There was a big boom of teen movies in the ’80s. The theaters were as packed as a kegger at someone’s house party. I watched these films so many times that I could quote them (I still can). They also had an influence on my notions of the teenage experience as it should be in high school, which was probably not the best lifestyle to emulate. Consider these three beloved blockbusters:

Risky Business is about a guy who has to earn enough money to get his Porsche repaired, after being chased by his new girlfriend’s pimp. His solution is to throw a hooker party for all of his high school bros and charge them for it.

Sixteen Candles illustrates that if a geek has the connections to help the senior prom king get a date with a sophomore gal, the senior will trade his wasted drunk prom queen...and the geek can do what he wants with her because she may or may not remember it in the morning and neither will he.

Pretty in Pink reveals that if you are the type of guy who communicates his feelings and is always there for the girl, who has been your best friend for years, she’ll return your dedication by dating a rich guy and leaving you in the dust...just as her mom left her poor broken dad. Oh, the humanity!