10 Movies To Watch If You Love Dawson’s Creek

The show Dawson’s Creek aired on The WB network from 1998-2003. This coming of age hour-long primetime series launched the careers of its stars, James Van Der Beek, Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, and Michelle Williams, and also featured a great supporting cast and guest stars who later went on to have very successful careers as well.

The show was a staple for pre-teens and young adults in the late ’90s and is something millennials love to re-visit on streaming services today. There’s a lot of nostalgia wrapped up in this show and it depicts a very specific and wonderful time in television and in our own lives, as do the movies on this list.

10 A Walk To Remember

This late 90’s classic, based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks, was released a few years after the premiere of Dawson’s Creek and attracted the same fan base. It’s a classic coming-of-age teen drama about young love and navigating high school relationships, but also comes with a bit of twist that leaves viewers in tears every time.

A very young Mandy Moore and her equally babyfaced co-star, Shane West, have terrific chemistry making this a love story you can revisit over and over again.

9 Here On Earth

For the Dawson’s Creek fans who tuned in every week to see if Joey would end up with Pacey or with Dawson, this is a perfect movie for you. In this film, Sam has been dating Jasper for a while, but everything changes when she meets Kelley.

Kelley and Sam realize they are in love pretty quickly, and despite all of their differences, they stick together until Sam gets some really bad news. This young love story comes to a tragic end almost as quickly as it began.

8 Varsity Blues

As the popularity and fan base of Dawson’s Creek grew, audiences started to see the series regulars in more films. Doors started opening for the four young actors on the series and they began showing up, not just on our television screens, but on the big screen as well.

James Van Der Beek starred in Varsity Blues a year after Dawson’s Creek premiered. James plays Mox, a high school football player in Texas. This film allowed fans to see Van Der Beek in a new light, which solidified his name on the industry.

7 Disturbing Behavior

Joey Potter always seemed to have a bit of a chip on her shoulder. Growing up was hard for Joey and it shows. Fans loved the complexities of this character and related to the teen angst.

Joey made this series more realistic and relatable, especially for the female audience. Katie Holmes takes her dark side a step further in the 90’s thriller Disturbing Behavior about a group of teens who find out their “perfect” classmates are actually being brainwashed and fight against the administration trying to brainwash them as well.

6 The Greatest Showman

Michelle Williams is arguably the most successful talent to come from this series. After this show made Williams a household name, she went on to star in numerous films, earning her countless awards and recognition.

Williams was great on Dawson’s Creek but has gone on to become one of the best actors of our generation. There are tons of movie starring Michelle Williams that should be viewed, but for fans of the series, The Greatest Showman is a family-friendly and fun place to start.

5 The Best Of Me

This is another Nicholas Sparks’ novel, turned feature, that gives audiences that feeling of nostalgia for their first love. It’s safe to say that Dawson was Joey’s first love, even if they don’t end up together in the end, and that’s really what this film is about.

James Marsden and Michelle Monaghan fall in love as children and reunite years later, still carrying that love for one another in their adulthood. The storyline and the fact that Marsden’s character is named Dawson should be a favorite for fans of Dawson’s Creek. 

4 Cruel Intentions

This film is perfect for fans of Dawson’s Creek craving a little 90’s nostalgia. Cruel Intentions was a staple in the late ’90s with teens rushing to theaters to see it or sneaky over to a friend’s house for a viewing party if they weren’t allowed to watch it.

It stars Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillippe along with a slew of other actors who gained popularity in the late ’90s, including Dawson’s Creek star, Joshua Jackson, who has a great supporting role in the film.

3 The Skulls

Joshua Jackson takes center stage in this feature film, which was also made in the late ’90s. This film gave fans a look at what might happen if Pacey ended up at in Ivy League school and found himself recruited by a secret society.

This film is based on the stories of Yale’s own secret society and some of the conspiracy theories that surround it. It’s a dark, thrilling look at the elite status and what that could possibly entail.

2 10 Things I Hate About You

Dawson’s Creek always delivered the drama, but it also had a lot of funny, lighthearted, and even uplifting moments in the six seasons it was on the air. The 90’s teen rom-com, 10 Things I Hate About You, has the same balance of laughter and tears and is a great film to watch for millennials looking to take a walk down memory lane.

This film also has a great musical number in it, which fans of Dawson’s Creek will love, especially if they loved Joey’s memorable musical moment.

1 Safe Haven

Fans of Dawson’s Creek will love this other Nicholas Sparks’ movie, not just for the romance, but the setting as well. One of fans’ most favorite parts of the series was the beautiful, picture-esque small town on the water.

The show was set in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts, but was actually filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina. Safe Haven starring Julianne Hough and Josh Duhamel was also filmed in Wilmington and has the same stunning backdrops that could make any viewers consider relocating.

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