What are your favorite films set in High School?

[jmt225]

There have been a lot of movies set in High School. Most of them get categorized as "Teen Movies", but I didn't want to use that term for this. So, anyway... what are your favorite films that take place in High school, and what makes you like them?

Here are my personal favorites:

Brick - This movie is basically The Godfather and Heat mixed together, only set in high school. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Brendan Frye, an outcast who tries to solve the mystery of his ex-girlfriend's disappearance. It's a fantastic, intelligent film with twist after twist you never see coming. If you haven't seen this, please put in on your next rental; I promise you won't regret it.

Dazed and Confused - If you want your mind to just drift off for two hours, this is the movie to watch. No matter how many times you watch it, you end up entertained every single time. The dialogue is hilarious (the George Washington scene is beyond hilarious; one of the hardest times I ever laughed watching any movie), and just the way Richard Linklater was able to use one day of high school without any plot but yet still be fun as hell to sit through was genius. It's truly an awesome film. In fact, even Quentin Tanrantino put it in his '12 Greatest Movies of All-Time' list. This is another one, if you haven’t checked it out yet, please do so,

Varsity Blues - This is the perfect high school sports movies. It has hilarity, drama, sexiness, suspense... everything. Every performance is portrayed to perfection (especially Voight as the coach), and it's just the perfect pop corn flick period.

The Last American Virgin - This has the best ending I've seen in any stereotypical "High School" movie. Also, the soundtrack is fantastic and the sex scenes are by far the funniest I've ever seen. The acting is corny and not very good, but the writing is so great and the situations they're put in are so wild that you just don't care. It's really a great comedy that gets heavily overshadowed by the other flicks from its time.

 

[klunderbunker]

I'm going to pick one that most people simply won't pick and go with the Faculty. It's a modern take on Invasion of the Bodysnatchers and has Josh Hartnet, Elijah Wood, and Jon Stewart in a minor role, and that's about it. The reason I'm going with this is it was the first R rated movie I ever saw. The plot is good enough to pass an hour and 45 minutes: aliens are infecting a small town in Ohio and 6 students are all that stands in their way of taking over the school and after that the world. Standard 6 pack of high school kids: athlete, prom queen, female and male outcasts, nerd and new girl, but in the end it's nothing that special with the only highlight being the new girl has an ok nude scene. Nothing that great, but for me it's special.

 

[CENAtion]

Dazed and Confused

How can this not be. It was the last day of school in 1976 at Robert E. Lee High School. The whole movie is great, the hazing, the weed smoking, the boozing, the feeling of not caring about anything, the music. And of course the quootes.

"Hey Don, give the beer back man
I paid for the beer man"

Makes anyone who was in high school back then wish they would have been. Pure Classic.

 

[Kasey]

The Breakfast Club
Two words: John Bender. Judd Nelson's portrayal really did wonders for me as a teenager when I finally realized how much I didn't like everyone I went to school with. Now that I think about it...that one character has influenced my whole personality more than just about anything.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
What's not to like about Cameron Crowe's wonderful depiction of early 80's teen life in suburban America? Plus, Ratner and Spicolli are pretty damn funny. Not to mention the wonderful scene when Forrest Whittaker's character Jefferson thinks that the opposing team has vandalized his new Camaro. It also depicted the sentiment I felt as a teenager when I had to sit through one of those fucking terrible pep assemblies. Now that I think about it, nothing is worse for me than thinking about a full hour of prep douchebags and airhead cheer-skanks putting together the Special Olympics version of Saturday Night Live (complete with requisite sing-along!). Fuck that. And thank you, Fast Times. Thank you.
Teen Wolf
I felt a lot like Scott Howard in high school. A moot point of a runt who just can't catch a break. Not to mention that one of my best friends was like Stiles. The movie had plenty of jokes and some great scenes (especially the liquor store scene involving an underage purchase of alcohol).
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
This film should be sent in the mail with samples of Tide to every uptight prick who doesn't know how to have a good time. The charisma of a younger Matthew Broderick is undeniable. However, I related more towards his uptight friend Cameron. I love the Ferarri in this movie, too. A great soundtrack only highlights the battles between Bueller and his archnemesis Mr. Rooney.
The Karate Kid
Another movie with a great soundtrack that has something for everyone. Awkward teen moments? Check. Badass karate fights? Check. Awesome training sequences with a stoic, old Okinawan dude? Check. Plus, who the fuck can beat The Cobra Kai? Yes, that's right...nobody.
Some Kind of Wonderful
This movie really has some cool scenes in it. Detention with Elias Koteas' character is definitely a high point. Eric Stoltz turns in one of my favorite (and subtle) performances of his carrer in this one. Not to mention that Craig Scheffer plays the ultimate asshole with relative ease.

 

[jmt225]

The Karate Kid
Another movie with a great soundtrack that has something for everyone. Awkward teen moments? Check. Badass karate fights? Check. Awesome training sequences with a stoic, old Okinawan dude? Check. Plus, who the fuck can beat The Cobra Kai? Yes, that's right...nobody.

