Teen movies are produced so often they mandate their own genre. But despite the wealth of films about high school, only a few focus on its conclusion. So we decided to commemorate graduation season by naming the top-10 films about the end of high school. In order to be considered for the list, the majority of a film’s principle action had to take place between the beginning of senior year and the beginning of college.
10.) Orange County
Orange County could have aptly been subtitled “Murphy’s Law and the College Application Process.” The film speaks to the anxiety of getting into the right college, but more importantly, it explores finding the right fit. Though the jokes are just slightly above par, and the plot turns highly implausible, this is definitely a good, mindless film to watch only after you’ve gotten into your college of choice.
9.) Can’t Hardly Wait
Can’t Hardly Wait is the product of taking every high school stereotype, handing them each a diploma, and then shaking them up in box filled with pop music. On the surface, the premise is pretty clichéd, but the result isn’t as trifling. Filled with last-minute high school revelations that few real high school graduates have the moxie to confess, Can’t Hardly Wait is a fun romp through the 11th hour of childhood.
8.) American Pie
If we were ranking solely on cultural impact, American Pie may well have appeared a lot higher on our list. Even still, it’s considered by many to be the teen comedy of the 90s, a fresh version of 1982’s Porky’s, but with much more heart. Four seniors vow to lose their virginity by graduation but find the journey was worth more than the destination. With belly laughs and cringeworthy moments that almost hold up as well as they did in 1999, American Pie shouldn’t be missed if for no other reason than because “this one time, at band camp…”
7.) Grease
Grease is the original High School Musical and puts its successor to shame in every possible way. The juxtaposition of candy pop music and sexual tension is amusing even 30 years after its theatrical release, though many who watched it as a child will have missed the flick’s overt sexuality. At its core, Grease is both a senior-year romance set to a terrific soundtrack and a lighthearted portrait of timeless teenage drama.
6.) Ghost World
Based on the underground comic book by the same name, Ghost World has the distinction of being the only movie on this list featuring a female protagonist. It also has the distinction of being substantially more sophisticated than its cousins in the teen comedy genre, thanks in part to an endearing performance by oddball Steve Buscemi. Exploring the relationship of a near-recent high school graduate who needs one art credit to secure her diploma and an older, flaky record connoisseur (Buscemi), Ghost World is a surprisingly poignant commentary on non-conformity. In other words, it’s the antidote to American Pie.
5.) The History Boys
Adapted from the stage play by Alan Bennet, The History Boys is about a group of English, working class boys and their eccentric yet lovable teacher of humanities who’s at odds with the headmaster over how to prepare the students for their entrance exams at Oxford and Cambridge. At first glance, the trailer for the film feels like a Dead Poet’s Society set in the 80’s. But don’t be fooled…there’s a darker current running through this film. Hector, the humanities teacher, is the ideal educator—inspirational, unorthodox, and captivating—but he’s also guilty of inappropriately touching his students. The moral quandary begs the audience to reconcile their adoration and disgust, which will likely take long after the credits to resolve. If for no other reason, you owe it to yourself to see this film solely for the masterful screenplay that is said to follow the stage version fairly closely. The dialogue in and outside the classroom is both eloquent and crass and almost always thought provoking.
4.) Risky Business
Credited with simultaneously popularizing Tom Cruise and the “button-up with a pair of socks” Halloween costume, Risky Business was a risky venture in and of itself. While most teen films of the early 80’s began to lean toward the sex comedy, Risky Business maintained its integrity with some dramatic roots that are most prevalent in the film’s melancholy ending. Younger audiences will recognize its influence in 2004’s The Girl Next Door, which would have appeared at the bottom of this list if it weren’t for Risky Business’ contribution to the genre and Tom Cruise’s career.
3.) American Graffiti
George Lucas co-wrote and directed American Graffiti, a film so commercially successful a portion of its proceeds went on to fund his forthcoming space opera—Star Wars. But more than a commercial success, American Graffiti found acclaim from a number of critics who admired the film for its nonlinear narrative style and nostalgic soundtrack that’s arguably as good as (if not better than) the film itself. The plot revolves around the exploits of two high school graduates and their long-time friends the night before they head off to college in 1962. Perhaps what’s most remarkable is the film’s ability to conjure a sense of nostalgia for an era most of its audience never experienced.
2.) Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Thank God Mathew Broderick played a high school senior in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off because otherwise this list wouldn’t have included a single John Hughes film. Luckily, this list includes what is arguably his best, second only to perhaps The Breakfast Club. Essayist Steve Almond writes in a love letter to the film, “Hughes performed an astounding ontological feat. He lured viewers into embracing his film as an escapist farce, then hit them with a pitch-perfect exploration of teen angst. He snuck genuine art past the multiplex censors.” It’s the story of one last hurrah before the end of high school, sure, but like Almond says, it’s also so much more.
1.) Say Anything
Depending on the critic, Say Anything is either a clichéd teen romance with hackneyed dialogue and a melodramatic plotline or it’s an intelligent, smartly written coming of age romance that perfectly captures the twilight of childhood. To be honest, it’s a little bit of both. Anyone who says otherwise simply refuses to embrace the fact idea that a good film can be born out of the dichotomy between the two. Lloyd, played by a timelessly charismatic John Cusak, romances the beautiful class valedictorian, Diane, the summer after graduation. It’s a reckless affair for Diane, who receives a scholarship to go to college in England and whose father has been accused of embezzling from the family-owned nursing home, a claim he fervently denies. Ultimately, Diane must balance her relationship with her father and her hopelessly devoted boyfriend all while knowing she must leave both at the end of summer. It’s an irresistibly charming and smart film that is as much fantasy as it is reality, but an experience with which most every love torn graduate can empathize.
