high school movie review

The 49 best high school movies ever made, according to critics

• High school movies are one of the most popular genres ever created by Hollywood.
• But which of them are the most critically-acclaimed?
• Using Rotten Tomatoes, we have come up with a ranking of the 49 best high school movies ever.
• The top three are "Say Anything...," "Ladybird," and "The Last Picture Show."
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories .

Hollywood has always loved to tell stories about high school. And some have turned out to be defining works of a generation.

Whether it's "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" in the 1970s, "The Breakfast Club" in the 1980s, "Clueless" in the 1990s, or "Mean Girls" in the early 2000s, movies about high school have always been there when we need them the most.

We decided to take a deep dive into Rotten Tomatoes to find out what the most critically-acclaimed high school movies of all time are through the use of its aggregation scores.

Here are the 49 best high school movies ever, according to critics:

Note: Titles with the same score are listed alphabetically.

49. "Grease" (1978)

Rotten Tomatoes Score : 75%

John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John play students who fall for each other over the summer. But when the school year stars and they both realize they are in the same school, can they continue to keep the flame going despite being in different cliques?

What a critic thinks: "The friskiness of the performers, the choreography by Patricia Birch and most of all Travolta's phenomenal charm give it its value." — Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle

48. "Better Off Dead" (1985)

Rotten Tomatoes score : 77%

John Cusack plays a high schooler who is having a tough time dealing with being dumped by his girlfriend. It leads to him going up against his rival in a skiing competition and falling in love with a French foreign exchange student named Monique.

What a critic thinks: "A unique, kooky gem." — James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk

47. "Pretty In Pink" (1986)

One of John Hughes' screenwriter masterworks, Molly Ringwald delivers a career-defining performance as a girl from the other side of the tracks who gets caught up with the privileged nice guy (played by Andrew McCarthy).

What a critic thinks: "To be able to give this kind of stuff new and sympathetic twists is a tribute to Hughes' skill with narrative." — Richard Rayner, Time Out

46. "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (1982)

Rotten Tomatoes score : 78%

Director Amy Heckerling teams with then 22-year-old Cameron Crowe as a screenwriter for this groundbreaking look at high school life. Judge Reinhold, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Sean Penn round out the cast who navigate a California high school in the 1970s.

What a critic thinks : "What plot there is garnishes itself with an array of such like-minded sensibilities that you'd be hard pushed to find much in the way of fault." — Mark Dinning, Empire Magazine

45. "Brick" (2006)

Rotten Tomatoes score : 80%

Rian Johnson's feature debut stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a high schooler who navigates through all the different cliques to find out how his ex-girlfriend died. The fun part: The entire movie is made up like a hard-boiled detective movie.

What a critic thinks: "If John Hughes had directed The Maltese Falcon instead of John Huston, it might have looked an awful lot like this." — Scott Foundas, L.A. Weekly

44. "Clueless" (1995)

Over a decade after "Fast Times," director Amy Heckerling makes another generation-defining high school movie about a popular girl (played by Alicia Silverstone) and her friends at a Beverly Hills high school.

What a critic thinks : "Silverstone is a winner. And so is the movie, which also functions as a lunatic update of Emma, the 1816 Jane Austen novel." — Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

43. "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (1986)

John Hughes takes the directing reigns for this classic starring Matthew Broderick in the title role who skips school for the day and goes on a wild jaunt around Chicago.

What a critic thinks : "Broderick's smooth, ever-confident patter gives 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' just the right air of breezy insouciance." — Joe Leydon, The Moving Picture Show

42. "Better Luck Tomorrow" (2002)

Rotten Tomatoes score : 81%

A group of over-achieving Asian-American high schoolers decides to have some fun by taking up criminal activity in Justin Lin's second-ever feature film.

What a critic thinks : "An absorbing look at a slice of society normally taken for granted, both in life and onscreen." — Todd McCarthy, Variety

41. "Friday Night Lights" (2004)

Billy Bob Thornton plays the head coach of one of the nation's best high school football teams. But everyday life could get in the way of their ultimate goal of winning a state championship.

What a critic thinks : "Few films have shown so powerfully the slashing double edge of sports fever." — David Ansen, Newsweek

40. "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" (2015)

High schooler Greg (Thomas Mann) spends most of his days making parodies of classic movies with his friend Earl (RJ Cyler), until they befriend Rachel (Olivia Cooke).

What a critic thinks : "Somewhere along the way Earl eases up on the suburban-Wes Anderson whimsy and starts to find its heart, infusing the story's self-conscious cleverness and trick-shot set pieces with something sweeter, sadder, and even a little bit profound." — Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly

39. "Some Kind of Wonderful" (1987)

Keith (Eric Stoltz) is finally going to get a chance with Amanda (Lea Thompson), the girl of his dreams. But Keith's best friend, Watts (Mary Stuart Masterson), may be his true love.

What a critic thinks : "The film creates a perfect embodiment of every adolescent's nightmare." — Janet Maslin, New York Times

38. "My Bodyguard" (1980)

Rotten Tomatoes score : 83%

When Clifford (Chris Makepeace) shows up at a new school and begins to get bullied, he gets the most feared kid in school (Adam Baldwin) to have his back.

What a critic thinks : "This movie is fun to watch because it touches memories that are shared by most of us, and because its young characters are recognizable individuals, and not simplified cartoon figures like so many movie teen-agers." — Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

37. "21 Jump Street" (2012)

Rotten Tomatoes score : 84%

Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill play two cops who must go undercover at a high school to break up the dealer of a drug that's killing kids.

What a critic thinks : "The late-eighties TV series is rebooted with jolts of sentiment, personal discovery, and wild comedy." — Richard Brody, New Yorker

36. "Fame" (1980)

We follow the lives of a group of teens who attend a school for students gifted in the performing arts.

What a critic thinks : "The song and dance scenes are hard to beat in terms of sheer energy and atmosphere, but the dramatic storylines leave several loose ends." — Anna Smith, Empire Magazine

35. "Mean Girls" (2004)

Lindsay Lohan plays Cady, the new girl at school who finds her way into the popular clique, "The Plastics." But when she makes the mistake of going after the ex of the group's leader (Rachel McAdams), things get out of control.

What a critic thinks : "This tart and often charming comedy is a version of the heart-of-darkness teen social comedy 'Heathers' for the tweener audience." — Elvis Mitchell, New York Times

34. "Rocket Science" (2007)

Hal (Reece Thompson) is an unpopular high school with a stutter. Fed up with being the outcast, he decides to change things by joining the debate team after being asked by Ginny (Anna Kendrick).

What a critic thinks : "'Rocket Science' brings the squirm-inducing comedy genre to new heights." — Christian Toto, Washington Times

33. "Chronicle" (2012)

Rotten Tomatoes score : 85%

Three friends (Dane DeHaan, Michael B. Jordan, and Alex Russell) suddenly possess superpowers. We follow them in a found-footage story of how they react to having them.

What a critic thinks : "Happily, and to my surprise, 'Chronicle' turns out to provide quite a bit of genre fun, and a touching little parable to boot." — Noah Berlatsky, The Atlantic

32. "Easy A" (2010)

Emma Stone plays Olive, a clean-cut high school student who begins to act up after an untrue rumor about her begins to spread.

What a critic thinks : "The script shrewdly boosts its IQ by working in parallels to Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter' and piling on '80s teen movie references." — Cath Clarke, Guardian

31. "Sixteen Candles" (1984)

John Hughes is back, this time writing and directing a story surrounding Samantha (Molly Ringwald), who endures the worst sweet 16 birthday you could ever imagine.

What a critic thinks : "Sly humour and an appreciative ear for the demotic improv of teenage chat completes an attractive package." — Derek Adams, Time Out

30. "Peggy Sue Got Married" (1986)

Rotten Tomatoes score : 86%

Peggy Sue (Kathleen Turner) is at her high school reunion when she faints and wakes to find herself back in high school.

What a critic thinks : "This prom-night balloon of a movie floats easily above other exercises in '50s nostalgia. If you dare reach for it, it will land smartly in your heart." — Richard Corliss, Time

29. "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" (2012)

Charlie (Logan Lerman), a freshman suffering from depression, is navigated through high school by two seniors (played by Emma Watson and Ezra Miller).

What a critic thinks : "Regardless of the viewer's proximity to his or her own high school experience, 'Perks' seems to get it right, precisely because it's not about a specific time or place." — John Anderson, Newsday

28. "Donnie Darko" (2001)

Rotten Tomatoes score : 87%

In one of Jake Gyllenhaal's early roles, he plays a high school student who narrowly escapes death and then is haunted by a deranged bunny that wants him to commit crimes.

What a critic thinks : "An engaging, time-tripping Holden Caulfield." — Lou Lumenick, New York Post

27. River's Edge" (1987)

Based on a true story, we follow a group of friends who react to their friend murdering his girlfriend in a very puzzling way. The movie stars Keanu Reeves, Ione Skye, Crispin Glover, and Dennis Hopper.

What a critic thinks : "The triumph of this bleak, unsettling picture is that, no matter how grim it gets, it's far too involving for you to turn away." — Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel

26. "Superbad" (2007)

Rotten Tomatoes score : 88%

We follow the day in the life of two seniors (played by Jonah Hill and Michael Cera) as they plan out the perfect night to close out their high school careers.

What a critic thinks : "'Superbad' is a movie about partying and getting wasted and getting the girl, but as the night wears on, much wisdom is gained too, about self, friendship and the end of teenage innocence in all its wondrous, terrifying splendor." — Scott Foundas, Village Voice

25. "The Breakfast Club" (1985)

Rotten Tomatoes score : 89%

Some of the biggest young actors of the 1980s — Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy, and Anthony Michael Hall — star as high schoolers trying to get through a day of detention in this John Hughes essential.

What a critic thinks : "Hughes has a wonderful knack for communicating the feelings of teenagers, as well as an obvious rapport with his exceptional cast — who deserve top grades." — Kathleen Carroll, New York Daily News

24. "Dope" (2015)

Malcolm (Shameik Moore) changes up his geeky life for a day when he joins his friend on a wild adventure around Los Angeles.

What a critic thinks : "With 'Dope,' writer/director Rick Famuyiwa has given the teen-movie genre a 21st-century upgrade." — Chris McCoy, Memphis Flyer

23. "Hoosiers" (1986)

Gene Hackman plays a hard-edged high school basketball coach who is determined to have his new team play by his rules.

What a critic thinks : "Even though we've seen it all before, Hoosiers scores big by staying small." — Rita Kempley, Washington Post

22. "Rushmore" (1998)

Jason Schwartzman stars as Max Fischer, a high schooler who is completely in love with one of his teachers. But things get even more complicated when a business owner (Bill Murray) also falls for her too.

What a critic thinks : "Schwartzman is cautious but stubbornly optimistic, while Murray is possessed by the mania of near-despair... They make the best and most disconcerting odd couple that American movies have produced in a long while." — Anthony Land, New Yorker

21. "The Spectacular Now" (2013)

Rotten Tomatoes score : 91%

Miles Teller plays the hard-partying high schooler who changes his ways when he falls for the "nice girl" (Shailene Woodley).

What a critic thinks : "[A] nuanced and unsentimental coming-of-age film." — Andrea Gronvall, Chicago Reader

20. "Carrie" (1976)

Rotten Tomatoes score : 92%

Brian De Palma adapts this Stephen King book that follows unpopular girl Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) and what she does when she's humiliated at prom.

What a critic thinks : "An exercise in high style that even the most unredeemably rational among moviegoers should find enormously enjoyable." — Richard Schickel, Time

19. "Dazed and Confused" (1993)

Director Richard Linklater follows a group of teens on the last day of school in 1976. It highlights the talents of soon-to-be stars like Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck, Parker Posey, Adam Goldberg, and Jason London.

What a critic thinks : "'Dazed and Confused' is bursting with wonderfully drawn and completely credible characters." — Patricia Bibby, Associated Press

18. "Election" (1999)

Reese Witherspoon plays an overachiever who is determined to become student body president, but in her way is a teacher (Matthew Broderick) going through a mid-life crisis.

What a critic thinks : "A dark, insidiously funny satire on the self-involved ways otherwise rational people can allow narrow personal agendas to lead them astray to the point of self-destruction." — Derek Elley, Variety

17. "Ghost World" (2001)

Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson play two friends who are planning to move in with each other after high school. But their lives go in different directions when they meet Seymour (Steve Buscemi).

What a critic thinks : "Most of 'Ghost World' is funny, but the laughs are inextricably tied to the painful alienation and self-loathing that comes with living on society's fringes." — Scott Tobias, AV Club

16. "Risky Business" (1983)

Tom Cruise plays a Chicago teen looking for some fun when his parents are away. It turns out he gets a little bit too much fun when he meets Lana (Rebecca De Mornay).

What a critic thinks : "It's funny because it deals with subjects that are so touchy, so fraught with emotional pain, that unless we laugh there's hardly any way we can deal with them — especially if we are now, or ever were, a teenage boy." — Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

15. "Spider-Man: Homecoming" (2017)

In the latest reboot of the iconic superhero, Tom Holland plays Peter Parker who suddenly possesses superpowers while also navigating high school life.

What a critic thinks : "A film that smuggles in a delightfully dorky high school saga under the banner of a too familiar superhero one." — Alison Willmore, BuzzFeed News

14. "Heathers" (1988)

Rotten Tomatoes score : 93%

Winona Ryder plays Veronica, a high schooler looking to ditch her good-girl image by destroying the cool girls' clique with the help of J.D. (Christian Slater).

What a critic thinks : "'Heathers' really is odd, like a mix of something by Stephen King and Bret Easton Ellis." — Peter Bradshaw, Guardian

13. "House Party" (1990)

Kid (Christopher Reid) and Play (Christopher Martin) have the biggest party of the year and it leads to lots of wild moments and iconic 1980s dance moves.

What a critic thinks : "An energetic and hilarious party film with charming stars, a killer soundtrack, and some great moments." — Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed

12. "The Edge of Seventeen" (2016)

Rotten Tomatoes score : 94%

Nadine (Haliee Steinfeld) is already barely getting through high school life, and then her best friend (Haley Lu Richardson) begins to date her older brother (Blake Jenner).

What a critic thinks : "That weird, messy puzzle of trauma and affection where our high school memories reside is what powers 'The Edge of Seventeen.'" — Zach Schonfeld, Newsweek

11. "Juno" (2007)

Ellen Page plays a high schooler who has to grow up quickly when she has an unplanned pregnancy. Screenwriter Diablo Cody would earn an Oscar win for her screenplay.

What a critic thinks : "The filmmaking team of Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody have taken the premise of a teen comedy and injected it with an anti-cliché serum." — Lori Hoffman, Atlantic City Weekly

10. "Sing Street" (2016)

Rotten Tomatoes score : 95%

Conor (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) escapes his troubles at home by starting a band to impress a girl he likes.

What a critic thinks : "A delightful coming-of-age tale that both celebrates young love and laments how quickly the fire of youth can be snuffed out." — Rupert Hawksley, Daily Telegraph

9. "American Graffiti" (1973)

Rotten Tomatoes score : 96%

George Lucas' breakout movie looks at a group of kids cruising around town one last time before going off to college (for some) and Vietnam (for others). The cast includes Ron Howard, Harrison Ford, Cindy Williams, and Richard Dreyfuss.

What a critic thinks : "The movie is a comic poem which celebrates the past but also catalogues its textures with telling precision. 'American Graffiti' looks like no other movie, an achievement which is always the best measure of a truly gifted director." Alan R. Howard, The Hollywood Reporter

8. "Back to the Future" (1985)

Michael J. Fox plays Marty, who accidentally goes back in time to 1955 and the only way to go back to his time in 1985 is to get his high school-aged parents (Crispin Glover and Lea Thompson) to fall in love with each other.

What a critic thinks : "The counter-Freudian drama is handled with easy wit and flair, like a Shakespearian disguise comedy, and it made a whopping star of Fox." — Peter Bradshaw, Guardian

7. "Rebel Without a Cause" (1955)

James Dean plays the quintessential teen outcast who shows up at a new town making friends and enemies.

What a critic thinks : "An unmissable film, made with a delirious compassion." — Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

6. "Booksmart" (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes score : 97%

On the eve of their high school graduation, Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) set out to have one big night of partying to make up for a high school career where they only focused on their grades.

What a critic thinks : "The worst thing you can say about the brilliantly zany teen comedy 'Booksmart' is you only get an hour and 45 minutes with its quirky student body." — Brian Truitt, USA Today

5. "To All the Boys I've Loved Before" (2018)

Lara Jean's (Lana Condor) love life goes from non-existent to over-the-top when her secret love letters become public.

What a critic thinks : "Thrills in part because most viewers are all too familiar with what it feels like to baldly deny feelings for another person even as they become patently obvious to everyone else." — Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic

4. "Hairspray" (1988)

Rotten Tomatoes score : 98%

Ricki Lake delivers a star-making performance as Tracy Turnblad, who looks to become famous by going on a local dance show. Directed by John Waters, the movie would live on for its focus on race in America.

What a critic thinks : "The shock Waters's cinema offers, then, is not transcendent, but almost reflexive, implicating the viewer in the awkward complexities of his own humanity and forcing him to either celebrate it or run screaming away." — Leo Goldsmith, Reverse Shot

3. "Say Anything..." (1989)

John Cusack plays Lloyd, an underachiever who begins to date valedictorian Diane (Ione Skye) before she goes off to college. The scene of Lloyd raising his boombox to get Diane's attention while playing the Peter Gabriel song "In Your Eyes" would become an iconic movie moment.

What a critic thinks : "A movie like this is possible because its maker believes in the young characters, and in doing the right thing, and in staying true to oneself." — Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

2. "Lady Bird" (2017)

Rotten Tomatoes score : 99%

Greta Gerwig's semi-autobiographical movie follows high schooler Christine McPherson (who wants to be called "Lady Bird"), played by Saoirse Ronan, as she navigates her senior year at a Catholic high school.

What a critic thinks : "If you pay the right kind of attention to 'Lady Bird' — absorbing its riffs and digressions as well as its melodies, its choral passages along with its solos and duets — you will almost certainly love it. It's hard not to." — A.O. Scott, New York Times

1. "The Last Picture Show" (1971)

Rotten Tomatoes score : 100%

Peter Bogdanovich's masterwork looks at a group of 1950s teens as they spend their days in a small North Texas town. The movie would launch the careers of Cybill Shepherd and Jeff Bridges. And it would win two Oscars for Ben Johnson and Cloris Leachman.

What a critic thinks : "It's plain and uncondescending in its re-creation of what it means to be a high-school athlete, of what a country dance hall is like, of the necking in cars and movie houses, and of the desolation that follows high-school graduation." — Pauline Kael, New Yorker

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Rotten Tomatoes created a list of the "50 Best High School Movies of All Time." Let's change it up a little bit, take some of their best, and place them in order of audience ratings. There's something for everyone--John Hughes films, cult favorites, love stories--it's all here. High school can be both an exciting and horrifying time. That's why there are so many great movies about the high school experience.

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With streaming capabilities like never before, it's easy to find some of these films. The 1980s clearly wins as the best decade for high school movies, so you may even have some of these treasures in your own collection somewhere. Go ahead and check out the list, pick out some favorites, and see what high school through the ages has been like. Here are our ten best high school movies, ranked by Rotten Tomatoes.

Risky Business (1983): 72%

The Tom Cruise classic  Risky Business  is immediately recognized for Cruise's iconic socks and underwear scene. It has been parodied over and over again but is still great. While this is technically a high school movie, some may not realize that it's a pretty risque film.

Its R rating is accurate, as the movie certainly incorporates adult situations. Cruise's character, Joel, opens a teenage brothel in his home while his parents are away.

