Even though it doesn’t feel like it, summer (and graduation for seniors) is becoming visible, waiting for us as we approach the finish line. With summer in mind, the most iconic high school movies of the 80’s are brought up in the same line of thinking. So, without further ado, here is a definitive list of the best John Hughes high school movies (I’ve left out the mediocre ones), ranked from worst to best, so that you can watch them before the school year draws to a close.
- Pretty in Pink
I’ve seen this movie at least seven times and I change my opinion of it, particularly of the ending, each time. This is a movie about a wishy washy upper class boy, tending to care more about the perceptions of his friends than his own feelings, who falls for a lower class girl that happens to be too good for him. With a memorable soundtrack featuring the best bands of the 80s and the ability to make you laugh and cry (characteristic of any John Hughes film), I would recommend this movie to anyone who doesn’t shy away from the forbidden love trope.
- Sixteen Candles
While incredibly unrealistic, this movie brings forth several opportunities for laughter as well as oozes every bit of the 80’s and what it’s like to be in high school- at least, what we all wish it was like to be in high school, as I can all but promise everyone reading this that your crush will not fall in love with you purely because they notice you staring at them. Despite its penchant toward the improbable, this movie is fun and you’ll likely want to watch it again and again.
- Weird Science
Though I’m embarrassed to admit it, I’ve never seen this movie, so I’ll have to take my own advice to watch this one before the school year ends. However, I have it on good authority from several parties that this is a funny and mindless movie that should definitely be seen and enjoyed. So, you can take their word for it and I guess I will too.
- The Breakfast Club
Still holding up today, this movie is probably the most realistic on the list and an accurate representation of the different personalities you may find through the halls of school. The beauty of this movie is that it shows that representatives from every group or clique in school have the ability to come together as friends, because no one is that different from everyone else. This movie will teach you that everyone struggles, even people whose lives you’d originally deemed as shining images of perfection. This is a movie that I recommend to every single person because everyone will surely get something out of it.
- Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
The crème de la crème, the prime teen movie and mother of all John Hughes films, Ferris Bueller’s day off. If you’ve ever had a teacher say, “Bueller?” after saying someone’s name in attendance, I can tell you with the proudest certainty that this movie is where that reference stems from my friend, and many more for that matter. The story features a universally beloved high school student and his two friends as they play hooky from school and make their mark in Chicago. Funny and unpredictable, this movie is one that anybody with senioritis or a general hankering to get out of school can surely appreciate, thereby making it the perfect movie to watch just before summer break.
High school doesn’t last very long, which makes some people smile and others frown. No matter who you are, though, or how you perceive these four years, any and all of John Hughes high school movies can be a surefire source of joy for you.