41 Hot Facts About Your Favorite High School Movies

November 27, 2017 | Miles Brucker

41 Hot Facts About Your Favorite High School Movies


Whether you finished high school a few years ago or a few decades ago, these flicks are flashbacks of adolescence. Take a walk down memory lane to your old locker with 41 facts you never knew about the classics you grew up with.


High School Movies Facts

41. One More Thing to Love

Upon reading the 10 Things I Hate About You script, Heath Ledger, who was at that point completely untested on American screens, simply asked to be cast as Patrick Verona (the lead) and was granted an audition based on his confidence and ambition.

 

The Dark Knight FactsWikipedia

40. Choices, Choices

Before meeting Ledger, producers for 10 Things I Hate About You were also looking at Ashton Kutcher and Joseph Gordon-Levitt for the lead role.

Two and a Half Men factGetty Images

39. Everything Happens for a Reason

At one point, Elvis Presley was offered a role in Grease, but he turned it down. Considering how much Danny Zuko resembles the King, we could totally seeing Presley fitting right in the flick.

Elvis Presley FactsGetty Images

38. Go Big or Go Home

Still, the production didn't exactly need the Tupelo Tornado: Grease was the highest-grossing film in 1978.

High School Movies FactsGetty Images 

Grease cast reunion 

37. You Never Forget Your First Time

The now cult classic American Pie originally opened to poor reviews, with critics calling it “…gross and tasteless.”  Yet the film brought in $18,709,680 on its opening weekend, and we’re still talking about it today—8 films later.

Blink 182 factsAmerican Pie, Universal Pictures 

36. Life Just Wouldn’t be the Same

What would life be like if American Pie had gone with its original name, Great Falls? Yeah, that almost happened. Luckily, test audiences resoundingly disliked the working title.

Movie Industry factsFlickr  

35. Anything for a Good Story

Fast Times at Ridgemont High was actually based on a non-fiction book of the same name. Screenwriter Cameron Crowe went undercover as a student at Clairemont High School in San Diego, California, taking on a fake name to gather inspiration for the book, to be published in 1981. In 1982, the book was turned into the film we know today.

High School Movies FactsFast Times at Ridgemont High,Universal Pictures  

34. The Real Thing

After just a brief chat prior to his scheduled audition went well, actor Sean Penn didn’t even end up auditioning for the role of Jeff Spicoli—he just naturally embodied the character.

High School Movies FactsFast Times at Ridgemont High,Universal Pictures  

33. Life Imitates Art

Romy and Michele's High School Reunion screenwriter Robin Schiff drew inspiration for the characters Romy and Michele from eavesdropping on a conversation between two real life women in a bathroom at a trendy club in LA.

High School Movies FactsRomy and Michele 

32. Phony Brand Endorsements

It takes a keen eye to catch this one, but director Quentin Tarantino’s fake brands, Big Kahuna Burger and Red Apple Cigarettes, make appearances in Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion.

Inglourious Basterds factsGetty Images  

31. Small Town, Big Following

Napoleon Dynamite was filmed in small-town Preston, Idaho, and fans visit daily to take pictures of Dynamite’s house on what is now known as “Napoleon Dynamite Lane.”

High School Movies FactsNapoleon Dynamite, Paramount Pictures  

30. There Are No Mistakes

Napoleon Dynamite’s Jon Heder permed is hair the night before shooting began, which didn’t go exactly as planned: his hair had huge Shirley Temple curls. A re-perm helped tame the curls into what the production wanted, but Heder wasn’t allowed to wash his hair for three weeks during production in order to keep the style. It was just as stinky as you'd expect, and apparently nearby flies were constantly attracted to his greasy mop.

High School Movies FactsNapoleon Dynamite, Paramount Pictures  

29. Girl Power

Catherine Hardwicke's Twilight grossed $69.6 million in 2008. At the time, it was the biggest opening for a female director in movie history.

High School Movies FactsGetty Images 

28. Written in the Stars

The day before landing the lead role of Edward Cullen in Twilight, Robert Pattinson was close to quitting his career as an actor because he wasn’t landing any work.

'High Life' Photocall - 66th San Sebastian Film Festival. Robert Pattinson.Getty Images 

27. A Spellbinding Performance

The Craft director Andrew Fleming followed all the guidelines to attain a PG-13 rating for the movie, but due to its unusual blend of high school girls dabbling in witchcraft, the film was eventually rated R.

High School Movies FactsThe Craft,Columbia Pictures  

26. No Movie Magic Here

In one of the The Craft’s final scenes, over 3,000 snakes were brought in for effect–from pythons and boas to a 10-foot Amazon constrictor.

High School Movies FactsThe Craft,Columbia Pictures  

25. It’s Who You Know

Matthew McConaughey was cast for Dazed and Confused after running into casting director Don Phillips at a bar. They got along so well that Phillips invited McConaughey to the casting office the next day.

Matthew McConaughey FactsGetty Images 

24. Method Acting With Mary Jane

Dazed and Confused makes liberal use of marijuana, and some of the cast admits to being under the influence in certain scenes near the end of production.

Medical Practices factsPixabay  

23. For Authenticity

While to the weed was (mostly) fake, actors who were of age snuck in and drank real beer on the set of Dazed and Confused.

Tragedies factsPixabay 

22. Truth is Stranger Than Fiction

Dangerous Minds, starring Michelle Pfeiffer, was based on the autobiographical book My Posse Don't Do Homework by LouAnne Johnson.

