5 Best 80's Movies About High School

I wasn't in high school in the 80's, which means that I was especially fascinated with movies that featured high school. As a middle schooler, I used those movies as a way to help me research what life would be like once I became a 9th grader.

Of course, I didn't realize it was an idealized version of what high school really was like. I watched these movies over and they're still amongst my favorites.


Breakfast Club

It was clear that the group didn't like each other when detention first began. It was so fun watching all that change. Things were silly, angry, and often very emotional. It was fun watching the unlikely friendships form right in front of our eyes.

Sixteen Candles

Who didn't dream of being with the popular senior in high school? Actually, I am not sure I did, but watching a crush turn into a serious romance was, for me, the ultimate high school experience. After all, shouldn't your sixteenth birthday be extra special?

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

More a dance movie than a high school one, this flick had it all - friendship, romance, dancing, and following your dreams. She lived her dream of becoming a dancer, and she even got the guy in the end!

Pretty in Pink

It was so fun watching Molly Ringwald play a girl who eventually got the guy she wanted - but what I really loved in this film were the clothes - and my heart ached for Duckie, who most certainly didn't get the girl. It was High School at its best!

Footloose

Frankly, I found the chip on his shoulder to be a little annoying, but I do love how he single handedly changed people's minds in the town about dancing. I still can't figure out why they decided dancing was bad in the first place, but all the dance scenes in this flick were memorable and entertaining.

I've watched all of these movies more than five times, and I am not done yet! I always watch them when I need something to make me smile.