American Graffiti (1973): 84%

Though  American Graffiti  came out in 1973, it is set in the year 1962. Ron Howard starred in this film just before his show  Happy Days  began.  American Graffiti  was directed and co-written by George Lucas, and it is basically one last hoorah for teenagers on the precipice of adulthood.

They have graduated from high school and are living it up at the end of their summer vacation. The film captures the zeitgeist of the early 1960s with classic cars and music.

Friday Night Lights (2004): 85%

Friday Night Lights  is based on H.G. Bissinger's book, Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream.  The story showcases 1988's Permian High Panthers, a high school football team in a financially struggling Texas town, Odessa.

Football movies like this one did remarkably well in the 2000s because they brought people together over the spirit of teamwork and the hope of winning. In 2006, Bissinger's book was also adapted into a television series by the same name, which ended in 2011.

Sixteen Candles (1984): 85%

It's no surprise that there is more than one John Hughes film on this list. Molly Ringwald plays Samantha in  Sixteen Candles.  As the title indicates, Samantha is turning sixteen. The problem is, her family is too busy with her sister's wedding to remember Samantha's birthday.

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It's a pretty big day to forget, but things just get worse at Samantha's house. She goes to the school dance, wishing for the attention of her crush, Jake.

Juno (2007): 88%

Juno  is one of 2007's best gifts. It tells the story of a teenager named Juno as she navigates her unexpected pregnancy. Her parents are supportive of her when she wants to get acquainted with Mark and Vanessa, a wealthy couple looking to adopt a baby. Juno and Mark bond over music, but Mark starts to get weird, and he is leaving Vanessa.

Juno is hurt by the turn of events but leaves Vanessa a note that says "Vanessa, If you're still in, I'm still in," and after Juno's baby is born, Vanessa still gets to become a mother. Juno and the baby's father, Bleeker, make amends and close the movie with their song "Anyone Else But You."

The Breakfast Club (1985): 92%

The Breakfast Club  needs no introduction, and those who haven't seen it should watch it right away. It is a pop-culture institution, created by an unlikely group of kids doing time in Saturday school detention.

The R-rated 1980s film is one of John Hughes's most celebrated works. His excellent combination of characters, Allison, John, Brian, Andrew, and Claire, join forces to rise against the school principal who is monitoring them.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986): 92%

Okay, one more John Hughes movie.  Ferris Bueller's Day Off  is about as iconic as it gets. Matthew Broderick plays Ferris Bueller, the Chicago teen who knows how to get himself out of school.

With Jennifer Grey playing his tattle-tale sister, Jeanie, and Alan Ruck and Mia Sara as his hooky companions, Ferris has quite the day off. Principal Rooney (Jeffrey Jones) may be on the hunt for Ferris, but that doesn't stop the young lad from hopping on a float and singing The Beatles' "Twist and Shout."

Dead Poets Society (1989): 92%

Set in 1959,  Dead Poets Society  is one of Robin Williams' best roles. Williams plays a teacher named John Keating at the prestigious Welton Academy. Keating is one of the most creative educators ever depicted in a film, and he opens his students' minds, particularly with poetry.

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Rotten Tomatoes notes that " Dead Poets Society was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Williams; it won one, for Tom Schulman's original screenplay."

Back to the Future (1985): 94%

Michael J. Fox brought the world a formidable trilogy of  Back to the Future  movies, but most fans prize the first one above them all. Marty McFly goes on a wild ride back to 1955 in Doc Brown's DeLorean.

The 17-year-old 80s kid gets a whole new view of high school in this pillar of cinematic greatness. The film actually has a website where fans can learn more about the trilogy and buy some merch.

Love and Basketball (2000) 95%

Two childhood sweethearts are both passionate about basketball. The 2000 movie follows them through different ages, and when they are in high school, they are each the star of their school's basketball team.

They both played college ball at USC, and then they play in separate professional arenas. Watch what happens when Quincy and Monica learn how to balance their dreams with their love for one another.

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50 best high school movies

Class is in session! See our honor roll of all-time great high school flicks like "Sixteen Candles," "Easy A," "Say Anything," "Mean Girls," and our No. 1 pick.

Kobal Collection/20th Century Fox; Alamy/Screen Gems; Pictorial Press/Alamy/Paramount Pictures; 20th Century Fox/Everett Collection

The high school film has aced its way to classic cinema status. Despite the seemingly trivial nature of high school politics, it mirrors real-life phenomena — power dynamics, social cues, conformity, pursuing personal goals, and beyond. High school encapsulates an inescapable period where every first (first love, first heartbreak, first failure) hits hard and fast, providing the foundation for some of the most entertaining tales . From '60s gems like Bye Bye Birdie (1963) to cult favorites such as The Breakfast Club (1985) and Mean Girls (2004), narrowing down the vast array of high school flicks is no easy feat ( "The limit does not exist!" ), but rest assured, EW has handpicked some of the genre's finest.

Read on for our list of the best 50 high school movies ever made.

50. Splendor in the Grass (1961)

Young love—especially when it's with the star of the football team—can make a girl crazy. Literally. In pre-Depression, small-town Kansas, good-girl Wilma Dean Loomis ( Natalie Wood) is so tortured by her sexual urges for beau Bud Stamper ( Warren Beatty ) and conflicting pressure to be moral that she attempts suicide after a school dance and ends up in a sanitarium. It's the ultimate depiction of overwhelming first love, and—sorry, religious right—a chilling PSA against the dangers of teen abstinence. — Josh Wolk

49. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

There are many reasons 10 Things I Hate About You stands the test of time better than most of its contemporaries in the glut of late '90s teen flicks, but we'll name two of them. For starters, child-star-made-good Joseph Gordon-Levitt turned in an understated, endearing performance as Cameron, a lovelorn (and totally undercover hot) geek. The film also served as a breakout role for a then little-known Aussie named Heath Ledger , who sang, danced, and smirked his way into the heart of ice queen intellectual punk Kat Stratford ( Julia Stiles ). That's without mentioning a stellar soundtrack, its brilliantly caricaturish deconstruction of high school cliquery, and a house party worthy of the name Bogey Lowenstein (Kyle Cease). — Lanford Beard

48. Just One of the Guys (1985)

Every generation has its variant on the girl-dresses-as-boy, girl-as-boy-falls-for-boy, boy-freaks-out tale. And this immensely fun, if minor, romp from the '80s perfectly captures the decade's raunch-lite spirit and funky fashion sense. As the cross-dresser caught in the middle, Joyce Hyser's aspiring journalist Terry learns the hard way that there's more to being a dude than just stuffing a tube sock down your pants. — Michelle Kung

47. Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

The plot is insignificant, the lead character ( Jon Heder ) is a petulant spaz, and the pace creeps along just barely faster than a John Deere. Still, this sleeper hit succeeds because it manages to mock and celebrate high school geekdom with a bone-dry, unsentimental tone. The inane one-liners, absurd nonsequiturs, and sheer stupidity of the characters don't just bring back memories of adolescence, they make you feel like a teenager again, giggling at something idiotic without knowing exactly why. — Michael Endelman

46. Flirting (1992)

She's a Ugandan beauty in a prep school populated by blond Aussies (including young Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts ); he's a gawky stutterer obsessed with Camus. Given their shared outsider status at their respective institutions, is there any doubt that Danny ( Noah Taylor ) and Thandiwe ( Thandie Newton ) end up falling for each other? Wryly tender and respectfully told, director John Duigan's coming-of-age romance is a warm and fuzzy confection that stops short of being icky. — Michelle Kung

45. My Bodyguard (1980)

There's something timeless for everyone when new kid Clifford ''Peachy'' Peache (Chris Makepeace) enlists the mysterious, tortured classmate Linderman (Adam Baldwin) to protect him from the school bully ( Matt Dillon ). Lifelong scapegoats will cheer the underdogs' triumph, while former home-room villains of all generations will shed a nostalgic tear at Dillon's showcase of evergreen bully tactics: the locker prison, the wet toilet-paper bomb, and the bathroom surprise attack. Ahhh, high school: good times, good times. — Josh Wolk

44. Can't Hardly Wait (1998)

It's the last night of high school and the only thing left to do is party—and face the skeletons in the closet. By the end of this crazy bash, everyone succeeds: The nerd (Charlie Korsmo) gets revenge on the jock ( Peter Facinelli ), the nice guy ( Ethan Embry ) snags his prom-queen crush ( Jennifer Love-Hewitt ), and a pair of unlikely old friends ( Lauren Ambrose and Seth Green ) reunite. It may be a typical teen comedy, but the underlying message always rings true: Don't let fate pass you by. — Lindsay Soll

43. Stand and Deliver (1988)

Any grandiose ''O Captain! My Captain!'' speech would only invite a Dead Poets Society beatdown at dilapidated Garfield High in East L.A. Instead, Jaime Escalante ( Edward James Olmos ) teaches in a fast-food-worker uniform and inspires with math problems about gigolos. He gives extra textbooks to a studious gangbanger (Lou Diamond Phillips) in exchange for protection and turns a mathematical truth, ''A negative times a negative equals a positive,'' into a social one. That's ganas, jefe . — Jeff Labrecque

42. Fame (1980)

By today's standards, this Oscar-winning musical is downright gritty, with its frank and often bleak depiction of arts-inclined teenagers. Sure, they sing and act and turn lunchtime into a funk jam, but they also have abortions, fend off predatory pornographers, experiment with drugs, and contemplate suicide. High School Musical , it isn't. The potent shot of authenticity is sweetened by the memorable, soul-drenched musical numbers, which inspired millions to try and pirouette on a taxi. — Michael Endelman

41. Can't Buy Me Love (1987)

Before he was Dr. McDreamy on Grey's Anatomy , Patrick Dempsey won us over as the lovable lawn-mowing nerd Ronald Miller. After a failed attempt to buy his way into the cool clique, Ronny goes from totally chic right back to a total geek. Lesson learned: Sometimes performing the ''African Ant Eater Ritual'' at the school dance isn't enough to get you a spot at the right lunch table. — Lindsay Soll

40. The Karate Kid (1984)

We practiced ''the crane'' and wasted money on a Bonsai tree. But the real reason this movie makes the cut: Rocky director John G. Avildsen understood that Mr. Miyagi (late Oscar nominee Pat Morita ) had a lot to say—about finding balance, choosing mentors wisely, disguising defensive martial-arts techniques in home improvement (and yourself in a shower curtain, if it meant you could attend your high school Halloween dance undetected by Cobra Kai bullies). Perhaps that explains why only one of Daniel-san's training sessions is set to music: When Miyagi talked, we, like outsider Ralph Macchio , listened. — Mandi Bierly

39. The Virgin Suicides (1999)

This one deserves to be on the list if only for the one terrific shot in which Josh Hartnett , as heartthrob Trip Fontaine, glides down the locker-lined hall, with his leather jacket hung over one shoulder and Heart's ''Magic Man'' blaring on the soundtrack as all the girls turn their heads. If guys in high school don't actually walk like that, they should. The rest of the movie, about the five gorgeous Libson sisters—Lux ( Kirsten Dunst ), Mary (A.J. Cook), Cecilia (Hanna Hall), Therese (Leslie Hayman), and Bonnie (Chelse Swain)—in a death pact, is shot by debut director Sofia Coppola as teenage iconography at its dreamiest and most weirdly entrancing. — Gregory Kirschling

38. Bye Bye Birdie (1963)

High school is definitely more fun when you add a little song and dance. Ann-Margret is all big hair and energy as a lucky small-town teen who wins the chance to be kissed on television by Conrad Birdie (Jesse Pearson), a thinly veiled Elvis copy. Unfortunately, her boyfriend (Bobby Rydell) is a tad jealous of her swapping spit with a celeb. What follows is a gleeful parade, perfect for viewers who always wanted to meet the high school star crush whose posters adorned their bedroom walls. — Tim Stack

37. Friday Night Lights (2004)

Is there a sight more wonderful than kids playing a sport just for the sheer love of the game? That's a vision entirely absent from Peter Berg 's superbly unsparing, based-on-real-events examination of the diamond-forming pressure present in small-town Texas high school football. A great teen movie and a great sports movie, albeit one that may prompt more than one young ballplayer to switch to darts. — Clark Collis

36. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

No, we haven't lost our minds. One of J.K. Rowling 's ingenious ideas was to blend two literary traditions, fantasy and coming-through-school fiction (à la Tom Brown's School Days ). That's particularly true in Goblet , which depicts 14-year-old Harry's ( Daniel Radcliffe ) heightened state of adolescent anxiety, about the big (Quidditch) game, about finding a date for the big dance, and about juggling homework while saving the wizarding world from evil Lord Voldemort ( Ralph Fiennes ). — Thom Geier

35. Brick (2006)

''Nah, bulls gum it. They'd flash their dusty standards at the wide-eyes, probably find some yeg to pin.'' The high school kids in Brick talk like this for the entire movie. With a femme fatale ( Nora Zehetner ), a dead girlfriend ( Emilie de Ravin ), and a mysterious cape-wearing drug lord ( Lukas Haas ), Brick gives you a teen flick in the guise of a noir thriller where everything is all very life-and-death. Come to think of it, that's exactly what high school is like. — Gilbert Cruz

34. Get Real (1998)

A typical first-love-with-the-school-jock story, but with a twist. Sex-on-legs track star John Dixon (Brad Gorton) really does fall for Steven Carter (Ben Silverstone), the bright, gawky student journalist who's lusted after Dixon while tiptoeing around female classmates on platonic dates. Of course, Dixon also has an official girlfriend (Charlotte Brittain). But when our hero yearns for a romance that's a little more public, the baton gets dropped in a way that's touchingly, poignantly real. — Thom Geier

33. Hoop Dreams (1994)

This documentary follows William Gates and Arthur Agee, two kids who avoid the pitfalls of growing up in the Chicago slums by living, breathing, and playing basketball. As with any kid who plays ball, Gates and Agee fantasize about one thing: making it to the NBA. For all audiences, this is a purely inspirational tale. For some, it's nostalgic, bringing back dreams you once had of making it to the pros. — Vanessa Juarez

32. Scream (1996)

Aside from the awesomeness of seeing Henry ''The Fonz'' Winkler as a square principal, Scream is the supreme teen horror movie specifically because it is so self-aware of how ridiculous and formulaic teen horror movies can be—even those that are set outside of high school, in college dorms, or summer camps. And if sex equals death, as fright flicks and parents alike have tried to warn us, then how cool is it (spoiler alert!) for Scream to make the killer Neve Campbell 's boyfriend ( Skeet Ulrich )—the one trying to get in her pants? Scary cool, we say. — Gilbert Cruz

31. Risky Business (1983)

Long before Tom Cruise became a couch-jumping Scientologist, he came to prominence in this sharp satire of privileged suburban teens. The socks-and-undies dance scene is what everyone remembers, but this Reagan-era hit isn't just another teensploitation flick. It's about the soul-crushing pressure to be perfect, and the primal urges to rebel against a manicured, pre-programmed future—even if that means turning your parents' house into a brothel. — Michael Endelman

30. Bring It On (2000)

They're sexy, they're cute, they're popular to boot! Kirsten Dunst plays Torrance, the bright-eyed cheerleading captain who must save her high school's squad from a major cheeragedy: going down as the team who stole routines. In the end, we learn there's more to cheerleading than loads of hairspray, teeny halter tops, and back-stabbing: These are athletes who know how to really bring it. We give this comedy five spirit fingers up! — Lindsay Soll

29. Gregory's Girl (1981)

Gregory's Girl is short on stars, long on soccer, and it sounds like a Weird Al Yankovic parody of Rick Springfield . But it is also sweetly hilarious as gangly Scottish teen Gregory (Gordon John Sinclair) falls for an out-of-his-league girl (Dee Hepburn). The result is guaranteed to make viewers feel much better about their own post-pubescent awkwardness—unless they, too, ever tried to romance someone with the information that ''When you sneeze, it comes out your nose 180 miles an hour.'' — Clark Collis

28. Back to the Future (1985)

A.K.A. the coolest movie ever to feature a Huey Lewis and the News song. The film ingeniously literalizes high school's sexual frustration and disdain for one's parents by having Michael J. Fox 's Marty McFly getting hit on over and over again by Lea Thompson as his young, future mother (thanks to that time-traveling DeLorean). It just goes to prove that the parental units were just as horny back in the day as we were. — Gilbert Cruz

27. To Sir, with Love (1967)

Way before Mr. Holland began teaching his opus and Michelle Pfeiffer was molding dangerous minds, Sidney Poitier (Mark Thackery) was taming a room of unruly British teens with his real-life lessons and tough-love tactics (a boxing glove to the stomach, anyone?). Having himself played an insubordinate kid in 1955's Blackboard Jungle , the student masterfully becomes the teacher in this sappy but never maudlin tale of inspiration and tolerance. — Michelle Kung

26. Pretty in Pink (1986)

Perhaps the most controversial ending to a teen romance ever. (Behind Romeo and Juliet ? Fine.) Should Andie ( Molly Ringwald ) have chased after rich, repentant Blane (Andrew McCarthy), or stayed at the prom with poor devoted Duckie ( Jon Cryer )? That we still care is a testament to John Hughes' script about love across class lines (point for Blane); the meaning of friendship and individuality (point for Duckie); and the evil nature of wealthy high schoolers in crisp, white clothing (point for James Spader ). — Mandi Bierly

25. Hoosiers (1986)

Most school movie jocks are belligerent bullies. But Jimmy Chitwood (Maris Valainis) is part Larry Bird, part Rain Man , letting the swish of the basketball net do his talking. Hoops-crazed Hickory, Ind., adores him for it. His support of embattled Coach Dale ( Gene Hackman ) sways the town, and his skill transforms Dale from goat to genius. In the championship game, the Brylcreemed god overrules Dale's last-second strategy with three words: ''I'll make it.'' Definitely. — Jeff Labrecque

24. Rushmore (1998)

For some reason, Rushmore doesn't quite feel like a high school movie. Maybe that's because director/co-writer Wes Anderson's wonderful comedy doesn't feel like any other movie ever made. But it's about school days: Just the fact that Jason Schwartzman's tirelessly enterprising Max Fischer is a student at all becomes palpably bittersweet since he's too young to ever win Rosemary ( Olivia Williams ), the teacher of his (and anyone's) dreams. — Gregory Kirschling

23. Cooley High (1975)

Written by Good Times co-creator Eric Monte and directed by Michael Schultz , this tearjerker provided the blueprint for Boyz N the Hood . In mid-'60s Chicago, geek Leroy ''Preach'' Jackson ( Glynn Turman ) and hoop star Richard ''Cochise'' Morris (Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs) struggle to stay out of trouble while prepping for graduation. The soundtrack, featuring G.C. Cameron's ballad ''It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday,'' remains as beloved as the film. — Margeaux Watson

22. American Pie (1999)

A frivolous teen comedy that left its mark: Jim (Jason Biggs) taught us the dangers of webcam misuse (and baked-goods abuse), while the guy who'd become Harold—or was it Kumar?—popularized the term MILF. Pie was both funnier and bawdier than Porky's , though that 1981 romp gets points for Kim Cattrall 's outrageous orgasm scene. But even she can't top Alyson Hannigan 's perfect delivery of the line (all together now): ''This one time? At band camp?'' — Hannah Tucker

21. Grease (1978)

Still the top-grossing film musical ever, Grease may look too pure to be ''pink,'' but listen to those lyrics (and watch John Travolta ogle Olivia Newton-John in ''You're the One That I Want'') and you may find yourself blushing. Beneath the karaoke-heaven soundtrack lies a story with teen pregnancy, ''pussy wagons,'' and good ol' "summer lovin'." Naughty but harmless, it's just like high school should be. — Mandi Bierly

