I know college students never spend hours on Facebook or Netflix because we are all so busy with our homework and extra curriculars that we never have time for such things (HA!), but just in case anyone ever gets a little board, here are 10 movies that are sure to help you pass the time.
Starring Justin Long, Blake Lively, and Jonah Hill, Accepted follows a group of friends who were rejected from every college they applied to. In a desperate attempt not to disappoint their families, they “make-up” South Harmon Institute of Technology. Accepted gives comedic truth to Mark Twain’s famous quote, “Do not let schooling get in the way of your education.”
The website that has defined a generation was created by Harvard University sophomore, Mark Zuckerberg. Facebook has changed the way over 500,000,000 people communicate with one another and has effectively become a part of our daily lives as college students. The Social Network, not only tells the story of Facebook’s origins, but shows the irony in the first friendship Facebook had a hand in destroying. This film stars Jesse Eisenburg, Adam Garfield, and Justin Timberlake.
National Lampoon’s, Animal House, tells the classic tale of the preppy, classy fraternity versus the crass and sloppy fraternity. Starring Saturday Night Live original cast member, John Belushi, this 1978 comedy questions authority and gives more than a few good party ideas.
Van Wilder
If Peter Pan was a college student, he would have been Van Wilder. Wilder is a 7th year college student who has done nothing but party and live the ultimate playboy lifestyle – that is until his father cuts him off. In classic National Lampoon style, the heroes of the story create hysterical situations all leading up to a happy ending for our lovable losers. Van Wilder stars Ryan Reynolds, Tara Reid, and Kal Penn.
Okay, so they’re not in college, but they are recent Georgetown graduates – and one day, we’ll all be college graduates, so it is relatable (right?). This “brat pack” movie, follows 7 college friends as they make their way through life after graduation. St. Elmo’s Fire, follows these friends through their joys and trials in love, career, and parenthood.
Legally Blonde is a story of a California sorority princess who, when faced with losing the love of her life, follows him to Harvard Law in hopes of winning him back. Instead, she realizes that she likes Harvard University better than him, gets a law degree, gets a new boyfriend, all while toting around a tiny dog in heels. Despite spawning an awful sequel (you will be wasting 2 hours of your life if you watch it, trust me), Legally Blonde, is the ultimate college-girl chick flick. Reese Witherspoon and Luke Wilson star.
Sydney White, starring Amanda Bynes and Sarah Paxton, tells the story of a sorority legacy kicked out of the sorority by the campus queen. Sydney White (Bynes) then seeks revenge, by teeming up with the school nerds to bring up her popularity and bring down the queen bee. In a way, this movie is similar to Animal House in that it pits different groups of cliques against each other. In the end, it preaches the importance of being yourself and not capitulating who you are simply to belong to a shallow click.
If you are in to classic movies, then the Nutty Professor, starring comedy legend Jerry Lewis, is an ideal choice for you. In this classic Jekyll/Hyde story, chemistry professor, Julius Kelp, invents a potion that turns him from nerdy and socially awkward to suave and sexy. This hilarious 1963 comedy proves to bring non-stop laughter with a touch of romance (that is, if you don’t mind that the professor is in love with a student).
All the partying – none of the education. Every college kids dream right? That just about sums up Old School. Starring Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughan, and Luke Wilson, this hysterical movie about 3 out of college, working, and married men inadvertently start a fraternity. Its outrageousness and wildly funny situational comedy makes Old School an instant classic and “must see” for any college student.
If you are looking for something a little more dramatic and intellectually stimulating than just a bunch of kids getting drunk and having sex, Good Will Hunting is a great choice. Starring a very young Matt Damon and Robin Williams, this film follows the journey of a genius delinquent working at MIT and the psychiatrist trying to help him get back on track.
I hope you all enjoy these films as much as I did!
