Last week, The Lovely Mrs. Davis penned a great piece on the high school flicks of the mid-to-late 80s in which she wondered if other generations have movies that capture their high school experiences so well. As someone who went to high school during those years, it was a topic I could totally embrace.
But me? I want to know what happened to the teenage sex flicks that were commonplace in the early 80s. Movies like Fraternity Vacation, Hardbodies, Joysticks, The Last American Virgin, Losin' It, Mischief, Porky's, Private Resort, Private School, and Spring Break. Movies that were about guys, usually with a virgin in tow, trying to hook up with as many women as possible. Movies with gratuitous nudity.
What happened to this genre? Has there been a movie released this millennium that belongs to this genre other than the extremely smart and funny The Girl Next Door? Are you telling me there's not a market for this type of flick today? Have we turned into a nation of prudes? Or are they just released directly to DVD to show up eventually on Cinemax?
When I was in the seventh grade, our English class took a field trip to see the movie Gandhi. The movie was nineteen hours long. About a fourth of the way through the film, a few of my friends and I went to the lobby to get a drink or play a video game or take a leak or ANYTHING to get us out of that movie for a few moments. We looked at the marquee to see what other films were showing at the theater. And that's when we saw those two glorious words on the marquee, glowing as if a light had shone down from heaven: Spring Break. We immediately decided to ditch Gandhi and sneak into that flick.
To this day, I know we made the right decision.
Anyway, because I have nothing else to write about thought it would be fun, here are my Top 5 80s High School Flicks:
5. Some Kind Of Wonderful
It would probably be sacrilegious not to include at least one John Hughes flick in any discussion of 80s high school flicks. I had a major crush on Mary Stuart Masterson and loved her Watts character. Plus, at the end, Eric Stoltz chooses her over the popular Lea Thomson character (which is what was DEAD WRONG with Pretty In Pink -- Molly Ringwald should've ended up with Duckie at the end!).
4. The Last American Virgin
When you watch this movie, you feel like you're looking at actual high school students. They look the part and act the part. They feel the part. The first half of the flick is of the typical teenage sex flick genre, but then movie switches gears and turns into an emotional drama. And the un-Hollywood Ending will leave you yelling at the television (I deliberatively omitted plot details because this movie is not as well-known as the others on my list). Check it out if you haven't already seen it.
3. Valley Girl
Remember when Nicolas Cage still made cool movies? Nicolas Cage, a punkish character, falls in love with a Valley Girl and none of their friends approve of the relationship (sound familiar?). And like so many of the high school flicks of the 80s, it ends at a prom/school dance. This movie also had one of the best soundtracks ever.
2. Fast Times At Ridgemont High
Jeff Spicoli. The Phoebe Cates pool scene. Mr. Hand. The Phoebe Cates pool scene. Mall culture. The Phoebe Cates pool scene. The "Where Are They Now?" end credits. The Phoebe Cates pool scene. Was there a better high school flick in the 80s? Why yes, there was…
1. Heathers
This is how I wish I had spent my years in high school.
What are your favorite high school flicks from the 80s?
Song of the day: I Melt With You by Modern English
Five For Friday: 80s High School Flicks
