September is just around the corner, and with it comes the return of school. There have been many movies that take place at school or just after it has ended, and we’ve compiled a list of our top five favourite in preparation for the season.
1. The Breakfast Club. It’s hard to believe that this movie is approaching the 30 year mark, and yet it is still as relevant today as it was back then. Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Anthony Michael Hall, and Ally Sheedy play five students, of varying stereotypes, who spend their Saturday in detention. If you haven’t seen this one it’s a must, especially if you like John Hughes movies.
2. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. This is another John Hughes classic, and this one is about a lovable slacker who wakes up one morning and decides that he wants to take the day off. Of course his principal may have something to say about that. Even if you haven’t seen this one, you probably have heard Ben Stein’s droning voice calling out Bueller over and over again. Keep your eyes open for an early Charlie Sheen appearance.
3. Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter play a couple of airhead teenagers who want nothing more than to play rock & roll. Unfortunately they aren’t doing so great in school, and unless they can pull up their grades they will be split up when Ted’s father sends him to military school. To prevent this from happening (and to save the future) a time traveller named Rufus comes to their aid and sends them back in time to help them complete a history presentation. Of all the movies on the list, this one is by far the most unique, and the only one with a sequel.
4. Fast Times At Ridgemont High. This movie recently celebrated its 30th anniversary and is based on the partly autobiographical book by successful writer/director Cameron Crowe. While it is a very 80′s movie, it’s also still very funny to watch today. It follows a group of California teenagers (including Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, and Phoebe Cates) as they live the teenage dream of sex, drugs and rock and roll.
5. American Graffiti. Before Star Wars, George Lucas directed a much smaller movie that chronicled the final night of a group of high school friends spending one final night together before they head off to college. Ron Howard, Richard Dreyfuss, Mackenzie Phillips, Cindy Williams and even Harrison Ford star in this nostalgic look at Americana and classic rock.
Tags: american graffiti, back to school movies, bill and ted's excellent adventure, fast times at ridgemont high, ferris bueller's day off, school movies, the breakfast club
Great list! These all sound like the perfect movies to check out before the school year starts again! I will be going back to school next Monday, so thankfully I have a week or so to get through all of these movies. It’ll definitely make me feel a bit better going back to school after watching these films, especially Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. I haven’t seen those two movies before, but now after seeing this article, and hearing a recommendation from a coworker at Dish, I must check them out. I heard they were extremely funny! I just signed up for the Blockbuster @Home package earlier today too, so I’ll have to make sure to add them both to the top of my mailing queue later tonight for later viewing next week.