whatever we were doing to watch it. And this was our absolute favorite scene.
Watching it back now, it's laughable. How do teachers not get involved? Why does Stan just let Mike taunt him like this (as we see later on, Stan's way more physically capable than Mike and can easily beat him in a fight). Why is the whole school on this random new kid's side? Mike's insults are also just so stupid, too...and then he does that lil' basketball routine/dance?!? I cannot.
Watch the scene here:
3.Also, Mike's entrance scene:
This was such a hot moment to me when I was a teenager. Like, I'd be fanning myself in the living room. Now, I'm like...how the heck did everyone seem to notice him so quickly? Also, his hair is SO Justin Bieber, I cannot.
Watch the scene here:
4.In 13 going on 30, when Jenna got everyone to perform "Thriller":
Why did every 2000s teen movie/rom-com have a giant dance number? And how on Earth did everyone always know the dance? Now I will give it to 13 going on 30, at least "Thriller" is a dance people could conceivably know. But in the 2000s (which seems like the movie takes place in, considering Jenna's 13 in the '80s), you really expect me to believe THAT many people know the "Thriller" dance? And in what world would that pump up the party? If I was at a fancy party in a ballroom, and a random woman started doing a long choreographed dance and expected me to join in...I would simply go to the bar and get another drink.
You can watch the scene here:
5.In Mean Girls, when the Plastics perform "Jingle Bell Rock":
I do still love this one because there were definitely girls in my grade who would do a lame "sexy" choreographed dance at talent shows and think they were so cool, but I also feel like that was more of a middle school/summer camp kind of thing — which meant this scene made sense to me/was aspirational when I saw this film as a kid, but is laughable to me looking back. What 17-year-olds were doing a faux sexy dance that they'd made up as kids? And why did we eat it up???
What the scene here:
6.Speaking of dance scenes...the dance-off scene in Cadet Kelly:
Disney Channel
They look SO confident as they do it too, in full view of everyone...I cannot.
Watch the scene here:
7.In John Tucker Must Die, when the girls train Kate for her date with John:
I know this is a small scene, but it's one I always remember looking back. I just remember thinking, like, OMG, she's good! When...what kind of line is this??? It's so cringe and ridiculous and I can't believe the other girls were like, "yesss you've got this!" after Kate said it.
I can't find the scene on YouTube, but you can watch the movie on Hulu!
8.In Easy A, when Olive shows up to school in lingerie with a red A on her chest:
I still think this one's iconic, TBH, but I'm trying to picture it actually happening in a high school, and I...cannot. First of all, how does the dress code allow strapless tops/literal lingerie? And how does literally EVERYONE notice immediately — all she's doing is wearing a different top than normal. And the "OHHH, BURN!" was so iconic at the time...but it's really not much of a comeback looking back. I still love this scene in all its campy, silly goodness, but it's not as hot as I thought it was when I saw it.
Watch the scene here:
9.In High School Musical, when Troy performed "Bet On It" on the golf course:
This has gotta be Zefron's most iconic performance ever. And I'm slightly cheating by including it on this list, because I think even at the time it was a little laughable (but it's definitely gotten more so over the years). Honestly though, it seems like they just put a few cameras on Zac on a golf course and were like, "Just run around and do whatever." And I still can't get over his fake AF reflection in the water. Still, this scene is iconic, and "Bet On It" is an absolute bop.
Watch the scene here:
10.And also when Troy gave Gabriella a necklace with his first initial on it in High School Musical 2:
This was so weirdly possessive to me?? And she was so flattered?? Also, that necklace was ugly as hell. But oh lord, did I want that necklace so badly in middle school.
Watch the scene here:
11.In Bring It On, when Missy revealed her tattoo was just marker by licking her middle finger:
This was SUCH a power move to me when I watched the movie. Now I'm like...when was the last time you washed your hands? Gross. Also, drawing fake tattoos in marker on your arm in class is not as edgy as the movie wanted us to think it was, at least not past middle school.
Watch the scene here:
12.Just...everything about this dance-off from Bring It On 3: All Or Nothing:
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Watch the scene at 2:21 here:
13.In A Cinderella Story, when Sam told off Austin in the locker room:
She really thought she did something!!!! And Austin was so offended, too. What a line. I thought it was truly devastating at the time...but now it's more, like, welp, someone just learned about similes in English.
Watch the scene here:
14.In What a Girl Wants, when Daphne accidentally modeled:
Still waiting for the day I accidentally stumble upon a catwalk and absolutely kill it (okay yeah, Daphne falls offstage, but before that everyone's like, "OMG she's soooo good").
Watch the scene here:
15.When the girls rescued Toto by singing to him at the end of The Cheetah Girls:
Toto couldn't hear the girls shouting, but when they start singing quietly, the firefighter's all like, "OMG, IT'S WORKING"?!? I just can't deal with the cheesiness. At the time, I thought this was realistic and sweet.
Watch the scene here:
16.Just everything about the baseball scene from Twilight:
I will NEVER be over "my monkey man." The music here is great, and it's such an iconic scene...but I swear, it gets more cringe with each passing year.
Watch the scene here:
17.In Hannah Montana: The Movie, when Miley revealed herself as Hannah and sang "The Climb"...then everyone promised to keep her secret:
This one's really more about how unrealistic it is that a whole town — including that awful paparazzi dude — promised to keep her secret. It was also so dramatic, and for what? Why did this also serve as a way to make up with Travis? It was so nonsensical....but when I saw it as a preteen, I cried.
I can't find the part where everyone promises to keep her secret on YouTube, but you can watch when Miley reveals herself to be Hannah here:
18.In The Lizzie McGuire Movie, when Lizzie met Paolo (and frankly every scene he was in):
He was soooo dreamy to me as a kid, but looking back...he was so cheesy and creepy! Also, how old was this dude??? He's hitting on a middle schooler. And remember when Lizzie was calling the sky beautiful and Paolo looked at Lindsay and was like "Yes, you are"??? Barf.
Watch the scene here:
19.And the whole "sing to me, Paolo" scene, which ended with Lizzie — who had no formal training – performing for thousands:
The GRIP "sing to me Paolo" had on me as a kid!!!!! It's still iconic, but now I'm just like...why didn't he claim there was a mic malfunction and run offstage? Why try singing if he was so bad? Also, how is Lizzie THAT good? Still, this scene was the ultimate wish fulfillment for me as a kid — my biggest dream was to get pulled onstage for some performance last-minute and absolutely nail it, winning the adoration of my classmates.
Watch the scene here:
20.This weird dance/march scene from Camp Rock 2:
Disney Channel
I wanted to learn this lil' march so badly!!! And now I love watching ridiculous edits of it ok TikTok.
Watch the scene here:
21.In Camp Rock, when Caitlyn did a weird little dance and played awful keyboard sounds, and Mitchie genuinely went, "She's really good!":
Was she, though? Was she? At the time, I thought yes!!!
Watch the scene here:
22.And finally, also in Camp Rock, when Tess did this classic "whatever major loser" hand gesture:
This had an absolute chokehold on me as a kid — I would literally practice it in my room...you know what, I take this entry back. I'm gonna start doing this again and bring it back; it's iconic.
