The Quick Report

10 Movies To Watch To Beat The Back-To-School Blues

Summer is coming to an end and the students and teachers are back in school. But just because school is back in session doesn’t mean we can’t still have fun! Here are ten movies that will make you excited to learn.

10. Billy Madison

Adam Sandler in Billy Madison
Universal Pictures

Billy Madison is about the spoiled son of a wealthy businessman who has to go back to elementary and high school to prove he can run the family business. This movie certainly did not age well. But it’s a fun film to watch if you are able to turn your brain off and enjoy it.

9. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Paramount pictures

This film is perfect for students who wish they could play hooky from the first day of school, steal a car, and impersonate the Sausage King of Chicago. It tells the story of a charming slacker who gets his best friend and girlfriend to skip school with him so they can go on a grand adventure through the city. 

8. Grease 2

Grease 2
Paramount Pictures

Okay, I know what you’re thinking. Why would I put Grease 2 and not its predecessor on this list? Well, Grease 2 is the only one of the two that has the song “Back to School Again,” and Grease already gets enough love. This movie may be cheesy, but the songs are great, the acting is campy, and it deserves just as much praise as the first one.

7. Superbad

Michael Cera Standing Awkwardly With A Back Pack
Columbia Pictures

You just got to love Superbad. Sure, like Billy Madison it did not age well. And the human canker sore known as Jonah Hill is in it. But the performances of Bill Hader, Seth Rogan and Christopher Mintz-Plasse bring an endearing and iconic charm to this tale of two high school boys pursuing the objects of their affections before going off to college. That being said, don’t try to get women drunk to hook up with them. It’s gross.

6. Book Smart

Booksmart
Gloria Sanchez Productions

Book Smart is kind of like Superbad but for smart people. And even though Jonah Hill is a human canker sore, his younger sister Beanie Feldman brings a lot of charm to this film. This movie is about two friends who spent their entire high school career studying and planning for college, so they decide to attend one wild party before they go off to their respective universities.

5. Matilda

A little girl talking to her teacher as a jug of water floats
Tristar Pictures

There are some raunchy movies on this list. So let’s balance that out with an incredibly wholesome movie. Matilda tells the story of an exceptional young girl whose desire to learn and free herself from her cruel family manifests itself into fantastic telekinetic powers. This movie really will reignite one’s love for learning.

4. Clueless

Alicia Silverstone Brittany Murphy Stacey Dash
Alicia Silverstone Brittany Murphy Stacey Dash

From this point, all the films on this list are going to be modern adaptations of classic literature. Instead of reading the classics, you can just watch these movies. I’m sure your English teachers will love that. In this modern adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic Emma, we follow the main character Cher as she tries to play matchmaker for her friends, teachers, and herself. This movie makes school seem kind of fun.

3. Mean Girls

Rachel McAdams sitting down in a black sweater
Paramount Pictures

One could argue that Mean Girls is a modern adaptation of Julius Caesar, and they do keep referencing the play throughout the movie. This film tells the story of a teen girl who enters a new high school after years of being homeschooled in Africa. There she meets, befriends, dethrones, and replaces the school’s most popular girl! And please, watch the 2004 version, not the horrendous movie musical.

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2. Easy A 

Easy A
Screen Gems

Two Emma Stone movies got to be on this list! Easy A is a modern retelling of The Scarlet Letter. But this film takes a lot of liberties with the story. It tells the story of a high school girl who gets quite a salacious reputation, despite the fact that she is still a virgin. This hilarious and heartfelt comedy should be considered a modern classic.

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1. 10 Things I Hate About You

10 Things I Hate About You
Touchstone Pictures

Not only is this the second Shakespearean retelling on this list, it is also the best movie on this list! This Taming of the Shrew adaptation tells the story of highschool boys trying to woo two sisters. One is sweet and popular, but the other is a temperamental know-it-all. This movie is a perfect blend of screwball comedy and sincere romance.

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