20. Dead Poets Society (1989)

Perhaps the finest movie in a shockingly sparse mini-genre: the high school weepie. (After all, high school makes you cry sometimes.) Here, if Neil's ( Robert Sean Leonard ) suicide doesn't get you (''My son! My son!''), then the ending— Ethan Hawke 's stirring ''O Captain! My Captain!,'' Maurice Jarre's blaring bagpipes, and teacher Robin Williams ' ''Thank you, boys, thank you''—will. Only somebody too cool for school could resist. — Gregory Kirschling

19. The Last Picture Show (1971)

Peter Bogdanovich's black-and-white film takes us to the tumbleweed burg of Anarene, Tex., where Jeff Bridges , Timothy Bottoms, and Randy Quaid vie for Cybill Shepherd , the town's No. 2 seductress. (Her mom's No. 1.) These horny, angst-ridden teens deal with sex, mortality, money, and a li'l Texas football by being themselves: subconsciously callous. But the witty banter, mostly by the grown-ups, makes it all less bleak. — Vanessa Juarez

18. Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979)

Producer Roger Corman 's comedy is a jiggly love affair set at Vince Lombardi High and centered on matchmaker Eaglebauer ( Clint Howard ), whose office is a men's room stall, and ''Riff Randell, rock & roller'' (pre- Stripes hottie P.J. Soles), who must rebel against Principal Togar (Mary Woronov) to see a forbidden—and very excellent—Ramones show. Think Spinal Tap and Dazed and Confused skipping study hall together to get stoned. — Jason Adams

17. Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)

Would you change anything if you could relive high school? Possibly hook up with that beatnik of a guy you always wondered about? Until Chevrolet makes an actual plutonium-powered time machine, we'll have to live vicariously through this humorously goofy Francis Ford Coppola flick, in which Peggy Sue ( Kathleen Turner ) goes back in time to figure out whether pompadoured heartthrob Charlie ( Nicolas Cage ) is her one and only. — Vanessa Juarez

16. Lucas (1986)

Sure, sensitive jock Cappie ( Charlie Sheen) ends up shirtless for seven minutes due to a freak blender accident in Home Ec. But we remember Lucas for its smart scrawny hero (an affecting Corey Haim ), who showed that the strongest kid is the one who walks through the halls knowing he'll be teased. And that the most interesting person finds beauty where he can—even in the sewer system, sitting beneath a manhole cover, listening to a live symphony above. — Mandi Bierly

15. Carrie (1976)

School can be terrifying, especially when you're an awkward telekinetic teen whose mother is a loony religious zealot. Poor Carrie White ( Sissy Spacek ) can't even get through P.E. class without being viciously mocked by her peers. But in this Brian De Palma classic, the wallflower eventually gets her revenge in the spectacularly gory prom climax (even disposing of a Kotter -era John Travolta ). Sissy Spacek's Oscar-nominated turn in the title role is pure, silent rage. — Tim Stack

14. Easy A (2010)

When Olive Penderghast ( Emma Stone ) tells a thoughtless lie about losing her virginity and gets caught in the rumor mill, she has a choice—take the hits or take over. Olive is a little bit feminist (owning her sexuality), a little bit anti-bullying crusader (letting her gay friend, played by Dan Byrd , and various school outcasts say they had sex with her), and a whole lot of sassy entrepreneur (making money all the while). Though Easy A deals with the abuse of power via sex and religion, it's still completely relatable and hilarious—thanks in no small part to Stone's crack timing and winsome charm. — Lanford Beard

13. High School (1968)

Although it was added to the elite National Film Registry the same year as 2001 and Chinatown , Frederick Wiseman's documentary is—like many of his fly-on-the-wall nonfiction films—extremely difficult to find on video. But it is essential. Thirty years before reality TV, Wiseman took his camera to Philadelphia's Northeast High School and shot what was there, editing it, without narration, into a devastating indictment of bureaucracy and enforced conformity. — Gregory Kirschling

12. Mean Girls (2004)

From flicks like Freaky Friday to Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen , Lindsay Lohan was unequivocally the It Girl when it came to teen films of the Y2K era. Showcasing La Lohan in arguably her best role to date, this Tina Fey -scripted film also boasts a breakout turn by Rachel McAdams as evil queen bee Regina George (''Gretchen, stop trying to make 'fetch' happen! It's not going to happen!''). While Mean Girls is technically a comedy, its depiction of girl-on-girl cattiness stings incredibly true. — Tim Stack

11. Say Anything (1989)

Go on: Hoist that boom box above your head and turn up ''In Your Eyes.'' Stand motionless with a fixed expression of unrequited but determined love. And watch Cameron Crowe's ode to young passion, which made John Cusack the thinking teen's heartthrob and should have done the same for Ione Skye. If the postgraduation romance between an earnest kickboxer and a sheltered valedictorian doesn't win you over, repeat steps one and two and listen closer. — Hannah Tucker

10. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

Who didn't want to be Ferris ( Matthew Broderick ) in 12th grade? Who wouldn't want school to be a magical place where you could wake up and call in sick (with an awesome hacking-cough keyboard) and then see your name in a get-well-soon message painted on the side of a water tower by lunch, all while you were cruising through Chicago in a red Ferrari? Thanks to Broderick as Ferris, teenagerdom has never felt more fun or mythic. — Gregory Kirschling

9. Election (1999)

Before taking on geezers ( About Schmidt ) and oenophiles ( Sideways ), director Alexander Payne in Election scabrously exposed the most embarrassing shortcomings of high schoolers in an artful, hilarious way. He doesn't go easy on anybody—not Matthew Broderick 's weak, meddling teacher, nor Reese Witherspoon 's Fargo -accented student-council-president candidate. In fact, Election is as mean as high school at its worst. — Gregory Kirschling

8. Sixteen Candles (1984)

It's tough to turn 16. But when your entire family forgets your birthday, it only makes that day worse. Molly Ringwald puts on a brave face as her character endures basically the worst week of her life, whether it's having her panties taken by Anthony Michael Hall or getting groped by her grandma (''Fred, she's gotten her boobies!''). The awkwardness is all hilarious, though, especially watching a young Joan Cusack attempt to use the water fountain in orthodontic headgear. — Tim Stack

7. Clueless (1995)

It's a rare movie that makes you want to befriend the prettiest, most popular girl in school. But not all girls are Cher ( Alicia Silverstone ), who gets as many killer lines as fashion ensembles, learns that seeing the best in others is a way to better yourself, and discovers the joy of shopping with a well-dressed gay man (Justin Walker)—all at the ripe age of 15. Credit writer-director Amy Heckerling for making this modern-day Emma consistently smart and funny. — Mandi Bierly

6. American Graffiti (1973)

Graffiti 's cast of teens—including Richard Dreyfuss and Ron Howard —has serious decisions to make on a late-summer night filled with rock music and hot rods, the kind that can only be made if they stay up 'til dawn. Should they ditch town for college? Should they stay with their gals? Whatever the choice, it infuses this most innocently joyous eve-of-adulthood film with that bittersweet feeling of leaving one's childhood behind. — Gilbert Cruz

5. Heathers (1989)

For those who dream about offing an obnoxious classmate, Heathers is the ultimate fantasy. Full of mordant wit, shocking violence, and savvy performances by Christian Slater and Winona Ryder , the flick was the antithesis of the earnest '80s John Hughes films—you'd never see Molly Ringwald serving up a kitchen-cleaner cocktail for Ally Sheedy. Even today, Heathers ' spin on cliques, teen suicide, and homosexuality still has bite. — Tim Stack

4. Rebel Without a Cause (1955)

''You're tearing me apart,'' Jim Stark (James Dean) howls at his parents. For the new kid in school, it doesn't get any easier. Though he finds a friend in the extremely troubled Plato (Sal Mineo), Stark gets into it on his first day with a gang of bullies, in a knife fight and later in a chickie run. Dean was a refreshing change from the well-scrubbed teens of earlier Hollywood films. Here was a character young audiences could finally recognize. — Vanessa Juarez

3. Dazed and Confused (1993)

Matthew McConaughey 's Wooderson likes high school girls because even though he gets older, they stay the same age. We feel the same way about Richard Linklater 's minutiae-filled comedic epic about the last day of school in 1976—we may get older, but Dazed is ageless. And for a movie featuring so many stoners, Dazed is mammothly ambitious: Few other films say as much about starting, sticking around in, and leaving high school. — Gregory Kirschling

2. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

When screenwriter Cameron Crowe went undercover to observe the species Teenagerus Americanus , he returned with more than the usual grab-bag of anecdotes about horny, apple-pie-humping guys and the popularity-obsessed girls who must fight them off with a stick. He returned with 24-karat truth. To watch Fast Times today is to know exactly what it felt like to be fixated on sex, drugs, and rock & roll in Southern California circa 1982. It also launched careers and dished out still-relevant life lessons: Jennifer Jason Leigh (relax your throat muscles when fellating a carrot), Phoebe Cates (always knock before entering a bathroom), and Judge Reinhold (see above). And Sean Penn 's Jeff Spicoli, with his checkerboard Vans and bong-hit grin, was a geyser of catchphrases (''Aloha, Mr. Hand!''). The film never strains for coming-of-age treacle. Maybe that's why it still feels so...right. Especially Damone's (Robert Romanus) sage advice: ''When it comes down to making out, whenever possible put on side one of Led Zeppelin IV .'' — Chris Nashawaty

1. The Breakfast Club (1985)

We see it as we want to see it—in the simplest terms, the most convenient definition: The Breakfast Club is the best high school movie of all time. It may lack the scope of its peers—the drinking, the driving, the listless loitering in parking lots—as well as any scenes that actually take place during school. But if hell is other people—and high school is hell—then John Hughes is the genre's Sartre, and this is his No Exit .

The concept is simple: one Saturday detention, five unhappy teens, and their scramble to prove they're each something more than a brain ( Anthony Michael Hall ), an athlete (Emilio Estevez), a basket case (Ally Sheedy), a princess (Molly Ringwald), and a criminal ( Judd Nelson ). Following the farcical fluff of Sixteen Candles , the issues Hughes explored—sex, drugs, abuse, suicide, the need to belong to something—were surprisingly subversive and handled with bracing, R-rated honesty. '''Kids movie' was a derogatory term,'' recalls Nelson, ''and Hughes was definitely not making that.'' Thus, 21 years later, the film still sparks intense debates about the trials of teen life. (Sheedy's goth freak gets a makeover, then gets the guy: well-earned happy ending or antifeminist propaganda? Discuss!)

Never mind the serious sociological stuff. The Breakfast Club rules because watching the group dismantle/ignore the authority of Principal ''Dick'' Vernon ( Paul Gleason ) is a vicarious thrill at any age. It rules because Simple Minds' ''Don't You Forget About Me'' is a kick-ass theme. Mostly it rules because, as Hall puts it: ''In the end, you learn maybe we're more alike than we realize, and that's kind of cool.'' Leave it to the neo-maxi-zoom-dweebie to get all cheesy. — Whitney Pastorek

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The 25 Best High School Movies

In honor of ‘Booksmart’ joining the illustrious genre on Friday, here are the best films about cliques, camaraderie, and coming of age

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The movies that stay with us—other than, apparently, superhero epics bolstered by years of IP exploitation—are the ones in which we can see ourselves. In that way, the high school movie is a bit of a cheat code. We’ve all been there. While there may not have been anyone at our schools who looked like Paul Walker in She’s All That —because Paul Walker was 26 years old in She’s All That —we’ve all experienced the fresh highs and cruel lows of teen life; the cliques, the friendships, the anxiety of what comes next, the pain of being unnoticed, the unparalleled stakes of new love. When a film reflects those experiences back to us, we instantly know who to root for—because we are rooting for younger versions of ourselves. (For some of us, at least; it’s worth noting right away that the high school movie genre is and always has been overwhelmingly white.)

Thus the high school movie will never die, but instead will continue to evolve, from the wish-fulfillment era of the late ’90s to the more grounded representations of movies like Lady Bird and Booksmart , the Olivia Wilde film out this Friday.

With the release of Booksmart , now seems as good a time as ever to take stock of the high school movie genre as a whole, to appreciate its many different forms and praise its greatest achievements. But before that, we need to properly decide: What really is a high school movie?

One rule in defining the genre is obvious: The majority of a high school movie must be set in or directly around a high school. The other rules are a little less obvious and, admittedly, somewhat up for debate. But we feel that high school movies should address the trials and tribulations of growing up primarily in an environment of one’s peers, and all that might come with that—the romance, the camaraderie, the fear, the ennui. And they should be expressly concerned with the micro-society of high school, the groups and rules and norms we instill as we move through life as teenagers. That’s why Back to the Future , a movie that does have many scenes set in a high school, is not a high school movie—it’s far more concerned with Marty McFly’s efforts to return to 1985 than it is his integration as a new student into Hill Valley High. (Which is good, really: The less time spent on “Marty’s mom super wants to have sex with him,” the better.)

A high school movie should, in one way or another, make us remember all that we felt in those years—and then explain why we felt those things. If it doesn’t do that, or if it’s more occupied with other aims, it’s not a high school movie. With that said, here are The Ringer ’s 25 best high school movies of all time.

25. High School Musical

Kate Halliwell : It’s important to remember that High School Musical was originally conceived as a Disney Channel Original adaptation of Romeo & Juliet , focusing entirely on a musical romance between a popular jock and the prettiest “nerdy girl” ever to excel at STEM . Not a groundbreaking concept! But boosted by the star power of a young Zac Efron and a host of legitimately iconic, catchy songs , High School Musical exploded into a tweenage phenomenon, inspiring a full trilogy and timeless meme potential . If you were in a school choir when High School Musical came out, there is zero chance that you did not at some point perform a sad, poorly adapted rendition of “We’re All in This Together.” (The choreography from the chorus still haunts my dreams.)

24. Sixteen Candles

Claire McNear : Let’s say this for Sixteen Candles : It has about as perfect a setup as any high school movie ever. Technically speaking, it has two setups that run concurrently—first, that our poor heroine, played by John Hughes muse Molly Ringwald, awakens on her 16th birthday to discover that every member of her family has forgotten all about it; and second, that her crush (the most popular guy in school, natch) finds out about her obsession and spends the course of the movie gradually learning about her (and falling for her, double natch).

Everything else, though, is … yikes. Sixteen Candles hasn’t aged well since its 1984 release, to the point that it’s hard to imagine it ever playing well. One of the film’s defining moments comes when Jake, the object of Ringwald’s affection—played off otherwise as an upstanding fella—notes that his mega-popular girlfriend is passed out drunk in his parents’ house. “I could violate her 10 different ways if I wanted to,” he tells the movie’s requisite geek, Ted, before arranging a trade: Jake will give—yes, give—Ted his passed-out girlfriend for the night to do whatever he likes, if Ted will give him a pair of Molly Ringwald’s panties in exchange. The geek readily agrees and there he and Jake go, dragging the woman’s limp body into a car so Ted can do as he pleases. Last year, Ringwald herself seconded the idea that movies like this one contributed to a dangerous rape culture in the ’80s ; in The New Yorker , she wrote about her reluctance to show these movies to her own teenage daughter . Many Hughes joints have withstood the test of time, but the ugliness coursing through this one is better left in the past.

23. She’s All That

Andrew Gruttadaro : I’m sure you know the story: Freddie Prinze Jr. and Paul Walker make a bet that the former can’t turn a hapless loser (Rachael Leigh Cook) into a prom queen, an indecent proposal that eventually leads to true love . As a text, She’s All That hasn’t exactly held up, as riddled with misogyny and body-shaming as it is; the scene in which Prinze and Walker strut around school looking for a target, which includes the phrase “rectal archeology,” is rough . But as a time capsule, She’s All That is a wonder, capturing two late-’90s icons in their primes, and featuring an entire subplot about a guy who gets famous off The Real World (played by a Kappa-wearing, scene-chewing Matthew Lillard) and an absurd, highly choreographed prom dance scene led by Usher, who I guess goes to the high school? It’s not a perfect movie, but is a perfect representation of a very specific era of the high school genre.

22. Varsity Blues

Gruttadaro: I don’t want your laife . Can I just copy and paste this perfect line from Jonathan “Mox” Moxon over and over and call it a day? No? I need to defend Varsity Blues further? OK, fine: Varsity Blues is Friday Night Lights for the MTV generation, an odd chemistry of melodrama, fantasy, and football. It’s completely ridiculous—there’s literally a scene where Mox and his teammates, WHO ARE IN HIGH SCHOOL, go to a strip club and discover that their teacher is also a dancer. But it also works—as a football movie, yes, but even more as a high school movie, as Mox’s ethos of “this is our time, damn the man” is a quintessentially high school rallying cry. Who among us hasn’t had to slough off the oppressive burden of Jon Voight/our forebears on the journey toward adulthood?

21. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

Halliwell: Some people may point to Set It Up as the movie that launched the new Netflix Rom-Com Golden Age ; I’m afraid those people are dumb and wrong. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before , a delightful adaptation of Jenny Han’s book series, introduced the world to Noah Centineo and Lana Condor, showed just how far a fun Netflix rom-com can go, and created an instant-classic high school movie in the process. The two main characters occupy (and elevate!) two classic high school movie archetypes; Lara Jean is the spunky, artsy, relatable lead, and Peter Kavinsky is the handsome, slightly douchey jock. Except the thing is, he’s not just that—he also drinks kombucha, loves a romantic gesture, and willingly agrees to fake-date Lara Jean (another classic high school movie trope, played here to cheesy perfection). Centineo’s scene-stealing charm catapulted him to fame overnight, and while it remains to be seen just how long that fame will last, Peter Kavinsky will go down in film history as one of the best, most legitimately datable high school movie love interests of all time. Take that, Troy Bolton!

20. House Party

Donnie Kwak : Love a movie whose title is the premise—add “starring Kid ‘n Play” and you need only one floor for an elevator pitch. (Sidebar: I was yesterday-years-old when I found out that the roles were originally meant for Will Smith and Jazzy Jeff .) Reginald Hudlin’s 1990 film—about virile teenagers getting wholesomely lit on a night without parental supervision—is a coming-of-age comedy, a dance-filled musical (also featuring Full Force as the school bullies and George Clinton as a DJ), and a rap-slang time capsule all in one. (Kid’s high-top fade deserves its own billing.) Perhaps most importantly, it was cinematic proof that—gasp—middle-class, happy-go-lucky black kids existed, and their experiences could be entertaining fodder for all. LeBron wants to remake it; someone DM Rae Sremmurd. They better learn this, though:

Alison Herman : The annals of American teen comedies are littered with racial stereotypes ( Sixteen Candles ), sexual assault ( Revenge of the Nerds ), and any number of offenses that have aged poorly. Still, it’s hard to top Grease ’s final takeaway for regrettable themes: If the guy you like can’t accept you for who you are, change your entire personality to fit conventional norms of hotness he can understand!

Fortunately, Grease overcomes both its message and its obviously 30-something cast with the power of song. “Beauty School Dropout,” “Greased Lightning,” and “Summer Love” are eternal classics, turning a two-dimensional love story between a good girl and a greaser into a late-’70s epic. Grease ’s vision of the 1950s is far enough away from its source material to be stylized, yet close enough to draw from experience. This isn’t John Waters’s twisted, tongue-in-cheek vision of the most Americana-saturated of American decades. Grease is at once completely earnest and absurdly over the top, the perfect vehicle for teenagers’ heightened emotions.

Chris Ryan : For a movie so narratively complex and linguistically rich, Brick ’s pitch is pretty straightforward: Philip Marlowe, but high school. Made on a shoestring budget, Rian Johnson’s feature debut is a film noir set in a teenage wasteland. Gone are the moody shadows and dark nights of the city, replaced with the harsh and boring afternoons of the suburbs. Brick comes complete with a private eye, a missing girl, a femme fatale, a crime boss, and a rogue’s gallery, made up of just kids. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Brendan, a brainy, quiet guy on the margins of his school’s social caste system, who “eats lunch by the portables.” He becomes obsessed with finding a missing ex, played by Lost ’s Emilie de Ravin. He learns the truth, but everyone’s got something to hide. You know the story, but you’ve never heard it told like this.

