1 – Old School – 2003 – Starring Will Ferrell, Luke Wilson and Vince Vaughn
I cannot refrain from ranking Old School the No. 1 college movie simply based on when I grew up, how frequently I’ve seen the movie and how often lines from the movie have played a part in my life. On any given day, I can still hear someone say, “You’re my boy, Blue!” or “Once it hits your lips, it’s so good.” Additionally, it’s been more than several times that I’ve heard “Let’s break it in, meet the neighbors,” while someone gave me a little tap on the ass with a pool cue.
Of course, there’s also the famous Will Ferrell quote: “Well, um, actually a pretty nice little Saturday, we’re going to go to Home Depot. Yeah, buy some wallpaper, maybe get some flooring, stuff like that. Maybe Bed, Bath, & Beyond, I don’t know, I don’t know if we’ll have enough time.” And then, there’s the rendition of “Dust in the Wind,” which provoked numerous instances of requesting the song while out listening to live music from musicians who accepted requests. Simply put, the movie is funny and highly quotable. Not to take anything away from the number two college movie of all time, that I’ve seen.
2 – Animal House – 1978 – Starring John Belushi, Tim Matheson and John Vernon
Animal House is a classic featuring classic characters and classic lines. John Belushi as John “Bluto” Blutarsky is a classic character with sayings that will forever resonate in the annals of college movie history, such as “They took the bar! The whole f–king bar!” Also, there’s nothing like a toga party or, for that matter, “double secret probation.”
3 – Good Will Hunting – 1997 – Starring Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Ben Affleck and Minnie Driver
I’m not sure I consider Good Will Hunting a pure college movie, but at one point in my life it was one of my favorite movies, regardless of genre or category. Matt Damon as Will Hunting has some good lines, but the most compelling aspect of this Academy Award (Oscar) winning movie is the story and the relationships between the main characters. So, “How do you like them apples?”
4 – Scent of a Woman – 1992 – Starring Al Pacino and Chris O’Donnell
Al Pacino makes Scent of a Woman, not that the drama would have failed without him, but Al Pacino as a blind man speeding down the road in a sports car is a sight to see and Al Pacino yelling “Whoo-ah!” is a sound I love hearing. Additionally, the performance won Al Pacino an Academy Award (Oscar) for “Best Actor in a Leading Role.” So, watch Scent of Woman for Al Pacino and feel free to be pleasantly surprised by the rest, although the movie received other Oscar nominations as well.
5 – Dead Poet’s Society – 1989 – Starring Robin Williams, Ethan Hawke and Robert Sean Leonard
The Academy Award (Oscar) winning Dead Poet’s Society continues the top ten trend of serious movies as Robin Williams performs dramatically… and well. You should see this movie at least once in your life, “O Captain, my Captain.”
6 – Back to School – 1986 – Starring Rodney Dangerfield and Sally Kellerman
The college comedy Back to School features Rodney Dangerfield as pure Rodney Dangerfield, although he plays the part of Thornton Melon, a rich father who returns to college to help his son. While I could quote Rodney Dangerfield saying, “Bring us a pitcher of beer every seven minutes until somebody passes out. And then bring one every ten minutes.” the real magic in the movie Back to School is the physical comedy.
A Back to School remake of the comedy is scheduled for 2010, featuring Cedric the Entertainer.
7 – Without Limits – 1998 – Starring Billy Crudup, Donald Sutherland and Monica Potter
Admittedly, Without Limits is more of a sports movie, but it is the best running movie I’ve ever seen, which was released at almost the same time as 1997’s “Prefontaine,” which also told the story of the young track prodigy, just not as well. The drama Without Limits captures the way Steve Prefontaine felt about winning, the fact that he didn’t want to win without giving it his all and that “Winning any other way is chicken-shit.
8 – Rudy – 1993 – Starring Sean Astin, Jon Favreau and Ned Beatty
While Rudy is more about football than college, it is an inspirational story about a collegian who fulfills his dreams of playing football for Notre Dame. If you seek a quote from this sports movie, look no further than the title, “Rudy!”
9 – The Graduate – 1967 – Starring Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft and Katharine Ross
Some people are going to wonder how the classic movie The Graduate slipped to ninth place, (Believe me, I agonized over the location of this movie) but, the truth is, there are eight great movies in front of it. I suppose Mrs. Robinson did not seduce me well enough, although she may very well retort, “I am not trying to seduce you.”
10 – PCU – 1994 – Starring Jeremy Piven, Chris Young, Megan Ward and Jon Favreau
To be perfectly honest, I did not watch PCU until several years after it was released, so I may be lacking some of the emotional attachment that I may have otherwise garnered surrounding the movie. Nonetheless, it is a college comedy movie worth watching and it doles out some apt wisdom. In the words of Droz, “Classes: nothing before eleven. Beer: it’s your best friend, you drink a lot. Women? You’re a freshman, so it’s pretty much out of the question.”
So there you have it, the top ten college movies. You should not miss any of this movies, but if you do, skip out on number ten. Hey, there’s a reason it’s number ten. I’ve also decided to include some honorable mentions, although they are not as well thought out, so I may have forgotten something that is equally as honorable, or perhaps I just didn’t see it.
Honorable Mentions:
Revenge of the Nerds
Higher Learning
Soul Man
Van Wilder
Drumline
Note: Only movies LIVIN has watched were included.
