Pack your backpacks with all the school essentials as we dive back into the school year. In between tough lectures, piles of homework and praying you get enough sleep why not enjoy a fun school-based rom com? Whether you want to be whisked away back to high school (where no one looks their age) or enjoy a less stressful university setting these films are a good choice for any studying student.
The DUFF
Netflix
The DUFF is a quirky movie about the “designated ugly friend”, Bianca, who gets used by others to get to her more popular friends. She makes a deal with her former friend, Wesley, to improve her image in exchange for tutoring him for science class. Even though her school sees her as merely a stepping stone, Bianca is funny, confident and smart. This movie is less about changing herself for others, and more about helping others see her for who she is. If you’ve ever felt outcasted, she will truly tickle the cockles of your heart.
-Janelle
Clueless
Amazon Prime, Netflix, Criterion-on-Demand
Oh my gosh, I am totally buggin.’ Clueless never fails on romance, nostalgia, and kitschy 90s fashion. I have watched this multiple times and it never fails to bore me. Where malls were THE epicenter of teendom, and where being a virgin who could not drive was the gravest of insults, Clueless is a romantic comedy for teenagers, but also for those who have a sense of humour. Cher Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone) is a popular, privileged Beverly Hills teenager whose favourite activity is shopping because it gives her a sense of control in a world that is full of chaos. This may seem ironic at first, considering that she lives in a luxurious mansion, has all the material goods she needs, and seems to have the world at her feet. But what Horowitz does struggle with is her place in the world, along with her complicated emerging feelings towards herself, how she treats others, and her relationship with her stepbrother, Josh (Paul Rudd). Yes, we know, it is creepy but technically they are not blood relatives. When new student Tai, (Brittany Murphy, RIP ♡) joins Cher’s friend group, Cher takes it upon herself to transform her into a teenage goddess where she can be more “acceptable” and popular within the kids at their high school. However, things do not go according to plan when Tai becomes more popular than Cher and even expresses interest in Josh. During this “teen crisis,” Cher reevaluates her feelings and her previously held notions about her societal status and comes to the conclusion that there are greater and more important things in life than merely “fitting in.” Can you still think of a better romantic comedy than Clueless? As if!
-Monica
She’s the Man
Netflix, Amazon Prime
Holy Cow! She’s the Man (2006) is a romp. It is one of the silliest movies I have ever seen and is thus incredibly likeable. It takes Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and puts it in a high school setting. This sounds like a recipe for disaster, but the writers, Karen McCullah and Kirsten Smith, are able to take this idea and wring a fun film out of it. Viola is a student at Cornwall high school where she plays for the girls soccer team. She finds out that her team has been cut, and so she disguises herself as her brother Sebastian. She then joins the boys soccer team at Illyria, Sebastian’s school and Cornwall’s rival. Meanwhile, Sebastian is away in London playing a festival with his band. At Illyria, a love triangle develops between three of the film’s characters, Viola, Duke, and Olivia. The love triangle is enjoyable because it allows for some amusingly ridiculous scenarios to arise, often in relation to Viola’s hare-brained scheme. Amanda Bynes’ performance as Viola is charming. She imitates the male attitude by putting on a gruff southern accent and by being constantly crude. This imitation is obviously see-through to the audience, but it is also true to who Viola is, a loveable dork. Although this ruse is endearing, I did find myself in disbelief, wondering about how any of the other characters fell for it at all. Ultimately, the movie is a delightful, albeit slightly hokey, take on a classic story. It is well worth a watch, especially if you can appreciate the extremely 2000s aesthetic of the film. Channing Tatum is Duke, Laura Ramsey is Olivia. Directed by Andy Fickman.
-Gabe
The House Bunny
Netflix, Amazon Prime
When Shelley (Anna Faris) is suddenly and unexpectedly kicked out of the Playboy Mansion, she finds herself as a house mother to the Zeta’s, the most unpopular sorority on campus. Due to their lack of popularity, the Zeta house will soon be shut down, which would leave the current housemates without a home and that is something Shelley relates to. Desperate for pledges, the Zetas allow Shelley to give them a makeover so they can build up their popularity amongst campus. Queue the early 2000s makeover montage. While trying to be the best house mother she can be, Shelley meets nice, smart guy Oliver (Colin Hanks) who she struggles to flirt and connect with because he’s not your typical guy. The romance is cute, however not too heavy as Oliver serves as someone who reminds Shelley that she is better at being herself. She doesn’t need to change her personality or style for him. A valuable part of the film that I appreciate is that the girls learn to be their true selves and be confident like Shelley taught them. Overall, The House Bunny (2008) is a chaotically fun and sweet movie. It’s pretty lighthearted, with a lot of embarrassingly funny scenes and an iconic 2000s soundtrack. Except for the random (cringe, but catchy) end credit performance by the Zetas. I don’t know why they thought that was a good idea, but ok.
-Thalia
Sydney White
iTunes
Sydney White (2007) is an adaptation of the Grimm classic Snow White in a contemporary college setting. Starring Amanda Bynes as the lead and Matt Long as the love interest, Tyler Prince. I have got to say, if you love early 2000’s Amanda Bynes films you’ll love this one. I myself have very nostalgic feelings for this film, however I don’t think it holds up. All in all this is a college film for an audience that's still in high school. As a university student, a lot of the “college life” elements seem silly. Like, for example, the Hot or Not popularity contest. However there are some more glaring problems in this film. Firstly, this film is filled to the brim with stereotypes and cliches that bring the movie down. One of the main themes of the story is embracing the differences of people and connecting with what we share rather than ostracizing for our differences. However, that film does not execute this theme well at all. In fact, it seems to pile on and make fun of these differences more than showing their beauty. This is especially seen in this film’s version of the dwarfs (the “dorks”). Every “dork” is an embodiment of some stereotype, and that's as deep as their characters go, a butt of a joke. Every. Single. Time. Additionally, our lead Sydney, is the embodiment of “not like other girls”. She doesn’t do glitz or glam, her mother passed away, and she’s nice to everyone (unlike the “Blonde Barbie” villain). Overall, I don’t think this film comes off too great in 2021, but if you want a blast from the past, this movie may be for you.
