Movies to get you in that back-to-school mood

Aw, back-to-school season. It can be an exciting time for some. Others, not so much.

So if you’re having a hard time saying goodbye to the care-free days of summer, here are 12 films to help you get in that back-to-school groove.

▪  “Back to School” (1986) – Rodney Dangerfield’s gloriously goofy riff on college life, as his wealthy Thornton Melon goes back to college to bond with his son.

Lesson learned: “Remember ... You're a Melon!”

▪  “The Breakfast Club” (1985) – John Hughes’ classic comedy/drama about five high school students stuck in a Saturday detention who discover they have a lot more in common than they thought.

Lesson learned: We’re all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it, that’s all.

▪  “Clueless” (1995) – Rich high schooler Cher (Alicia Silverstone) uses her fashion sense to boost a new pupil’s popularity while also playing matchmaker to her teacher.

Lesson learned: As if!

▪  “Dead Poets Society” (1989) – Made even more poignant after the loss of Robin Williams, starring as English teacher John Keating, who inspires his students to look at poetry – and themselves – with a different perspective.

Lesson learned: Carpe diem – seize the day!

▪  “Fame” (1982) – Alan Parker’s musical drama about kids at New York’s High School of Performing Arts was so influential that it spawned a TV series, a Broadway musical and a 2009 movie remake (that bombed, but anyway). The original film starring Irene Cara with that iconic theme song featured New York City at its most New York City-ish, before Times Square became Disneyfied.

Lesson learned: Fame costs. And right here is where you start paying.

▪  “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” (1982) – Amy Heckerling’s groundbreaking look at a group of Southern California high school students featured a roster of young actors about to become stars, including Sean Penn, Phoebe Cates, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, Nicolas Cage, Eric Stoltz and Forest Whitaker.

Lesson learned: No shirt, no shoes, no dice.

▪  “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (1986) – School just started and already we’re daydreaming of ditching class. No one did it better than Ferris Bueller (Mathew Broderick), though, who spends the day with his girlfriend and buddy ditching his bratty sister and his school’s inept principal, who tries to catch him playing hooky to no avail.

Lesson learned: Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

▪  “Grease” (1978) – This rollicking musical is set in 1958, where sweet newbie Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) re-encounters her summer fling Danny (John Travolta), who it turns out is not the guy she thought he was, but is in fact a member of the T-Birds cool guys club. When he blows her off, Sandy gets some help from the Pink Ladies to win Danny’s heart again. Will they ever changchang-changitty-chang-sha-bop again?

Lesson learned: Chills are multiplyin.’

▪  “Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone” (2001) – The one that started it all, as we meet Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emaa Watson) on their first day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Lesson learned: Books and cleverness will get you through, but they’re nothing without friendship and bravery.

▪  “The Karate Kid” (1984) – Noriyuki “Pat” Morita had the role of a lifetime as a martial arts master who agrees to teach karate to a bullied teenager (Ralph Macchio, also in his most iconic role).

Lesson learned: First learn to stand, then learn to fly.

▪  “Mean Girls” (2004) – The film that made Lindsay Lohan a star has her playing Cady, who infiltrates the Plastics, the most popular girl clique at her new high school, and has trouble navigating the tricky waters of high school politics. And lunchrooms.

Lesson learned: Fetch is never going to happen.

▪  “Pitch Perfect” (2012) – Anna Kendrick stars as Beca, a freshman at Barden University who is cajoled into joining an all-girls singing group called the Bellas, while figuring out love and all that other college stuff.

Lesson learned: Never sing on a full stomach.

This story was originally published August 16, 2017 at 2:26 PM with the headline "Movies to get you in that back-to-school mood."