After studying for about an hour in Hayes-Healey’s basement on Monday, I decided to take a 10-minute study break. Typically, my break time looks like this:
- I look for classic movies on Tubi or PlutoTV. I’m always looking at movies that were popular 30, 40, even 50 years ago, and these services have the largest collections.
- Click on a movie that looks interesting and take a deeper look. Find out about the actor’s career and related movies. I’ll check out the trailer if you’re interested.
- If I find myself interested in a movie, I make a mental note of it before I go back to work. There will be content for my dining room viewing tomorrow morning.
The movie that caught my attention that Monday night was “Less Than Zero” (1987) starring Andrew McCarthy, fresh off “St. Elmo’s Fire.” (1985), Young Robert Downey Jr., James Spader, Jami Gertz (Find out her net worth, if any). So the plot follows McCarthy, a college freshman who tries to get his local friends Downey and Gertz drunk. The movie looked interesting, but as I studied that night, one question kept popping into my mind. What is the best college movie of all time?
It’s easy to think of three high school movies that are almost universally loved. The Breakfast Club (1985), Dazed and Confused (1993), and Superbad (2007). However, if you try to do the same thing with a college film, it’s much more difficult. For me, “The Social Network” (2010), “Good Will Hunting” (1997) and “Rudy” (1993) immediately came to mind. But “The Social Network” begins with college life, Will from “Good Will Hunting” doesn’t even go to college, and “Rudy” is more of a football movie. College isn’t the real focus of these movies, it’s just part of the plot.
In addition to the films mentioned above, college comedy classics such as “National Lampoon’s Animal House” (1978), “Revenge of the Nerds” (1984), and “Old School” (2003) include memorable scenes. There is, but it is very outdated. What may have once been considered a great college movie is no longer the case. Watch “Animal House” all the way to the end to be justified in leaving the movie alone. Additionally, especially for Notre Dame students, these films focusing on fraternity life bear little resemblance to the college experience. College movies exist, but are there really any great ones?
If I were to design a great college movie, the plot would be: We also have seniors who are struggling to find employment. They are panicking as they realize that the 30-year plan they made on their first day of freshman year is no longer what they wanted. One night, while walking from the library to the dormitory, the student makes a new friend and invites him or her to start a new activity (perhaps writing for the school newspaper). After taking up his hobby, he discovers his true passion, meets his new companions and succeeds in getting a job in the field. Along the way, he overcomes shifting priorities and confronts his upset parents, who initially disapprove of his choices (so many teen movies have used this mean parent trope). Masu). By the end of the film, the main character has found what he wants to do, graduates with a degree, and begins heading into the real world.
Many of my favorite college-related movies, such as Kicking and Screaming (1995) and The Big Chill (1983), reflect on college and the impending “what’s next?” Questions faced by characters with anxiety. However, this anxiety about the future is just as real during college, and the film could show that this is a critical time for human development. Funnily enough, for me, the movie that most closely resembles this college experience is Pitch Perfect (2012). College students don’t have all the answers. far cry. By highlighting the confusion about what happens next, you can show that the student is trying to use their college experience to find their passion.
I’ll be honest, I haven’t seen every college movie in existence. If we’ve missed a great college movie, please let us know. We are always looking for movie suggestions! However, if you browse the movie during a study break like I did, you’ll find that the movie focuses more on the transformation of the high school years than the college years. Although there are many college movies out there, the title of the best college movie of all time still gets a lot of attention. Now all you have to do is wait for it to be made.
