Back to School

Best days of your life? With exams over and the start of a new term Cult Classics reminisces and presents a guide to the High School Movie. No talking at the back.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)

Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it’. That’s the philosophy at the centre of this coming of age drama cunningly disguised as a high school comedy.

Ferris, played brilliantly by Matthew Broderick, is a popular student nearing the end of his time at high school. As the drudgery of adult life approaches he strikes out in an extravagant day of truancy, taking with him his girlfriend Sloane, and miserable best friend Cameron. Led by the seemingly all-powerful Bueller they hit Chicago and enjoy an action packed day of fun, culture and avoiding being caught.

Left in his wake are his parents who believe their little angel lies poorly at home, his sister Jeannie who despises him for his ability to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes, his headmaster Mr Rooney who is determined to catch Bueller bunking school, and a growing campaign to ‘Save Ferris’ from various horrific illnesses. Though the title character is the main focus for the film, he is arguably merely the catalyst in the coming of age stories of Cameron and Jeannie.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is a film in which every scene offers more than just a link in the story, as not one goes to waste in making the viewer either smile or stop and think. Add in an early performance by Charlie Sheen and a perfectly sculpted script and you’ve got yourself one of the best films of the eighties.

Steve Myerscough

Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

Napoleon Dynamite is a refreshing celebration of all things geek in a high school world dominated by the lives of cheerleaders and jocks.

The story, although more like a string of seemingly unconnected events, follows Napoleon (Jon Heder) in his day-to-day life; a hilarious blend of solo tetherball, Rex-Quan-Do, tater tots and nunchuck skills.

Napoleon is aided by new, and perhaps only, friend Pedro and older, yet equally socially lacking, brother Kip who spends his time chatting online to babes. Add to the mix a dysfunctional family consisting of 80’s throwback Uncle Rico and a Grandma hospitalised in a quad biking accident and you have a recipe for a baffling, yet thoroughly enjoyable, ninety minutes. There is some attempt at a plot with Napoleon’s unrequited love for girl next-door Deb, only in the world of geek could “I like your sleeves, they’re real big” spark romance.

Heder’s deadpan style takes nerd to a new level, yet there is a hidden depth to Napoleon’s seemingly emotionless character. The scene where he and several other students sign language to Some Say Love needs no introduction and stands alone, a testament that beauty can be found everywhere.

A film about true friendship, Napoleon unforgettably busts some killer moves to help Pedro win his bid for school president and raise the film to cult classic status. Never again will you be able to listen to Canned Heat without smiling.

Laura Gibbons

Animal House (1978)

We all know that the best approach to University is to use it as a time for study, a time for maturing, a segue from our sheltered adolescence into the fast paced world of work and adulthood. Alternatively you could take the Animal House approach and flunk your exams, drink like a fish, kill a horse and much, much more.

Animal House is a dream of a movie and the most joyous indication of what happens when you forget your inhibitions. Take the following scenario: You’re at a party, some long haired numpty is brandishing an acoustic guitar and regaling everyone with a godawful, Jack Johnson-style number, about his gap year working in Taiwan as a wet nurse for baby animals. We listen respectfully, commenting on his ‘deep’ lyrics, while secretly longing for an ideal world where that guitar would be turned into firewood with one swift smashing motion. We can only dream, but Animal House is this ideal world.

The plot, like the character’s work ethic, is non-existent, party wild fraternity Delta House get expelled after a series of pranks and failed exams. They then set out for revenge, sticking it to the uptight dean, meat-head jocks and prissy cheerleaders. This culminates brilliantly in the film’s anarchic finale.

The undisputed star is hard drinking, party-loving Bluto, played by hard drinking, party-loving John Belushi. On top of this it has Donald Sutherland as a pot smoking, philandering lecturer, some mild molestation and a toga party. Now isn’t that what higher education is all about?

Tom Brookes

The Rules Of Attraction (2002)

If you were to argue that high school movies were full of clichés and incredibly tedious plot lines, not many people would be able to think of an example to prove you wrong, unless of course you have seen The Rules of Attraction.

There aren’t many films that can get away with being too artistic, yet the attention to detail, the breath taking cinematics and the unique take on college life in the film manage to pull it off.

Based on the best selling novel of controversial writer Bret Easton Ellis (author of American Psycho), The Rules of Attraction is set at Camden, an arts college based in New England. The story follows the interlocking love lives of three affluent students, locked in the middle of the alcohol and drug induced parties that take place on campus. The shocking ups and downs never cease as each character’s story is narrated individually (most people will remember the scene where character Victor narrates his entire trip to Europe in about 2 minutes!)

With main character Sean Bateman being the brother of Patrick Bateman (from American Psycho) you know that the course of events will not be easy!

This satirical taste of the life the students experience is often hilarious, but never without a serious consequence, which leaves a bitter aftertaste from the imprint created by this corrupt way of existing. The Rules of Attraction is that high school movie that is so different it deserves to have an entire classification to itself.

Gareth Mogg

Donnie Darko (2001)

Donnie Darko is a little weird. He sleepwalks, he’s on medication and a giant bunny called Frank has told him the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds. But for someone who has to figure out how to save the world Donnie is a surprisingly normal high school kid and this is what makes Donnie Darko such an engrossing film.

Donnie has to endure a lot throughout the film, not least finding a way to transport himself back through time in an attempt to save the planet from total annihilation. But he is no cinematic superhero, on top of this he has to contend with school bullies, a family that doesn’t understand him and of course, girl trouble. It’s this grounding in the real world that makes Donnie such a great character, he’s neither a ‘jock’ nor a ‘nerd’, he doesn’t enjoy school but he doesn’t hate it, he’s just an average guy.

The film is helped in no small part by some fantastic performances, notably Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal in breakout roles as bickering brother and sister Donnie and Elizabeth Darko. However the real star is 80’s heart-throb Patrick Swayze who plays Jim Cunningham a cheery self-help guru with a very sinister secret.

While many high school movies will rely on clichés and toilet humour, Donnie Darko is dark, thought provoking and punctuated by moments of fantastic black comedy. Not a typical high school movie in any way, but still a mesmerising and ultimately very touching cult classic about the turbulence of adolescence. And time travel.

Marty McQueen