High School Movies FactsDangerous Minds, Buena Vista Pictures 

21. Nothing to See Here

During the production of Dangerous Minds, Pfeiffer was pregnant and was outfitted in long skirts and bulky sweaters to conceal her bump.

High School Movies FactsDangerous Minds, Buena Vista Pictures 

20. A Legend in the Making

Specifically written for Dangerous Minds, Coolio’s "Gangsta’s Paradise" was a reworking of Stevie Wonder’s 1976 song "Pastime Paradise." The song won a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance.

Favourite High School Movies factsGetty Images

19. It’s All About the Table Dance

Julia Stile’s inebriated tabletop dance performance in 10 Things I Hate About You actually landed her the leading role in Save the Last Dance.

High School Movies Facts10 Things I Hate About You, Touchstone Pictures 

18. Private Dancer

Stiles did all of the hip hop and most of the ballet scenes on her own in Save the Last Dance, except for the pointe ballet, where she used a double.

High School Movies FactsSave the Last Dance,Paramount Pictures 

17. Sleep When You’re Dead

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was written by notoriously fast writer John Hughes in just under a week. Granted, Sixteen Candles was written in a weekend, so maybe Hughes was actually slacking off.

High School Movies FactsFerris Bueller’s Day Off,Paramount Pictures 

16. Less Than Impressed

The first cut of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off wasn’t well received by its cast or studio execs. As a result, Hughes and editor Paul Hirsch restitched the footage in two weeks to make the movie what it is today.

High School Movies FactsFerris Bueller’s Day Off,Paramount Pictures 

15. The House Party of the Century

Project X is based on the true story of Australian Corey Worthington’s legendary house party. After Worthington used MySpace to spread the word, around 500 people showed up to his house and caused over $20,000 worth of damage.

High School Movies FactsProject X,Warner Bros 

14. Fresh Hollywood Blood

Most of the Project X actors were inexperienced; they were first-timers who showed up for an open call.

High School Movies FactsProject X,Warner Bros 

13. Forever a Freshman

Easy A’s Emma Stone never actually attended high school—for long, anyway. She stopped after her first semester to pursue an acting career and took online high school classes instead.

Emma Stone FactsGetty Images 

12. Sexual Healing Needed Stat

On the second day into shooting Easy A, not knowing she had asthma, Stone had an attack while shooting a hilariously awkward fake sex scene. We're assuming the attack didn't make anything less awkward.

High School Movies FactsEasy A, Screen Gems 

11. To Buffy or not to Buffy?

Joss Whedon is adamant that the film Buffy the Vampire Slayer is totally separate from the TV series of the same name, including any characters and events.

Luke Perry FactsBuffy the Vampire Slayer 20th Century Fox Television 

10. A Good Start

Buffy the Vampire Slayer gave the then-17-year-old Hilary Swank (who played Buffy's bimbo friend) a big break, and Ben Affleck also plays a small role as a jock in the film.

High School Movies FactsBuffy the Vampire Slayer 20th Century Fox Television 

9. A Bloody Mess

Carrie’s Sissy Spacek slept in the famous blood-stained prom dress for the three days it took to shoot the prom sequence. Why? To maintain consistency of the stains (made from corn syrup and dye) during production. Director Brian de Palma said it made her smell "like gummy candy that had been sitting on a radiator."

High School Movies FactsCarrie,United Artists 

8. The It-Girl

Clueless Director Amy Heckerling cast Alicia Silverstone as Cher Horowitz after seeing Silverstone’s flirty and fun performance in “those Aerosmith videos.”

High School Movies FactsClueless,Paramount Pictures 

7. A Whole New Language

Heckerling invented colloquialisms specifically for Clueless, including the terms "Betty" and "Baldwin" (an attractive woman and an attractive man, respectively).  A terminology booklet, titled How to Talk Cluelessly, was even created to help promote the film.

High School Movies FactsClueless,Paramount Pictures 

6. Walk, Walk Fashion Baby

Fashion doesn’t take a backseat in Clueless: Cher changes her outfit a total of 60 times throughout the film.

High School Movies FactsClueless,Paramount Pictures 

5. Playing Hardball

In the dodgeball scene in Billy Madison, Adam Sandler didn’t hold back when he unleashed the ball at the kids. The editor had to cut and modify the footage so their crying didn’t make it on film.

High School Movies FactsBilly Madison,Universal Pictures 

4. You Are What You Are

Of all of Sandler’s quirky characters over his longstanding career, he says “Billy's [from Billy Madison] the closest I've come to playing myself.”

High School Movies FactsBilly Madison,Universal Pictures 

 

3. Look the Part, Play the Part, Be the Part

To man her up for her cross-dressing role in She's the Man, director Andy Fickman took leading lady Amanda Bynes out to the mall to learn how to walk in a masculine way and to pick up male mannerisms.

High School Movies FactsShe 

2. Literary Connections

Both She's the Man and Clueless are adaptations of classic literature: She's the Man is based off of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, and Clueless reworks Jane Austen's Emma. 

High School Movies FactsShe 

1. You Never Know When You Might Need One

The famous scene in She’s the Man where Sebastian/Viola demonstrates an alternative way to use a tampon (to stem a nosebleed) was so well received that people sent in fan mail to share how they adopted the hack into their own lives!

High School Movies FactsShe 

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