While skipping along at the rat-a-tat cadence of classic crime films like The Big Sleep and The Maltese Falcon , Brick has a vocabulary all its own. This is a film spoken in code—a hyperstylized take on the often impenetrable slang-laden language of adolescence.

17. 21 Jump Street

Amanda Dobbins : There are three rules of “coolness in high school,” explains Channing Tatum as Jenko, one half of the soon-to-be-undercover buddy-cop team in 21 Jump Street . Jenko is the former jock in the equation, and as such has a strong grip on the social rules that have informed high schools, and thus high school movies, for the better part of 50 years: “(1) Don’t try hard at anything. (2) Make fun of people who do try. (3) Be handsome. (4) If anyone steps to you on the first day of school, punch them directly in the face. (5) Drive a kick-ass car.”

The rest of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s 21 Jump Street is dedicated to proving Jenko wrong, cheekily updating and critiquing the lessons of most of the movies on this list. It’s not as serious as it sounds; Jenko and his nerdy best pal Schmidt (Jonah Hill) still manage to screw up most of their professional responsibilities, including knowing the Miranda rights and not falling in love with students. The obligatory “tripping balls” sequence is as pure an expression of physical comedy as exists outside of Jackass . And at the end of the day, the college sequel—referenced in the movie, one of its many jokes—is just around the corner. 21 Jump Street knows the high school beats and the remake beats, and knows you know them too. There are worse ways to be cool in high school.

16. Heathers

Miles Surrey : Heathers takes the stuff most high school movies handle with gravitas—eating disorders, suicide, sexual assault, sexuality, gun violence—and turns it into nihilistic punch lines. Since teenagers often treat typical high school concerns like they’re a matter of life and death, Heathers asks: What if we literally did that? The result is—well, it’s a lot, but it’s also effective. One of the film’s funniest, most emotional beats—after Christian Slater’s J.D. and Winona Ryder’s Veronica kill two jocks and stage it to look like a suicide motivated by gay repression—is a father’s eulogy at as he fights through tears: “I love my dead gay son!”

That scene represents the caustic tone Heathers embodies, one that can be read as offensive from a certain critical lens. But Heathers ’ shock value and bleak reflection of adolescent self-obsession is also why it’s great and deserving of its cult status. Contrary to its ensemble, there really can be only one Heathers .

15. The Edge of Seventeen

Alison Herman : Hailee Steinfeld was introduced to the world as a Coen brothers ingenue and, later, a minor pop star. Edge of Seventeen establishes her as a capital-a Actress, anchoring a totally realistic, admirably hookless story about a girl in grief, unmoored by her brother’s starting to date her best friend. Kelly Fremon Craig’s debut is produced by no less a luminary than James L. Brooks, and proves itself a worthy inheritor of Brooks’s signature blend of humor and heft, shot through with empathy. Woody Harrelson gives the stock “supportive teacher” character some much-needed rough edges to go with the warmth, but this is the rare film grounded firmly in the perspective of a teenage girl. Steinfeld embodies the danger, fury, and intensity of that moment in all its contradictions, making for quite the calling card as she graduates from child star to adult professional.

14. Say Anything …

Sean Fennessey : Is Lloyd Dobler a sociopath or a romantic? A manifestation of adolescent id or a salvation from the anxiety of teendom? Cameron Crowe’s directorial debut is defined by Dobler’s quirks—kick-boxing, Peter Gabriel, etc.—and Diane’s lost innocence. John Cusack and Ione Skye’s love is sweet and emotionally elusive, like a lot of high school feelings. What makes this movie special is it insistence upon a tone that had hardly ever existed. Cusack’s character is so damned strange but so utterly sincere. It’d become a hallmark of Crowe’s heroes—figures hovering just outside the standard emotional spectrum, in search of ways to connect with their fellow humans. But Lloyd Dobler has never been equaled.

13. Rushmore

Alyssa Bereznak : No high school movie premise is quite as intoxicating as “Brilliant Fuck-up Seeks Thrills.” So the fact that Wes Anderson’s breakout film managed to elevate the fable of the precocious high schooler to new absurd levels is a testament to both his imagination and his undying commitment to a bit. Rushmore pits the young Max Fischer (played by an ultra-pale, chubby-cheeked Jason Schwartzman) against bullying millionaire Herman Blume (Bill Murray). The two duke it out for a fetching school teacher’s love. Bees are dispensed. Bikes are mangled. Breaks are cut. An elaborate school play based on the Vietnam War is staged.

The intensity that both Schwartzman and Murray bring to their sad-sack roles makes the film especially funny. But it’s Anderson’s riveting direction—set to a soundtrack of infectious 1960s pop—that makes it so very memorable. There may be no better visual representation of midlife melancholy than Murray in Budweiser-branded swim trunks listlessly cannonballing into a pool to the Kinks.

12. Bring It On

Juliet Litman : If the strength of high school movies was evaluated solely on the hilarious casting relative to the era, Bring It On may be the greatest one of all time. Rich girl Darcy is played by Tsianina Joelson, which meant something in 2000—she was the host of MTV’s The Daily Burn , the network’s exercise morning show that updated the TV aerobics trend for teens; Blaque, an R&B trio popular at the turn of the century, played three Clovers cheerleaders, backup to Gabrielle Union’s lead. However, stunt casting was not necessary given the catchy cheers, an unimpeachable opening sequence , and the presence of titans in Union and Kirsten Dunst. Admittedly, in Bring It On , high school is more of a factual side note to the cheering—for many high school athletes and cheerleaders, though, that may be quite realistic.

Bereznak: I can still remember the moment my mother pitched me on Carrie as we were perusing the aisles of Blockbuster on Friday night. “It’s like Matilda but creepy,” she said. I can’t think of a more euphemistic summary for Brian De Palma’s horrifying 1976 Stephen King adaptation. A shy 16-year-old is tormented by her classmates at school and her ultrareligious mother at home. Pushed to the brink, she begins exhibiting supernatural powers that punish the people who wronged her. A broken light bulb here, an overturned ashtray there. Her full abilities coalesce during one of the most iconic scenes in high school movie history: Carrie’s being crowned as prom queen, only to be rudely interrupted by a bucket of pig’s blood planted by her popular kid rivals. The fiery double-screen rampage that follows is a landmark moment in horror filmmaking, and the film itself remains one of the most chilling depictions of a scorned teen misfit’s ultimate revenge.

10. Election

Bereznak: Hell hath no fury like an ambitious young woman running for school government. In Alexander Payne’s 1999 film, an upbeat student named Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon) launches her candidacy for class president with a professionalism so cloying that beloved teacher Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick) vows to sabotage it. He soon learns he is no match for Flick, who goes to great lengths to cut down her opponents and ruin McAllister’s life. That the film bombed at the box office is an indication that the public was not quite ready to confront the realities of the post-Lewinsky political environment: specifically that sex, strategy, and manipulation were all part of the process. That Election could now easily pass as a precursor to Veep is proof of how far we’ve come.

9. 10 Things I Hate About You

McNear: Pity the centuries’ worth of forebearers who had the misfortune of seeing The Taming of the Shrew before the writing team of Karen McCullah and Kirsten Smith ( Legally Blonde , Ella Enchanted ) finally figured out what it was missing: ritzy prep school drama. Also here: Julia Stiles at the apex of her teen powers, Heath Ledger’s dimples, baby-faced Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Heath Ledger’s dimples, a killer soundtrack (shouts to Letters to Cleo), and Heath Ledger’s dimples.

10 Things I Hate About You isn’t realistic , per se, but if you’re looking for the version of high school that exists in all those best-years-of-your-life tales and not the one with acne, precalc midterms, and devastating social anxiety, this is as good as it gets.

8. Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Rob Harvilla : You know a high school movie has ascended to true greatness when even hearing or reading the movie’s title gets a specific pop song stuck in your head. And so it goes with 1982’s raucous and bittersweet Fast Times at Ridgemont High , a hard-nosed teen sex comedy that derives much of its sublime bittersweetness from Jackson Browne’s soft-rock anthem, “Somebody’s Baby.” The tune plays on a car stereo as 15-year-old Stacy (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is driven by a much older boy to “The Point,” which is a graffiti-strewn baseball dugout, and where Stacy loses her virginity, bittersweetly. “I feel like I should look different,” she tells her friend afterward. Teen sex comedies looked very different from that point on.

The sheer amount of talent introduced in Fast Times is staggering, from the director (Amy Heckerling!) to the screenwriter (Cameron Crowe) to the actors. (It was the breakout film for the likes of Leigh, Sean Penn , Phoebe Cates, and a pissed-off Forest Whitaker .) But the movie’s blunt, lascivious tone, from the sex scenes (no links, pervs) to the consequences of those sex scenes, is Fast Times ’ true legacy. “We got really nasty comments like, ‘How dare you show us teenagers only doing sex!’ and ‘How dare you show an abortion! We don’t believe in that!’” Heckerling told The Ringer in 2017, recalling some early screenings. The film was a modest hit in theaters that bloomed into a slow-burn cult classic for precisely that willingness to antagonize the squeamish by laying bare both the ecstasies and the agonies of being young.

7. Dazed and Confused

Fennessey: This is all about Randall “Pink” Floyd. Richard Linklater’s beloved all-in-one-night Austin teen saga shows all the colors of high school—pre-frosh and post-grad, left-behind fifth-year seniors and cute sophomores. But it’s Pink who binds them all together, a star QB trapped in a friendly stoner’s body—or maybe it’s the other way around. Pink is a Linklater proxy, and the one who gives us access to the interconnected ecosystem of high school, a place that sometimes resembles a jungle bound by initiation or otherwise an enchanted forest. There still hasn’t been a truer depiction of the perilous nature of high school friendships, the way they can slip through your fingers or seem like the most crucial bonds that can be built. Linklater’s movie rollicks with classic rock and revels in its haphazard structure, bounding from party to party. And by the time it ends, it shows itself to be a portrait of teen life as deep as it is wide. You don’t have to believe that, but it’d be a lot cooler if you did.

6. The Breakfast Club

Herman: The pop culture machine has flattened The Breakfast Club ’s constituent members into the archetypes they fit on the surface: queen bee, burnout, athlete … you know the rest. But the point of John Hughes’s best feature—yeah, I said it—is that teenagers are so much more than the socially constructed boxes they’re placed into. If only they all had a daylong detention to force them to get to know each other. The Breakfast Club is a fantasy of connection, and even the film itself seems to know it’s a fantasy; no one really thinks Molly Ringwald and Judd Nelson are in it for the long haul. Still, it directly channels that most profound and unachievable of teenage desires: setting aside labels and forcing your peers to see the humanity within. However out of touch its group dynamics feel in the age of texting and Snapchat, that yearning remains eternal.

5. Lady Bird

Surrey: When the biggest controversy surrounding your film is that one critic ruined its 100 percent “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes , you did good. Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird captures one teenager’s senior year of high school in a compact, 95-minute film. Somehow, while Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) deals with friendship, her sexuality, college applications, and a complicated relationship with her mom (Laurie Metcalf, robbed of an Oscar), the film also subtly weaves in post-9/11 anxieties, the Iraq War, and the financial stress on the teenager’s middle-class family. Somehow, a surprisingly dense narrative doesn’t short-change the memorable supporting cast of high schoolers, like Lady Bird’s BFF Julie (Beanie Feldstein) and her pair of ex-boyfriends, the meek Danny (Lucas Hedges) and the Howard Zinn–loving douchelord Kyle (Timothée Chalamet). Somehow, it’ll have you yearning for Dave Matthews Band .

The film’s truncated run time is enough to relay the heart of the movie. Slowly but surely, Lady Bird learns to really look at the people around her and the city she grew up in that she so desperately claimed to hate. By the time she’s attending college in New York, she yearns for Sacramento, calls her mom, and finally grows comfortable with her own name. Catherine comes of age in this near-perfect film, and that’s hella tight.

4. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Ryan: That suspended moment. When you care so deeply, yet don’t seem to have a care in the world. High school is winding down, you’re with the best friends you’ll ever have, and deep down you know everything is about to change forever. That’s where we find iconoclastic suburban Chicago high schooler Ferris Bueller; his girlfriend, Sloane; and his best friend, Cameron, as they fake sick, cut loose, “borrow” a ’61 Ferrari, eat well, absorb culture, scam adults, crash parades, and generally act like sausage kings of Chicago, all while trying to distract from the fact that they’ve arrived at a crossroads in their lives. Featuring one of the best soundtracks of the decade (there’s a lot of competition) and a star-making performance from Matthew Broderick, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off imagines playing hooky as a Fellini day dream—one you want to go back to, over and over again.

3. Mean Girls

Dobbins: The archetypal teenage villain; the complex sociological web; the star who peaked too soon; the slightly bitter aftertaste—if there is a neater summation of high school’s everlasting perils, I have not seen it. Released in 2004, at the dawn of the internet and the earliest years of millennial expression, Tina Fey’s Mean Girls has become a definitive text for the internet generation, quoted and memed into a classic. The entire adult experience—not just high school—can be (and often is) explained through the lens of Plastics and Burn Books, mathletes and spring flings. Mean Girls , it turns out, is a practical guide for making your way through a stratified world, and also for knowing which day to wear pink. It is a necessary, if harsh, lesson that the fetches of life are never going to happen. And it is a reminder that the Regina Georges of the world are only ever as powerful as their supporters. In high school movies, at least.

2. Superbad

Gruttadaro: “There were no movies that were really capturing what we were experiencing,” Seth Rogen told me in 2017 . “So we wrote one, basically.” Before Superbad , the high school movie had laid somewhat dormant; the genre was in dire need of a reboot after it had been stretched to infinity (and then aptly parodied) by a run of films in the late ’90s. Rogen and his writing partner, Evan Goldberg, did just that, breathing new life into the high school movie with sheer authenticity. The way their main trio of characters (played by Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse) talked, the things they talked about, was uncannily reflective of many viewers’ actual high school experiences. Gone were the choreographed, Usher-led dance sequences and the much-too-old actors playing students—in their place were scenes in home-ec class, expertly crafted dick jokes, and actors who hadn’t yet grown into their own bodies. And underneath it all was a truly affecting story about friendship, and the utter fear that sets in as high school ends and a new chapter begins.

1. Clueless

Litman: Cher Horowitz was right: With its quick cuts and camera-flash effect, the first scene of Clueless does, in fact, resemble a Noxzema commercial. But no one would confuse the bright, lush colors of Amy Heckerling’s 1995 masterpiece for a commercial attempt to project normality. Cher’s charmingly warped view of the world is stated in the first minute, and from there the delightful phantasmagoria of Clueless never lets up. Based on Jane Austen’s Emma , Clueless initially draws the audience in with its plucky heroine, which is the best tribute to Jane Austen possible. Its staying power is a result of a more complex alchemy. It has all the hallmarks of a teen movie: a memorable lunch scene (“Tai, my birthday is in April …”), a rapid and impressive makeover (“I hope not sporadically!” ) , unrequited love (“Oh God. They’re playing our song”), a charming best friend (“And right before the yearbook pictures? What am I going to tell my grandchildren?”), and a major love epiphany (“I am totally, majorly, but crazy in love with Josh!”).

Clueless is perfect, though these teens are not like everyone else, even if their emotions and problems are similar. They speak in a vernacular, their clothes and cars are far nicer, and their school is more akin to a playground than anything else. The most impressive feat of Clueless , however, is that its divorce from reality allowed it to become the foundational treatise on everything from popularity to the adolescent intuition that life after high school will be more exciting but saddled with responsibility. In conclusion , Clueless gets it right.

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High School

A high school valedictorian who gets baked with the local stoner finds himself the subject of a drug test. The situation causes him to concoct an ambitious plan to get his entire graduating ... Read all A high school valedictorian who gets baked with the local stoner finds himself the subject of a drug test. The situation causes him to concoct an ambitious plan to get his entire graduating class to face the same fate, and fail. A high school valedictorian who gets baked with the local stoner finds himself the subject of a drug test. The situation causes him to concoct an ambitious plan to get his entire graduating class to face the same fate, and fail.

• John Stalberg Jr.
• Erik Linthorst
• Stephen Susco
• Sean Marquette
• Adrien Brody
• 27 User reviews
• 56 Critic reviews
• 31 Metascore

Top cast 81

• Henry Burke

• Travis Breaux

• Brandon Ellis

• Sebastian Saleem

• Dr. Leslie Gordon

• Little Dave

• Martin Gordon

• (as Joseph Julian Soria)

• Sharky Ovante

• Hippie Dude

• Edwin Hunter

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• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Did you know

• Trivia The film's two stars, Matt Bush and Sean Marquette, are both cast members on The Goldbergs.
• Goofs At the beginning of the movie, two kids are playing a prank on a third by dropping him in the pool, and they film it on camera. A little later, the assistant dean is watching it on some "youtube similar site", but the point of view is the movie camera, not the kids' camera, who presumably uploaded the movie.

Travis Breaux : Yo, why do they call you Paranoid?

Paranoid : [Interrupting] What? Why you wanna know, man?

• Connections Features Evil Dead II (1987)
• Soundtracks Perfect Day Performed by The Constellations Written by Elijah Jones and Ben Allen

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 39 minutes
• Dolby Digital

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7 best high school movies, ranked

Ah, high school, a time full of awkward encounters, wild first experiences, and moments parents just can’t understand. When movies try to portray this especially tumultuous period in any teenager’s life, only a few manage to stand out as accurate and entertaining reflections of the triumphs and tribulations of some of the most important years for most people.

7. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

6. heathers (1988), 5. dazed and confused (1993), 4. clueless (1995), 3. the breakfast club (1985), 2. superbad (2007), 1. mean girls (2004).

From the iconic and ever-charming The Breakfast Club to the legendary and still-fetch Mean Girls , the best high school movies capture the essence of these critical years with humor, heart, and a healthy dose of drama. Whether viewers are looking for a nostalgic viewing experience or a relatable story, there’s something for everyone among this diverse selection of dramas, comedies, and coming-of-age tales that offer all kinds of journeys through the ups and downs of youth.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a raunchy R-rated comedy based on Cameron Crowe’s 1981 book, which he wrote after going undercover as a student at Clairemont High School in San Diego. Set in the titular school in suburban California, it depicts the experiences of a group of teenagers, including Stacy Hamilton (Jennifer Jason Leigh), who ends up in a love triangle with shy guy Mark Ratner (Brian Backer) and his confident friend Mike Damone (Robert Romanus). There’s also the resident surfer dude Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn), who’s often stoned, and soon butts heads with the strict teacher Mr. Hand (Ray Walston).

The 1982 film perfectly captures what it was like to be in high school during that time, thanks to its attention to small details like the language, what work was like, and even the food. It was also considered transgressive then for its bold portrayal of sexuality and taboos like abortion, which it seamlessly weaved into its realistic, yet humorous depiction of teenage life.

Director Michael Lehmann’s Heathers is a deliciously dark comedy that takes place at Westerburg High School, where Veronica Sawyer ( Stranger Things season 5 star Winona Ryder) is sick of the popular clique’s cruel ways. The clique, known as the Heathers, soon meet their match in the form of a disruptive outsider, J.D. (Christian Slater), who is determined to take them down.

With its exaggerated characters and macabre perspective, Heathers was praised for its bitingly satirical take on high school. Ryder is unforgettable as the vulnerable, then defiant Veronica, flawlessly playing her role as the “anti-Heathers” character. The subversive movie went against the genre’s tropes and would influence future teen and high school flicks — it was even adapted into a musical and a television reboot.

