8. Kaboom
From the director of Mysterious Skin comes this mind-bending science fiction story about a man, played by Thomas Dekker whose sexual awakening may have something to do with the end of the world. Kaboom is a flawed film but it’s perfect fodder for those meaning of life conversations that happen in every dorm in the early hours of the morning.
9. Dear White People
While director Justin Simian is better known for the acclaimed Netflix series based on this film, Dear White People is more than just a great starting point for Simian’s themes of race, all played out in the microcosm of a college campus.
10. 22 Jump Street
22 Jump Street doesn’t reach the comedic heights of the first film, but it’s still one of the best American comedies of the decade. Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum are fantastic as usual, even if the college setting doesn’t have as much comic potential as grown men pretending to be in high school.
11. Starter for Ten
A quick trip to the tradition of British Universities in this charming adaptation of David Nichols best-selling book. The cast is ridiculously talented with James McAvoy, Benedict Cumberbatch (who steals every scene he’s in), Rebecca Hall and Dominic Cooper, in a film based around the game show University Challenge.
12. Pitch Perfect
Every college has clubs and societies and Pitch Perfect uses its acapella group as a way for aspiring music producer Beca (Anna Kendrick) to make friends through competition. Pitch Perfect is the first of a surprisingly successful franchise that spawned two sequels; the second of which broke the box office record for a film directed by a woman before it was broke again by Wonder Woman in 2017.
13. Monsters University
Monsters University doesn’t quite achieve the same heights as Monsters Inc, but it does take aim at crusty traditions filtered through the of it’s multi-layered and monstrous world. The beginning of the adventures of Mike and Sully will ring true to many college graduates, but it also has a positive message in that of you want something you have to work hard to get it.
14. Legally Blonde
A true fish out of water tale as Reese Witherspoon plays the supposedly dim Ellie Woods who turns out to be a genius while practicing law at Harvard. Legally Blonde is the college film that killed 1000 dumb blonde jokes.
15. Kicking and Screaming
Noah Baumbach’s debut is about a group of students that find little meaning in their lives after finishing college. It’s a funny and surprisingly warm story about moving on to the next step of life. Pay close attention students, because IT WILL HAPPEN TO YOU!