Hey, Hollywooders! Today, we’re shining a light on this year’s high school graduates with eight Hollywood movies you have to watch if you’re graduating this year. We have compiled a list of feel-good movies about senior year of high school, graduation, and the first year out of high school. Keep reading to see if your favorite is on the list!
Hollywood movies for high school graduates: Lady Bird (2018)
Lady Bird centers around a high school senior (played by Saoirse Ronan) who goes by the name of Lady Bird. The film shows her trying to balance new friends, relationships, and existing friendships during her last year of high school. It also depicts the tension that can exist between a mother and her teenage daughter, especially when the daughter has a different post-graduation plan than her parents have for her.
Directed and written by Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird follows the lead character from her Catholic high school in Sacramento, California, to her freshman year at a college in New York. The film also stars Laurie Metcalf, Timothée Chalamet, and Beanie Feldstein.
Check out the movie trailer:
Watch Lady Bird on Netflix.
Hollywood movies for high school graduates: 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
10 Things I Hate About You takes viewers through the senior year of Kat (Julia Stiles) as her classmate Patrick (Heath Ledger) tries to get her to date him. The movie shows Kat letting loose for the first time since her freshman year and beginning to let her guard down.
In 10 Things I Hate About You, Kat slowly mends her relationship with her younger sister before going off to school and brings viewers to senior events like Patrick and Kat’s prom. The rom-com touches on leaving home after high school and how hard that can be for parents, as Kat struggles to get her dad to agree to let her attend school in New York.
Watch 10 Things I Hate About You on Disney+.
Hollywood movies for high school graduates: Pitch Perfect (2012)
The iconic comedy Pitch Perfect follows Beca (Anna Kendrick) from when she arrives at college on her move-in day to the end of her freshman year. First turned off by the school, Beca makes the decision to join the on-campus a cappella group, where she practices, competes, and meets a genuine group of friends (played by Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp, Brittany Snow, and others).
The film takes viewers through Beca’s attempt to balance all of the new elements and experiences that college has to offer. By the end, we see that she is so happy that she took a leap of faith and tried something new.
Check out the movie trailer:
Watch Pitch Perfect on HBO Max.
Hollywood movies for high school graduates: Booksmart (2019)
Booksmart is a coming-of-age film that tests the friendship of two high schoolers getting ready to graduate and move on to the next chapter of their lives. Played by Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever, the two girls are determined to let loose on their last night of being high school students and enjoy the experiences they’ve missed out on the last four years.
Directed by Olivia Wilde, Booksmart focuses on what happens when two best friends are separated for the first time after high school and the importance of following your own path rather than one that will keep you and your friends together.
Check out the movie trailer:
Watch Booksmart on Hulu.
Hollywood movies for high school graduates: An Extremely Goofy Movie (2000)
An Extremely Goofy Movie is perfect for animated movie lovers looking to watch a college film. The movie follows Goofy’s son Max as he begins college. Shortly into his time there, he sees that his dad has decided to join him, going back to finish school. The film then takes viewers through the antics that Goofy and Max find themselves in as father and son at college.
Watch An Extremely Goofy Movie on Disney+.
Hollywood movies for high school graduates: Grease (1978)
Grease is the quintessential high school musical. The film tells the story of a group of high school students at Rydell High throughout their senior year. The movie particularly follows Sandy (Olivia Newton-John), the new girl at Rydell, and her struggle to fit in and maintain her relationship with Danny (John Travolta). Just when Sandy has everything figured out, it is time for them to graduate.
The final scene of Grease takes place at the end-of-year carnival. One friend poses the question, “What if we never see each other again?” This then leads the group to break into song and dance singing “We Go Together,” assuring each other that they will always remain friends no matter where life takes them.
Rent or buy Grease on Amazon Prime Video.
Hollywood movies for high school graduates: To All the Boys: Always and Forever (2021)
If Netflix rom-coms are your type of film, check out To All the Boys: Always and Forever. The most recent To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before installment tests the relationship of Lara Jean (Lana Condor) and Peter (Noah Centineo) as they begin to go in different directions following high school.
Lara Jean is faced with the tough decision to follow her heart or play it safe and stay close to Peter. As a result, the two must determine if they can keep their relationship alive regardless of where they each are geographically.
Check out the movie trailer:
Watch To All the Boys: Always and Forever on Netflix.
Hollywood movies for high school graduates: High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008)
Did you really graduate high school if you didn’t watch High School Musical 3: Senior Year? The finale to the iconic film franchise follows everyone’s favorite high schoolers throughout their senior years at East High. We see Troy (Zac Efron), Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens), Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale), Ryan (Lucas Grabeel), and their friends have their last basketball season, school musical, prom, and graduation.
High School Musical 3: Senior Year focuses on each character’s struggle to decide what’s next for them after high school. Troy in particular must choose between his own dreams and the expectations that have been set for him by the people he loves. This movie is full of heart and the fun musical numbers that the franchise first introduced us to in 2006.
Watch High School Musical 3: Senior Year on Disney+.
Whichever movie you decide to watch, you’re sure to find yourself feeling both nostalgic for high school and excited for the future!
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