23 High School Movies That Get The Passing Grade

Considering it’s where most of us (bar the weird home-schooled kids) spend our crucial formative years, where we have our first fights, our first loves, our first tentative steps into adulthood, it’s no surprise that high school has long been a popular setting for movies. A range of genres (though generally leaning towards comedy) have taken place in those hallways, particularly from the 1980s onwards, when John Hughes, among others, made an entire career out of the lives and loves of 15-18 year olds.

The latest film to head back to class is “21 Jump Street” (review here) the big-screen reboot of the ’80s TV show, which stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum as youthful-looking cops who are sent back to high school in order to bust a drug-running ring. While you might assume this to be another lazy remake, you’d be very wrong, as Tatum, Hill, co-writer Michael Bacall, and directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller have turned out one of the most entertaining films of the year so far, by quite some measure.

As such, it seemed to be a good opportunity to dip into the history of the genre, so below, we’ve run down some of the finest examples (and one or two less shining ones, that are nevetheless crucial in the development of the archetype) of the high school movie. Have a look, and pay attention; there will be a test later…

“The Blackboard Jungle” (1955)
Today best known as the movie that brought rock’n’ roll to the movie theaters, thanks to Bill Haley and the Comets‘ “Rock Around The Clock” (legendarily, and possibly apocryphally, causing audiences to dance and riot in the aisles), “The Blackboard Jungle” does not, it should be said, hold up especially well. Adapted by director Richard Brooks (“Cat On A Hot Tin Roof,” “In Cold Blood“) from a best-selling novel, it’s a reactionary, virtually hysterical melodrama about a good-hearted teacher (Glenn Ford) who attempts to tame a class of near-feral inner-city school kids, and their psychotic leader Artie (Vic West). Brooks lenses it moodily, but the film is pure fearmongering (albeit with a liberal redemptive ending), and has dated very poorly, right down to Anne Francis‘ “I’m a silly woman, don’t listen to me” schtick. But it’s worth watching for one reason in particular: the fiery turn from Sidney Poitier, in his breakout role as the provocative, troubled kid with a hidden talent for music. It’s a rote role, but a star is born the second Poitier steps on screen. [C-]

“The Last Picture Show” (1971)
Anyone who’s read the excellent book “Easy Riders, Raging Bulls” (and seen its subsequent documentary adaptation) knows that director Peter Bogdanovich was once the toast of Hollywood during the ‘70s glory days, and much of it has to do with this fantastic and frank coming of age tale set in a small, desolate Texas town. Though the film is more about things coming to an end (the title refers to the local movie theater that’s closing down) and the inevitable tides of change that happen as one grows up, it’s ostensibly a high school movie as well. Once of the best in fact, mostly because of its honesty. “The Last Picture Show” would be much more sad and difficult to watch were it not for the ace casting (Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd, Ellen Burstyn, Ben Johnson, Cloris Leachman, Clu Gulager, Randy Quaid) and impeccable black and white cinematography by Robert Surtees that perfectly captures the dusty and decrepit feel of this small town. Bogdanovich would continue his reign throughout the decade with the even better “Paper Moon” and many other loving odes to past cinema (in many ways he’s a precursor to Quentin Tarantino and his modern day ilk), but ‘Last Picture’ is one of the true gems of the best decade in film history. [A]

“American Graffiti” (1973)
A decent amount of people hold this one very dear to their hearts, but to be honest, the majority likely know this as the lone anomaly in George Lucas‘s directorial career — the only one that doesn’t just refrain from fantasy, but actively forces reality on its protagonists. ‘Graffiti’ follows a very likable cast (including Richard Dreyfuss and the Garry Marshall dream-team Ron Howard and Cindy Williams) on the final night before the gang goes off to college, mining both drama and comedy from everyone’s first big, reluctant step into adulthood. Lucas, who has been criticized for hokey emotional moments and wooden acting in his most recent work, manages to nail not only the ’60s atmosphere but also the free-spirit nature of being a teenager. While having a car as a young ‘un is certainly a responsibility, it also offers a sense of freedom and endless possibilities, a feeling that the movie relishes in — driving around aimlessly never meant so much than to a bored high school student. That said, it’s not the most compelling thing to watch (it can get quite chatty at times) but the monotony of interior-car-scenes are thankfully broken up by some incredibly sincere, heartbreaking moments, including one where Dreyfuss catches a teacher/mentor engaging in a questionable act with a student. In many ways, the real world is thrust upon us with little warning, something that everyone in the movie eventually comes to terms with whether they like it or not. As the credits roll, the issue of Greedo shooting first becomes incredibly irrelevant. Instead, let’s badger George into getting back the heart he showed here. [B]

“Carrie” (1976)
The horrors of going through puberty in a hormone-infested institution full of your peers can be related to by more than most, but it takes the special combination of Stephen King and Brian De Palma to come up with a horror film that’s both as terrifying and deeply felt as “Carrie.” Based on King’s debut novel, it opens with oddball Carrie White (an Oscar-nominated Sissy Spacek) getting her first period (something her monstrous, fundamentalist Christian mother — Piper Laurie — never prepared her for) in the shower, and being tormented by her classmates as a result. As it turns out, Carrie has telekenetic powers so this, and their subsequent prom prank, turns out to be something of a mistake. De Palma brings all his Hitchcockian skills to racking up the tension, but crucially, it’s his empathy with his central character (De Palma’s abilities as a director of women are still underrated) that makes Carrie into a classic, pitiable yet terrifying movie monster that can hold court next to Boris Karloff‘s Dracula and Lon Chaney‘s Wolf Man. One could argue that the film’s dated a little over the past twenty-five years, but it’s still an enormously involving watch and one of the very greatest horror films. [A]

“Grease” (1978)
A raucous, occasionally air-headed but thoroughly heartfelt celebration of the carefree follies of youth, the Randall Kleiser-directed adaptation of Warren Casey and Jim Jacobs‘s 1971 musical remains equally charming to this day. A spry, young John Travolta makes for a spirited Danny Zuko, a greaser harboring a gentle soul and carrying a torch for Sandy (Olivia Newton-John), a polite, conservative young woman whose values will be tested. Beloved for its musical interludes (which remain surprisingly raunchy to this day — “Greased Lightnin’” has some choice zingers), “Grease” should be equally lauded for its strong supporting cast (including Stockard Channing and Jeff Conaway) and an un-neutered, almost artful breakdown of teenage sexuality and social mechanics. It’s a smarter film than it seems and its faults are few and far between (a rushed ending is a minor one) — a predictable fairy tale with clear-cut good and bad guys, but also a feel-good attitude that is certain to remind older viewers of looking at the world and thinking you could do anything, of stretching out your wings before they were clipped. A memorable, sugary classic. [A-]