When you’re going through high school, you start to realize that at some point this is it. This is your last time being a kid. This was a painful realization for me as it is kind of scary to think that you’ll never be living as carefree as you are now. Next year, I’ll probably start applying to colleges before hopefully going to NYU for film studies. These are films that make me appreciate high school no matter how hard it can sometimes be.   

  Ferris Bueller’s Day Off  (1986) 

 This one needs no introduction as it is one of those Chicago classics everyone around the area must see. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is a movie is about a kid who decides to play hooky with his friends and go to Chicago. The entire time he is avoiding his principal and sister who is trying to call him out on his game. Ferris Bueller isn’t exactly a role model with his attendance, but he’s still someone I see comforting as a memento of the carelessness of being a kid.  

 Breakfast Club (1985) 

 I know. Two John Hughes movies in a row. How could I? It’s not my fault he makes amazing Chicago based movies about teenagers. Breakfast Club is one is about the five stereotypes of high school in the 80’s and how even though we may be polar opposites in social circles, we have similar problems. It seems that the main problem everyone has is with their parents. The film inspires understanding of your peers and being able to look everyone in the face as equals.  

Lady Bird (2017) 

Lady Bird is easily the best film on this list. It’s not my favorite, but definitely the best. The film directed by Greta Gerwig shows a young woman Christine, nicknamed Lady Bird, getting ready to leave the nest and go out to college. The film shows her and her family struggling with financial issues. The film nails the “can’t wait to get out of here” attitude, but it also shows her struggles between her mother and the general life of a teenager, especially as she gets involved with the wrong crowd and starts to leave behind what she loved before. Overall, this film is an emotional rollercoaster and is one to rewatch at points where you feel down.  

Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989) 

This one is definitely the least fitting on the list, but I felt I had to put it in here because, I kid you not, this is easily one of the top five films of all time for me. Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure is about two seniors in high school and all they want to do is have an excellent time. George Carlin comes along and gives them a time machine so they can go back in time to kidnap historical figures for their history project. Overall, it’s a great time and at the end of the day it shows that life just boils down to this: “Be excellent to each other and party on dudes.”  

American Graffiti (1973)  

This film is one of George Lucas’ non-Star Wars films and is important to me for a variety of reasons. American Graffiti is a time capsule of a different era that is one of teenagers as a different species. It’s a whole different animal going back to the 60’s to see teenagers then versus now. It’s also impressive in the writing as it can follow three separate storylines seamlessly as it goes throughout three different friends’ views of the last night before leaving for college. The best part about this movie, though, is the fact that this was George Lucas’ actual story. One of the characters is shown as being the racer of the town and that character is meant to be George Lucas. Originally, George Lucas was going to be a racecar driver before he got into a bad accident, which happens in the movie. This accident got George Lucas to go into film making instead and is the reason we have Star Wars. Overall, this movie serves as the perfect teenager’s night out and shows the carefreeness a kid can have while just being a kid.