An iconic stoner comedy from director Richard Linklater, Dazed and Confused takes fans back to the 1970s, specifically to 1976 in Austin, Texas, where several teenagers are celebrating their last day of high school. There’s no clear plot, with the 1993 film jumping between characters that include star football player Randall “Pink” Floyd (Jason London), scary bully Fred O’Bannion (Ben Affleck), and incoming freshman Mitch Kramer (Wiley Wiggins).

From keg parties to unavoidable hazing, Dazed and Confused captures the different aspects that make high school feel like such a daunting, exciting, and important time. It’s a well-made and nostalgic tribute to the period that benefits greatly from Linklater’s direction, with the filmmaker ensuring that the naturalistic dialogue and interactions result in a laid-back vibe that makes the 1993 movie so easy to enjoy. Of course, it also helps that the film features fantastic performances from an ensemble cast that includes then-rising stars like Affleck, Matthew McConaughey, Joey Lauren Adams, and Parker Posey.

Clueless is an extremely creative reimagining of Jane Austen’s 1815 classic novel Emma . Starring Alicia Silverstone as the gorgeous, wealthy, and popular high school student Cher Horowitz, it follows her experiences after deciding to give the new student, Tai (Brittany Murphy), a makeover. She also plays matchmaker for her teachers, which only makes her more assured about her skills. Cher soon gets entangled in messy drama, however, especially when she realizes she’s falling for her ex-stepbrother, Josh Lucas (Paul Rudd).

Directed by Amy Heckerling, Clueless is a time capsule for the ’90s, featuring prominent fashion trends like knee-high socks and preppy outfits that would become even more common after the film’s premiere. It also served as a crucial evolution for the teen genre, essentially serving as a blueprint for the coming-of-age chick flick obsession that came with the new century. Plus, Cher’s character and story arc challenged the “ditzy” image used to criticize women for decades by highlighting that confidence, intelligence, and femininity can go hand in hand.

The Breakfast Club is an influential coming-of-age movie that became the quintessential example of the genre from the ’80s. It has a deceptively simple premise, as it’s centered on time spent during one Saturday detention. Directed by John Hughes, it brings together five very different students: the brain, Brian (Anthony Michael Hall); the athlete, Andrew (Emilio Estevez); the basket case, Allison (Ally Sheedy);the princess, Claire (Molly Ringwald); and the criminal, Bender (Judd Nelson).

Instead of featuring prominent genre tropes at that time, The Breakfast Club steered clear of sex and violence and chose to be a character-driven film that made the most out of a small budget. Through candid conversations, unexpected vulnerability, and surprising moments of connection, the students find what they all have in common, which is a feeling of being lost and misunderstood by adults. This resonated with American audiences then — and even now — ensuring that the 1985 film is one that anyone can revisit or discover for the first time today.

Starring Jonah Hill and Michael Cera as a hilarious duo making the best of their last weeks of high school, Superbad chronicles their misadventures when they’re invited to a huge house party. Determined to be cool and hopefully lose their virginity, Seth (Hill) and Evan (Cera) go the extra mile to somehow get alcohol for the event. An unfortunate run-in with two police officers ends up complicating their mission, especially since they catch the dim-witted Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) trying to buy liquor.

Directed by Greg Mottola and written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the film is a gut-busting portrait of the best and worst parts of being a teenager. With adulthood just around the corner, the two main characters are desperate to change their reputations and have a blast, but end up in embarrassing situations in the process. Superbad fires on all cylinders, striking comedy gold with its witty dialogue, funny performances, and famous quotes like “I am McLovin!”

Without a doubt, Mean Girls is the greatest teen and high school movie ever made. Directed by Mark Waters and written by Tina Fey, the beloved 2004 movie takes place at North Shore High School, where homeschooled teenager Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) has recently transferred. She immediately incurs the wrath of the vicious clique of popular girls known as “The Plastics,” led by their queen bee, Regina George (Rachel McAdams). Desperate to fit in, Cady infiltrates the group and soon finds herself adopting their toxic behaviors.

Mean Girls is a pop culture phenomenon that has endured as the best and most famous example of the genre. Through a comedic lens, Tina Fey would perfectly capture the wonderful and terrible experience of being a young woman in high school, along with all of the societal pressures that come with it. The film’s biting satire of high school dynamics has helped cement it as a relatable fan favorite, with the movie’s memorable lines  and over-the-top characters ensuring that Mean Girls will always be fetch.

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For 40 years, Tom Cruise has been one of Hollywood's biggest movie stars. From heartbreaking monologues to death-defying stunts, Cruise has been lighting up the big screen since he slid across the floor in Risky Business. At 61, Cruise has no plans of slowing down, with Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part Two hitting theaters in 2025.

Cruise went from budding star to acting icon in the 1990s as he starred in nine films from 1990-1999. Several of Cruise's films during the 1990s feature some of the actor's finest work, and he even scored two Oscar nominations. From charming dramedies to action tentpoles, Cruise did it all in the 1990s. Below, we rank Cruise's seven best films of the decade. 7. Days of Thunder (1990)

The 2010s were a great time for the crime genre, which saw some of the grittiest, most entertaining, and most creative stories hit the big screens. The decade would see some memorable protagonists with morally questionable actions and goals in realities where violence, destruction, and greed are part of the norm.

From the incredibly bleak narrative in Prisoners to the unbelievable true story told in The Wolf of Wall Street, the best 2010 crime movies showcase the diverse range of entries that impressed both critics and fans. All of these films have become modern classics in their own right, with each one being essential viewing for anyone who wants to dive into the criminal underworld from the comfort of their couch. 7. Uncut Gems (2019)

Heroes are a dime a dozen, but everybody loves a good villain. Indeed, if you look back at motion picture history, villains are among the most dynamic, engaging, and memorable characters in any movie. It's in their very nature to stand out, whether due to their ruthless plans, killer dialogue, or outright lunacy. A great villain elevates the story, confidently guiding it to new heights.

Cinema has produced many worthy villains, but a few tower above their fellow sinners. These are the all-time best cinematic baddies, whose criminal deeds have turned them into pop culture icons that we love -- always from a distance. Unhinged, Machiavellian, terrifying, and ever magnetic, these movie villains have earned their place among the titans of the silver screen through blood, sweat, and tears—most likely someone else's. 10. Amy Dunne, Gone Girl (2014)

25 Essential Movies About High School You Need To See

The high school experience is a fixture of coming-of-age films, as heightened emotional states and specific pressures give the transition from childhood to adulthood unlimited storytelling potential. Great high school movies cross many different genres, but always come down to the specific, yet somehow universal, challenges that teenagers face.

John Hughes is the filmmaker most closely associated with high school movies thanks to his groundbreaking work in the '80s to accurately depict these pivotal years. Hughes generated empathy for his characters by taking their fears and desires seriously, and his films launched the careers of many great young stars. While specifically catered towards teenagers who saw themselves in the characters, older viewers also were able to use Hughes' films to reminisce on their own youth. The genre has opened up in subsequent years to reflect diverse audiences, with recent hits such as "Booksmart," "The Edge of Seventeen," and "The Hate U Give." 

These are the movies about going to high school you need to see.

River's Edge

"River's Edge" is one of the darkest high school films ever made. The film follows a group of Northern California teenagers who discover that their lifelong friend John (Daniel Roebuck) murdered his girlfriend Jamie (Danyi Deats), and they're forced to hide the secret. Watching the naïve characters wrestle with the violent crime and consider how they've misjudged their former friend makes "River's Edge" a shocking coming-of-age story about the loss of innocence.

The entire ensemble is terrific, but the film's breakout star was Keanu Reeves as the stoner Matt. Matt has a dour attitude towards his prospects for his future, but despite his clashes with law enforcement, he hides a sensitive side. Matt's romance with Clarissa (Ione Skye) is challenging, as despite their affection for each other, neither feels like they can walk among their classmates again. Matt develops responsibility as he learns to protect his brother Tim (Joshua John Miller) from heading down a violent path.

"Palo Alto" meditates on fleeting youthfulness through delicate reflection. The characters that populate a California high school are isolated by their struggles, and in her promising debut writer-director Gia Coppola reflects on the challenges young people have communicating their anxieties. Soccer star April (Emma Roberts) is flustered by the romantic advances of her coach Mr. B (James Franco), but nonetheless agrees to babysit his children. The stoner Teddy (Jack Kilmer) wreaks havoc on his community alongside his best friend Fred (Nat Wolff), but a shocking accident forces Teddy to face the consequences of their actions alone.

Coppola's hazy, dreamlike cinematography finds moments of beauty amidst the teens' lives, and the overtly poetic dialogue is well-suited for the naïve characters. The film depicts disturbing events, particularly as Fred descends deeper into addiction and Teddy is forced to end their relationship. However, as April and Teddy find each other amid the chaos, "Palo Alto" offers a window of hope.

Say Anything...

Cameron Crowe's directorial debut is a refreshingly earnest, uncynical depiction of a high school love story. Crowe reimagines a classic "Romeo and Juliet" story through the seemingly unlikely romance between underachiever Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack) and class valedictorian Diane Court (Ione Skye). These characters could have been stereotypes, but Crowe gives them unexpected depth; Dobler isn't malicious or lazy and Diane isn't a stuck-up, secluded princess, and both learn to understand each other.

Cusack would come to be known for his quick wit following "Say Anything...," and it's interesting to see him here as a character whose fast talking isn't driven by snark. He's the rare '80s male protagonist who supports his love interest whole-heartedly, encouraging Diane to pursue her internship in Britain and comforting her during the film's final moments. The scene of Cusack standing outside of Diane's window with a boombox blasting "In Your Eyes" is one of the great romantic moments in movies, high school or otherwise.

The Breakfast Club

Hughes' most famous film builds off of the notion that every person is an individual, despite what stereotypes may indicate. Hughes took five familiar archetypes and created a situation in which they were forced to interact, with each character's empathy growing as they hear about someone else's experience.

The troublemaker Bender (Judd Nelson), spoiled rich girl Claire (Molly Ringwald), promising athlete Andrew (Emilio Estevez), geeky Brian (Anthony Michael Hall), and basket case Alison (Ally Sheedy) are kept in their school's library for an entire Saturday by their overbearing Vice Principal Vernon (Paul Gleason). Vernon assigns each of them the task of each writing a personal essay. While the five are aware of each other in passing, they've never taken the time to get to learn about one another and discover that they have a lot in common . While their situations are different, each one struggles with the burdens placed on them by their parents, and seeks to break out of the singular trait that they've become known for.

"The Breakfast Club" balances comedy and drama. There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments as the group gets high and defaces school property, but in the film's most famous scene they sit down for an intimate conversation and share their secrets. The unlikely friendship empowers its adolescent audience, proving that there's more to a person than the social clique they belong to.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Few films are better suited for a cinephile audience than "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl," which shows how filmmaking can drive creativity and offer solace during challenging times. Author Jesse Andrews adapted his own hit novel for a reference-laden story about high school outsiders bound by their love of movies.

Greg (Thomas Mann) and Earl (RJ Cycler) learn about cinematic classics from their unusual teacher Mr. McCarthy (Jon Bernthal), and work on a shoestring budget to remake their favorite movies — with a twist. "Apocalypse Now" becomes "A Box of Lips Now." "My Dinner With Andre" becomes "My Dinner With Andre The Giant." Greg and Earl's limited abilities produce terrible parodies. However, Greg and Earl take on a more serious endeavor when their classmate Rachel (Oliva Cooke) is diagnosed with terminal cancer; although Greg only talks to Rachel out of obligation at first, the trio become friends, and Greg and Earl decide to create a special film for Rachel before she dies.

While high school films about life with cancer like "The Fault in Our Stars" were popular when "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" came out, the film's dark sense of humor allows Rachel to laugh at her situation. The voiceover from Greg satirizes clichés in high school movies, but the emotional conclusion shows the power movies have to heal.

"Election" is one of the quintessential movies about politics, but it's not about the Presidency. Alexander Payne's 1999 comedy depicts the fraught battle for the student body leadership role in a Nebraska high school. The process of building a campaign, courting voters with misleading promises, developing political alliances, and even vote tampering are all lampooned through a youthful perspective.

High-strung overachiever Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon) has been preparing for this election for her entire life, and is desperate to impress her teachers. Civics teacher Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick) despises Tracy and is annoyed by her wealthy upbringing and plastic persona; Jim is also wary of Tracy's relationship with his best friend Dave (Matthew Novonty), which got Dave fired. Scheming to steal the election from Tracy, Jim inspires the unassuming doofus Paul Metzler (Chris Kein) to run as Tracy's rival. Despite having no ambition and being generally clueless, Paul amasses a big following.

"Election" examines the latent forces that influence politics, as Paul is only Jim's puppet, and the teen's minimal knowledge of policy is humorous. Witherspoon finds the right balance between irritating and hilarious, and Broderick's inherent awkwardness is well utilized as a devious character.

Rebel Without A Cause

Despite only starring in three films before his tragic death at age 24, James Dean's rebellious attitude defined a generation. While he gave great performances in "East of Eden" and "Giant," it was Dean's performance in "Rebel Without A Cause" that made him the face of a social movement. Dean represented a youthful audience who felt misunderstood by older generations and limited by existing social structures. While it's easy to dismiss these feelings as teenage angst, Dean brought adolescents' inability to reach out for help to striking, moving life.

Dean stars in "Rebel Without a Cause" as Jim Stark, a teenager who moves to Los Angeles with his parents and is instantly arrested and placed in a youth detainment center for his rambunctious behavior. Jim bonds with Judy (Natalie Wood), who helps the quiet loner make it through his first few weeks of school. Jim is sensitive and cares for the similarly troubled boy Plato (Sal Mineo). However, his classmates goad him into violence, and Jim's teachers grow wary of him. In a breakthrough moment, Jim finally gains his parents' acceptance.

10 Things I Hate About You

Some high school students may complain about reading William Shakespeare plays in English class, but the 1999 comedy "10 Things I Hate About You" shows there's nothing old-fashioned about the Bard. This film takes the essential story beats of Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew" and reimagines them as the basis for a modern romantic comedy.

Cameron James (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) enters a new school and instantly falls in love with the young and popular Bianca Stratford (Larisa Oleynik). Cameron learns from his new friend Michael Eckman (David Krumholtz), a Shakespeare expert with an encyclopedic knowledge of their school's social classes, that Bianca will only be allowed to date if her standoffish sister Catherine (Julia Stiles) does so first. Catherine is fiercely independent, but Cameron decides to recruit the school's rebellious hooligan Patrick (Heath Ledger) to capture her heart. The situation grows complicated as Patrick and Catherine grow to start to care for each other, while the scheming Joey Donner (Andrew Keegan) attempts to steal Bianca from Cameron.

"10 Things I Hate About You" launched all of these young performers into stardom. It's fascinating to see the oddball comedy turn from Ledger, who would be known for his more serious roles.

Just like "10 Things I Hate About You" reimagined Shakespeare's story as a teen rom-com, 1995's "Clueless" was inspired by Jane Austen's "Emma." Austen's 1815 novel satirized the notions of romantic misunderstandings within high society in England, and "Clueless" took those themes and transported them to Beverly Hills. The language is similarly eloquent; Austen's novel meticulously captures era-specific phrases and grandiose romantic profusions, while "Clueless" uses Los Angeles slang to create an accurate depiction of '90s teen culture.

Beyond the Austen influence, "Clueless" is best known for Alicia Silverstone's star-making performance. Silverstone leads the film as Cher Horowitz, an affluent and wealthy teenager who enjoys playing matchmaker with her classmates and teachers. Cher looks down on her peers' superficial desires, and with her best friend Dionne Davenport (Stacey Dash) decides to take their school's awkward geek Tai Frasier (Brittany Murphy) and give her a makeover. Cher becomes jealous when Tai's popularity rivals her own, but she's comforted by the older Josh Lucas (Paul Rudd), an intern working for her father Melvin's (Dan Hedeya) law practice.

"Clueless" is hilarious thanks to Silverstone's witty performance, and she and Rudd have great chemistry. Despite thinking of Josh as a boring older brother, Cher discovers that he knows her much better than she thinks.

Dead Poets Society

Teachers are often cast as the villains in high school movies; while Hughes' films certainly flesh out their adolescent heroes, they rarely depict educational figures as three-dimensional characters. "Dead Poets Society" is an exception to this trend that shows the power of a great teacher to inspire, educate, and create a connection with their students. The film shows how social limitations diminish students' willingness to learn, and how discouraging it can be for teachers when they're forced to abide by a set curriculum.

In one of his most endearing performances of all time, Robin Williams stars as John Keating, an English teacher who is hired by an elitist male-only prep school in Vermont. The academy is highly conservative and discourages freedom of expression, but Keating contradicts their rules and assigns his students authors who he thinks will expose them to different perspectives. Inspired by their newfound appreciation of literature, Keating's top students Todd (Ethan Hawke), Neil (Robert Sean Leonard), Knox (Josh Charles), Richard (Dylan Kussman), Steven (Allelon Ruggiero), Gerard (James Waterston), and Charlie (Gale Hansen) form a secret society with Keating as their model. However, the boys' breakthroughs are condemned by the school's authority figures, who demonize Keating and threaten to dismiss him.

Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg began outlining the story of "Superbad" when they were in high school themselves, and when the film finally made it to screen, its madcap hijinks shocked audiences. "Superbad" captures the 21st century high school experience and the superficial desires of teenage boys in hilariously accurate detail, but despite its raunchiness, the story is genuinely heartfelt. It's ultimately about two friends who don't want to leave each other behind.

Best friends Evan (Michael Cera) and Seth (Jonah Hill) spend nearly every moment together, but they're set to attend different colleges after graduation. Trying to make the most of the last days of their senior year, the boys see an opportunity to find love at an upcoming party. Evan has a longstanding crush on Becca (Martha MacIsaac), and, after a surprising school assignment, Seth falls for the popular girl, Jules (Emma Stone). The pair decide that the only way to distinguish themselves is to get alcohol for the party, so the boys enlist their friend Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) to get a fake ID card, which accidentally reads "McLovin."

"Superbad" gets even more wacky as Fogell is taken under the wing of two oddball police officers, Slater (Bill Hader) and Michaels (Rogen). However, "Superbad" never forgets its emotional undercurrent, and Evan and Seth's last conversation is quite touching.

The Virgin Suicides

Sofia Coppola is one of the best filmmakers working today. By this point, her name is synonymous with female-centric stories, a reputation that started with her adaptation of the seemingly unfilmable novel "The Virgin Suicides" by Jeffrey Eugendies. Eugendies' story about a series of shocking deaths that haunt an upper class Michigan high school doesn't unfold like a procedural mystery, but rather a dreamlike enigma as seen through the eyes of young men.

The five Lisbon sisters — Therese (Leslie Hayman), Mary ( A.J. Cook ), Bonnie (Chelse Swain), Lux (Kirsten Dunst), and Cecilia (Hannah R. Hall) — are almost completely confined to their suburban home by their conservative parents (James Woods and Kathleen Turner). Given their limited exposure to the outside world, the girls are fascinating to the town's teenage male population, who concoct elaborate fantasies about them. However, due to their antisocial home environment, the girls all end up taking their own lives, and their mystery infects the town's psyche.

Coppola doesn't focus on the violence in graphic detail, as the story unfolds in a dreamlike manner. It's a fascinating exploration of teenage male fantasies; the whole story is told from the perspective of the boys, who project their desires on the unknowable sisters.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

While "The Breakfast Club" may be Hughes' most heartfelt high school movie, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" is his funniest. Based partly on Hughes' actual adolescence , the film imagines the ultimate teenage fantasy — skipping school for a day of pleasure — and stars Matthew Broderick in his best-known role. Although its hijinks are hilarious, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" also explores why these characters feel disillusioned, and how they are misunderstood by their teachers and their parents.