I can't believe I forgot to mention that one. There's no better underdog movie ever if you ask me. Not even Rocky.

Another great film that stars Elisabeth Shue and that's not really set in high school but involves high schoolers is Adventures in Babysitting. I remember watching that like maybe a year ago for the first time since I was a kid and I fully expected it to be shit, but it was fantastic. I've watched it a couple of times since then and it's just a fun movie to sit through.

 

[Kasey]

I can't believe I forgot to mention that one. There's no better underdog movie ever if you ask me. Not even Rocky.

Another great film that stars Elisabeth Shue and that's not really set in high school but involves high schoolers is Adventures in Babysitting. I remember watching that like maybe a year ago for the first time since I was a kid and I fully expected it to be shit, but it was fantastic. I've watched it a couple of times since then and it's just a fun movie to sit through.

Fuck yeah! Vincent D'Onofrio as Thor is classic. So is that guy's license plate that reads "SO COOL" or something like that. Cool movie and good choice, amigo.

 

[Gutter Phenomenon]

I agree with CENAtion. Dazed & Confused is probably the most realistic look at high school in film history. It has someof the most quotable dialogue I've ever heard, and it has the greatest soundtrack EVER. One last thing about the st that I love; every song in it was actually true to date. Just a nice touch for realism...

 

[Miko]

I'm going to pick one that most people simply won't pick and go with the Faculty. It's a modern take on Invasion of the Bodysnatchers and has Josh Hartnet, Elijah Wood, and Jon Stewart in a minor role, and that's about it. The reason I'm going with this is it was the first R rated movie I ever saw. The plot is good enough to pass an hour and 45 minutes: aliens are infecting a small town in Ohio and 6 students are all that stands in their way of taking over the school and after that the world. Standard 6 pack of high school kids: athlete, prom queen, female and male outcasts, nerd and new girl, but in the end it's nothing that special with the only highlight being the new girl has an ok nude scene. Nothing that great, but for me it's special.

I agree with this, I know deep down its an average film and yet I love it. It's one of the very few films (especially horror) that I actually like and care about the characters involved.

I think it's brilliance lies in that it never takes itself seriously even the really tense moments. You find yourself quite nervous, then it makes you laugh before making you tense again.

 

[Kasey]

I agree with this, I know deep down its an average film and yet I love it. It's one of the very few films (especially horror) that I actually like and care about the characters involved.

I think it's brilliance lies in that it never takes itself seriously even the really tense moments. You find yourself quite nervous, then it makes you laugh before making you tense again.

It's definitely a dark horse...but a solid choice, nonetheless. Josh Harnett really showed that he can be a big movie actor in that flick. Also...Jordana Brewster was SMOKING HOT.

 

[The Mark of Zur-En-Arrh]

I'd probably go with the Faculty as well, not because it's a good film, but because it's the best film set in a High School.

But if we're going to talk about great movies set in a school i'd probably go with 'If'. It's set in a bording school during the 70's (i think), starring Malcolm MacDowell (during his Clockwork Orange/Caligula days) and is just simply baffling in terms of what exactly the film is trying to achieve. I enjoyed it anyway, more than i did any of the other films that have been listed so far (that i've actually seen, that is)

 

[Silence]

The Breakfast Club over all others. The movie is truly amazing and I find it to be one of the only teen movies that clearly shows a somewhat good image of how highschoolers are.

Another one that has yet to be mentioned is Mean Girls. Anyone who believes the movie is bad is completely wrong to me, Tina Fey is amazing and this one of the best movies to show how catty high school is.

 

[Mr. TM]

Well when this thread's name first made itself known to me, I had Dazed and Confused in my mind, quite obviously. But since it has been posted multiple times, I'll choose another film. Boys N the Hood, although not essentially a high school movie, does show how one tries to improve his life while he is in high school. The movie is set in the south central district of Compton in Los Angeles, where two best friends try to better themselves so they can better their community. Unfortunately, they are caught in gang warfare, and one loses his life right before being accepted to College. An incredible movie, that if you have not yet seen, I would recommend.

 

[Silence]

Well when this thread's name first made itself known to me, I had Dazed and Confused in my mind, quite obviously. But since it has been posted multiple times, I'll choose another film. Boys N the Hood, although not essentially a high school movie, does show how one tries to improve his life while he is in high school. The movie is set in the south central district of Compton in Los Angeles, where two best friends try to better themselves so they can better their community. Unfortunately, they are caught in gang warfare, and one loses his life right before being accepted to College. An incredible movie, that if you have not yet seen, I would recommend.

I have heard this argument befroe, but I don't agree. I don't think the central plot was truly anything about high school. But the movie is excellent.

 

[Mr. TM]

Well I stated that before. The central theme is not high school, but it still takes place during high school. It actually gives you an excellent look into the atmosphere surrounding the two main characters as they struggle to survive while their childhood friends are packing around fire arms shooting at rival gangs. Where else can you truly view an interpretation of how two men from Compton try and better themselves with the temptations of drugs and guns all around them. BNTH may just be one of the best high school movies in that sense, as it actually gives you a view of high school that is not so regular.