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.
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD
1. NATIONAL LAMPOON’S ANIMAL HOUSE (1978)
Where to Watch: Hulu, Sling TV, Starz, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube
2. St. Elmos 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 through life and their friendships following college graduation. These best friends have each other’s backs when the adulting seems too difficult to navigate.
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.
3. Back To School (1986)
Bring us a pitcher of beer every seven minutes until somebody passes out…and then bring one every ten minutes…
Where to Watch: YouTube, Hulu, Sling TV, Amazon Prime Video, iTunes, Google Play
4. PCU (1994)
So this is the sewer where you persons breed your anti-community crimes…
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, xfinity Stream
5. DEAD MAN ON CAMPUS (1998)
Who wants to do a bong? How about you?
Where to Watch: Tubi, YouTube, Google Play, Vudu, Amazon Prime Video, iTunes
6. ROAD TRIP (2000)
The greatest college tradition of all
Where to Watch: YouTube, Google Play, Vudu, Amazon Prime Video, iTunes
7. LEGALLY BLONDE (2001)
Boldly going where no blonde has gone
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)
When all else fails…Cheat
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)
Don’t be a fool…stay in school
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)
All the fun of college, none of the education
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)
Do me a favor, enjoy your time here. You’ve got four years – the best years of your life. And then, you’re f***ed!
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)
Get Pitch Slapped…
Where to Watch: YouTube, Vudu, iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Prime
Arriving for her freshman year at college, Beca (Anna Kendrick) cannot find a friend 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 she is trying to make it work, She reluctantly joins one group that she never expected: The Barden Bellas.
The Bellas, an acapella group led by seniors Aubrey Posen (Anna Camp) and Chloe Beale (Brittany Snow), are stuck in the past when it comes to their performances. Sick and tired of losing every year to their male counterparts, the famed Barden University Treblemakers, the Bellas need new girls and new material, ASAP.
The Bellas soon realize that the newly-initiated Beca is the key to lead the group away from their traditional (and boring) musical arrangements to perfect harmonies with imaginative mash-ups.
The Bellas initiate a hodge-podge group of girls with different talents to add to the group:
- The hilarious Rebel Wilson plays Fat Amy, a singer from Tasmania.
- Alexis Knapp plays Stacie Conrad.
- Ester Dean plays soul singer Cynthia Rose Adams.
- Hana Mae Lee plays the quiet yet badass beatboxer Lilly Onakuramara.
The Treblemakers, led by the obnoxiously hilarious Bumper Allen (Adam Devine), always go for the win and are famous in the acapella scene. Jesse Swanson (Skylar Astin) plays the newest member of The Treblemakers with a major crush on Beca. These two are kept apart due to the No Bella/No Treblemaker dating edict, but their chemistry is legit.
Ben Platt plays Jesse’s roommate Benji Applebaum, whose life dream is to be a member of the Treblemakers. He is initially rejected from the group during tryouts but finally gets his chance when Bumper leaves his team behind to sing backup for John Mayer.
When it comes to the Barden Bellas, with Beca’s beats, they finally have the material to fight their way in the finals. Can they knock the Treblemakers out of the top spot? The musical performances alone are reason enough to watch this movie. It’s Acca-awesome.
Bumper Allen (Adam DeVine)
13. NEIGHBORS (2014)
You called the cops. You violated the circle of trust, Focker.
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’s parties continue night after night and get go too far, both sides begin to fend for their turf. This means war.
Dave Franco and Christopher Mintz-Plasse also star in this amusing comedy.