Ferris is a fiercely independent slacker at a suburban Illinois high school who invents an elaborate device that convinces his parents he is home sick, before dodging school for a day exploring the sites of Chicago. Convincing his reluctant best friend Cameron (Alan Ruck) to join him, Ferris infiltrates their school to bring his girlfriend Sloan (Mia Sara) along. Ferris' sister Jeannie (Jennifer Grey) can't believe that her popular brother is so beloved, but Ferris is targeted by the school's ill-tempered Dean of Students, Rooney (Jeffrey Jones). Rooney despises Ferris and aims to expose his deceit and expel him.

Rooney's pursuit adds tension to the story, but the central trio's exploits in the city are the real highlight. Ferris aims to open up shy Cameron to new experiences, bringing humor, while Cameron's reflections about poor his relationship with his father add some pathos

The Spectacular Now

A24 has released some of the most exciting independent films of the past decade, including a number of stunning coming-of-age stories. "The Spectacular Now" has a familiar premise, but its tender realism makes the story feel fresh again, and director James Ponsoldt doesn't shy away from showing the darker consequences of its characters' actions.

Sutter Keely (Miles Teller) is an irresponsible hooligan who doesn't see a future for himself after he graduates. After a night of hard partying, Sutter wakes up in a daze in the front yard of his shy neighbor Aimee (Shailene Woodley). Sutter has never taken the time to get to know Aimee, and he's surprised when hearing about her passion to become an artist and her difficult home situation. Similarly, Aimee learns that Sutter is more sensitive and caring than his wild persona lets on. They inspire each other; Sutter encourages Aimee to not let her familial responsibilities prevent her from leaving their small town, and she convinces him to start applying to schools.

While the romance begins earnestly, the story becomes more serious when Sutter's addiction issues grow destructive and he searches for his father (Kyle Chandler), who abandoned the family when Sutter was young. Teller and Woodley flesh out these archetypal roles; Roger Ebert praised their performances in his last four star review.

Greta Gerwig's directorial debut is a touching story about a teenage girl who learns to become more sincere. Christine (Saoirse Ronan) has a defiant attitude that often ruffles feathers at her Catholic high school in Sacramento. Insisting that everyone refer to her as "Lady Bird," she spars with her overbearing mother (Laurie Metcalf) as the headstrong personalities debate the girl's future. Ronan and Metcalf do a great job hinting at the underlying affection between them, even when both are too proud to admit it.

Gerwig brilliantly elevates the supporting characters beyond clichés. Beanie Feldstein is charming as Christine's best friend Julie, and the two share sincere moments together in the final days before both leave for college. Lucas Hedges and Timothee Chalamet give fun performances as two of Christine's failed potential boyfriends. Hedges' Danny is friendly but secretly gay; Chalamet's Kyle is seems to be enigmatic, but is ultimately manipulative. Both bombed romances end hilariously, and Gerwig makes Christine's plight empathetic, even if her defiance irritates her friends.

Let's be honest: To go through puberty is to witness yourself be subjected to grotesque body horror. Brian De Palma's adaptation of Stephen King's "Carrie" is the ultimate high school horror movie, and it begins with the title character getting her period for the first time. It happens in a gym class shower, no less, where her bewilderment draws mockery from her cruel peers. Carrie is becoming something new, and it terrifies her. The arrival of womanhood coincides not just with new feelings and urges — and bodily emissions — but with the development of new telekinetic powers. Will they be a blessing or a curse? Well ... we direct your attention to the part where this is all based on a Stephen King novel.

Sissy Spacek is utterly electrifying as Carrie, a sheltered religious girl who begins to demand space to explore her desires. She's endearing and pitiable, and she's also spine-chilling. "Carrie" contains some indelible horror images, especially in its riveting, prom-set climax, but it's also just a great movie about what it's like to be in high school. Crushes, bullies, teachers who can see how much you're struggling ... it's all there. "They're all gonna laugh at you!" moans Carrie's mother (a chilling Piper Laurie), and it sounds like the worst thing that can happen to a teenage girl. In the end, though, Carrie gets the last laugh. "Carrie" still stands as an absolute horror masterpiece, finding a twisted sort of empowerment amid the darkness.

One important hallmark of a certain type of high school movie is that the actors look like they are well into adulthood. No movie does this better than "Grease," a delightfully camp musical where every teenager seems to be played by someone who looks like they should be playing a teacher instead. At 24, John Travolta already looked too old; the actor who played Kenickie, Jeff Conway, was four years older and looked like he could've been Travolta's father. In other words, it's ridiculous in exactly the way a '70s musical set in the '50s should be. 

The story is a cultural staple at this point. On summer vacation, boy meets girl; girl transfers to boy's school; they wind up in different social circles, but still manage to fall in love. (There's a reason why it's also the plot of "High School Musical.") The songs are iconic, too. "Summer Nights," "Greased Lightning," and "You're The One That I Want" are certified bangers, but the emotional centerpiece of the film might just be Stockard Channing's transcendent rendition of "There Are Worse Things I Could Do."

Sure, by today's standards, the film seems quite regressive for demanding that Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) sex up her image in order to win back the guy she likes. On the other hand, Channing's Rizzo is a modern, self-possessed young woman worth rooting for. If she wanted to take you under her wing, who among us would say no?

One fun subgenre of teen movies is the high-school-set adaptation of a work of classic literature. "Clueless" is a '90s version of "Emma," "10 Things I Hate About You" is Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew," etc. In "Easy A," when a girl named Olive (Emma Stone) finds herself at the center of a gossip firestorm about her rumored promiscuity, she is inspired by her class' study of "The Scarlett Letter" to lean into the drama by wearing a red "A" on her clothes. As her risqué reputation spirals out of control, Olive must figure out how to pick up the pieces of her social life.

In addition to its whip-smart, ultra-quotable script, the main strength of "Easy A" is its fantastic ensemble cast. Amanda Bynes does perhaps the best comedic work of her career as a snooty Christian girl, Lisa Kudrow is maddeningly good as Olive's terrible principal, and Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson, who play Olive's father and mother, make for some of the most enviable parents in teen-movie history. Even "You" and "Gossip Girl" star Penn Badgley puts in a delightful appearance, playing a boy at school named Woodchuck Todd, who turns out to be a sympathetic ally for Olive.

The real star, though, is Stone. By this point, she had already starred in an instant high school classic — "Superbad" — but her performance in "Easy A" cemented her reputation as a rising star. She's capitalized on that promise since, but "Easy A" remains a testament to her talent.

In "Mean Girls," Lindsay Lohan — at the height of her comedic powers — plays a naive girl named Cady, who was raised in a village in Africa. When she moves to an American high school, she finds herself surrounded by a jungle-like hierarchy all its own. With the help of two outcasts (Lizzy Caplan and Daniel Franzese) as her guides, Cady infiltrates the popular group, known as the Plastics. Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, and Amanda Seyfried play the titular mean girls — that is until Cady herself taps into a mean streak she didn't know she had.

The impact of "Mean Girls" on millennial pop culture can't be understated. Even though the movie is almost two decades old, it still trends on Twitter  every October 3rd simply because the date is mentioned in the film. The Tina Fey-penned script is absurdly quotable; from "You can't sit with us!" to "She doesn't even go here," you're likely to see a "Mean Girls" reference any time you open social media.

Still, though, if you've been avoiding the film because you've heard it referenced so many times, you should know that "Mean Girls" lives up to its reputation. It's a movie that's firing on all cylinders, as much an incisive, anthropological examination of mid-aughts high school life as it is a joke-a-second comedy. Lohan is genuinely incredible, and the ensemble around her matches her beat for beat.

Perks of Being a Wallflower

Writer-slash-director Stephen Chbosky's "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," based on his own novel of the same name, is one for the kids who never fit in. It's a love letter to experiencing high school from the outside looking in, and it's about the makeshift family that can be formed among fellow outcasts. It's also a movie that feels too much, that refuses to be cynical about its emotions. In other words, it'd be easy to dismiss the movie as twee, to turn up your nose at just how much those kids on Tumblr loved this movie , but the film is just plain lovely.

Logan Lerman is incredible as Charlie, an endearing, quiet kid who is struggling with PTSD from an incident in his past. He's content to watch high school life pass him by until he's taken under the wing of a group of fellow outsiders. Emma Watson plays Sam, an entrancing girl that Charlie is fascinated by, and Ezra Miller stars as Patrick, a queer kid who encourages Charlie to open up. As he begins to confront the abuse he suffered as a child, Charlie learns to rely on his new friends for support. Late-night shadow casts of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and breathtaking trips through the Fort Pitt Tunnel ensue. "I feel infinite," Charlie breathes to his chosen family. For just a moment, we believe him.

Like all the best murder mysteries, "Brick" begins with a dead body. Brendan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is crouched by a girl lying dead near a tunnel, watching as her lifeless hand causes ripples in the drainage runoff. The film then rewinds two days and shows us that the dead girl is Emily (Emilie de Ravin), Brendan's ex, and he's been desperately trying to get ahold of her. Emily seems to have gotten herself mixed up in something terrible, a criminal underworld running rampant at their high school. When she dies, Brendan makes it his mission to take down the whole enterprise.

Rian Johnson's directorial debut almost serves as a Rosetta Stone for the rest of his career. There are actors he would work with repeatedly again — Gordon-Levitt and Noah Segan both make appearances in the "Knives Out" franchise, for one. Johnson also clearly loves a mystery, but more than that, he's interested in the networks of people that spring up around a crime like this, interested in the pleasures of the genre that come with slowly unfurling each suspect and motive.

"Brick" is also darkly funny. It's a brilliant little stylistic exercise, grafting the tropes of a hardboiled detective noir onto a high school social scene. Gordon-Levitt delivers lines like "You got a discipline issue with me, write me up or suspend me. I'll see you at the parent conference" with all the commitment of Humphrey Bogart playing Sam Spade.

Jennifer's Body

At this point, it's nothing new to say that "Jennifer's Body" was done dirty on its initial release. Director Karyn Kusama, screenwriter Diablo Cody, and star Megan Fox have all spoken at length about the way the film's marketing failed it, making it look like a gratuitous film that capitalized on Fox's sex appeal — then turbocharged by the "Transformers" franchise — rather than a movie specifically  about how the objectification of its star gave her a certain power over men. Looking back, it's easier to see what the movie was going for. It's also easy to see that the movie succeeded way more than it originally got credit for.

In the film, Fox plays the titular Jennifer. She's the most popular cheerleader at school, but after a tragic accident one night, she develops a bloodthirsty taste for flesh. With the help of her hapless sidekick Needy (Amanda Seyfried), Jennifer goes on a rampage, picking off the sexist, misogynistic boys at school. It's a perfect blend of horror with snappy, witty "Mean Girls"-esque high school comedy. Put simply, "Jennifer's Body" deserves its cult-classic status and then some.

The Last Picture Show

Like "Grease," "The Last Picture Show" is a film from the '70s that looks back at what high school was like in the 1950s. Unlike "Grease," however, "The Last Picture Show" is firmly grounded in realism. You won't find any musical numbers or flying cars here, just an intimate portrait of young adulthood in a dusty Texas town. Peter Bogdanovich's New Hollywood masterpiece finds a class of high school seniors going about their lives, growing up in the post-war years in a town that seems to be drying up. They drink; they have sex; they try to catch the picture show at one of the only social opportunities in town.

The lives of the teens (played by Jeff Bridges, Timothy Bottoms, and Cybill Shepherd) intersect with a network of local adults (including Ellen Burstyn and Cloris Leachman). Bottoms' character, Sonny, has an affair with Leachman, who plays the wife of the high school gym teacher. Duane and Jacy (Bridges and Shepherd) are dating, much to the consternation of Jacy's mother (Burstyn), who insists that she should marry rich. Everyone is fantastic, with Bottoms and Shepherd particular standouts, and as the movie builds to a shocking climax, the cast drives home its emotional core.

Olivia Wilde's directorial debut finds two best friends, Molly (Beanie Feldstein) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever), staring down the last few days before high school graduation. It's a specific subgenre of high school movies that's no less crucial to the topic: What happens when school is over, and you have to figure out what comes next? What happens if the people you've spent the last few years of your life with aren't going to be coming along on the next phase of your journey?

In addition to being a movie about high school and a great movie about female friendship, "Booksmart" is also a hell of a party movie. Most of the film takes place over the course of one wild night as Molly and Amy try to make it to a graduation party thrown by one of the popular guys at school. Their journey across town brings them to several different get-togethers, meaning the film gets to do the high school movie thing of checking in with various subcultures and cliques. Each stop along their madcap odyssey contains a standout moment thanks to fun performances from stars like Noah Galvin, Billie Lourd, and Skyler Gisondo, but it's Feldstein and Dever who really carry the movie. Their banter is quick-witted and lived-in — you can tell these girls have years of history together — but the movie also has a real, beating heart at its core.

The Edge of Seventeen

Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld) has a lot going on. Her father died a couple of years ago, leaving her with her mom (Kyra Sedgwick) and her older brother Darian (Blake Jenner). Darian's much more popular than Nadine, but at least she has her best friend Krysta (Haley Lu Richardson). That is until she walks in on Krysta and Darian hooking up. Before she knows it, they're dating, leaving Nadine spiraling.

The story in "The Edge of Seventeen" is relatively conventional, but what really elevates the film are its actors. Steinfeld manages to perform a high-wire trick where we know that Nadine isn't really being fair to her friend or her brother, but we completely understand why she feels the way she does. She brings all the messiness of teenage years through in the way she stares at her phone, in the way she wears her hair, and in the way she quietly panics when she sees her former bestie. Woody Harrelson plays Mr. Bruner, a teacher that Nadine opens up to. A lot of high school movies have a too-cool teacher-protector, but Mr. Bruner's dry sarcasm makes him a bit of an outlier. When Nadine bursts into his classroom and dramatically announces she's planning to kill herself, for example — she's not really; the movie's not that heavy — the teacher counters with his own suicide note, claiming to be driven to the edge by an annoying girl who won't leave him alone on his lunch break.

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24 Certified Fresh High School Movies Since 2000

TAGGED AS: 24 frames , Certified Fresh

I learned the truth at 17, that movie critics can be mean… but not to Hailee Steinfeld and her new movie  The Edge of Seventeen , a high school dramedy starring Steinfeld as a neurotic hellcat on the cusp of adulthood. And if the reviews maintain their pace, then  Edge  will be a future alumni of this week’s 24 Frames gallery of Certified Fresh high school movies since 2000!

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35 Iconic High School Movies to Make You Say “Been There”

The high school movie is, by now, a pretty perfected formula — a genre many of us choose to stick with well past our school days.

And why wouldn’t we? Even if you hated high school (all in attendance, say “here”!), there’s something inherently relatable about high school movies. That’s because, for the majority of us, we’re seeing a world that we’ve been inside of. We know the social dynamics, the clichés, the small things and moments that always seemed to have outsized stakes attached. Although high school life as seen on screen may not always exactly mirror reality — we’re looking at you, acne-free 27-year-olds playing teens — in broad strokes, these movies show a life we recognize.

Maybe you think that life was, or is, a blast. Or maybe you couldn’t get paid enough to repeat high school. Regardless of which side of the spectrum you fall on, as we grow older, there’s often something both uncomfortable and cathartic about returning to this version of ourselves via high school movies. In spite of — or perhaps because of — their flaws, the protagonists of these films are almost always easy to root for. That’s because who we’re really rooting for is our high-school selves.

Luckily, if you’re in the mood for some solid 9th-through-12th grade cinematic content, there are multiple decades to pull from. Below, we’ve rounded up 25 of our fave high school movies—everything from the kickoff, commonly credited as 1955’s Rebel Without a Cause , to today’s top Netflix films.

1. Do Revenge (2022)

When popular girl Drea Torres (Camila Mendes) doesn’t get accepted to Yale because of a leaked video, she forms an unlikely friendship with outcast Eleanor (Maya Hawke). Previously popular and feared by fellow students, Drea is mostly understood—a Mexican-American who has managed to climb the social ladder of her predominantly-white high school. After the video goes public, Drea and Eleanor decide to swap revenge plots. The next steps bring in elements of Cruel Intentions, 10 Things I Hate About You, and other classic high school films from long ago. I won’t spoil the plot, but it involves a complete makeover, and extravagant plan to ruin the lives of those who leaked the video, and much more drama. Plus, Teen Vogue is basically a character in the first part of the film, so that makes it a must-watch in our eyes.

2. Eighth Grade (2018)

The film takes a look at the final week of Kayla (played by Elsie Fisher), a middle schooler experiencing the last week of class and staring directly down the tunnel toward high school. While not exactly a movie set in a high school setting, it touches on the very specific feeling of anxiety, doubt, and excitement everyone experiences before making the jump to a new school.

3. Pretty in Pink (1986)

Everyone should see this classic at least once. Molly Ringwald, queen of teenage rom-coms, plays Andie, a slight outcast who works at a record shop. She can often be found with her boss (Annie Potts) or her classmate Duckie (Jon Cryer), but once one of the popular kids at school asks her out, everything changes. Dating someone who lives in a world so different from your own isn’t easy, and this is a spotlight into the intricacies of high school love.

4. Friday Night Lights (2004)

If you love the idea of spending Friday nights watching your football team take the field, this is a must-watch for you. Set in Dillon, Texas, the movie follows a season for the Panthers, led by coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler). Local reporter Buzz Bissinger, who recently moved to the area from Philadelphia, makes it a goal to document the season’s best and worst moments.

5. Say Anything (1989)

Say Anything focuses on the feeling of first love, starring John Cusack as Lloyd and Ione Skye as his crush, Diane. As the story so often goes, Diane is the beautiful straight-A student and Lloyd faces a big obstacle with her overly protective father (played by John Mahoney). It’s funny, it’s cute, and it’s at the top of our teen love movies list. It may even convince you to stand outside your crush’s house with a boombox.

6. Love, Simon (2018)

Simon Spier (Nick Robinson) hasn’t come out to his friends and family. After meeting someone online and forming a relationship, a fellow high school student threatens to out him to the entire school. Simon works to keep things among his family and friends in check while searching for the identity of his online crush. This is an emotional one, especially for those who struggled or are struggling with sharing their own identity with others.

7. The Breakfast Club (1985)

Detention is never supposed to be fun, but one fateful Saturday detention session brings together an unlikely crew of students in this movie. John (Judd Nelson), Claire (Molly Ringwald), Allison (Ally Sheedy), Brian (Anthony Michael Hall), and Andrew (Emilio Estevez). As you can imagine, there’s an outcast, jock, rebel, princess, and the brainy student—but we’ll let you give it a watch and figure out who each person is. The weekend punishment gives them an opportunity to meet each other and learn more about life in general.

8. Never Been Kissed (1999)

Drew Barrymore stars in this highly unlikely plot as Josie Geller, a reporter at the Chicago Sun-Times who goes undercover as a student at her former high school. Why? She’s reporting on contemporary teenage culture, of course, which—at this point—is wonderfully outdated. The big problem she faces? Falling in love with her English teacher, played by Michael Vartan. But she does manage to buddy up with the most popular group in school, so there’s something.

9. Booksmart (2019)

High school movie critics often like to point to how repetitive these films are when casting judgment. To be fair, they are pretty formulaic, and Booksmart — with its house party-centric plot — is no exception. Somehow, though, it still manages to feel like a fresh (and extremely funny) addition to the genre. Molly ( Beanie Feldstein ) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) are two Ivy League-bound best buds who’ve spent their high school years watching Ken Burns documentaries and staying out of trouble. The girls decide, just hours ahead of graduation, that it’s time to switch up their narrative, and 90ish minutes of A+ antics ensue.

