College Insurrection’s Top 10 College Movies
College life has been the subject of many great movies. Below, I present ten college film greats.
If you missed any of these or haven’t seen them in a long time, check one out this weekend.
Here we go, counting down from ten…
10. The Sure Thing
A very young John Cusack stars as a love hungry undergrad in this hilarious romantic comedy from the 1980’s.
9. Real Genius
Another gem from the 1980’s, featuring Val Kilmer as an eccentric smart guy in a program for gifted students.
8. Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?
This film about a history professor and his wife who is also the university president’s daughter broke many taboos when it was released in 1966. If you’ve never seen it, you’re missing out.
7. The Paper Chase
This 1973 movie is a must see for law students. Actor John Houseman was so convincing in his role as a hard nosed law professor that his later career was largely defined by it.
6. 21
Inspired by the true story of the MIT blackjack team, 21 is a favorite among math majors. Nerds!
5. Old School
Film historians won’t regard Old School as a triumph in movie making history but you can’t deny the many laugh out loud moments of this 2003 comedy.
4. The Social Network
Considering the fact that almost every single college student in America uses Facebook on a daily basis, there’s no way this movie couldn’t be near the top of the list.
3. Back To School
On the surface this 1986 comedy was a vehicle for Rodney Dangerfield’s usual shtick but if you dig deeper, it’s a touching story about a father and son who get a bigger education than both of them expected.
2. Revenge Of The Nerds
When this movie came out in 1984, it exceeded the expectations of everyone involved. Almost thirty years later, it’s still referenced in popular culture and is even the basis of a new reality TV show.
1. Animal House
Animal House is the American standard in college comedy and no one has done it better before or since. New generations of movie goers still laugh every time they watch this movie.
So there you go. Have a great weekend and watch some movies!
Comments
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“Revenge of the Nerds” is one of my all-time favorite movies! Thanks for this wonderful list — I think all your choices are excellent!
How could you skip Horse Feathers? You could also suck up to Prof. Jacobson by including The Sterile Cuckoo, which was filmed at his alma mater.
Good list overall, but I wouldn’t count “Social Networking” as a college movie. Its set DURING college, but is hardly a “college experience” movie.
Tunkmaster beat me to it–how could anyone leave off “Horsefeathers?” My dad used to quote to us, “You’re a disgrace to the family name, if such a thing is possible.”
That’s just one example of how the the list doesn’t seem to be based on any awareness of movie history. Where is “Good News,” with Peter Lawford, June Allyson, and Joan McCracken’s spectacular “Pass That Peace Pipe” song and dance? And where is Buster Keaton’s “College?”