East coasters, I'm headed out your way next week. (tangent: does anyone remember the show The Great Space Coaster? I can't remember anything about it but the song). I'll be in Baltimore, DC, and Philly. See my events page for details. It's going to be a busy 5 days, with 4-5 events each day. Yikes! If you come see me, I'll tell you what my super secret project is in person, as long as you promise not to blog about it.
rapunzel's revenge won the 2009 Leah Adezio Award for most kid-friendly graphic novel! Thanks to Friends of Lulu and all who voted!
Now, to get serious. Were all the best high school movies made in the 1980s? I give you:
- Pretty in Pink
- Sixteen Candles
- Breakfast Club
- Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Can anything else rival these classics of teen romance, comedy, and angst? I might add Goonies, My Bodyguard, Back to the Future, Say Anything--all made in the 80s. What is it with that decade? Did we honor the high school years in the 1980s, the twenties in the 90s, and the thirties in the 2000s? Was there just a plethora of directors and writers in their heyday that decade? Or is it coincidence?
I must be forgetting awesome high school movies that have been made since. There's got to be...aha! Napoleon Dynamite. But...look at the costumes in that movie, and the music selection. It's totally eighties. Interesting...
I like Juno.
But yeah, the 80s had all those great flicks with the over-the-top stereotypes. They were funny.
But the best, I think, were the After School Specials of the 80s. SO rad!!!
Posted by: Lucy | November 12, 2009 at 11:07 PM
I remember the great space coaster song and the gnu - no gnews is good gnews.
I love teen movies from the eighties. I do love some that are more recent though. Mean Girls, 10 Things I hate about You, Juno - and a lot of the Disney movies.
Posted by: mary campbell | November 12, 2009 at 11:15 PM
I'm a big 10 Things I Hate About You fan. It was made in 1999.
Posted by: Dani | November 13, 2009 at 12:08 AM
Congrats on Rapunzel's award!
Oh, I'm with you on that movie list. =]
Posted by: L.T. Elliot | November 13, 2009 at 12:12 AM
I'm coming to one of the PA events. Still not sure which, though....I would come to both, but that would require my parents coming to pick me up twice, and I just don't think that's going to happen. :-(
I'm a huge 10 Things I Hate About You fan as well, but really, I haven't seen a lot of high school films. Never really my thing, I guess.
Posted by: Madison | November 13, 2009 at 03:49 AM
You're forgetting the music from that 80's period as well! You could totally dance to it. And you notice how they're remaking a lot of those songs again? The 80's were great. I don't think we'll have another one of those again any time soon. Like for another 70 plus years. :)
Posted by: Karen | November 13, 2009 at 04:19 AM
There's always Grease - made in 1978, so it's almost the 80s. And even though it was so not like my high school, I loved Clueless (1995). My absolute favorite high school production, though, is Saved By the Bell (1989-93). So I guess all of these drew some inspiration from the 80s.
When are you coming to Texas for an event? We'd love to have you!
Posted by: Katie @ cakes, tea and dreams | November 13, 2009 at 07:24 AM
You forgot Better Off Dead (John Cusak). That's one of the best teenage movies of the eighties!
Posted by: Lia | November 13, 2009 at 07:37 AM
I loved high school movies from the 80s, but I don't think they stopped making good ones!
The Craft, She's All That, Can't Hardly Wait, Clueless, 10 Things I Hate About You, Mean Girls, Juno, Bring it On, Election...
Oh and don't forget Heathers for the 80s.
Posted by: Emma | November 13, 2009 at 08:56 AM
Then there's great 80's TV like Growing Pains, and Family ties. But now we have GLEE!
There's also a fairly new, pretty popular, Teenage angst, high school love story coming out in theaters in a few days, it's yet to be seen if it will fall into the greatness category and remain a classic through the ages. I've got my tickets to see Gentlemen Broncos tomorrow.
Posted by: Danylle | November 13, 2009 at 09:49 AM
Oh gosh there are soooooooooooo many!!! Love Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Back to the Future. I also enjoyed Growing Pains and Family Ties. I was born in the late 80's so it definitely shows these movies and shows stood the test of time. It does seem teenagers were at their prime in the 80's even fashion wise they were pretty outrageous.
Posted by: Cara | November 13, 2009 at 10:02 AM
what a great list:
some kind of wonderful
heathers
better off dead
one crazy summer
Loved the Craft/clueless for 90 movies..There were some great movies back in the 80's and to think its coming back in kid toys.
Posted by: julie | November 13, 2009 at 12:19 PM
No!!! You're going to Baltimore?!? GAH! I just moved back to Colorado after 6 years in Baltimore. Not fair!!! I'm dying to hear about that super-secret project, too!
Sigh. Well. I guess I'll just imagine myself meeting you in person. It will have to do for now.
Posted by: Becky N | November 13, 2009 at 01:26 PM
Although I was just a kids, the 80's are my favorite decade. I love being a product of the 80's. Of course books are better now, because we have yours.
Posted by: Amanda Norr | November 13, 2009 at 01:45 PM
Can't Hardly Wait
Posted by: Debbie | November 13, 2009 at 02:05 PM
Yay Punzie!
And yay for 80's flicks (too bad Mad Max didn't have a high school story...)
Posted by: Je Reve | November 13, 2009 at 02:30 PM
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the epitome of teenager, and it was in the late 90's through the early 2000's.
