There are too many classic high school movies to count, so for this post I made a distinction and chose only those movies that deal with the subject of going Back to School. For example, even though John Hughes is the king of the high school movie genre, and one of my favorite writer/directors of all time, none of his movies were chosen here since they focus on other topics(extremely well) instead of going Back to School. What I have included are movies with adults having to return to elementary school, either as teachers or students, adults going undercover in high school, teenagers starting their first year of high school, transfer students arriving at a new school, young adults entering college, and (not-so) young adults too.
Speaking of which, I'm presenting these 20 movies in reverse order of grade level(from oldest to youngest), starting with one of the movies that inspired this post, the perfectly titled ...
Back to School
Who goes Back to School?
Thornton Melon(played by the late great Rodney Dangerfield) is a millionaire businessman who decides to enroll in his son's college after he tells him he's thinking of dropping out. Hilarity ensues. I love Thornton's first economics class, where he teaches the professor what it takes to start a business in the real world, and of course, the famous Triple Lindy.
Conviction
Who goes Back to School?
Betty Anne Waters(played by 2 time Oscar winner Hilary Swank), a single mother of two who decides to put herself through law school so she can free her brother Kenny(Sam Rockwell) from prison since he was 'convicted'(Get it?) of a murder he didn't commit. The movie is based on a true story.
Old School
Who goes Back to School?
Mitch, aka The Godfather(Luke Wilson), who, along with his disillusioned 30 something pals Beanie(Vince Vaughn) and Frank "the Tank"(Will Ferrell), starts a fraternity at the off campus house he just moved into. Vaughn and Ferrell are the stars of this movie, which launched them both into a great run of hits in the mid 2000s.
Animal House
Who goes Back to School?
College freshmen Larry Kroger and Kent Dorfman, who end up pledging at the Delta House, which is put on "double secret probation" by the dean for their repeated conduct violations and low academic standing. The fraternity is full of colorful characters, none more so than John "Bluto" Blutarsky(played by the late great John Belushi), who absolutely steals the movie with iconic moments like his inspirational speech("Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?") and the food fight("I'm a zit. Get it?")
Accepted
Who goes Back to School?
Bartleby Gaines(Justin Long), who creates a fake college named the South Harmon Institute of Technology after he is rejected by every college he applied to. He receives some help from his friends, including best friend Schrader(Jonah Hill), and after welcoming some unexpected enrollees he must prove that there is actual learning taking place at South Harmon, even though it's in a different manner than conventional colleges.
Pitch Perfect
Who goes Back to School?
Beca(Anna Kendrick), a freshman at Barden University who is pressured by her dad to participate in some extra-curricular activities, so she joins the Bellas, the school's all-girls acapella singing group. The results are aca-awesome!
Peggy Sue got Married
Who goes Back to School?
Peggy Sue(Kathleen Turner), who faints at her 25 year high school reunion and wakes up as a teenager back in school. She realizes that she could change her future if she doesn't hook up with future ex-husband Charlie(Nicolas Cage). Bonus points for featuring one of Jim Carrey's early film roles.
Never Been Kissed
Who goes Back to School?
Josie Gellar(Drew Barrymore), a 25 year old journalist working at the Chicago Sun Times, who is assigned to go undercover to report about today's high schools. The problem is that Josie "Grossie" was a frustrated, ridiculed nerd back in her high school days and she quickly falls back into her old habits. She gets a popular make-over with help of her cool brother Rob(David Arquette), who also re-enrolls in high school, and then develops a romantic relationship with her sensitive English teacher.
21 Jump Street
Who goes Back to School?
Rookie cops Schmidt(Jonah Hill) and Jenko(Channing Tatum), who are sent undercover back to high school to find the source of a dangerous synthetic drug. Once there, they end up switching lifestyles from their previous high school experience. Schmidt, who was a nerd, gets in with the popular kids, and Jenko, who was a popular jock, makes friends with the science nerds("F*ck you science!").
Grease
Who goes Back to School?
Greaser Danny Zuko(John Travolta) and good-girl Sandy Olsson(Olivia Newton-John), who enjoy some good old Summer Lovin, but are unexpectedly reunited at Rydell High in the fall. The problem is that Danny is the leader of the T-Birds, and he can't be seen dating only one girl in school. With the help of some great songs in this classic musical, Danny and Sandy manage to Go Together by the end.
Fast Times at Ridgemont HIgh
Who goes Back to School?
A group of high school students at Ridgemont High in southern California. The movie is based on the real life adventures chronicled by first time screenwriter Cameron Crowe. The movie's true star is Sean Penn's Jeff Spicoli, a stoned surfer dude who continually clashes with his professor, Mr. Hand, especially about eating pizza in history class("Learning about Cuba and having some food.")
Clueless
Who goes Back to School?
Tai(Brittany Murphy), a transfer student who is befriended by popular girls Cher(Alica Silverstone) and Dionne(Stacey Dash). Cher is actually the main character in this one, and she helps Tai get a make-over while dealing with her own cluelessness about high school and boys, one of those being her step brother Josh(Paul Rudd). I love Cher's 'Haitians' speech in debate class("It does not say R.S.V.P. on the Statue of Liberty."), an excellent point of view on a topic that is front and center in the news today.
Mean Girls
Who goes Back to School?
