A couple of days ago, I wrote a post about going back to school. When I was looking for images for the post, the old Rodney Dangerfield movie called "Back to School" kept popping up (yes I am old enough that I saw it in the theater). That gave me the idea to write about some of my favorite high school school movies. I am going to do a top 11 list of my favorites (I tried for 10 but it was way too difficult). I would then like to invite all of you to create your own top ten list in the comments.
It was hard enough for me to pare this list down to eleven titles so I certainly won't be able to put them in any order. So I am going to cop out and just go alphabetically.
10 Things I Hate About You: I'm actually kind of shocked that I couldn't kick one off the list. But for me it is one of the best modern retellings of a Shakespeare play ever made. If you aren't aware, this story is basically Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew but with a hilarious dad and a great acting job by the late Heath Ledger.
Battle Royale: When this movie first came out, it was banned in America. You had to get a bootleg copy just to watch it. Nothing can create a buzz like that. Hunger Games, which was published in 2008 is basically a ripoff of this movie and it cannot hold a candle to the action of Battle Royale. It was banned for a reason though. So if you cannot handle bloody action, you better skip this one.
Bottoms: Here's what I wrote about bottoms when I saw it for the first time last month: Bottoms is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen in my life. I will admit that the fact that I am a high school teacher may have made me incredibly biased, but there is nothing I can do about that. As a teacher, I see hundreds of teenagers every day. I know there are many different individuals, cliques and groups and they all have their own unique point of view. And I will tell you right now, I would probably laugh at any comedy that told a story from any teenager's unique point of view, but oh my god, Bottoms is in a class of it's own.
Booksmart: Booksmart is the perfect sandwich between Superbad and Bottoms. It was clearly influenced by Superbad and then inspired Bottoms. When I saw Booksmart, I was expecting it to be simply Superbad... but with girls. It was far more than that. It was one of the most clever movies I have ever seen and introduced a ton of awesome characters including the magical Gigi. If a Gigi movie ever comes out, I will be first in line to see it!
Dazed and Confused: This one has a special place in my heart as it was set during the time I was growing up. Although we did not have a town wide "freshman" hunt, it did remind me of growing up in the 1970s. The music in the movie is incredible and there are some very funny scenes and great performance by some up and coming actors like Mathew McConaughey.
Easy A: This is another movie that could watched in an English class today. It is based on The Scarlet Letter and it is absolutely brilliant. It includes one of teh best performances by Emma Stone. It is far more entertaining to watch this than to read the Scarlet Letter. Plus you get to hear Emma Stone sing.
Election: This is the first dark comedy on the list. It is also the second one starring Mathew Broderick. But it is extremely different than lovable Ferris Bueller. Instead Broderick plays the vilaain who is a complete jerk teacher who is obsessed with stopping Tracy Flick (portrayed by Reese Witherspoon) from winning the high school election. It is a crazy movie that is highly entertaining.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High: Here's another one that nostalgia dictates I must include. I was 11 when this came out so I must have been 12 when I was first able to rent this movie. I was way too young to watch it... but I loved. This movie features four future Oscar winners. More importantly, it features the most important pool scene of puberty. Thank you Phoebe Cates!
Ferris Bueller's Day Off: The ultimate classic. This one is still popular with kids today. The idea of playing hooky with your friends is timeless. Toss in the facts that I was in high school when it was released and I lived in the Chicago at the time make this one of my favorite movies of all time.
Heathers: Oh boy. What a turn from the other movies on this list. I was an angsty 17 year old when this movie came out. I thought I was so dark and tough. So naturally I loved this insanely dark movie. I still quote it to this day. Looking back, this movie is flat out disturbing. But it was also way ahead of its time.
Mean Girls: This one may be a surprise but this one is chock full of lessons about staying true to yourself and the importance of picking people up instead of pushing them down. It also does a great job of teaching to remember who your friends are. It manages to teach these lessons in between a lot of laughs.
Superbad: This may be the funniest movie on the list. I just realize Emma Stone pops up in this one as well. This movie makes me laugh and cringe in equal proportions. It reminded me of the ridiculous lengths my buddies and I would go to in order to get beer. This is one of those movies that I can flip on at any point in the movie and I will eave it on until the end.
Now it is your turn. What are your top 11... or whatever high school movies?