WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD
NATIONAL LAMPOON’S ANIMAL HOUSE (1978)
Where to Watch: Hulu, Sling TV, Starz, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube
Naturally, we begin our list with the most iconic college movie of all time: Animal House. John Belushi (Saturday Night Live) delivers with his bad boy comedic style in this film, which has transcended generations, developing a major cult following.
The Animal House movie poster, which features John Belushi wearing the “college” sweater, can still be found in college dorm rooms around the country. This movie knows no boundaries or time restraints. Iconic is iconic.
St. ELMO’S FIRE (1985)
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, YouTube, iTunes, Google Play
Written and directed by Joel Schumacher, “St. Elmo’s Fire” is a tribute to what happens after college ends. Seven friends—Alec, Billy, Jules, Kevin, Kirby, Leslie, and Wendy—are trying to navigate life and their friendships following college graduation. These best friends have each other’s backs when adulting seems too difficult.
The brilliant casting includes many members of the infamous “brat pack”, the crew that epitomized ’80s cool.
Fun Fact: The film’s “St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion)” theme song went to the top No #1 rank of the American Billboard Hot 100 chart.
BACK TO SCHOOL (1986)
Where to Watch: YouTube, Hulu, Sling TV, Amazon Prime Video, iTunes, Google Play
4. PCU (1994)
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, xfinity Stream
5. DEAD MAN ON CAMPUS (1998)
Where to Watch: Tubi, YouTube, Google Play, Vudu, Amazon Prime Video, iTunes
6. ROAD TRIP (2000)
Where to Watch: YouTube, Google Play, Vudu, Amazon Prime Video, iTunes
7. LEGALLY BLONDE (2001)
Where to Watch: Hulu, Sling TV, Amazon Prime Video, Showtime, YouTube, Google Play
Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) is the president of her sorority, a Hawaiian Tropic girl, Miss June in her campus calendar, and, most importantly, she’s blonde. Elle’s life goal is to become Mrs. Warner Huntington III… but when Warner (Matthew Davis) dumps her for being too blonde for his blue-blooded family and the country club crowd, Elle finds herself without a ring and without a plan. But she quickly devises one that will lead her to the famous halls of Harvard.
When Warner, newly engaged to his prep school girlfriend (Selma Blair), leaves for his first semester at Harvard Law, he discovers that Elle was accepted to Harvard Law as well (“what, like it’s hard?“). Her plan? To win Hunter back from his chilly brunette fiance. When Elle realizes that law school in Boston is a far cry from the comforts of her life in California, she must decide if it is worth it to stay. When Elle decides to stay in school, all bets are off. What Elle wants, Elle gets and we find her climbing her way to the top of her class, despite the criticism of her classmates.
8. SLACKERS (2002)
Where to Watch: Vudu, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, iTunes, Google Play
Slacker roommates Dave, Sam, and Jeff, are happily scheming their way through the college system. But when the strangely nerdy Ethan (Jason Schwartzman) catches Dave stealing test questions, he threatens to turn them in – unless they can figure out how to get the object of his obsession, Angela (Jamie King), to go on a date with him. The three friends take on the challenge, but when Dave falls in love with Angela, all bets are off. Can Dave keep his love and avoid expulsion?
9. NATIONAL LAMPOON’S VAN WILDER (2002)
Where to Watch: YouTube, Tubi, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Vudu
Campus party king and school slacker Van Wilder (Ryan Reynolds) is enjoying his seventh year in college when he learns that his father refuses to pay for one more semester. He finds himself falling in love with intelligent co-ed Gwen Pearson (Tara Reid), who inspires him to actually want to graduate.
10. OLD SCHOOL (2003)
Where to Watch: HBO Max, YouTube, Google Play, Vudu
Three men, tired of adulting, relive their carefree college years in this raucous comedy. When Mitch (Luke Wilson) returns home from a business trip early to discover his wife, Heidi (Juliette Lewis), is cheating on him, he quickly and (unwittingly) rents a house next to the campus of a local college.
Little does Mitch know that his old college buddies, Beanie (Vince Vaughn) and Frank (Will Ferrell), would soon turn his house into party central. When Beanie decides to throw a housewarming party for Mitch, he uses his audio equipment company to hook the party up with a massive PA system (and a surprise appearance by Snoop Dogg).
Mitch soon finds that his home is now the student’s preferred party spot, raising the wrath of Dean Pritchard (Jeremy Piven), who was the target of Mitch, Frank, and Beanie’s bullying when they were students together.
Pritchard attempts to have Mitch’s neighborhood zoned into a student housing district so that Mitch can officially be zoned out.
The men respond by forming a fraternity, turning Mitch’s home into their new frat house. This way, they can keep the parties rolling while remaining in the school’s housing zone. Mitch is not happy about the idea, especially since he is trying to impress his crush Nicole (Ellen Pompeo), who is not thrilled with Mitch’s partying lifestyle.
Hilarity ensues with this film as the unauthorized fraternity attempts to become a legitimate part of greek life on campus. Dean Pritchard forces the men to participate in a hilarious series of tests in order to accept their fraternity onto campus and which the men must complete in its entirety. Great cast. Great movie. Must watch.
11. ACCEPTED (2006)
Where to Watch: Hulu, Sling TV, Starz, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube
When every college rejects him, Bartleby (Justin Long) decides to invent one to avoid his parent’s disappointment. Word travels fast, and soon Bartleby is being approached by other outcasts and rejects to join his fictional college.
Every college needs a dorm room, right? With all of the fall semester checks piling up, Bartleby leases a building that used to be a psychiatric hospital. There, the students decide what their major will be. Unlike traditional colleges, the students decide to learn about random subjects that interest them.
12. PITCH PERFECT (2012)
Where to Watch: YouTube, Vudu, iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Prime
Arriving for her freshman year at college, isolated Beca (Anna Kendrick) cannot find a group that suits her. A music major who creates innovative mash-ups on her laptop, Beca would rather be a music producer in Los Angeles than a freshman at Barden.
To convince her father that she is trying to make it work, she reluctantly joins a group she never dreamed she would: the Barden Bellas, an a cappella group. The Bellas soon realize that the newly initiated Beca is the key to transforming their traditional—and often boring—musical arrangements into perfect harmonies with imaginative mash-ups. The Bellas also brings together a diverse group of girls with different talents to enhance the ensemble. With Beca’s beats, they finally have the material to fight their way to the finals. Can they knock the Treblemakers out of the top spot? The musical performances are reason enough alone to watch this movie. It’s Acca-awesome.Â
The Treblemakers, led by the obnoxiously hilarious Bumper Allen (Adam Devine), always go for the win and are famous in the acapella scene.Â
Bumper Allen (Adam DeVine)
13. NEIGHBORS (2014)
Where to Watch: YouTube, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, Amazon Prime Video
Mac (Seth Rogen) and Kelly Radner (Rose Byrne) are living the American Dream – complete with a new child and a starter home in the suburbs. But they aren’t boring parents; they are cool parents. When they find out that their new neighbors are the party-hearty Delta Psi Beta fraternity, led by trouble-making president Teddy Sanders (Zac Efron), they try to play along and try to make friends. But when the frat parties continue night after night and go too far, both sides begin to fend for their turf. This means war.