credit: Sixteen Candles
There are certain movies out there that hit harder and carry more of an emotional punch than others, and then there are those that are unrealistic as hell but carry enough truth to them that a lot of people can’t help but admit that they’ve been through the types of things that are depicted on screen. High school movies tend to be those that are silly and often controversial, depending on who one asks, but there’s also a lot of truth to these movies hidden away behind the comedy and the supposedly toxic elements that make such movies exceedingly hilarious. Sure, there are plenty of moments that make people cringe these days when looking back, but the fact is that they were meant to be humorous, not taken seriously, and manages to entertain a lot of us in the past. Trying to say that such movies couldn’t be made today is one of the more naive statements that’s ever been made since the humor is still there, but the sensitivity to it has somehow increased tenfold as times have changed. High school movies are still funny, but one usually has to go back a few decades to find the real humor.
Here are five of the best high school movies ever made.
5. The New Guy
credit: The New Guy
Gross humor is kind of a thing that simply goes with high school movies since it somehow makes us forget what high school was really like as we continue to laugh and remember the triumphs and defeats. Dizzy was the kind of guy that was seen as a Blip, someone who barely registers in high school and is considered to be a person that’s meant to be ridiculed and mocked relentlessly. After a disastrous first day at school as a senior, though, he ends up finding a way to change his life around by taking the advice of a crazed inmate as he ends up becoming the bad boy, kind of, that’s not afraid of taking on the high school hierarchy with the full intent of creating a lasting change that’s better for everyone.
4. 21 Jump Street
credit: 21 Jump Street
So technically, this is about adults going back to high school because they look just young enough to pass themselves off as students. But despite that, it also shows how high school has continued to change and how sensitivity has become the big thing, whereas toxic behavior has ceased to be as popular as it used to be. Those who want to state that toxic behavior was never popular might not recall what high school was like back in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, but the truth is that it was far more normal than what people see now. All in all, though, it was a fun movie that ramped up the high school experience to 11, and just had fun with it.
3. Varsity Blues
credit: Varsity Blues
Whether you want to believe it or not, there are areas in the USA that are eerily close to being just like what’s seen in this movie, as football, or sports in general, are so important that they make superstars out of those who play at the top level. While it’s not an excuse to state that everything seen in this movie is one hundred percent accurate or even acceptable, it’s still enough to realize that, yes, this kind of stuff does happen. But the fun part of the movie is that for every wrongdoing committed. It does make a point to state that the lives of the athletes aren’t exactly well-balanced, and pressure does play a part in all of it.
2. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
credit: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
It’s not hard to agree that Ferris is a jerk for the most part, even if he’s a fun jerk. But another part of this movie that’s fun to take note of is that word of mouth was at one time extremely useful since this movie came out before social media and the act of actually talking to people carried a great deal of weight. Throughout the movie, it’s seen that Ferris’ peers continue to rally and hope that Ferris will recover and feel better since he’s thought to be on death’s door, more or less. But in the end, things do work out, and it comes down to the fact that Ferris might be a jerk, but he’s a jerk that people absolutely love and put up with…somehow.
1. Sixteen Candles
credit: Sixteen Candles
The fact that Molly Ringwald has actually spoken ill of her own movies is…well, not that big of a deal in the long run. Yes, Sixteen Candles did have a few controversial moments, and yes, it did go there in terms of moments that made people cringe. But the thing about this is that one has to remember that real life is far more brutal than anything that’s ever been seen on screen, and the movie actually reasoned away much of what was thought to be wrong, whether people want to agree with it or not. They’re called jokes and satirical moments, and people found them funny at one time. Hell, a lot of people still find them hilarious.
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