Here are some movies to help your tweens and teens head back to school with smiles on their faces. Or at least, with a little less dread!
Mean Girls (PG-13, 5/5 stars, currently FREE to watch for Prime members, $2.99 to rent, $6.99 to buy) – Raised in the African bush country by her zoologist parents, Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) thinks she knows about “survival of the fittest.” But the law of the jungle takes on a whole new meaning when the home-schooled 15-year-old enters public high school for the first time and falls prey to the psychological warfare and unwritten social rules that teenage girls face today. A smart, funny film written by Tiny Fey (Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock)
Diary of A Wimpy Kid (PG, 4/5 stars, $2.99 to rent, $9.99 to buy) – Greg Heffley is headed back to school, and he’s determined to make sure that this year will be different: this will be the year he finally joins the popular crowd. After jettisoning his “uncool” buddy Rowley, Greg tests out every strategy he can think of, with disastrous results. Greg’s reputation sinks lower and lower, while Rowley seems to be getting more and more friends all the time, just by being his “uncool” self.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (PG-13, 4.5/5 stars, $1.99 to rent, $9.99 to buy) – When Ferris Bueller plays hooky, he really goes all out! Can he elude his obsessed Principal, Ed Rooney? Can he avoid running into his father when he decides to do the town with his friends in downtown Chicago? Will his jealous sister Jeannie ultimately be his undoing? Watch and see, in this hilarious John Hughes classic.
Clueless (PG-13, 4/5 stars, currently FREE to watch for Prime members, $2.99 to rent, $9.99 to buy) – In this hip, comedic update of Jane Austen’s Emma, Alicia Silverstone stars as the girl who seems to have all the answers when it comes to romance – except in her own relationships.
Bring It On – (PG-13, 4/5 stars, $2.99 to rent, $9.99 to buy) – Kirsten Dunst stars as a competitive cheerleader who needs to bring a reluctant rookie (played by Eliza Dushku) up to speed fast. Featuring many choreographed cheer routines, it’s a fun, fast-paced look into the world of competitive cheer.
And what list of back to school movies would be complete without Back to School, the Rodney Dangerfield comedy?
Back to School (PG-13, 4.5/5 stars, currently FREE to watch for Prime members, $2.99 to rent, $9.99 to buy) – Rodney Dangerfield plays self-made millionaire Thornton Mellon, owner of a chain oftall and fat clothing stores, who, after divorcing his philandering wife,enrolls in college to keep his son from dropping out. Rodney’s invasion quickly turns the campus into a non-stop party zone, and he even helps the diving team win their big meet.
