| Written by Myiah G. |
High school—we have seen so many movies and T.V. shows about what high school is like (well, from a Hollywood point-of-view. Classics like the High School Musical series, Clueless, 10 Things I Hate About You and Zoey 101 (you would be lying to yourself if you didn’t want a Jet X). But can you name movies about college life as easily as you could name movies about high school life? I’ll give you a couple seconds: . . 3. . . 2. . . 1. You could name like one or two movies, right? Well, here is my list of top 10 movies about college life (in no particular order) that are sure to give you a laugh, a cry, or a life lesson.
1. Monsters University
We all grow up with the movie Monsters, Inc. Monsters University is the prequel to this family movie. The movie follows Mike Wazowski and Sulley Sullivan for their first year at Monsters University. Mike has always dreamed of becoming a Scarer, so, to make his dream come true, he enrolls at Monsters University. During his first semester, he meets Sulley, who comes from a family legacy of great Scarers who graduated from the university and who bares talents of his own. Mike and Sulley engage in a fierce rivalry over which monster is the better Scarer. This rivalry eventually gets them both kicked out of MU’s Scare Program. To make things right, Mike and Sulley join forces—along with a bunch of odd monsters.
2. Larry Crowne
Larry Crowne is not your typical college movie but well worth the watch. Larry Crowne was an outstanding floor salesman at Kmart; however, he finds himself unemployed because of corporate downsizing and his lack of college education. As time goes on without a job, Larry starts to drown in debt and unsure of what to do with his life, he enrolls in college. He becomes part of a gang of misfits that ride electric scooters. Romance enters the picture when Larry meets Mercedes Tainot, an instructor who has lost her passion for both teaching and her marriage.
3. Pitch Perfect
If you like musicals, comedy, or both, then you’ll definitely love Pitch Perfect. Beca Mitchell has just started college and already knows she does not want to be a part of a clique; however, that’s exactly where she finds herself. Among this clique are “mean girls,” nice girls, and weird girls. Beca finds that the only thing they really have in common with each other is their love of singing and their desire to win a cappella competitions. She leads the girls out of their comfort zones and kicks their traditional singing methods to enter into a world of amazing harmonic non-traditional songs and dances to ace their competitions.
4. Love and Basketball
Such a classic romantic film, and personally one of my favorite movies. If you are a hopeless romantic or love basketball, you’ll certainly love this movie. Monica and Quincy are two childhood friends who both aspire to be professional basketball players. Quincy, whose father Zeke plays basketball professionally for the Los Angeles Clippers, has natural talent and is a born leader. Monica, on the other hand, is uncontrollably competitive and sometimes becomes overly emotional on the court. Over the years, their friendship grows into something more as the two begin to fall for each other, but their separate paths to basketball-stardom threaten to pull them apart.
5. College Road Trip
If you love That’s So Raven, then you’ll definitely enjoy this movie. College Road Trip stars my girl Raven Symone along with comedian Martin Lawrence, who plays police chief and protective father James. Raven Symone plays his teenage daughter, Melanie, who James must drive from their home in Chicago to a college interview in Washington, D.C. They encounter a lot of setbacks and inconveniences along the way. First they meet a disturbingly cheerful parent-and-daughter duo, then their car breaks down after which James finds his son and pet pig hidden away in the trunk. Things continue to get worse when James gets caught spying on his daughter at a sorority house. Despite all of the chaos, he begins to realize that his baby girl is growing up and heading to college.
6. Sydney White
Sydney White stars Amanda Bynes (pre-crazy stage). She plays Sydney White, a college freshman at Southern Atlantic University, who is determined to pledge the same sorority as her late mother. Unfortunately, she finds that the sisterhood has changed since her mother’s college days. Banished to a house condemned as less Greek, Sydney joins forces with the seven outcasts that comprise the sorority to take over the student government and win equal rights for the nerds.
7. 22 Jump Street
If you love Channing Tatum, then this movie is just for you. 22 Jump Street is the sequel to the 2012 movie remake of the 21 Jump Street series. Although they made their way through high school undercover successfully, an investigation at a local college brings big changes for officers Jenko and Schmidt. Jenko and Schmidt take on the identity of college students at the school. The two separate into different groups of friends, which causes them both to question their partnership. Not only do they have to crack the case, but now these two overgrown adolescents must learn how to behave like adults.
8. Neighbors
If any of you guys are interested in joining Greek life, just know that the way Neighbors presents it is far from how fraternity and sorority members act or interact on this campus. Zac Efron makes the whole movie (*insert heart-eyes emoji*). New parents Mac and Kelly move to the suburbs when they welcome an infant daughter into their lives. All is going well for the couple, until the Delta Psi Beta fraternity moves in next door to them. Mac and Kelly don’t want to seem like uncool parents, so they try their best to get along with frat president Teddy and the rest of the guys. However, as time passes, the couple finally call the cops during a riotous frat party, causing a full-scale war between the two houses.
9. Drumline
What a classic movie. Set in a competitive marching band battle, Drumline is a comedy about a talented street drummer, Devon Miles. Originally from Harlem, Devon enrolls in a Southern University. He expects to lead the school’s marching band’s drumline to victory. Initially he struggles in this new world, but he soon realizes that it takes a more than just talent to reach the top.
10. Legally Blonde
What a great movie to end on right? Played by Reese Witherspoon, Elle Woods has it all and gets whatever she puts her mind to. She wants nothing more than to be Mrs. Warner Huntington, III. But there is one thing stopping her potential fiancé from proposing—she’s too blonde. Elle will not take no for an answer and rallies all of her resources to get into Harvard, determined to win him back.
I hope you enjoyed these 10 movies all about college. They’re all very different and have various lessons and important messages incorporated in each. College is not like these movies; however, they are movies to get you through different times.