Of all the film genres around, that of the high-school movie is arguably the best. The cliques, the slang, the youthful insouciance – nothing can match it. That familiar gang of characters you return to again and again, from the iconoclastic overachiever to the posse of best friends and queen bees. These movies are universally relatable. We’ve all been through school and experienced the awkwardness of not fitting in or the joy of meeting new friends (although sadly our art classes weren’t directed by Wes Anderson). In films about school, the students have an armour of youthful invincibility. This is their first love, their first moment of rebellion, and their whole lives are ahead of them, latent with possibility. Then there’s the poignancy, the sense of rehearsing for real life, the growth of self-knowledge and self-esteem. These are movies about school, certainly, but they’re also about a much larger kind of education.
Election
This 1999 biting satire of school politics sees Reese Witherspoon as Tracey Flick, an earnest and neurotic student with an enviable preppy wardrobe. Matthew Broderick stars as Jim McAllister, a popular teacher embittered after the fallout of his best friend’s affair with Tracey. Based on a novel of the same name by Tom Perrotta, this tense school election was inspired by the 1992 Bush vs. Clinton election campaign (which means watching it almost counts as History homework). Director Alexander Payne specifically had Broderick in mind for the teacher role because he felt it would be ironic to have the actor who played Ferris Bueller play an older, establishment figure.
Heathers
Before Clueless, before Mean Girls, before a thousand movies paying tribute to the cult of the cool girl cliques, there was Heathers. Released in 1989, it charts the life of Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder) as she is inducted into the popular group of Heathers – Heather Chandler, Heather Duke and Heather McNamara. Like Regina George and the Plastics, the Heathers make enemies. Unlike the Plastics, however, they meet far more gruesome ends. So much about this gleefully dark comedy is iconic that you’ll definitely need to re-watch it. The shoulder pads, the checked school skirts, the croquet, the trippy visuals – and let’s not forget the dialogue. Here are the girls who coined ‘So very’ (a forerunner of ‘so fetch’) and who delivered this blinding putdown: ‘Did you have a brain tumour for breakfast?’
Clueless
Almost all movies set in LA depict unobtainable lifestyles, and Clueless is no exception. Cher Horowitz, our heroine, has a wardrobe of Calvin Klein dresses and Alaia accessories, lives in a mansion and even negotiates her C+ up to an A- when she isn’t happy with her grade. Directed by Amy Heckerling, who described the film’s aesthetic as a ‘hyper-pastel fantasy palace’, the movie is loosely based on Jane Austen’s Emma. Cher may be most fondly remembered for her definitive style, such as the yellow plaid suit shown below (in total there are 53 types of plaid in this movie!), but she also, despite her ditziness, has a heart of gold. She may not be able to pronounce ‘Haitians’, but she sure knows how to welcome them: ‘If the government could just get to the kitchen, rearrange some things, we could certainly party with the Haitians. And in conclusion may I please remind you it does not say R.S.V.P. on the Statue of Liberty. Thank you very much.’ Wise words.
10 Things I Hate About You
Like Clueless, 10 Things I Hate About You also takes inspiration from literature. The plot is based on Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, although this 1999 film is set in Seattle, USA instead of Pauda, Italy. It remains most notable for the wonderful casting of Heath Ledger as ‘bad boy’ Patrick Verona and for the scene in Kat’s English class. Kat, played by Julia Stiles, reads out a poem about her heartbreak, cries and flees the classroom. Could you imagine ever reading out the lines ‘I hate the way you make me laugh/Even worse when you make me cry’ in front of your teacher? Us neither.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
This is arguably not actually a film about school, but rather about the joys of bunking off. We are in no way condoning truancy, but if you are ever going to take a day off and cut class, then this is the way to do it. Filmed in Chicago and released in 1986, the story follows Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick), along with his girlfriend Sloane and best friend Cameron, as they drive around in a Ferrari, dining out, seeing the sights and crashing a parade. A special shout out goes to Ben Stein who plays the droning economics teacher. Stein was not an actor by profession, but rather a Yale-educated lawyer who worked for Presidents Nixon and Ford.
An Education
This 2009 film is based on the memoir of British journalist Lynn Barber. Barber is a tour-de-force – a gumptious, free-spirited Oxford graduate who famously dated Howard Marks, a fellow Oxonian and physics student who gained notoriety as ‘Mr Nice’, one of the most famous cannabis dealers in history. Before this scandal, however, she was just a young school girl from South London with hopes of studying English at university. Until, that is, she fell in love with an older man. This is a movie about the despondency one feels at being trapped in school and waiting for life to begin, and the redemption offered by brilliant teachers when not everything goes to plan.
The History Boys
Based on Alan Bennett’s award winning play, this 2006 film is infinitely quotable and endlessly charming. It’s also essential viewing for anyone applying to Oxbridge. It features bold history teachers, challenging commonly-held opinions and encouraging the use of ‘gobbits’. French classes are spent acting out scenes from trenches and brothels, and a period of General Studies involves singing popular film tunes by the piano and reciting poetry. Dominic Cooper also stars as the impossibly suave Dakin. Need I say more?
Dead Poets Society
Set in an elite boarding school in America, Dead Poets Society follows a class of boys inspired by their new English teacher, John Keating (Robin Williams). He challenges the school’s culture of conformity, telling his class to ‘make their lives extraordinary.’ It transpires that he was part of the Dead Poets Society during his time as a student at the school, and some of his students reinstate the secret club, escaping into the school grounds at night to recite poetry. The ending of the film is ultimately tragic, but it inspires a strong message: to challenge authority and chase your dreams. Be sure to watch out for a rousing rendition of Walt Whitman’s ‘O Captain, My Captain’, as well as numerous other literary references, from Thoreau and Tennyson to Shakespeare and Byron.
Rushmore
Jason Schwartzman plays Max Fischer, an over-achieving yet academically inept scholarship student at Rushmore Academy, wise beyond his years and harbouring a huge crush on teacher Rosemary. This is a film about first loves and rejections, the difficulties of starting at a new school and the unexpected friendships forged between adults and children. It’s also expertly shot in the gloriously iconic style of Wes Anderson, with a rich colour palette that evokes an environment of heightened reality. It’s reported that Bill Murray wanted to be in the movie so much that he even considered starring in it for free.