-Stacy
Legally Blonde
Amazon Prime
I would say that Legally Blonde (2001) is one of the cutest, most crowd-pleasing and most quotable early 2000s romcom ever. This is a big statement that is backed up by the continuous influence it has over various generations and the love it seems to always gain. Do you know how often I see someone on social media reference the film? Can I blame them? Reese Witherspoon is so darn charming as Elle Woods, who is so unapologetically girly and successful. She goes to Harvard Law (what, like it’s hard?), drives a Porsche, has a super cute love interest (Luke Wilson), and can afford to get her nails done whenever. Legally Blonde (2001) is the perfect female empowerment, revenge movie. When Elle’s boyfriend, Warner (Matthew Davis) unexpectedly dumps her for a smart, serious girl, she decides to use her fashion merchandising degree to get into Harvard Law school. There, she plans to win Warner back. She instead learns how capable she is by being true to herself. Whenever I’m in a slump, this movie motivates me to get shit done the way Elle studied her ass off to get into Harvard and the way she studied her ass off some more to prove boneheads wrong. Not only do we get a cute soundtrack, but rather than a typical makeover montage, we get an intellectual girl power one. I definitely recommend this to anyone who needs some studying motivation, a good laugh and a fun time.
-Thalia
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
Netflix
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018) is a teen romantic comedy starring Lana Condor as Lara Jean Covey and Noah Centineo as Peter Kavinsky. The film starts out with Lara Jean fantasizing about her current crush (and childhood friend), Josh, who’s in a relationship with her sister. After a sequence of unfortunate events, Lara Jean’s love letters to all her crushes from her life get out. This includes Josh, as well as Peter Kavinsky, a crush from grade school, who has just left a relationship with Gen, Lara Jean’s ex-best friend and high school bully. Trying to escape the embarrassment of confessing to her best friend, Lara Jean kisses Peter. This sparks an idea in his head as to how to win back Gen and the two become an unlikely fake couple. I think this film is a sweet romantic comedy. Although it does fall into a couple cliches they don’t feel overused in this film. Instead, it feels like a love letter to romantic comedies for a new, more modern audience. I can picture this as a film that in 10 or so years will be considered a classic. I think the characters are loveable and the relationship between Lara Jean and Peter feels realistic. I was rooting for them throughout the whole film. I do feel like the ending was a little bit rushed, however that is something I can easily overlook as I still felt that it was a satisfying end to the first film in this trilogy. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants a sweet film to watch while winding down.
-Stacy
Sixteen Candles
Netflix
There are plenty of things wrong with Sixteen Candles (1984), such as the way the foreign exchange student Long Duk Dong is used as a vehicle for making fun of East Asian people or the way that the geeky freshman Ted harasses girls but is simultaneously characterized as kind-hearted. If either of these things seem irritating, offensive, or in bad taste to you then stop reading this review right now, you will not enjoy this movie. If these things don’t bother you, read on. None of the aforementioned problems are what makes me dislike the movie, the real problem lies in just how uninspired Sixteen Candles is. The film takes place on Samantha’s sixteenth birthday. It is a terrible one, her family has forgotten it, and she is constantly bothered by Ted. Meanwhile, she is dead set on getting the attention of Jake, an older boy. The events that take place in this story are entirely mediocre. Every gag in the movie tries to make us laugh at someone, but the characters we’re supposed to be laughing at are rarely doing anything amusing. Often, they are just intoxicated or do not fit the “social norm”. On top of this, most of the film’s characters are paper thin stereotypes. These types of characters are only interesting in the context of a satire, which this film is not. The romance between Samantha and Jake also fails to be compelling. Jake has no redeeming traits. He has little regard for other people allowing Ted to assault a woman. And he has no real reason to be interested in Samantha, except for the fact that he correctly believes Samantha to be interested in him. He and Samantha also never interact during the movie making their sudden relationship at the end feel undeserved. And so the romance falls flat, being more annoying than endearing. This romance, in combination with the other half-baked ideas I have listed, is what makes the movie not enjoyable. It is far from Writer/Director John Hughes’ best work. If you’re looking for an 80s teen movie, skip this one and go watch The Breakfast Club instead. It is the superior Hughes film, and I guarantee you’ll have a better time. Molly Ringwald is Samantha, Michael Schoeffling is Jake, Anthony Michael Hall is Ted, and Gedde Watanabe is Long Duk Dong.
-Gabe
Dumplin’
Netflix
Any movie that spotlights Dolly Parton is a great movie so, by virtue of this movie entirely honouring Dolly’s entire life and ethos, this movie wins the whole pageant. Directed by Anne Fletcher, a god amongst rom-coms (21 Dresses, The Proposal), this film is less saturated in romance than it is in the personal journey as Dumplin’, the titular character (ahem Booksmart reference, anyone?), reconciles her grief, estranged relationship with her mother and her own relationship to herself through a good old fashioned beauty pageant. A character and film inspired by Dolly Parton, obsessed with Dolly Parton and, ultimately, challenging Dolly Parton is one that surely acknowledges and embraces the performance, and quite frankly the flimsy nature, of “beauty” and feeling beautiful. It’s about surviving under misogynistic structures - much like Parton herself adapted herself to in her iconic signature look - because, at this point, that’s all we can do.
-Macy
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