10 Favorite High School Movies

Not quite sure why...but I'm a big fan of movies that take place in high school (and college). Maybe it's a throw back to simpler times when there was less responsibility in life. While I didn't have a troubled youth, my high school days weren't exactly filled with fond memories. And oddly enough, I don't recall watching a whole lot of high school movies when I was actually in high school. The majority of the films released during my high school career were horror films or teen dramas...neither of which I had any interest in.

Here's my list of 10 Favorite High School Movies. For this list, I didn't just go with movies that I really like alot. Instead I tried to pick films that were not only fun and entertaining but also had a good high school vibe to them. (A great movie like Adventures in Babysitting is about high school aged kids but really has nothing to do with school.) And also let me explain up front that you won't find the three big John Hughes classics on my list. The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles are both fine films but I just don't have that connection with them that other folks my age have. Also, I've never seen Pretty in Pink which I know is a classic, and when you see some of the crap on my list - you'll wonder how something like Pretty In Pink has gone under my radar.

#10 Pump Up The Volume (1990) This is a little more angst filled than the rest of the list, but it's about a guy who starts a pirate radio station in his bedroom and plays underground music and talks about all the problems with his school. If I started a pirate radio station in high school I would have used it to play novelty records and do comedy sketches. Oh wait a minute...I was part of a pirate radio station in my high school years and we played bubble gum pop and tried to be like a morning zoo! Anywho...Christian Slater and Samantha Mathis are really good in this dark, but funny movie.

#9 National Lampoon's Senior Trip (1995) A group of misfit kids and their principal go on a field trip from their Ohio school to the White House to meet the president. Hilarity follows! Senior Trip doubles not only as a high school movie but also a "slob comedy" as they are called. I'm also a big fan of the slob comedy. Everytime I watch this movie I laugh really hard. It's just good natured fun and it makes you miss the days when you just got to hang out with friends all day for days on end. Not that these names mean anything to you but Matt Frewer and Valerie Mahaffey are awesome in this movies, as is Tommy Chong as Red the bus driver. I'm proud to say that my seven bucks were among the tiny three and half million this movie grossed in theatres.

#8 Some Kind of Wonderful (1987) You probably won't be surprised to hear that when I was younger I wasn't all that interested in watching any movie that was remotely serious. A friend of mine had watched this with his younger sister and said it was really good. I was pretty sure he was gay for liking a movie that didn't have explosions, burping, puppets, or half naked girls. Still, he lent me the tape and I watched it and was blown away by how good this semi-serious movie. At the time, it was probably the only movie I'd seen that had an actual story. It's a love triangle about a guy who wants to get with the most popular girl in school but his best friend who happens to be a girl is in love with him. It's got a great performance by Lea Thompson and a very early screen role for a one Mrs. Candice Cameron of Full House fame.


#7 Better Off Dead (1985) This is one funny movie! John Cusack (in his best role EVER) gets dumped by his girlfriend. He figures life isn't worth living without her and decides to end it all. It's not a grim as it sounds, it's actually one of the funniest pictures I've ever seen. It didn't make a splash at the box office but it's picked up quite a following on cable and video over the years. Seriously, if you like good comedy and haven't seen this gem - go find it and watch it!

#6 She's All That (1999) When it comes to high school movies one of the best plots you can have is "the bet". The bet always consists of the upper class of the school social ladder making a bet that will somehow embarrass or humiliate someone in the lower class of the school. Sometimes they try to transform a nerd into a super cool student, other times there are wagers made on virginity statuses. Either way, it's always fun for everyone involved. Here, Freddy Prince Jr. bets his friends that he can score with the one girl in school that won't pay an ounce of interest in him. You know how the whole thing turns out, but it's fun watching!

#5 Three O'Clock High (1987) This is a really good (kind of obscure) movie. In it, we follow a student through his daily routine of high school. However, on this particular day, things go wrong when he accidentally upsets the school bully and ends up having to face him off in a fight - after school - at 3 o'clock. Besides being a very creative and entertaining film, it really captures the word of mouth buildup and excitement of the high school community when it's possible there is going to be a fight after school. Really, really good movie...again, go check it out!

#4 Can't Hardly Wait (1998) When this comedy came out, teen films had been kind of dead for along time. This movie has several different storylines all centered around one crazy party. It's alot of fun, and makes ya miss a really good kick-arse party!

#3 Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) Classic! Just a slice of life film about a group of kids hanging out in California in the early `80's. Lots of good music and memorable performances from Sean Penn, Phoebe Cates, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ray Walston, and good ol' Kelly Maroney.

#2 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) This is pretty much like She's All That only I like the cast a little better.

#1 Clueless (1995) From the same writer as Fast Times, this movie captures the spirit of the mid-90's high school experience. I love the colors in this movie and the pace and it's just a great movie filled with quotable lines, memorable scenes, and a great sense of humor. A classic, in my book, that I could watch again and again!

Any favorites of yours I didn't mention...?