Which brings me to the point of this post. There have been some great movies throughout time that portray life in school, particularily life in High School. I'm sure all of you are wondering "what High School movies does Jeff like the best?" Well, here are my top 5:
1. Fast Times at Ridgemont High. I have a friend that attended High School in Los Angeles in the early '80's and he said that this film was not a comedy - it was a documentary. There are too many quotable lines in this movie to even try and list. I also believe in my heart that Jeff Spicoli was Sean Penn's best role in his career. Special nod's also go out to Richard Romanus as Mike Damone and Ray Walston as Mr. Hand. Simply outstanding.
2. Sixteen Candles. Long Duk Dong. Enough said.
3. The Breakfast Club. You can tell that I have a soft spot in my heart for High School films in the '80's. That because I was in High School in the 80's. This flick featured one student from each "stereotype" in detention on a Saturday - the jock, nerd, burnout, goth, and rich popular girl. They hate each other at the beginning and somehow come to an understanding by the end of the story. There are some weak moments, but I like how the various John Hughes movies of that decade combine the humor and angst of that time in life and mix in a great soundtrack. Hey - "Don't You Forget About Me" by Simple Mind's (from this movie) was our class song for the Eau Claire Memorial class of 1985.
4. Dazed and Confused. This is the first of my picks that portrayed High School life in the 1970's. It portrays the drugged out class of 1976 and their younger siblings and classmates. Yet another great soundtrack.
5. Superbad. This is the first High School movie on my list that was released after I became a parent. A person's outlook on life can change once they become a parent (you may have heard that along the line). Let's not mince words here - if you are a parent, this movie will scare the hell out of you. Frank talk about sex, pornography, drinking, etc. Plenty of the "F'n-heimer." I went to see it with my wife. The more she thinks about it, the more she hates it. The more that I think about it, the more I like it. It is very, very funny. Some of the funniest scenes that I have witnessed in years. Let's just say I was crying in a good way. The casting of Jonah Hill as Seth, Michael Cara as Evan and Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Fogell (McLovin) is pure genius.
And there is a point to the movie. Sure, the boys are trying to score booze so they can score girls. What High School movie does not feature those themes? The story really centers, however, on the friendship between High School seniors that are going to part ways to different colleges at the end of the summer. Not to be missed - but don't bring the kids for God sakes!There you have it - my top five High School movies of all time. What are some of yours? Please let me know - this is "high-brow stuff!"
Jeff
14 comments:
I would list Caddyshack, The Blues Brothers and This is Spinal Tap.
Tito - outstanding choices, and some of the funniest movies of all time. However, the running theme here is the characters being in High School.
Jeff
Fast Times WAS actually a documentary. My man attended Clairemont High, class of 1978, and is a well known fact (amongst the high school friends of his that we just spent the last 12 days hangin' with) that, indeed, Fast Times occurred there.
no discussion of HS movies is possible without "Porky's" C'mon thomps! I agree that fast times will always be the best, but the shower scene and when miss ballbreaker was suggesting a penis identification line-up? that was classic
How could you miss American Pie in that one? That was more like my high school than any of the other ones.
Hey Phil - oddly enough, I have never seen the American Pie movies. They came along at a bad time when my kids were quite young. Back in those days, I rarely got to see a movie that was not animated.
I also went to Super Bad with my wife. We both thought it was hiliarious!
Two points I made to her. Yes High School boys do think and talk like that. Maybe not as profane, but close.
These second was I thought the end was spot on. In high school and college there is always that time when you have to decide whether or not you want to hang with your guys and have a blast or hang with a potential girlfriend, do some chick stuff but with the promise of some sort of sexual activity (2nd to 4th base) at the end of the evening. The scene in the mall captured that decision perfectly. Everyone one has to let go of their buds, some do it in high school, some in college, some afterward, but it's always difficult and it's the first step toward male adulthood.
McLovin Lives!!
What the heck is that Hawaii drivers license thingy on the right side of the screen?
That, my freind, is the fake ID that Fogell obtains to buy booze in Superbad. He decides to make himself 25, hail from Hawaii, and go by one name - McLovin. It's one of the funnier parts of the movie.
Jeff
Hey Jeff, can you make sure my mother in-law reads our blog on a daily basis... I would have liked it if she had seen this advice from you:
Not to be missed - but don't bring the kids for God sakes!
The Pantless Wonder
Hey, Pantless Wonder. That's a good point. Don't feel too bad that your kids have seen the movie. Put it this way, you don't have to worry about them trying to sneak into R rated movies in Jr. High. They have already seen all that they need to see.
Jeff
Great list, but I'd put American Pie in there before The Breakfast Club. I never was a big fan of that movie. American Pie came out soon after I graduated from high school (1997) and it was pretty close to how my high school was.
Porkys is another good one, but I don't think it holds up as well as Fast Times and some of the other movies from that era do.
Thomps can't believe "Election" and "Heathers" didn't merit even a mention and to leave "Better Off Dead" off the list is pretty criminal.
Actually "Grosse Point Blank" was probably the best high school movie of all time to me. (even though it was about a ten year reunion).
Peace out,
Ronnie-San
Ronnie-San - I purposly left off Grosse Point Blank because it was ten years after HS. Election is outstanding, and I liked Heathers. I go for the High School flicks that are a little less dark in nature, however. Have you seen Superbad yet?
Jeff
Post a Comment