Love that show. SO MUCH. <3
Have a lovely, safe trip! I wanna know your super secret! *pouts*
Posted by: Katie-wa | November 13, 2009 at 05:30 PM
I'll put in another vote for Better Off Dead... and, uh, if I'm not mistaken I think I saw Austenland on Oprah this afternoon :)
Posted by: jenelc | November 13, 2009 at 06:12 PM
High School movies...Nope, can't think of any. Oooo Ooooo Oooo! The Outsiders, the old one? Well, that's more of a gang movie... but part of it was at a high school. It was about cliques and stuff...hm. That was made in.... 1983, I think. Yeah, that's weird!Well, I mean, Tom Cruise, Patrick Swazye (sp?), Matt Dillion... all those amazing teen actors were teens in the eighties, so it would make sense for all the awesome movies to have been made in the eighties. Oh wait wait wait! 17 Again! Now that was a good high school movie. And it was just made a few months ago...unless it was based on an older movie. Which I don't think it was. Huh.
Anyway, I can't make any of your fabulous appearances, even though I'm dying to know what your secret project is! The suspense....
Posted by: Libbi | November 13, 2009 at 06:24 PM
Um...what about 17 Again? I loved that movie (and not just because Zack Efron is so...you know...I feel guilty just saying cause I'm married...but...HOT!)
Posted by: Marianne | November 14, 2009 at 11:01 PM
I would argue that not only were the best high school movies made in the 80's, but that the best high school movies were made by John Hughes. He seemed to GET teenagers better than anyone else.
Posted by: Court | November 15, 2009 at 11:05 AM
I second 10 Things I Hate About You and Clueless. Otherwise, I'm not very familiar with the high school flicks from the '90s and later, because I'm old now. :) Very old. Or at least that's what the kids think about me nowadays.
Posted by: Erin | November 15, 2009 at 06:01 PM
Goonies all the way!!
And back to the future :]
Posted by: Chelsea | November 16, 2009 at 08:14 AM
You're missing Better off Dead, which is just a crime in any book. But I do like your hypothesis. Maybe there is an equation for that...
80's + young directors + audience^2 = return to 80's?
Or the 80's were just cool. And it has nothing to do with high school, but The Princess Bride was made in the 80's, and that is just one of the best movies evar.
Posted by: Heather Z. | November 16, 2009 at 08:53 AM
Princess Bride! It's so true.
No but seriously, have you watched Better Off Dead lately? You're in for a treat. It's only gotten funnier since the eighties. You can't be a teenager and find it very funny -- you have to have gone through the painful experience already, and then you can laugh at how it's portrayed and amplified in the movie. It's not just hilarious, it's *the* high school movie.
Plus, some of the greatest quotes of all time come from Better Off Dead.
Posted by: Lia | November 16, 2009 at 10:45 AM
she came to my school today and i got her auto graph she is really nice
Posted by: becca | November 16, 2009 at 02:01 PM
Why can't you ever come to Pittsburgh? :)
Posted by: Jessica | November 17, 2009 at 04:03 PM
They are all great movies! Especially Ferris Buller - classic!
I can't believe I didn't check out your blog before coming to see you at Politics & Prose in DC today, I could have got the scoop on the super secret project!
You were fabulous though and now I have to read all your books. I'd only read Austenland but I'm looking forward to starting Book of a Thousand Days.
Posted by: Alexa | November 17, 2009 at 06:52 PM
Yeah. The eighties was my high school decade. It is interesting how much good/iconic stuff was made then.
Posted by: Lois Moss | November 18, 2009 at 02:37 PM
Can't wait for your visit to our school tomorrow. Hope you like soft pretzels! I'm sure we can be trusted not to blog about your super secret special project. Just don't repeat yourself if a student asks you to speak louder into their shirt collar. And who doesn't like 80's movies? Now I get to relive them with my own kids, who like them as much as I do!
Posted by: Kristen | November 18, 2009 at 06:14 PM
Ferris Bueller's Day Off is likely my all-time favorite movie. Breakfast Club is very awesome too.
Posted by: Calliope1of9 | November 18, 2009 at 08:33 PM
Bill and Ted's excellent adventure is another one no one's mentioned!! Talk about the ultimate high school movie. Hilarious.
Posted by: Karen | November 19, 2009 at 06:44 AM
Man, your visit to PA is on the wrong side of the state! Come by Pittsburgh next time, we're the coolest part of PA. =P
But as far as high school movies go, even if most of the great ones were made in the 80s, you definitely can't discount 10 Things I Hate About You, as others have said.
Posted by: Dracobolt | November 19, 2009 at 07:44 AM
Hmm...definetely buffy the vampire slayer and Juno and I am in Loveeee with Breakfest club lovvveeee haha dodo we know anything bout the alternative forest born cover? *puppy eyes* haha
Posted by: LiLLY | November 19, 2009 at 05:51 PM
We might have some good teen movies in this era...with Juno and 17 Again out and Looking for Alaska being made into a movie...I think there's a chance for us.
Posted by: Burning | November 23, 2009 at 07:29 PM
How is Dirty Dancing not up here??!! Okay, technically, it's not a "teenage movie," so much as it is a coming of age movie, but still. Patrick Swayze! How can you go wrong with Patrick Swayze, God bless him? I also submit for the consideration of the jury Serendipity (just for the John Cusack) and of course, 10 Things I Hate About You. Those were the eras I grew up in.
Posted by: Rachel Flores | June 27, 2011 at 04:23 PM