What is it like to be a teenager in America? American Teen takes us back to high school to find out. The film, a documentary, follows the lives of five high school students in their senior year at Warsaw Community High School in Warsaw, Indiana. These students have been deliberately cast into and portrayed as stereotypes.

Megan is part of the popular crowd and is seen as the "queen" of the school. She is under pressure from herself and her family to get into Notre Dame. Colin is the star of the basketball team. His father (who hilariously has a side gig as an Elvis impersonator) keeps stressing the fact that he needs to get a basketball scholarship to go to college, putting pressure on Colin. Jake is the geek, a gamer and member of the band who dreams of having a girlfriend. Hannah is the quirky artistic type who is dealing with emotional issues and a difficult family situation. Finally, Mitch, the least seen of the five, is the jock and heartthrob. While by no means the best documentary ever made (the film would be right at home on MTV and some scenes seem scripted), American Teen is nevertheless an interesting look into what teens are doing today.