10. She’s All That (1999)

Another complete throwback, you’d be surprised at how many one-liners have continued to exist long after this movie was released. (Example: “Sometimes when you open up to people, you let the bad in with the good.”) Here’s the rundown: Popular guy Zach Siler (Freddie Prinze Jr.) gets dumped by his cheerleader girlfriend (Jodi Lyn O’Keefe). Faced with a dare of sorts, he accepts the challenge of turning outcast Laney Boggs (played by Rachael Leigh Cook) into prom queen. Expect tons of mean girl moments, high school drama, and iconic ‘90s fashion.

11. The Half Of It, 2020

Tender and charming, this queer rom-com is hailed as one of the best teen movies on Netflix, with writer-director Alice Wu to thank for it. Back in 2005, Wu first made a name for herself with Saving Face, a movie that also centers a queer Chinese-American protagonist and helped to inspire a new generation of Asian American talent. (Major names, from Ali Wong and Lulu Wang to Awkwafina, have all shared their love for the film.) In her return 15 years later, Wu gives us Ellie Chu ( Leah Lewis ), an all-A’s Chinese-American student who becomes unexpectedly entangled with the school jock (Daniel Diemer) when he turns to her for help courting dream-girl Aster Flores (Alexxis Lemire). The catch? Ellie is in love with Aster, too.

12. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

It’s the movie that launched a thousand Heath Ledger crushes. And, for that reason, it requires little by way of introduction. Based loosely on The Taming of the Shrew , it’s also the first of two Shakespeare-inspired movies that star Julia Stiles on this list. That’s out of three Shakespearean movies Stiles did total between 1999 and 2001 — talk about a Y2K-era match made in heaven!

13. Bring It On (2000)

Two (plus) decades later, Bring It On feels as topical as ever. It’s a story about a sports rivalry, with two high school cheer squads preparing to compete in nationals. But more than that, it’s a story about white people’s theft of Black culture and Black artistry , as the predominantly white Rancho Carne Toros, led by Torrence (Kirsten Dunst), discover their best dance moves were, in fact, stolen from the East Compton Clovers, a predominantly Black squad helmed by Isis (Gabrielle Union). But despite its raising of an important issue, let’s also be sure and note that this white woman-written, white man-directed movie is far from a perfectly inclusive thing; that’s something Union recently made clear on TikTok .

14. Love & Basketball (2000)

When first-time writer-director Gina Prince-Bythewood set out to create Love & Basketball — her semi-autobiographical movie following Monica (Sanaa Lathan) and Quincy (Omar Epps) throughout 12 years of, you guessed it, love and basketball — she wanted to make a Black When Harry Met Sally . “We weren’t being put into love stories, and I wanted to see myself reflected,” she later said . “And then I started wanting to tell the story of this girl that I felt hadn’t been seen as well, an athlete.” The result? A movie that’s hailed both as a story of authentic Black love and of a young Black woman’s ambition and athleticism.

15. Rebel Without a Cause (1955)

This James Dean, Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo-starring classic is, in many ways, the first real teen movie . That’s because, in the ‘50s, our modern idea of the teenager had only recently been invented — and cars, similar to their role in Rebel Without a Cause , played a big part. The movie was released less than a month after Dean, at age 24, died in a car crash, and it would go on to eternally cement him as a symbol of youthful rebellion, disillusionment and sex. Dripping with homoerotic tension , Rebel lives on as what’s often considered the first mainstream movie to depict queer desire.

16. Heathers (1998)

The darkly satirical Heathers is a cult favorite belonging on any high school movie list. In it, Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder) and her new-kid boyfriend, J.D. (who, played by Christian Slater, is basically a high school anarchist’s wet dream), accidentally murder the leader of Veronica’s circle of frememies, the Heathers. Social-order subversion and a heavy helping of black comedy follow.

17. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)

The To All the Boys franchise-turned-phenomenon, based on the best-selling YA trilogy, helped usher in a new era of Netflix teen movies and Asian American stories on screen. The first of these movies introduces us to Lara Jean Covey (Lana Condor), the series’ endearing protagonist whose life gets turned upside down when her private love letters are accidentally sent to past and current crushes. Tip: Follow this one up with the XO, Kitty spinoff series on Netflix.

18. Donnie Darko (2001)

Can you even graduate from high school without at least one dude insufferably explaining the ending of this movie to you? (Flash to me in high school, being that dude.) Starring Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jenna Malone, Drew Barrymore, Patrick Swayze, a human-sized rabbit named Frank, and Seth Rogen for I’m pretty sure 15 seconds, Donnie Darko seems likely to live on as a rite-of-passage teen movie for generations to come. After all, teens being the ones to, like Donnie, recognize the end of the world is coming probably won’t become less relevant.

19. Carrie (1976)

In some ways, Carrie is about as high school as you can get. Adapted from a Stephen King novel, teenage social dynamics provide the perfect canvas for its horrors. Carrie (Sissy Spacek) is a shy (and telekinetic, duh) 16 year old who sits on the outermost fringes of her school’s social strata. Misunderstood and ostracized by her peers, her home environment, where she’s controlled by an overbearing, deeply religious mother, is hardly more welcoming. After suffering a final humiliation at prom, Carrie gets her revenge in one of the movieverse’s most iconic high school dance scenes.

20. The Hate U Give (2018)

Amandla Stenberg’s Starr Carter is a 16-year-old high school student whose activism against police brutality , painfully, begins when she sees her childhood best friend murdered at a traffic stop. Starr has long felt stuck between two worlds; living in a poor, predominantly Black neighborhood, she attends school at a ritzy (and mostly white) prep school. With the shooting comes a collision of these worlds, as Starr finds her voice and fights for her community. It’s not a light watch, and those impacted by police violence may want to incorporate self-care when viewing.

21. Love Don’t Cost a Thing (2003)

A remake of 1997’s Can’t Buy Me Love , this Nick Cannon and Christina Milian flick carries on in the fake-relationship-turned-real-feelings tradition of rom-coms. Alvin Johnson (Cannon) gets A’s in science and — not-so-high marks in dating. When Paris Morgan (Milian), the most popular girl in school, shows up at the auto shop he works at, Alvin sees an opportunity. The shop’s backed up, but he’ll fix her mom’s Cadillac (and her odds of getting grounded) ASAP, if she’ll date him for two weeks. What happens next is anyone’s guess! (You definitely know what happens next.)

22. Jawbreaker (1999)

This movie is basically Heathers, except instead of Veronica Sawyer, it’s a more cutthroat version (semi-literally) of Mean Girls ’ Regina George in the lead. Courtney (Rose McGowan) leads her clique in a birthday prank on fellow popular friend Liz Purr. The prank turns deadly, and what follows is a darkly funny, violent takedown of high school pecking orders and popularity. Featuring a Cady Heron versus Regina George-esque feud and another memorable prom scene finale, it’s as full of high school movie tropes as Gretchen’s hair is of secrets.

23. Mean Girls (2004)

Having just spent so much of Heathers’ blurb making Mean Girls references, I’m forced to contend with an awkward reality. Despite being personally ambivalent (or so I tell myself) toward Tina Fey’s cult comedy creation, its impact as a cultural touchstone for late Millennials onward is pretty much inescapable. If we had to collectively choose one high school movie for my generation, Mean Girls is probably it.

24. O, 2001

You knew it was coming. (I mean, if you read the first entry on this list, you literally knew it was coming.) This Julia Stiles, Mekhi Phifer and Josh Hartnett-starring drama picks up the storyline of Shakespeare’s Othello and puts it down on a high school basketball court.

25. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1992

Make no mistake. With a 36% percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie hardly holds a candle to its TV equivalent. (The RT reviews, by the way, are a trip to read. “The worst tendencies of horror and teen pictures,” says one. “Somewhere between Prom Night and Dracula,” reads another.) If you need a campy hate-watch that you don’t really hate, the Buffy movie, starring Kristy Swanson, Luke Perry, Donald Sutherland and — Hilary Swank? — might be the ticket.

26. Grease, 1978

Maybe “Summer Nights” is your go-to karaoke song, and you consider Grease one of the best teen movies ever made. Or maybe you think it's a sexist relic in the way that most stories romanticizing the 1950s, y’know, are. For better or worse, it definitely lives on as a classic high school movie.

27. Save the Last Dance, 2001

Julia Stiles! So we meet (yet) again. This early-aughts dance movie sees Stiles play Sara, a midwestern teen with aspirations of becoming a professional ballerina. Those aspirations seem forever shelved when her mother, en route to meet her at an audition, is killed in a car accident. Sara is sent to live with her father on Chicago’s South Side where, at her new school, she meets Derek (Sean Patrick Thomas) and his sister Chenille (a 22-year-old Kerry Washington in one of her first roles). Expect interracial love, some very real conversations about privilege (including the aspects white women tend not to get), and at least one intensely dramatic, high-stakes dance number .

28. Dazed and Confused, 1993

A quintessential stoner movie, Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused is also one of the most iconic 90s teen movies in a decade that was full of ‘em. The whole idea, Linklater later said , was to make an “anti-nostalgic movie… I wanted to do a realistic teen movie. Most of them had too much drama and plot, but teenage life is more like you’re looking for the party, looking for something cool, the endless pursuit of something you never find.” Dazed and Confused, which picks up with a group of circa-1976 high school seniors on their last day of school, very much embodies that spirit.

29. Superbad (2007)

This movie breaks down the absolutely legendary high school night that most of us will (hopefully) never experience. Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Michael Cera, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse form an unlikely crew of buddies with a common goal: find some booze for the big party, make their crushes fall in love with them. Of course, it’s not that easy. Run-ins with the cops (one of whom is hilariously played by Bill Hader), crashing parties where they are certainly unwelcome, and one poorly made fake ID litter the night’s itinerary. We don’t recommend recreating this night in any shape of form, but the feeling of desperately wanted to impress your crush will resonate.

30. She’s the Man, 2006

Twelfth Night was, loosely, the inspiration for this mid-aughts Amanda Bynes vehicle, because to make movies between 1996 and 2006 meant you had to love Shakespeare? Viola Johnson (Bynes) is all about soccer — until her school’s team gets cut. Meanwhile, the boys’ soccer team at the preppy boarding school her twin brother, Sebastian, attends is doing just fine, because of course they are. When Sebastian ditches school to tour with his band, Viola sees an opportunity to chop her hair off and try out for the boys’ team as him. A gender-flipping movie that at least dips its toes into some queer themes, this was also Bynes at her comedic best.

31. High School Musical, 2006

I kind of hate to include Grease on here twice. (And that’s not hyperbole; In 1999, an early version of HSM’s script was being shopped around as Grease 3 , with Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake in mind for the leads.) Even if high school, well, musicals aren’t so much your jam, the generational impact of High School Musical can’t be avoided. And if you were, and are, an HSM lover, there’s a reason you found those song-and-dance numbers so catchy. The movie was largely the product of Kenny Ortega, the director and choreographer who’s responsible for bringing us cult faves like Hocus Pocus, Dirty Dancing, Newsies and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Basically, High School Musical was always destined for teen movie stardom.

32. Scream, 1996

Before Scream , horror movies were largely in decline — meaning we have a lot to thank Wes Craven for. His black comedy slasher movie, following Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), a California high school student-turned-target of a mysterious, costume-clad killer, instantly became a modern horror classic and changed the game for scary movies after it. It’s funny, self-aware, and, in Sidney, featured a new kind of female horror movie protagonist.

33. Clueless, 1995

It’s, inarguably, one of the most iconic high school movies of all time. Starring Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd, Stacey Dash and Brittany Murphy as modern, Beverly Hills-ified versions of Jane Austen’s Emma characters, Clueless’ impact is perhaps most felt today not as a classic rom-com, but as an enduring style tastemaker. Almost 30 years later, Cher Horowitz & Co. still inspire fashion trends .

34. Lady Bird, 2017

As far as prickly teen personas go, Lady Bird (Saoirse Ronan) isn’t the worst, but she’s not the best either. Basically, she’s not always super likable, and that’s part of what makes her, and the movie as a whole, feel real. For a lot of viewers, it was easy to see elements of our high school selves in her, as Lady Bird dreams of escaping small-town Sacramento and starting her real life at an East Coast college, where she’ll study — well, that part she’ll figure out later. The important thing is getting out, and getting to somewhere interesting. The first movie Greta Gerwig directed independently, Lady Bird is smart, compassionate and a high school movie mainstay from here on out.

35. Almost Famous, 2000

Sometimes, high school is characterized not by the things you’re doing, but the things you’d rather be doing. For 15-year-old William (Patrick Fugit) in Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous , that looks like becoming a music writer as soon as humanly possible. When he gets the chance to ditch school for a Rolling Stone assignment and go on the road with Stillwater, a rock band helmed by “guitarist with mystique” Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup), he takes it. Joined by Band-Aids leader and fellow real-world-escaping teen Penny Lane (Kate Hudson, in a Golden Globe-winning performance), Almost Famous is a high school movie in spirit only. But the spirit is definitely there.

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The 24 Best High School Movies That Pair Perfectly With Back-To-School Season

" Footloose " and " He's All That " share many similarities. Both movies portray the high school experience, where teens set out to find themselves and face societal and family challenges. People need someone to relate to, and most can likely relate to experiencing high school drama, stress, self-image issues, and pressure.

I've rounded up some relatable, funny, realistic high-school movies that pair perfectly with the back-to-school season and might just have you standing outside your crush’s house, holding a boombox.

1. Say Anything ...(1989)

Cast: John Cusack, Ione Skye, John Mahoney Director: Cameron Crowe Runtime: 1 hour, 40 minutes Rating: PG-13

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%

Plot via IMDB : A noble underachiever and a beautiful valedictorian fall in love the summer before she goes off to college.

Say Anything ... is a must-see romantic dramedy that sums up the 80's high school experience and has some memorable performances. It remains a timeless classic movie that's emblematic of personal growth and young love.

2. Easy A (2010)

Cast: Emma Stone , Amanda Bynes , Penn Badgley Director: Will Gluck Runtime: 1 hour, 33 minutes Rating: PG-13

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%

Plot via IMDB : When Olive lies to her best friend about losing her virginity to one of the college boys, a girl overhears their conversation. Soon, her story spreads across the entire school like wildfire.

Easy A is a quirky-comedy movie where Emma Stone takes her high-school experience into her own hands and spirals out of control. Even though the film deals with serious issues, the dialogue is edgy and fun.

3. The Edge of Seventeen (2016)

Cast: Hailee Steinfeld, Haley Lu Richardson, Blake Jenner Director: Kelly Fremon Craig Runtime: 1 hour, 45 minutes Rating: R

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

Plot via IMDB : High-school life gets even more unbearable for Nadine when her best friend, Krista, starts dating her older brother.

The Edge of Seventeen sums up the high school coming-of-age experience as it deals with family issues, relationship and friendship problems. The dialogue feels authentic and there's plenty of sharp wit and humor.

4. Booksmart (2019)

Cast: Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, Jessica Williams Director: Olivia Wilde Runtime: 1 hour, 42 minutes Rating: R

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

Plot via IMDB : On the eve of their high-school graduation, two academic superstars and best friends realize they should have worked less and played more. Determined not to fall short of their peers, the girls try to cram four years of fun into one night.

These characters are both endearing and relatable. Like most high school comedy movies, Booksmart is about self-discovery and offers great humor.

5. The Half of It (2020)

Cast: Leah Lewis, Daniel Diemer, Alexxis Lemire Director: Alice Wu Runtime: 1 hour, 45 minutes Rating: PG-13

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%

Plot via IMDB : When smart but cash-strapped teen Ellie Chu agrees to write a love letter for a jock, she doesn't expect to become his friend — or fall for his crush.

The Half of It is a fresh portrayal of high school love and the internal struggles that teenagers experience.

6. She's The Man (2006)

Cast: Amanda Bynes, Laura Ramsey, Channing Tatum Director: Andy Fickman Runtime: 1 hour, 45 minutes Rating: PG-13

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 44%

Plot via IMDB : When her brother decides to ditch for a couple weeks, Viola heads over to his elite boarding school, disguised as him, and proceeds to fall for his school's star soccer player, and soon learns she's not the only one with romantic troubles.

Amanda Bynes shines in this teen comedy and it's heavily entertaining and heartfelt. Every character in this movie is charming and their chemistry is off the charts!

7. Love, Simon (2018)

Cast: Nick Robinson, Jennifer Garner, Josh Duhamel Director: Greg Berlanti Runtime: 1 hour, 50 minutes Rating: PG-13

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%

Plot via IMDB : Simon Spier keeps a huge secret from his family, his friends, and all of his classmates: he's gay. When that secret is threatened, Simon must face everyone and come to terms with his identity.

This movie has so many deep layers, including being true to yourself and grappling with your sexuality. Audiences have connected with Love, Simon, and the meaningful performances.

8. Freaky Friday (2003)

Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, Mark Harmon Director: Mark Waters Runtime: 1 hour, 37 minutes Rating: PG

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%

Plot via IMDB : An overworked mother and her daughter did not get along. When they switch bodies, each is forced to adapt to the other's life for one freaky Friday.

Freaky Friday is a remake from 1976 and even though it's over 20 years old, it still feels fresh and the humor still holds up. It's a great portrayal of the mother-daughter high school relationship and the meaning of family.

9. Honor Society (2022)

Cast: Angourie Rice, Gaten Matarazzo, Christopher Mintz-Plasse Director: Oran Zegman Runtime: 1 hour, 37 minutes Rating: TV-MA

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%

Plot via IMDB : Honor's sole focus is getting into Harvard. Willing to do whatever it takes, Honor concocts a plan to take down her top three competitors, until things take a turn when she unexpectedly falls for her biggest competition.

Honor Society is about the pressures of academics and society. It's a must-see for those who have felt the overwhelming feeling of trying to achieve success and balance high school life.

10. The Princess Diaries (2001)

Cast: Julie Andrews, Anne Hathaway, Hector Elizondo Director: Garry Marshall Runtime: 1 hour, 55 minutes Rating: G

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 49%

Plot via IMDB : Mia Thermopolis has just found out that she is the heir apparent to the throne of Genovia. With her friends Lilly and Michael Moscovitz in tow, she tries to navigate through the rest of her sixteenth year.

At the core of this movie, The Princess Diaries is about transformation and self-acceptance. It's an engaging, fairy-tale-esque story that has resonated with audiences.

11. Footloose (1984)

Cast: Kevin Bacon, Lori Singer, John Lithgow Director: Herbert Ross Runtime: 1 hour, 47 minutes Rating: PG

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 55%

Plot via IMDB : A city teenager moves to a small town where rock music and dancing have been banned, and his rebellious spirit shakes up the populace.

Footloose captures the essence of high school from the 80s and still feels relevant as it's all about youth rebellion and trying to fit in where people are judgemental. The music and fashion trends are definitely another reason this is worth a watch.

12. A Cinderella Story (2004)

Cast: Hilary Duff, Chad Michael Murray, Jennifer Coolidge Director: Mark Rosman Runtime: 1 hour, 35 minutes Rating: PG

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 11%

Plot via IMDB : Routinely exploited by her wicked stepmother, the downtrodden Samantha Montgomery is excited about the prospect of meeting her Internet beau at the school's Halloween dance.

A Cinderella Story is a perfect blend of high school drama, romance, and rebellion. It's one of the better Cinderella -themed movies.

13. All The Bright Places (2020)

Cast: Elle Fanning, Justice Smith, Alexandra Shipp Director: Brett Haley Runtime: 1 hour, 47 minutes Rating: TV-MA

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 65%

Plot via IMDB : The story of Violet and Theodore, who meet and change each other's lives forever. As they struggle with the emotional and physical scars of their past, they discover that even the smallest places and moments can mean something.

All The Bright Places dives deep into the complex themes of mental health and grief. The movie depicts internal battles, acts of compassion, and personal transformations.