Cady Heron(a pre-crazy Lindsay Lohan), who grew up in Africa and was home-schooled all that time, but now her family has returned to America and she must experience what high school is like for the very first time. She has to quickly adapt to the rules of survival in high school and she gets help from two sweet outsiders, Janis and Damian. Soon after meeting them she meets "the Plastics", a group of pink wearing popular girls led by mean spirited Regina George(Rachel McAdams). Janis and Damian convince Cady to join "the Plastics", but only so they can make fun of them. Things don't go as planned when Cady is lured into "the Plastics" lifestyle and slowly begins to turn into one herself.
10 Things I Hate About You
Who goes Back to School?
Cameron(Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a new transfer student at Padua High. During a tour of the school he spots Bianca Stratford, a pretty sophomore who's father only allows her to date if her older sister does. The problem is that older sister Kat(Julia Stiles) is an angry, indie rock loving, non-conforming feminist who refuses to date any boy in school. Cameron and his friend Michael(David Krumholtz) enlist mysterious bad boy Patrick Verona(Heath Ledger, in the role that introduced him to American audiences) to take out Kat so Cameron can date Bianca. Of course, Kat falls for Patrick's charm(who wouldn't fall in love with Heath Ledger?), especially after he screws up and apologizes in the most romantic way possible: through song(A 'Star is Born' performance by Mr. Ledger that has taken on extra special meaning after his tragic death)
Bring it On
Who goes Back to School?
Missy Pantone(Eliza Dushku) and her brother Cliff, who are transfers entering the new school year at Rancho Carne High School. Missy is a gymnast, but since there is no gymnastics squad in the school, she auditions for the five-time champion cheerleading squad, the Toros, led by newly-elected team captain Torrance Shipman(Kirsten Dunst). Torrance is actually the main character of the movie, as she has to deal with the fact that the squad's previous routines were stolen from an inner-city squad, the Clovers. Besides creating a new routine for the squad, Torrance also falls for Missy's brother Cliff, but has to leave her unsupportive boyfriend first so she can be with him.
The Faculty
Who goes Back to School?
Marybeth Hutchinson, a new student at Herrington High, a small town school in Ohio. After she arrives, the teachers(including Robert Patrick and a scary Jon Stewart), and later the students, start to exhibit some strange behavior. A small group of six students, including Marybeth, are the only ones that are suspicious. They discover that there is an alien infection in the high school and they also figure out a way to kill them, which includes finding the queen before the aliens can spread out to other schools. The problem is that Marybeth is actually the alien queen.
Sky High
Who goes Back to School?
Will Stronghold, son of the world's greatest superheroes, The Commander(Kurt Russell) and Jetstream(Kelly Preston), who begins his first year at Sky High, a high school for superheroes and their sidekicks. The thing is that Will hasn't developed his powers yet and is too ashamed to tell his dad that he was placed in the sidekicks program. Will eventually gains his powers, both his dad's super strength and his mom's flying ability, and with a little help from his best friends/side kicks he fights against Royal Pain, a villain who is looking for revenge on Will's parents. Also starring Lynda Carter, aka Wonder Woman, as the school's principal.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Who goes Back to School?
Charlie Kelmeckis(Logan Lerman), a shy teenager with some past mental illness problems who is entering his first year of high school. He writes letters to an imaginary friend and gains the attention of his english teacher, Mr. Anderson(Paul Rudd), who gives him all of his favorite books to read. More importantly, he is befriended by two seniors, Patrick(Ezra Miller) and Sam(Emma Watson in her first post Harry Potter starring role), who take Charlie under their wing and introduce him to their group of misfit friends. Charlie immediately falls in love with Sam, but she has some past boy issues of her own that cause Charlie to date their friend Mary Elizabeth(Mae Whitman) instead. After that doesn't go well, Charlie's mental problems are triggered again and with the love and support of his family and friends he learns to overcome his pain. The movie is set in the early 90s and it was written and directed by the book's author, Stephen Chbosky, a rare achievement in Hollywood.
School of Rock
Who goes Back to School?
Dewey Finn(Jack Black) is a wannabe rocker who poses as a substitute teacher at Horace Green Elementary School and tries to turn his class into a rock band. This is Jack Black's movie, and he delivers a star-making performance. He does receive an assist from director Richard Linklater, school principal Rosalie Mullins(Joan Cusack), and, more importantly, from a very talented group of 10 year olds. Their Battle of the Bands performance at the end of the movie is a classic movie music moment.
Billy Madison
Who goes Back to School?
Billy Madison(Adam Sandler), an immature and lazy 20-something who must repeat grades 1-12 in order to inherit his fed up father's hotel empire. This was Sandler's first starring role after his time on SNL and he didn't disappoint. Sandler's comedic style is not for everyone, less so now with all the bad movies he keeps making, but in the mid 90s he was genuinely trying to make people laugh and he succeeds here. The movie focuses on Billy's time in 3rd grade, where he falls for his teacher Veronica Vaughn(Bridgette Wilson-Sampras) and makes friends with the kids in the class. Of all the characters on this list, Billy Madison is the one that goes the furthest Back to School, and I drew inspiration for this list from him and his now classic Back to School song. Good luck to everyone out there who is going Back to School this month! As Billy Madison would say, "Well, here goes nothin'".
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