For those of us in the northeast, this week is when the kids go back to school. The annual tradition has been well documented on the big screen, but here are five “can’t go wrong” movies to get the entire family back into the school spirit…or almost the entire family.

Grease

Grease is the one that you want! Go back to high school with Pink Lady Sandy (Olivia Newton-John), leader of the bad-boy T-Birds, Danny (John Travolta), and a rockin’ and rollin’ all-star cast.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Academy Award winner Sean Penn leads an all-star cast in this hilarious portrayal of a group of high school students and their most important subjects: sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll.

Animal House

Don’t miss the quintessential college movie: Faber College’s Dean Wormer has a plan to rid the campus of the mischievous Delta House forever, but the Delta boys have plans of their own in this side-splitting parody of college life. The scene-stealing Belushi is hilarious, starring alongside Oscar nominee Tom Hulce, Golden Globe winner Donald Sutherland.

Breakfast Club

They were five students with nothing in common, faced with spending a Saturday detention together in their high school library. At 7 a.m., they had nothing to say, but by 4 p.m. they had bared their souls to each other and become good friends. John Hughes, creator of the critically acclaimed Sixteen Candles, wrote, directed and produced this hilarious and often touching comedy starring Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson and Molly Ringwald.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

High school senior, Ferris Bueller, decides to cut school and is determined to experience a day of pure freedom with his girlfriend and best friend in downtown Chicago before graduating.

For younger kids, there are a few great choices including Monsters University and Kindergarten Cop.

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