August 31, 2001
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10. | Grease (1978): Not one of my favorite movies, but it kept coming up on my e-mails. John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John star and warble their way through various dance numbers as they return to Rydell High School. |
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9. | The Freshman (1990): Has very little to do with school -- except for the set-up -- but is a fine and silly movie. Matthew Broderick stars as a first year film student whose luggage is stolen on his first day of school by Bruno Kirby. Through a series of misadventures, he meets Carmine Sabatini (Marlon Brando), who bears a remarkable resemblance in voice and manner to Vito Corleone. Fortunately, his daughter, Penelope Ann Miller, doesn't. |
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8. | Sixteen Candles (1984): Generalissimo Duane thinks that this has nothing to do with back to school, but he is, as usual, totally wrong. As far as I'm concerned no movie has more fun with the travails of dealing with high school. Look for a very very young John Cusack as one of the few friends of The Geek (Anthony Michael Hall). |
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7. | Stand and Deliver (1987): The best film to prepare those suffering from math anxiety for school. Edward James Olmos stars as Jaime Escalante, a motivated math teacher who believes that his Hispanic students are just as capable of doing calculus as anyone else -- and proves it. A great movie about the pressures faced by minority students not to succeed. |
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6. | To Sir, with Love (1967) : Having tormented poor Glenn Ford 12 years earlier (see No. 4 below), Sidney Poitier must now try to tame a class of unruly students at an English school. Depicts what a teacher ought to be. A good movie to watch, but it helps if you can stand LuLu. |
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5. | A Chump at Oxford (1940): One of Laurel and Hardy's best films, often cut in half for TV purposes. They play two nitwits who find themselves awarded an education at Oxford, where they are recognized for the knuckleheads they are, and are treated accordingly. However, when Stan is hit on the head, he is transformed into the snooty super student and athlete, Lord Paddington, who is assisted by his loyal valet, "Fatty". An inspired piece of lunacy. |
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4. | The Blackboard Jungle (1955): Although he had a relatively small role in the film, Sidney Poitier's mug is on the video box in order (surprise!!) to lure people into renting it. And lured they should be. Glenn Ford does a grand job as the beleaguered teacher in an inner city school who must deal with the discipline problems created by Poitier and Vic Morrow along with the apathy of those around him. Still timely. |
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3. | Real Genius (1985): A very underrated little movie. Val Kilmer, in one of his earliest roles, plays the aging boy genius at a school remarkably like Cal Tech whom must deal with the latest 12 year only wunderkind (Gabriel Jarret) and his evil professor (William Atherton). An interesting view on how the very very bright unwind. |
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2. | National Lampoon's Animal House (1978): Every parent's nightmare about what will happen to their darling little Larry (Tom Hulce) the minute they leave him off at college. And little Larry's dream. One of the funniest movies ever made. Worth a purchase. |
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1. | Goodbye Mr. Chips (1939): Robert Donat beat out Clark Gable (among others) for the Best Actor Oscar® in 1939 for his wonderful portrayal of a man who devotes his life to the education of young men in England. Absolutely the best movie about teaching, the teaching profession and the sacrifices that must be made to be an educator ever made. Well worth a look if you haven't seen it before. |
One pencil short of a dozen....