My American history teacher was every high schooler’s dream. When we were learning about Prohibition, she showed us The Untouchables. As we discussed the American experience during World War II, she used the film Come See the Paradise to teach us about the horrors in Japanese internment camps.
Both films are R-rated, so I never told my parents we were watching them. Growing up, I was never allowed to see movies with this rating (with some unusual exceptions, like Backdraft and JFK). I never understood why. Watching these films didn’t warp my brain like my mom and dad said they would. They made learning about history a lot more fun and entertaining.
Now that I have kids, I wonder when I’ll be able to be like my history teacher and avoid worrying about the content of a movie and more about the critical or old message it shares. With that in mind, here’s a list of R-rated videos. Many include objectionable content (obviously), so study and watch them with your child at the age you feel is appropriate.
If history teachers aren’t showing this powerful drama in school, they should probably start. Taking place during World War II, it follows a German industrialist (Liam Neeson) in his attempts to save over a thousand Jews from a concentration camp and likely certain death. It’s a harrowing but essential watch and a potent reminder of why it’s essential to never forget the past.
Where to Stream: Digital Rental
Is your kid preparing for a book report at the last minute? Unless you want to get stuck writing it yourself, share this masterpiece about love and conflict during the French and Indian War. Director Michael Mann’s epic, starring Daniel Day-Lewis (and his bare chest), is the most entertaining of the multiple film adaptations of James Fenimore Cooper’s novel. Just remind your kid when the movie is over that they’re writing a book report, not a movie review.
Where to stream: Tubi, virtual rental
S. E. Hinton is the screenwriter of many young adult fiction books, including The Outsiders, which Francis Ford Coppola adapted into a film. The critically acclaimed director followed up with another Hinton adaptation that went aesthetically in an entirely different direction. Instead of a lush color palette and gripping orchestral score like Coppola did in his previous film, he shot in black and white and asked Stewart Copeland of The Police to provide him with an experimental soundtrack. It’s a teen drama disguised as the French New Wave, showing audiences how cinema can be an artistic medium.
Where to Stream: Digital Rental
This classic teen comedy-drama from the ’80s, one of many from John Hughes’ wonderful past, depicts the temporal past due to depicting the social hierarchy of the best school. The plot is simple: a princess, an athlete, a criminal, a nerd. , and a locker they spend Saturday in custody together, only to realize (after smoking marijuana, brain) that they have more in common than they thought.
Where to stream: Freevee, Tubi, virtual rental
In this groundbreaking (and incredibly violent) sci-fi masterpiece there are philosophical messages about the brain and structure and themes related to conformity and class, everything a young brain desires to embrace the prestige quo.
Where to stream: Hulu, Max, Digital rental
Speaking of comic book movies, Ghost World, based on the works of artist Daniel Clowes, is the textbook definition of what critics consider “unconventional. “It also perfectly illustrates how adrift a teenager can feel after graduating from high school and looking to locate their tribe.
Where to stream: Freevee, Tubi, Pluto TV, virtual rental
Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie give tough performances in this period piece based on the true story of a young woman who is hospitalized for a year and a half after a suicide attempt. She connects with her fellow patients through confrontations with the staff, but struggles to get out of it. what she needs. The film explores themes such as gender dissent and prejudice, which have been prevalent for more than two decades since the film’s release.
Where to Stream: Hulu, Digital Rental
Follow the trials and tribulations of scholars as they notice your ordinary abilities. No, they’re not X-Men; is Fame, the hit musical about actors, singers, and dancers who attend New York City’s High School for the Performing Arts. Sure, it’s a little dated, but who can’t relate to the preference to see one’s call to “light up the sky like a flame,” as the film’s theme goes?
Where to Stream: Digital Rental
Here’s another tale of high-school life, coming straight from the ’90s. Perhaps known nowadays for spawning the Coolio hit “Gangsta’s Paradise,” this drama revolves around an ex-Marine who becomes a teacher in the inner city, using everything from martial arts to Bob Dylan lyrics to get through to her gifted but underachieving students.
Where to stream: Digital rental
While I was preparing this film, several people asked me to come with The Shawshank Redemption, an undeniably wonderful film. However, it can be hard to watch (unless it’s airing again on cable; classified ads offer some relief). As an alternative, I propose this apt Stephen King adaptation of the loss of innocence and friendships, which follows four tweens in search of the corpse of a missing classmate, directed with a remarkably deft touch by the wonderful Rob Reiner.
Where to stream: Netflix, AMC, digital rental
I included it for non-public reasons. Although I grew up not seeing many R-rated movies, it seems like my classmates saw a lot of them. For some reason, my parents made an exception for this fast-paced action movie, which is still one of my favorites 30 years later.
There are no classes in this movie. It’s perfectly general the undeniable thrill of seeing a city bus running through the streets of Los Angeles and seeing things explode in its wake. Speed is why we move to the theater to laugh with a few hundred strangers for a few hours.
Where to stream: Starz, virtual location
Jason Keil is a writer, editor, and podcast host founded in Phoenix, Arizona. Despite attempts, he still hasn’t read the copy of Infinite Jest” that’s on his nightstand.