The 7 Best Graduation Movies

Graduation. Whether you’re talking about high school or college, either one marks a rite of passage. As such, it’s always been fertile ground for filmmakers. For this graduation season, we’re looking at the best movies about commencement.

Honorable Mentions: These entries run from the ridiculous to the sublime. American Pie actually has a particular teenage quest as the main objective for its four leads, but in a way, it’s a symptom of their anxiety surrounding their impending departure from high school. Eurotrip, one of the great dumb comedies of the 2000s, kicks off with a graduation that leads to transcontinental odyssey (backed by one of the greatest movie songs ever, “Scotty Doesn’t Know”). But for pathos, Lean on Me, based on the real-life story of principal Joe Clark (Morgan Freeman) and his struggle to turn around a failing school, ends with a montage of kids who you never thought would make it to their graduation ceremony.

7. St. Elmo’s Fire (1985)

St. Elmo’s Fire trailer (Uploaded to YouTube by Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers)

This keystone Brat Pack film follows a group of seven friends in their post-collegiate malaise. While the characters are ridiculously insufferable and self-involved, that’s not necessarily inaccurate for that age group at the time. The film achieves a kind of full-circle moment when the gang realizes that they’re too old for their old undergraduate hangout, the titular bar.

6. Risky Business (1983)

Risky Business trailer (Uploaded to YouTube by Movieclips)

While Joel’s (Tom Cruise) attempts to get into Princeton versus actually graduating are the real stakes, the movie at its core is about answering who and what the academically high-achieving (but low on real-life experience)young man will do. As Joel enacts the rather unconventional plan of running a prostitution ring out of his house while his parents are on vacation, that scene is undergirded by a hilarious, and frequently interrupted, collegiate interview.

5. American Graffiti (1973)

This one is a bit of flip, because the action occurs on the last weekend of summer vacation post-high school graduation. Two of the characters, Curt (Richard Drefyfus) and Steve (Ron Howard), are poised to go off to college while Terry (Charles Martin Smith) will soon be in the Army in Vietnam. The film marks emotional journeys for all of the characters, with Curt and Steve both making big decisions on one pivotal night that will impact the rest of their lives.

4. Superbad/Booksmart (2007/2019)

Superbad and Booksmart are spiritual cousins, with the added connection that Superbad star Jonah Hill and Booksmart’s Beanie Feldstein are real-life siblings. Both films focus on two best friends resolving to party as they head to graduation, and both films expose heretofore unrevealed cracks in the foundations of their relationships. Both movies also revel in taboo-smashing, going for (and achieving) loud laughs in uncomfortable situations. The fact that both films find heart in the midst of, let’s say “altered,” shenanigans is more than coincidental; it’s a tribute to the talents in front of and behind their respective cameras.

3. Can’t Hardly Wait (1998)

The bulk of Can’t Hardly Wait (named for the classic tune by The Replacements) takes place at a high school graduation party. Preston (Ethan Embry) plans to confess his love to Amanda (Jennifer Love Hewitt), while William (Charlie Korsmo) plots revenge against jock/Amanda’s ex Mike (Peter Facinelli), and former friends Kenny and Denise (Seth Green and Lauren Ambrose) get locked in a bathroom. Amid the comedic elements, the film does manage to touch on some serious subjects, like bullying, how young friendships can go wrong, and even band dynamics. Aside from the six main players, the film is loaded with a lot of other stars before their breakout roles, like Jason Segel and Jaime Pressly.

2. Say Anything (1989)

Say Anything trailer (Uploaded to YouTube by Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers)

It’s regarded as a much-loved young adult romantic comedy, but Say Anything manages to nail a lot of the stress surrounding graduation as a starting point. Valedictorian Diane Court (Ione Skye) contends with preparing her valedictorian address to the class near the beginning of the film (which she has to deliver after a fairly awful rendition of “The Greatest Love of All”) before attending an eventful grad party with average student/aspiring kickboxer Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack). The film drew lots of praise for first-time director Cameron Crowe (Crowe also wrote the film) and gave a massive boost in popularity to “In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel, aka the song that plays as Cusack holds aloft his mighty boombox.

1. The Graduate (1967)

The Graduate trailer (Uploaded to YouTube by StudiocanalUK)

Really, what else would it be?

College graduate Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman, but you knew that) finds himself romantically entangled between an older married woman, Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) and her daughter, Elaine (Katharine Ross). The film’s list of accolades, from the Simon & Garfunkel tunes to the writing and direction, could fill pages. Director Mike Nichols perfectly captures Benjamin’s directionless nature and the timeless notion of using your 20s for bad decisions. In many ways, it’s just as relevant as it was upon its release, and that’s why it’s number one.