It’s Friday night: you’re bundled up in a blanket, gazing at the TV screen in awe, fingers greasy from the buttery popcorn, hair messy from cozying up against the couch. Your perspective has transformed within just two hours. You reflect on your own life for a moment, comparing yourself to the movie’s protagonist–their social life, family, and high school environment–which is nothing like your own. Are these high school films truly accurate in depicting high school life, or are they just an overly fantasized version of teenage life? We analyzed four well-known teen movies to give you the answer, but beware of spoilers.
Film One: The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
An adaptation of the novel by Stephen Chobsky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a coming-of-age romantic drama focused on the darker side of being a teenager. Taking place in the suburbs of Pittsburgh in the early 90s, the film follows Charlie, an introverted freshman who befriends two outgoing seniors, Sam and Patrick. With Sam, Patrick, and his older sister preparing to leave for college, Charlie has to learn how to become more independent, but it isn’t that easy for him. Haunted by his past traumas, Charlie suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), making his situation more difficult. With its fair share of young love, comedic relief, friendships, and life’s most heartbreaking challenges, this film is a treasure for teenage cinema.
Another feature of this film that makes it unique amongst other high school films is the relationship dynamic between student and teacher. In the film, Charlie has a relatively close relationship with his English teacher, Mr. Anderson, and asks him meaningful questions to help guide himself through life. To Mr. Anderson, Charlie is one of his most talented students and Mr. Anderson enjoys assigning him extra assignments to better understand him and stimulate his learning.
We asked students if they feel a close relationship with their teachers to test whether this depiction is accurate of real high school life. “I think I’m lucky enough to have found a teacher each of my four years that I can definitely connect to emotionally,” said senior Presley Saunier. “I know I’ve had this conversation with my friends a few times, and I feel like most of my friends say yes, but I can’t speak for everyone in the whole school.”
Another important characteristic is Charlie’s social life. Upon first entering high school, Charlie has a difficult time finding true friends. Junior Nolan Andreuzzi differs from this experience, saying, “To be honest, I had a lot of friends from my classes that I quickly got along with.” Additionally, Charlie struggles with feelings of belonging since he often experiences moments where he feels alone, even when he is surrounded by people. “If I’m in a class where I don’t know a lot of people, then maybe I could feel like I don’t really know what to do,” said Andreuzzi, relating to Charlie’s feelings of loneliness in the classroom setting. “But overall, I don’t think it’s really a problem.”
Film Two: 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
10 Things I Hate About You is a modern adaptation of William Shakespeare’s play The Taming of the Shrew. The film is set in a high school and follows the relationship of Kat Stratford and Patrick Verona. Kat is an independent, strong-willed young woman while Patrick is charming and rebellious. Kat’s younger sister, Bianca wants to start dating, but she cannot since their father has a rule: if Kat doesn’t date, Bianca doesn’t either. Therefore, the guy that Bianca wants to start dating makes a deal with Pat and pays him to ask Kat out. Eventually she discovers Patrick’s motives, leading to a roller coaster of betrayal, growth, and – in the end – love. The film is full of witty conversation, entertaining performances, and female empowerment.
The relationship between Kat Stratford and Patrick Verona evolved drastically throughout the movie. They showed the difficulty of navigating a high school relationship and the importance of personal growth. Junior Payton Axenrod has been dating her boyfriend for almost a year now, and she said her relationship “started with a bit of awkwardness as we got to know each other better.” Similarly to Payton and her boyfriend, at the start of the movie, Kat and Patrick are opposites, Kat is outspoken and independent while Patrick is laid-back and mysterious. Despite these differences in their personalities, they are still drawn to each other. Payton talked about the “honeymoon phase” of her relationship, where everything seemed perfect. Similarly, Kat and Pat’s interactions in the beginning of the film were surface-level, but grew a connection and accepted each other for who they are. Social pressure and expectations were a negative influence on them, so Kat and Pat had to learn to ignore these factors and instead grow their relationship.
Film Three: The Breakfast Club (1985)
The stereotypical nerd, jock, popular girl, criminal, and basket case are stuck spending one Saturday with each other in detention. Because of this day, they discover that they may have more in common with each other than they thought. Throughout the day, they open up about their personal struggles with life and highschool stereotypes, forming unexpected bonds. At the end of detention, they leave with a better understanding and more empathy for each other and for themselves.
The Breakfast Club may begin with the students not wanting to interact with each other, but they come to understand each other. Junior Julia Whaley noted, “these groups [may] exist, but they are inclusive and never leave anyone out.” High schoolers struggle to conform to the typical high school stereotypes. But at the end of the day, they’re all just trying to survive four years of judgmental teens and graduate high school.
On the other hand, Junior Sami Gurunathan shared that being stereotyped made him feel “upset and like he couldn’t be his true self.” This feeling was expressed by many characters in the movie like John Bender (the criminal) and Brian Johnson (the brain) where they struggled because of societal pressure.
Whaley said, “most parents will hold their kids to a high standard for college,” which is similar to how Claire Standish (the popular girl) felt that she had to be perfect. Overall, the students in the film realize that they should be their true selves and not be controlled by the stereotypes assigned to them.
Film Four: Lady Bird (2017)
Set in Sacramento in 2002, Lady Bird tells the story of Christine McPherson, nicknamed Lady Bird, through her senior year of high school. Deeply opinionated, passionate, and determined, Christine’s bold attitude is just like that of her mother’s, leading to conflicts in their relationship. With her father losing his job, their bond only gets worse. Working tirelessly to manage the family’s finances, Marion just wants her daughter to take the more affordable route by attending UC-Davis, while Christine dreams of studying at a small liberal arts college on the East Coast. Adding on to her teenage angst, Christine also encounters obstacles in her friendships and romantic relationships. Overall, director Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird displays intense arguments, lighthearted comedy, and the complexity of both relationships and teenage life to create a touching coming-of-age film.
Since the most prevalent feature of high school life in this film is parental relationships, we felt it was fitting to interview students about their bond with their parents. For reference, Christine and her mother have a very tense relationship, with Marion being very stubborn and Christine being very independent and rebellious. Junior Taylor Chisholm said she doesn’t make decisions out of rebellion very often, and when we asked her whether she feels comfortable telling her parents personal matters, she responded, “Yeah, I feel comfortable, and my mom tells me stuff, too.”
We also asked NVOT senior Nicole Klapowitz about her connection with her parents. “I only feel comfortable telling my parents certain personal things,” she said. “I know that they are always there for me if I need them though.”
But friendship is an equally important aspect of Lady Bird. Throughout the first half of the film, Christine remains close with her childhood friend, Julie, and the two do nearly everything together. But with senior year becoming more complicated, Christine sacrifices her friendship with Julie and becomes friends with kids who don’t make her feel included, all because she wants to be considered ‘cool’. Yet, after a series of events, Julie forgives Christine and the two rekindle their friendship to be stronger than ever.
We asked senior Nicole Klapowitz if this situation is realistic amongst teens. “I was never left out because my friends always made sure I felt included,” she said. Klapowitz also acknowledged that she did not grow apart with her childhood friend, Darian Pilkington, throughout high school, unlike Christine.
Our Final Takes
High school films are largely exaggerated and unrealistic. As students who have always enjoyed watching these kinds of movies and frequently compared themselves to the main characters, we feel it is always important to consider that not every high schooler experiences the same emotions and events, whether it be Kat Stratford mindlessly stressing over her lovelife or Charlie struggling with severe mental battles. Either way, the next time you watch a teenage movie, remember not to compare yourself so harshly to the protagonist. We are all unique individuals facing entirely different situations. Hollywood is fiction, after all!