Back to School 2—The Off-to-College Film

There are SO many kinds of back to school films. And before you write in a genre, you should really know the genre, right? Over the next few weeks, let’s study this genre and see what we discover.

Let’s begin with what I’m calling the Off-to-College film. The broad premise of this film is that a character is college bound and dealing with all that involves. Two films we’ll look at in this sub-genre are American Graffiti [1973], and Risky Business [1983].

It’s really interesting to note that both these films launched the career of a major actor.

American Graffiti, which launched the career of Richard Dreyfus [and included Harrison Ford in the cast], tells the story of Curt and his buddy Steve. The film begins the day before they’re both heading from California to go to college ‘back East’—i.e., far from home. In the course of the 24 hours or so that the film covers, we learn about their hopes, dreams, and love lives. Curt seems to be looking for excuses not to go East to college and instead stay in his hometown and go to the junior college. And the night offers adventures and surprises galore… and the next morning only one of the two friends will be going off to school as planned. This film explores that very tender time when we have to leave something behind on the chance that a new experience will lead us to an even better life. But it means giving up the known for the unknown—and that takes courage.

Risky Business, which launched the career of Tom Cruise, tells Joel’s story. The film begins with Joel driving his parents to the airport, they’re trusting him to mind the house while they’re away and his dad reminds him about the appointment he’s made for Joel with an admissions counselor from an ivy league college. Joel says that’s dreaming—he’d never make it into a school like that. And while the parents are away, Joel gets involved with a hooker—and decides to start a small business having the hookers party at his house and sleep with his friends. And, of course, the all-important admissions counselor turns up on party night. This film has a great deal of fun with the getting-into-college angst that teens go through and we see Joel change from a bit of a dweeb to a self-assured ivy league prospect.

Both of these films tap into that off-to-college angst that everyone feels to some extent. The question is, if this is the sub-genre for you, how can you portray that just-before-college time in some different way? What’s at stake for your character? And do you want to play it for laughs or get serious about those feelings as your character contemplates the changes college will bring? Maybe you could make your main character female—male leads are more common in this genre, so why not go wild and write the story for a woman?

This is a rich field to mine because the vast majority of people go off to college—so whether it’s something on the horizon for them or something they can think back to and remember, there’s a built in audience.

Next week: The Classics.

Copyright © Diane Lake

16Sep18

Email Diane a question to Diane@DianeLake.com