Why yes, that is a pumpkin-flavoured Teavana pumpkin-spice chai tea latte for sale at Starbucks, a sure sign fall is on its way and that kids of all ages are heading back to school. And what better way to celebrate than binge-watching old movies that explore all the feels that go with back-to-school — angst, fear, low self-esteem — everything that make these the happiest years of your life.
To help you decide just which movie to watch after which school crisis, we’ve put together this definitive list by category.
Just be yourself
Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
Who can forget that scene in the comedy Napoleon Dynamite during which he takes to the stage to perform an epic dance routine he’s been practising at home and wows the haters to their feet. The character Napoleon Dynamite is an angst-filled teen who makes it his mission to have his best friend Pedro elected to class president. The movie celebrates everything about being different and staying true to yourself. You know any movie that includes a lama named Tina, glamour shots and an AOL internet connection plan has got to be worth watching.
Ambition and rivalry
Election (1999)
Another movie with a school-election theme — but this time with a dark twist. This Oscar-nominated film follows a high-school teacher’s efforts to sabotage the campaign of a pushy, ambitious student with a goal of becoming school president. Reese Witherspoon plays the overachieving senior with a secret vindictive and sexual side who will literally stop at nothing to get elected.
Seize the day
Dead Poets Society (1989)
“Oh captain, my captain...” (I’m looking for the Kleenex already.) Robin Williams plays English teacher Mr. Keating who uses poetry as a way to teach the boys in his class how to “seize the day.” Set in 1959, at an elite conservative boarding school, the film tells the story of how Keating inspired the young men in his charge. Williams, who died unexpectedly in 2014, played the part brilliantly. In the end, it’s clear the boys have taken Keating’s advice of “Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary,” to heart.
Tough challenges
Akeelah and the Bee (2006)
Before writing this I had to look up the meaning of the word “pulchritude” (beauty) and I sure didn’t know how to spell it. This film was inspired by real elementary school-aged students tackling difficult words as they compete in the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee. The film was written to inspire students and teach them that no matter your background, you can do it.
Overcoming adversity
Stand and Deliver (1988)
This film follows the real-life efforts of high-school math teacher Jaime Escalante, played by Edward James Olmos, who was determined that each of his students at James A. Garfield High School in East Los Angeles, a school largely populated by under-achieving students from low-income, working-class Hispanic families, would take and pass the AP calculus exam by their senior year. The exam is roughly equivalent to a first semester college calculus course. When 18 of his students successfully passed the exam, their integrity was called into question and 14 were accused of cheating, but once again Escalante had their back. Later 12 of those students retook the exam under strict supervision and passed again. This movie was entered into the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 2011. (A little less highbrow, there’s also a 2008 South Park episode dedicated to the film called, “Eek, a penis.”)
