M

O
V
I
E

T
A
L
K

5 Life Lessons From High School

Movies
· September 15, 2010
by Matt McDaniel
High school is back in session, and everyone headed to the classroom
-- from the incoming freshmen to the returning seniors -- has
questions about the new year. What table should I sit at in the
lunchroom? Who am I going to ask to the prom? Will anything I'm
studying ever be really useful after I graduate?

Thankfully, there is something that can help you find all the answers
you're looking for: high school movies. The characters in these flicks
suffer heartbreak, alienation, and uncertainty about their future so
you don't have to.

Here are some words of wisdom from a handful of the best high
school movies, along with the lessons you can learn from each one.

THE BREAKFAST CLUB (1985)"We're all pretty bizarre. Some

of us are just better at hiding it, that's all." - Andrew Clark (Emilio
Estevez)High school tends to force people to fit into a mold. Some
kids are branded "cool," most are not. But underneath the labels,
everyone has their own quirks. And it took being trapped together in
Saturday detention for the brain, the athlete, the basket case, the
princess, and the criminal of "The Breakfast Club" to see how much
they had in common.

HEATHERS (1989)"If you were happy every day of your life you
wouldn't be a human being. You'd be a game-show host." - Veronica
Sawyer (Winona Ryder)People always say, "High school is the
greatest time of your life." But everyone who's actually in it knows
better. There is the constant pressure to succeed, to fit in, and to think
about the future. So it's okay if you don't feel like high school is so
great. But you definitely shouldn't follow any other examples from the
murderous characters in this movie.

Movie Talk: Where's Winona Ryder? There She Is! >>

10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU (1999)"Just because you're

beautiful doesn't mean you can treat people like they don't matter." -
Cameron James (Joseph Gordon-Levitt)Popularity determines the
pecking order of high school, naturally. And attractiveness plays its
part in deciding who sits on top of the totem pole. But being the
center of attention doesn't give you the right to disrespect others. You
never know what sort of person any of your classmates will grow up to
be, or where you might run into them again after graduation.

MEAN GIRLS (2004)"Calling somebody else fat won't make you

any skinnier. Calling someone stupid doesn't make you any
smarter... All you can do in life is try to solve the problem in front of
you." - Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan)Name-calling. Whispered gossip.
Betrayed trust. They're all standard features of high school
discussions. But what does it really get you? Gaining one friend by
turning on another usually insures you end up with none at all.
There's enough naturally occurring drama in high school interactions;
it's best not to manufacture more.

FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF (1986)"Life moves pretty fast.

You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." -
Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick)Yes, high school is important.
Grades, SAT scores, and extracurricular activities all factor in to
college applications and setting the course for your life. But it's not so
important that you shouldn't allow yourself to have some fun now
and again. That's not to say that skipping school is a good idea
(especially not nine times in a semester), just keep things in
perspective and every so often watch a movie.

Tell us what you learned about high school from the movies >>