BEST BACK TO SCHOOL MOVIES
“Mr. Belvedere Goes to College” (1949) Leading off a Turner Classic Movies “Back to School” night Wednesday, Sept. 9, this comedy casts Clifton Webb in his earlier “Sitting Pretty” role – this time as a much-older-than-usual college freshman. Shirley Temple plays a widowed classmate. “Blackboard Jungle” (1955) Teacher (Glenn Ford) gives – and gets – a lot of dirty looks in screenwriterdirector Richatd Brooks’ incendiary drama, with Vic Morrow as an especially tough character among the inner-city students. Sidney Poitier also stars in the film that helped make Bill Haley and the Comets’ “Rock Around the Clock” iconic.
“American Graffiti” (1973) Technically, this George Lucas-directed classic is a graduation-night movie rather than a back-to-school movie ... but new grads Curt and Steve (Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard) do return to those hallways during a dance.
“Carrie” (1976) Think twice about taking her to the prom. And if you end up going, don’t make her mad there. Such are the lessons of the first Stephen King novel adapted for the screen, with Sissy Spacek in the title role.
“Grease” (1978) After their “Summer Lovin’,” Danny and Sandy (John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John) are hugely surprised to be reunited at Rydell High in this massively fun version of the stage musical.
“Fame” (1980) Students of New York’s High School of the Performing Arts take to the streets as well as the classrooms in director Alan Parker’s energetic musicaldrama. “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” (1982) Cameron Crowe’s great script fuels this highly entertaining comedy, with Sean Penn a standout as surfer dude Jeff Spicoli ... who has a pizza delivered to him in class.
“Risky Business” (1983) Straight-arrow student Joel (Tom Cruise) gets a big lesson in business when he joins forces with a prostitute (Rebecca DeMornay) to make a financial killing in one night. “The Breakfast Club” (1985) You can’t do a list of great school movies without this. Writer-director John Hughes gives Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Emilio Estevez and Anthony Michael Hall an unforgettable detention. “Back to School” (1986) What movie is more appropriate for a back-to-school list than this? Rodney Dangerfield is hilarious as a clothing-store tycoon who decides to join his son (Keith Gordon) on the path of higher education.
“Summer School” (1987) Though he’d much rather be in Hawaii, a gym teacher (Mark Harmon) is placed in charge of summer sessions for a grade-challenged group in this Carl Reiner-directed comedy.
“Heathers” (1988) A high school is nasty for many students – including several popular teens all named Heather – when a dangerous rebel (Christian Slater) transfers there. “Election” (1999) Overtly ambitious Tracy (Reese Witherspoon) wants nothing more than to be class president, but a teacher (Matthew Broderick) wants nothing more than to foil her. “Dead Poets Society” (1989) An English teacher’s (Robin Williams) offbeat approach deeply inspires his private-school students in director Peter Weir’s fine drama. “School of Rock” (2003) A musician (Jack Black) applies the lessons he’s learned from having been a band member to his new job as a substitute teacher.
“Mean Girls” (2004) The Tina Fey-written comedy casts Lindsay Lohan as a student who decides to take down the not-very-nice clique known as The Plastics from the inside.