7 Films to Remind You There's More to Life Than Just Uni
Nicolette Petra
1. Booksmart (2019)
With another semester done and dusted, you should be kicking back and enjoying your (extended!) mid-year break...but with all the stress of studying from home, unreliable internet connectivity, and constantly consuming sullen news stories (from the feared second-wave of coronavirus to Black deaths in police custody to murder hornets) you’re concerned you might not have done as well as you could have. Never fear! Booksmart (Olivia Wilde) is here to remind you that you aren’t defined by your academic results and intelligence.
Follow overachievers, Amy (Kaitlyn Dever, Beautiful Boy, The Spectacular Now) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein, Ladybird, Bad Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising) as they make up for lost time by spending the eve of their graduation breaking all the rules and finding out that life is as much about streetsmarts as booksmarts. Also, don’t be surprised if you adopt a mad idgaf energy from the iconic character Gigi (Billie Lourde, Star Wars: The Last Episode, Scream Queens) by the end of the film.
2. Ferris Buller’s Day Off (1986)
Ah, an 80’s classic. Throw away your textbooks and burn your old notes (or sell them cos the uni hustle is real and you’re ballin’ on a budget) because it’s time to take the edge off and remind yourself life is about more than learning in lecture halls. Whether you’re a spontaneous Ferris (Matthew Broderick, The Lion King, New Years Eve) or more of an uptight Cameron (Alan Ruck, Speed, Sierra Burgess is a Loser) when it comes to breaking the rules, Ferris Buller’s Day Off will get you out of your post-exam Netflix-binge slump and wanting to explore the art galleries and skyscrapers of Sydney with your mates (while adhering to COVID-19 social gathering restrictions, of course).
3. The Sun is Also a Star (2019)
So you’re not sure which career path to take, and with all the government cuts to university fees, we can hardly blame you. Is it worth studying Arts or should you “apply yourself” and study Engineering? Do you follow your passions or do what’s practical and succumb to the pressures of society, a crumbling economy or your parents’ expectations?
Based on Nicola Yoon’s novel of the same name, The Sun is Also a Star sees Daniel (Charles Melton, Riverdale), a hopeful poet, voice his concerns about his future in medical school to Natasha (Yara Shahidi, Blackish) who is simultaneously dealing with her unrealised acting dreams and being forced to return to Jamaica as an undocumented immigrant. Rom-coms not your cup of tea? Sure, this film is mostly concerned with love and fate but it also deals with the big “When I grow up I want to be [blank]” question as well as issues like immigration laws, racism, and taking chances.
4. 500 Days of Summer (2009)
Known for its manic pixie dream girl depiction, 500 Days of Summer, is an indie film and offbeat romantic comedy. Don’t worry though - you’re not here for the romance - you’re here for Tom’s vocational storyline.
Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 10 Things I Hate About You, Inception), an architecture graduate uses his university-acquired skills to design greeting cards, a career he finds underwhelming at best. Throughout the film we see Tom fall in love with Summer (Zooey Deschanel, New Girl, Elf) but we also see his love of architecture blossom as he shows Summer the buildings and views he admires around LA. While the romance doesn’t exactly pan out as expected, the film can be read as a rediscovery of the career path you really want for yourself and a reminder that fulfilment comes from more than finding someone to spend your life with. Don’t Ted Moseby yourself into believing otherwise.
5. The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003)
So your mid-year Europe holiday got cancelled too, hey? Bummer. But here’s an uplifting throwback film to cure your unrealised holiday blues.
Let Lizzie (Hilary Duff, Younger) take you to Italy (and back to your childhood when things weren’t so bleak) where both she and you can live out your dream of being plucked from the crowd and accidentally recognised as an international superstar all from the comfort of your bedroom. If you’re looking for something on the more ‘mature’ side of wishful getaway movies, try Mama Mia, another European modern-classic (and musical!).
6. Becoming (2020)
For our documentary lovers, there’s Becoming. Based on Former US First Lady Michelle Obama’s autobiography, the film follows her on her book tour as she unpacks all the parts of her life, from overcoming underestimations that she would make it into Princeton to her grandfather’s unrealised potential to making vocational concessions for family to finding her own path in politics and the whirlwind Obama 2009 campaign. For those wanting to sink their teeth into something current, educational and grounded in reality rather than make-believe, this documentary also gives insights into systemic racism, hints at the current #BlackLivesMatter movement and sees Michelle give her thoughts on female empowerment.
7. La La Land (2016)
It might not have won the Oscar for Best Picture but La La Land is one of those snappy musicals that hits you in the feels and tells you to go for your dreams.
Mia (Emma Stone, Easy A, Crazy Stupid Love) wants to become a big-time Hollywood actress. Sebastian (Ryan Gosling, The Notebook, Crazy Stupid Love) wants to breathe life back into jazz by opening his own live jazz club (with chicken on a stick served ofc). They’ve both got big dreams and the movie follows them as they try, stumble, fail, succeed, fail again, and fall in and out of love with their passions (and each other). It’s one of the more realistic Hollywood portrayals of vocational and romantic love, giving you the comfort that what you get in life might not be exactly how you pictured it, but the journey of getting there is worth taking.