Since stories began hitting the silver screen, filmmakers have capitalized on the drama of high school life. From 1961’s “Splendor in the Grass” to 1995’s “Clueless,” movies have explored the tension, comedy, fear, sorrow, and adventure involved in growing up. Movies based on and around high school offer a surprising variety when it comes to storylines, themes, and composition. Five movies from this genre that have developed followings over the years are “Grease,” “The Breakfast Club,” “10 Things I Hate About You,” “American Pie,” and “High School Musical.”
“Grease” hit theaters in 1978, offering a catchy selection of songs, a fun cast, and a story about dealing with romance while maintaining an image. The movie features John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, and Jeff Conaway, among others. Everyone in the movie does his or her own singing, adding to the musical charm of the film. Although “Grease” has a number of secondary storylines, the main narrative features a romance between Danny Zuko (Travolta) and Sandy Olsen (Newton-John). The two experienced a sweet summer fling, but when Sandy shows up at Danny’s high school as the new girl, his cool-guy image gets in the way of their relationship. Although the storyline may not be unique, “Grease” pulls it off with style by throwing in rocking tunes, car races, and some epic musical scenes at the school carnival.
A high-school movie list that doesn’t include “The Breakfast Club” would be hard to come by. John Hughes’ 1985 classic is still a favorite among teens today. The movie features brat packers Emilio Estevez, Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, and Anthony Michael Hall. The group represents five high school stereotypes: jock, debutant, bad boy, nerd, and oddball. For various reasons, all five must spend a Saturday in detention. Hughes does a good job of setting the principal up as the villain in this scenario so that the five teens can come together. They sit around the library, sharing insights and insults as they transcend stereotypes to find friendship.
Many movies based in high school borrow plots from classic literature. The often-sarcastic “10 Things I Hate About You” is based on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. The movie tells the story of Kat Stratford (Julia Styles), a young feminist with big plans. Having made her bad high-school decisions, Kat is not planning to fall for the next bad boy who comes her way. Enter exotic Australian Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger) and a multilayered plot to get Kat’s younger sister to prom, and things get interesting. The film features other young actors like Joseph Gordon-Levitt and David Krumholtz in a charming farce about the things people will do for love.
Released in the same year as “10 Things I Hate About You,” the much-less innocent “American Pie” explores a related theme: What will teens do for lust? The snort-out-loud comedy is about four high school boys who vow that they will all lose their virginity. The timeline on their pact is prom night, and as each teen attempts to scheme or charm himself to success, hilarity naturally ensues. Comedic performances are delivered by Jason Biggs, Chris Klein, Alyson Hannigan, and several others.
The list of five popular high-school related movies began with a musical. It is fitting to end on a similar note with the 2006 movie that spawned a franchise. “High School Musical” begins with a premise that is quite similar to the plot of “Grease.” Troy Bolton (Zac Efron) meets Gabriella Montez (Vanessa Hudgens) over the holiday season. They hit it off, but things only get interesting when she starts attending his school and the two inadvertently try out for the school’s upcoming musical. Troy and Gabriella’s performing success sets off jealous vibes in some students, and their relationship triggers disapproval among their separate groups of friends. Their friends conspire to keep the couple apart while jealous drama students attempt to schedule callbacks to conflict with Troy’s basketball schedule. “High School Musical” touches on themes of peer pressure and standing up for yourself and others.
There are hundreds of movies that revolve around life in high school. The five films discussed represent a range of themes, plots, characters, and movie types. Other great films from this genre include “Sixteen Candles,” “Napoleon Dynamite,” “Can’t Hardly Wait,” “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “Bring it On,” “Pretty in Pink,” “Dead Poets Society,” “Lucas,” and ” Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” Any one of these movies is sure to bring viewers back to the teen years as they experience love, laughter, grief, and adventure anew.
