Top Four Relatable ’80s High School Movies

Olivia Runkle

4. Sixteen Candles

This movie starring Molly Ringwald is one of my favorites because the main character she plays, Sam, is a sophomore in high school who likes this senior named Jake Ryan. Jake Ryan is popular, and Sam is not. Sam has to figure out how to get him to like her all while struggling with the fact that her whole family forgot her birthday because of her older sister’s wedding. 

I would recommend this movie because I can relate to the main character Sam a lot, especially the idea of liking a guy who may or may not like you back. Sam is a daddy’s girl, which I am as well, and she also is not very popular, just like me.

3. Can’t Buy Me Love

In this romantic comedy, social outcast Ronald Miller really wants to be popular in school; however, when you dress like a nerd and act like one, that can be pretty tough to do. When he saves Cindy Mancini, one of the popular girls, from getting into trouble with her mom after the outfit she borrows is ruined, he sees his chance to become popular. Ronald says he will buy her a new outfit if she agrees to pretend that they are dating. She agrees, and Ronald’s road to becoming popular begins.

Out of all the movies featured on this list, this one is my absolute favorite because the main character is quirky, kind of like me, and is funny, and he will make you laugh.

 This movie reminds us of how hard it is to be part of the popular crowd and how hard it is to get into the popular crowd. That is why it made my top four list.

2.The Breakfast Club

This movie is the most accurate and well-known movie about high school from the ’80s. It captures the idea of different classes perfectly by having five different kids in detention on a Saturday. John Bender (the dirthead), Claire (the spoiled rich girl), Brian Johnson (the nerd), Andrew (the jock) and Allison (the invisible ash person) spend time together in detention, they learn that they are all the same inside and that though they are all in different social classes, they are all people. 

This movie made this list for me because the first time I saw it I cried because the movie is very emotional at so many levels. It shows you that social classes are just the way the world is, but you can still be nice to each other, be friends with people and date people from different cliques. That is why I highly recommend it to everyone who has experienced the cliques of high school or is part of one.

1.Some Kind Of Wonderful

In this romantic drama, the main character, Keith Nelson, is an artist, and an unpopular guy falls for queen bee Amanda Jones and has help from his tomboy best friend. Watts scores a date with Amanda Jones. Little does he know that his best friend has feelings for him.

I recommend this movie because it deeply shows the pain and beauty of first love, cliques and how friendship can be one of the most important relationships that one will ever have and sometimes the best love stories start with friendships.