14. The Craft: Legacy (2020)

Cast: Cailee Spaeny, Zoey Luna, Gideon Adlon Director: Zoe Lister-Jones Runtime: 1 hour, 37 minutes Rating: PG-13

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 48%

Plot via IMDB : A group of high school students form a coven of witches.

The Craft: Legacy delves into the witchcraft theme, addressing contemporary teen issues and paying homage to the original movie, The Craft.

15. Teen Witch (1990)

Cast: Robyn Lively, Dan Gauthier, Joshua John Miller Director: Dorian Walker Runtime: 1 hour, 45 minutes Rating: PG-13

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 43%

Plot via IMDB : High school misfit Louise, at a loss for romance, discovers magical abilities, but the teenage witch finds that she cannot conjure herself true love, so what?

Teen Witch is an audience favorite because of its quirky music, dialogue, and charm. It dives deep into the narrative of feeling like an outsider but adds a fun fantasy element.

16. Switched (2020)

Cast: Miya Horcher, Madeleine Byrne, Denise Richards Director: John K.D. Graham Runtime: 1 hour, 44 minutes Rating: NR

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 53%

Plot via IMDB : Tired of being bullied, Cassandra Evans prays that her nemesis, Katie Sharp, the queen bee of social media, would know what it's like to walk a day in her shoes. Her prayer is answered in an unexpected way when they get "Switched."

Switched takes on the body-swapping trope and aims to incorporate modern teen issues. It's light-hearted and still addresses the high school, teen-related themes of personal issues and transformation.

17. Spontaneous (2020)

Cast: Katherine Langford, Charlie Plummer, Yvonne Orji Director: Brian Duffield Runtime: 1 hour, 42 minutes Rating: R

Plot via IMDB : Get ready for the outrageous coming-of-age love story about growing up...and blowing up. When students in their school begin exploding (literally), seniors Mara and Dylan struggle to survive in a world where each moment may be their last.

Spontaneous is incredibly engaging because of the unique plot and vulnerable characters. It feels just like high school....plus people explode!

18. School's Out Forever (2021)

Cast: Oscar Kennedy, Liam Lau-Fernandez, Anthony Head Director: Oliver Milburn Runtime: 1 hour, 45 minutes Rating: NR

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 73%

Plot via IMDB : A 15-year old flees to his school after an apocalyptic event.

School's Out Forever is a dark comedy set in a dystopian setting. While it fits in the coming-of-age theme, it's a fresh take on teens experiencing a tough situation in the face of something very unexpected.

19. He's All That (2021)

Cast: Addison Rae, Tanner Buchanan, Madison Pettis Director: Mark Waters Runtime: 1 hour, 31 minutes Rating: TV-14

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 28%

"He's All That" is a high school romantic comedy that delves into the intertwining dynamics of personal growth and relationships. The film portrays the impact of social media on modern-day high school experiences.

20. Moxie (2021)

Cast: Hadley Robinson, Lauren Tsai, Alycia Pascual-Pena Director: Amy Poehler Runtime: 1 hour, 51 minutes Rating: PG-13

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 70%

Moxie is based on the novel by Jennifer Mathieu and is about feminism, empowerment, and societal pressures. It balances humor and drama and is an underrated must-see movie.

21. 21 Jump Street (2012)

Cast: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube Director: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller Runtime: 1 hour, 50 minutes Rating: R

Plot via IMDB : A pair of underachieving cops are sent back to a local high school to blend in and bring down a synthetic drug ring.

21 Jump Street DELIVERS in the humor department and will make you reminisce about high school. Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum deliver outstanding performances.

22. Senior Year (2022)

Cast: Rebel Wilson, Angourie Rice, Mary Holland Director: Alex Hardcastle Runtime: 1 hour, 52 minutes Rating: R

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 23%

Plot via IMDB : A cheerleading stunt gone wrong landed her in a 20-year coma. Now she's 37, newly awake and ready to live out her high school dream: becoming prom queen.

Just like 21 Jump Street, Senior Year is about reliving the high school experience and also explores themes like identity, second chances, and personal relationships.

23. Work It (2020)

Cast: Keiynan Lonsdale, Liza Koshy, Briana Andrade-Gomes Director: Laura Terruso Runtime: 1 hour, 33 minutes Rating: TV-14

Plot via IMDB : When Quinn Ackerman's admission to the college of her dreams depends on her performance at a dance competition, she forms a ragtag group of dancers to take on the best squad in school. Now she just needs to learn how to dance.

Work It is a heartfelt journey that provides a genuine perspective of youth and is great for audiences who are fans of dance movies!

24. Freaky (2020)

Cast: Vince Vaughn, Kathryn Newton, Celeste O'Connor Director: Christopher Landon Runtime: 1 hour, 41 minutes Rating: R

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%

Plot via IMDB : After swapping bodies with a deranged serial killer, a high-school senior discovers that she has fewer than 24 hours before the change becomes permanent.

This horror-comedy is an enjoyable high school slasher with clever humor. It's a refreshing departure from typical, structured coming-of-age films, and the actors deliver engaging performances.

High School High

High School High” opens with a big laugh (“Produced by the producer formerly known as David Zucker ”) and goes downhill. Zucker, associated with the “Naked Gun” movies, wants to do the same thing here for the urban high school genre, but the movie makes two mistakes: (1) It isn’t very funny, and (2) it makes the crucial error of taking its story seriously and angling for a happy ending.

Jon Lovitz stars as Mr. Clark, a teacher at the posh Wellington Academy (the switchboard operator answers the phone with “Are you white?”). He finds himself at the inner- city Marion Barry High School, where on the statue out front the flag has been replaced with a crack pipe. Bumper stickers boast, “Proud Parent of a D-Average Student.” Career Day offers two choices, the Marines or the Michigan Militia.

His only friend in the school is Victoria, played by the fetching Tia Carrere as an optimist who believes in education and even in Mr. Clark. The classroom is the usual collection of rebellious louts, and of course the principal is an uncaring martinet (played by Louise Fletcher , the original Nurse Ratched). But through the help of one student who cares ( Mekhi Phifer ), Clark is able to inspire great changes.

Movies like this depend on wall-to-wall laughs, and more laughs on the back walls. In the best of the genre, almost everything is a joke in one way or another. Here the targets are easy, and after some potshots, the movie begins an inexorable drift into actually trying to follow its plot to its logical conclusion. You get the feeling with some of the Zucker films that after each draft, David he cracked a whip over the writers and said, “More! Fifty percent more gags!” Not here.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

• Mekhi Phifer as Griff
• Jon Lovitz as Clark
• Malinda Williams as Natalie
• Louise Fletcher as Mrs. Doyle
• Tia Carrere as Victoria
• Guillermo Diaz as Paco
• David Zucker
• Robert LoCash

Directed by

• Hart Bochner

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High school musical.

• Common Sense Says
• Parents Say 37 Reviews
• Kids Say 158 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

By Lucy Maher , based on child development research. How do we rate?

A modern-day Grease for tweens.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that High School Musical is a made-for-TV movie that's hugely popular with tweens -- and has spawned its own marketing empire, from CDs to clothes to video games. Its sanitized depiction of high school may not ring true to older teens, but tweens will get strong messages about acceptance…

Why Age 8+?

Part of a gigantic marketing machine fueled by Disney.

Mild flirting, with the teenage leads almost sharing a kiss in the final scene.

"Shake your booty" pops up in song lyrics.

Any Positive Content?

Strong, clear positive messages about being true to yourself and reaching outsid

Gabriella is praised and appreciated for her academic ability. One central chara

No direct educational content, but kids will probably learn lots of song lyrics!

Products & Purchases

Sex, romance & nudity.

Mild flirting, with the teenage leads almost sharing a kiss in the final scene. There's one kiss on the cheek, and Efron is shirtless in one scene.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Positive Messages

Strong, clear positive messages about being true to yourself and reaching outside your comfort zone.

Positive Role Models

Gabriella is praised and appreciated for her academic ability. One central character tries to cheat but eventually sees the error of her ways. The cast is diverse. Troy and his dad exchange some heated words, but they reach an understanding that works for both of them. Characters learn and demonstrate empathy, teamwork, and integrity.

Educational Value

Parents need to know that High School Musical is a made-for-TV movie that's hugely popular with tweens -- and has spawned its own marketing empire, from CDs to clothes to video games. Its sanitized depiction of high school may not ring true to older teens, but tweens will get strong messages about acceptance and being true to yourself -- as well as about supporting your friends when they want to try something new. A father-son relationship is tested when the boy asserts his independence, and there are some near-kisses between the lead couple, but overall this is tame stuff. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Parent and Kid Reviews

• Parents say (37)
• Kids say (158)

Based on 37 parent reviews

AMAZING MOVIE!

What's the story.

Filled with important messages, HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL is an upbeat made-for-TV movie about a pair of teens who, after discovering a mutual love of song, overcome pressure from friends to ditch their newfound hobby. Troy ( Zac Efron ) and Gabriella ( Vanessa Anne Hudgens ) meet when they are paired for a New Year's Eve karaoke contest while vacationing with their families. Once they return to East High, Troy, captain of the school's basketball team, and studious Gabriella, who has just transferred in, find out that they're in the same homeroom class and become friends. And when auditions are announced for the school's musical, the pair decides to try out. Their duet is impressive enough to earn a callback, which sparks the anger of usual lead performers Sharpay Evans ( Ashley Tisdale ) and her brother Ryan ( Lucas Grabeel ). Also unhappy are the members of Gabriella's academic decathlon team, who need her help to win an upcoming match, and Troy's teammates, who have been practicing for an important championship game. Fearful that the pair might choose singing over them, the groups work together to convince Gabriella that Troy is no longer interested in trying out for the play. But once they see how hurtful their actions are, they come clean, and Gabriella and Troy figure out a way to do everything.

Is It Any Good?

What infuses this movie with much of its spunk are Efron's and Hudgens' lively performances; both come across as friendly, well-adjusted, and immensely likable. During the song-and-dance-filled musical numbers -- including "Breaking Free," "Start of Something New," and "We're All in This Together" (all Billboard 100 hits) -- High School Musical sometimes feels more like a music video. The only thing that really detracts from the movie is the sugar-coated way that it portrays issues that regularly cause teens angst, such as entrenched cliques, self-esteem, and peer pressure. The world of High School Musical seems to be right next door to Pleasantville , where everything works out and everyone gets along in the end.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about whether the characters in High School Musical good role models. What do you think the filmmakers want kids to take away from watching this movie?

What are some ways to resist peer pressure? How can teens stand up to friends who belittle their choices or talents?

Why is it important to try new things?

How do the characters in High School Musical demonstrate integrity , empathy , and teamwork ? Why are these important character strengths ?

Movie Details

• In theaters : January 20, 2006
• On DVD or streaming : May 23, 2006
• Cast : Ashley Tisdale , Vanessa Hudgens , Zac Efron
• Director : Kenny Ortega
• Inclusion Information : Gay directors, Female actors, Asian actors
• Studio : Walt Disney Pictures
• Genre : Musical
• Character Strengths : Empathy , Integrity , Teamwork
• Run time : 98 minutes
• MPAA rating : NR
• Award : Common Sense Media Award
• Last updated : August 2, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

What to watch next.

High School Musical 2

Spectacular!

Dance movies, musicals for kids, related topics.

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High School High

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‘Incoming’ Review: Not Another Teen Movie

Freshman engage in some fairly predictable debauchery in this routine high school gross-out comedy streaming on Netflix.

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By Calum Marsh

“Incoming,” a bawdy teen comedy from the directors Dave and John Chernin, opens with a familiar gag: an awkward adolescent boy (Mason Thames) delivers a speech to the camera professing his love, only for a cut to reveal that he’s actually rehearsing in the mirror. In a genre rank with cliché, this is not a very promising start — it suggests that the Chernins, who also penned the screenplay, are satisfied with whatever joke is closest to hand.

The rest of the movie does little to dispel that impression. Its story of high school freshmen navigating a libertine house party follows exactly the trajectory you would expect, with few laughs and even fewer surprises. If there’s a cute girl incoming, she’ll be introduced in a slow motion montage. If a couple leans in for a kiss, they’ll be interrupted by a lewd gag. Will the dork score with the hottie? Will the rowdy teacher get out of hand? Cue the record scratch sound effect!

A generous interpretation is that “Incoming” is derivative as an act of loving homage. In practice, it just feels old hat. The movie is heavily indebted to the teen gross-out comedies of the late 1990s and early 2000s, like “American Pie” and “Van Wilder,” which were themselves indebted to the teen sex comedies of the 1980s, like “Porky’s” and “Screwballs,” and it’s so far from an original idea or point of view that it’s hard to see the point.

All it offers is ribald escalation: Instead of beer bongs, there are lines of ketamine; instead of fart jokes, there’s diarrhea in a Tesla. Maybe that’s progress. But I’d say the filmmakers flunked.

Incoming Rated R for strong language, drug use, sexual innuendo, mild violence and “Porky’s”-style shenanigans. Running time: 1 hour 31 minutes. Watch on Netflix.

Night School Isn't Very Good, but That Isn't Stopping People From Watching It

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• Kevin Hart & Tiffany Haddish join forces in the comedy Night School, showcasing their charismatic talents onscreen.
• Despite lackluster reviews, the film grossed over $103 million at the box office and garnered a solid A- CinemaScore.
• Night School is finding new appreciation on Netflix, climbing the Top 10 Movies list and attracting viewers with its lighthearted humor.

Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish are two of Hollywood's most charismatic and fearless performers, with the talented comedians starring in a slew of critical and commercial knockouts. In 2018, the silver screen superstars joined forces to headline the buddy comedy Night School , in which Hart portrays a man who is forced to go back to school and earn his GED, meeting an array of colorful characters on his mission while also contending with his fiery and eccentric teacher (played by Haddish).

Night School

Not available

While the film went on to become a success at the box office, grossing over $103 million during its theatrical run, critics weren't too kind to the Hart-led project and ended up giving Night School some seriously lackluster reviews.

The comedy currently has a 27% Rotten Tomatoes score and 38% audience score, yet that has stopped the movie from skyrocketing its way to Netflix's top 10 movies list after it became available to watch on the streaming giant. Let's check out what Night School is about and why fans are giving it some newfound appreciation and popularity.

What Is Night School About & Who Stars In It?

Comedy heavy-hitters Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish teamed up to headline the 2018 flick Night School, which follows the Jumanji star as he portrays high school dropout Teddy Walker, who sets out to earn his GED by attending evening classes at his old high school after losing his job as a barbecue grill salesman.

Hoping to find a more lucrative and fulfilling career, Teddy commits himself to finishing his last semester at night school, which is taught by the fierce and unorthodox teacher Carrie Carter. Along with his fellow misfit students, Teddy makes it his mission to overcome his concentration issues and shed his old high school bully image.

Night School features the additional talents of a side-splitting supporting cast including Rob Riggle, Taran Killam, Ben Schwartz, and Romany Malco and was directed by Malcolm D. Lee, who helmed the comedy hits Undercover Brother, Roll Bounce, and Girls Trip .

As Teddy sets out to finally obtain his GED and turn over a new leaf, he discovers that he has learning issues like dyslexia and dyscalculia and is taught new and helpful systems by Carrie to help him overcome the academic hurdles.

Kevin Hart’s 15 Best Movies, Ranked by Rotten Tomatoes

Here's a look at the highest rated films starring Kevin Hart, according to Rotten Tomatoes.

When Night School made its debut in 2018, Hart was riding high on the massive success of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (which grossed nearly a billion dollars at the box office) while Haddish had made an epic name for herself after her scene-stealing performance in Girls Trip , so naturally the studio felt the pair would be comedy gold on the silver screen.

Hart also served as a co-writer and producer for the amusing farce, and it was the first film created under his production company HartBeat Productions. Though the stacked cast and charismatic performances of Hart and Haddish seemingly set the comedy up for success, critics were ultimately less-than-blown away by Night School.

A Commercial Success But Critical Dud

Upon its worldwide premiere on September 28, 2018, Night School garnered mainly negative reviews in large part due to its underwhelming screenplay and convoluted plot, though both Hart and Haddish and the rest of the exciting cast tried to help overcome the uninspired storyline.

Many critics felt that the comedy failed to utilize its stacked performers and that it was working with too many haphazard subplots and contrived elements, all of which ultimately led to Night School earning a lackluster 27% Rotten Tomatoes score.

In spite of the disappointing critical reception, moviegoers were far more kind to the film and awarded it a solid A- CinemaScore and fans of the lead stars helped Night School become a box office success, going on to gross over $103 million during its theatrical run.

The comedy came out on top during its opening weekend and finished first domestically against fellow releases Little Women, Smallfoot, and Hell Fest , performing well within its projected gross range of $25–31 million. Due to its dazzling box office reception, a TV series based on Night School was in development at NBC in 2020 with Josh Seggara and Shanola Hampton attached to star, though the network chose to pass on the project later that year.

Hart & Haddish Can Do Much Better

Though both Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish attempted to make the most of the run-of-the-mill screenplay, their comedic talents were definitely underutilized and the hilarious actors could have knocked it out of the park had they been given stronger material.

The charming Hart has proven time and time again that he can serve up some uproarious performances, doing so in popular flicks like Ride Along, Central Intelligence, and of course the stellar Jumanji franchise . Likewise, Haddish is celebrated for her fiery and fearless attitude and approach to comedy, dazzling fans in films including Girls Trip, Keanu , and Bad Trip.

Night School managed to become the commercial success it was in large part because of the energy and magnetism the two lead comedians bring to the table, and critics couldn't help but note that their collective star power and pizzazz was wasted with the uninspired script.

Rolling Stone was confused how Night School didn't capitalize on the allure of Hart and Haddish, pondering in their review, "Only a fool would say that Hart and Haddish aren't hilarious. But only a dumba** would argue that their new comedy isn't the worst kind of lazy, laughless, paycheck-begging twaddle."

Best Tiffany Haddish Films, Ranked

With the release of her hit Apple TV+ show The Afterparty, we took a closer look at the beloved comedian's best features to date.

The movie failed to become a worthy follow-up to Haddish's knockout Girls Trip outing and marked the beginning of a string of Hart projects that were financially successful but critically underwhelming. Regardless of the lukewarm reception, Hart earned a Teen Choice Award nomination for Choice Comedy Movie Actor for his performance in Night School and he would go on to collaborate with Haddish once again when they both voiced characters in the 2019 blockbuster hit The Secret Life of Pets 2.

Night School Finds New Appreciation on Netflix

Though Night School was unable to win over critics when it first premiered six years ago in theaters, the comedy is finding a new life and appreciation from Netflix subscribers after it became available on the streaming service, steadily making its way to the platform's top 10 movies list and becoming the second most-streamed new release available on the media juggernaut, with the flick's viewership growing each day.

Night School joins the impressive ranks alongside new releases like Inside the Mind of a Dog and Saving Soggy Bottom as well as popular favorites such as The Lorax, White Chicks, and Trolls Band Together.

While Night School is certainly not one of Kevin Hart or Tiffany Haddish's most acclaimed projects, the comedic duo nonetheless did their thing and delivered solid performances that helped elevate the basic comedy and make it appealing to the masses. Netflix fans have flocked to check out the film since it joined the platform and it's because of the comedians' undeniable allure and likability that the movie continues rising in the Top 10 ranks and will likely claim the number one spot.

Night School is the perfect option for some laid-back viewing where audiences can turn off their brains and unwind with some lighthearted humor and hijinks, and it makes for a mindless popcorn movie that fans of the genre and stars will enjoy.

The San Francisco Chronicle accurately declared in a rare positive review for the farce, "There are just enough laughs to make Night School worth it, if you're in the mood. Even when it's not hilarious, there's a comic spirit that's active and never flags, from scene to scene."

• Tiffany Haddish