Back to School Movies For All Ages To Enjoy

By Jeremy Suede on August 28th, 2009

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Leaves starting to change.  Days not quite as long.  Football season gearing up.  Yup, it’s that time again. School is coming back.

Pretty soon it will be nothing but books, lunches and practices for days on end.  But there is one good thing about school; it makes a great setting for movies.  So to fill  those few remaining summer evenings with the family, why not enjoy a good movie with a school theme to help ease back into the swing of things?  Don’t worry, the words “High,” “School” and “Musical” will not be mentioned consecutively. Ever.  Here are a couple recommendations for some school themed films for your kids, for your teens and even just for you.

And if you have any problems, or are worried about picking out a movie that works for your kids, go here for a few tips on Choosing Movies for Your Kids.

For Kids

Sky High- Even super heroes need to start somewhere and why wouldn’t that somewhere be school?  That’s the hook of this cute, easy to swallow movie about young Will Stronghold (Michael Angarano), son of the two greatest superheroes in the world; The Commander (Kurt Russell) and Jet Stream (Kelly Preston).  Will is starting to attend Sky High, a school where all superheroes go to learn how to stop crime and be the best they can.  Great lessons about making friends, doing what is right and being yourself.  Fantastic movie for everyone in the family. 2005, Rated PG for action violence and some mild language

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone-  In the first movie of the Harry Potter series, little Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) arrives at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry and steps into a whole new world of young wizards and witches. This is the the most kid friendly movie of the series, as it focuses on Harry discovering his new world through his school.  Sit in on Transfiguration and Charms classes, discover the game of Quidditch, delve deep into the tunnels and hidden passageways of the school and begin the Harry Potter adventure.  A brilliantly cast movie featuring Alan Rickman as the brooding Professor Snape, Robbie Coltrane as lovable giant Hagrid, Maggie Smith as the stern but fair Professor McGonagall and the late, great Richard Harris as the wise school headmaster Professor Dumbledore.  2001, Rated PG for mild violence and scary images

Akeelah and the Bee – This heartwarming and eye opening tale is about an 11 year old African-American girl, Akeelah Anderson (Keke Palmer), and her journey from south Los Angeles to the Scripps National Spelling Bee.  Being kind of an outsider already, Akeelah is hesitant to make herself look anymore like a brain but eventually her love of words brings her around.  She jumps head first into the ultra competitive world of the spelling bee and finds out it is not all about spelling.  There are hardcore parents pushing kids too hard, more affluent and experienced spellers and even  her mother’s own negativity. Akeelah deals with this these,  along with the help of her coach Dr. Larabee (Laurence Fishburne), on her way to competing for the national title.  Excellent lessons about being who you are and being the best you can be, perfect for anyone needing a little motivation to be as smart as they want. 2006, Rated PG for some language

For Teens

School of Rock – Jack Black stars in this feel good movie about a class of youngsters lacking a little self confidence and the goofball teacher who shows them their inner rock stars. Dewey Finn is down on his luck. He gets kicked out of his own band, needs to find a job and stumbles across an opportunity to pose as a substitute music teacher at a rich private school with a class full of super smart kids that lack some social skills.  Through his “unique” style of teaching, Dewey introduces them to the ways of rock ‘n roll and they discover their own unique talents while Dewey does a little growing up as well.  Great film for people of most ages. 2003, Rated PG-13 for some rude humor and drug references

Never Been Kissed – Josie “Grossie” Geller (Drew Barrymore) did not have a good time in high school.  Her nickname says it all.  But eventually she grew up and became the youngest Chicago Sun-Times copy editor ever.  She loves her job and is good at it, more so because it involves no actual writing.  Then her boss decides that she must be the one to go undercover and report on what’s actually going on in today’s high schools. So she attempts to make this go-around a little better than her original one. After a quick detour, she does become friends with the more attractive, less smart kids in the school, allowing her to get her story.  This funny, quirky and smart comedy  is great for teens (more so girls than boys).  1999, Rated PG-13 for sex-related material and some drug content.

Clueless – Most people don’t realize that this is actually an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma, just infused with a little “Beverly Hills 90210.”  Cher Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone) is just like any other high schooler, except that she has a mega rich lawyer dad and lives in Beverly Hills.  This film follows her and her friends as they navigate campus, the mall and trying to find love in the most unlikely of places.  With an all-star cast of supporting characters including Brittany Murphy, Paul Rudd, Donald Faison, Stacey Dash and Breckin Meyer, this movie may look like a chick flick but it easily entertains those of its age group.  Director Amy Heckerling also directed “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” so you know there is credibility.  Rated PG-13 for sex related dialogue and some teen use of alcohol and drugs.

For Mom and Dad

The Breakfast Club – It wouldn’t be a Back to School movie article without at least one John Hughes movie.  This one seemed to be the best fit (Ferris Bueller never actually made it to school) and it has the Brat Pack in all their glory.  When five high schoolers get Saturday detention they find out that while they may all be in different cliques, they actually have a lot in common.  The jock (Emilio Estevez), popular girl (Molly Ringwald), geek (Anthony Michael Hall), troublemaker (Judd Nelson) and social outcast (Ally Sheedy) must all learn to get past their differences first, resulting in plenty of comedy and powerful moments.  Definitely not for the younger kids. Something to maybe watch while they are at school to realize where they are going. 1985, Rated R for strong language, sexual language, drug use and sexual situations.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High – The ultimate high school movie.  Follow a huge cast of characters as they deal with teachers, friends, sex, drugs, cars, and everything that came with a year of high school in the 1980’s – or any year.  It stars Judge Reinhold, Phoebe Cates, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Forest Whitaker and of course Sean Penn as Jeff Spicoli who delivers some of the most memorable quotes (“All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz and I’m fine”) to go with classic scenes (Phoebe Cates coming out of the pool = #1 Celebrity Nude Scene of All Time) and characters (we all had a teacher like Mr. Hand) in movie history. This is truly a movie that needs to be viewed by everyone at some point in their lives.  Absolutely no kids on this one though, unless you want them to start asking questions like “Mommy, what is she doing with that carrot?” 1982,  Rated R for strong language, drug use, sexual language, sexual situations, nudity.

Old School – When Mitch (Luke Wilson) comes home early from a work weekend, he stumbles on his girlfriend and her other naked friends.  Forced to find a new place, he rents a house right off campus from a college.  With a place in such close proximity to school, Mitch’s close friends Frank (Will Ferrell) and Beanie (Vince Vaughn) convince him to start a fraternity. But Dean Pritchard (Jeremy Piven) has it out for these guys and tries to get them thrown off campus.  In the fine tradition of “Animal House” and “Revenge of the Nerds,” this movie is one laugh after the other and features Will Ferrell’s break-through Hollywood role.  Watch for great cameos by Sean William Scott, James Carville, Snoop Dogg and the greatest wedding band ever; The Dan Band.  2003, Rated R for strong language, drug use, sexual language, sexual situations, nudity.