With the appearances of Channing and Jonah (I feel like we’re on a first name basis now considering they’re pretty much honorary Tulane, or should I say, MC State, students) on our campus for the filming of 22 Jump Street, it would be borderline unprecedented to write about anything else celebrity-related this week. Instead of cataloging the hundreds of stalker photos that inundated our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram feeds or discussing my unhealthy obsessions with She’s the Man, Super Bad, and Channing’s abs, here’s a brief review of the many, many movies that were filmed partially or completely on college campuses.
But first, for those of you who didn’t see these aforementioned stalker photos—and if you didn’t catch them I guarantee that you’re not following enough Tulane students—here’s a refresher courtesy of UsMagazine.com. It may have been nerdy of us to whip out our cellphones and text these blurry pictures to all our home friends (and let’s be honest, our moms) but it definitely broke up the monotony of midterms and got us in the Tulane spirit for Homecoming.
National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978)
With scenes shot at the University of Oregon at Eugene, this film is the ultimate college movie. Did you know? The scandalous film was actually supposed to be filmed at the University of Missouri until school officials nixed the idea after reading the script.
Miss Congeniality (2000)
This movie, filmed at the University of Texas at Austin, is my go-to when I feel like watching something for the umpteenth time. How else would we know that April 25th is the perfect day, “because it’s not too hot, not too cold, all you need is a light jacket?”
Pelican Brief (1993)
Filmed at our very own Tulane University in New Orleans, this movie is decidedly one of the more serious films on our list. Based on the John Grisham book, this filmed stared A-listers such as Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington.
Forrest Gump (1994)
My unabashed love for Forrest Gump, a classic tear-jerker filmed at the University of Southern California is well known because, really, life is “like a box of chocolates.” Also filmed at USC? My not-so-secret guilty pleasures Legally Blonde I and II.
School of Rock (2003)
My all time favorite Jack Black movie was filmed at Wagner College in Staten Island, New York. This classic may be a decade old, but it’s still guaranteed to make you smile when you can’t watch anything serious after spending the whole day locked in the library.
The Notebook (2004)
If you didn’t get at least a little teary eyed during this film staring Rachel McAdams and the ultimate romantic movie heartthrob, Ryan Gosling, I’m not sure that you have a soul. Regardless, this chick-flick (but lets not kid ourselves, the boys probably love it as much as we do) was filmed partially at the College of Charleston in South Carolina.
Pitch Perfect (2012)
This music-filled comedy was filmed at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. Featuring a talented cast (including some familiar faces from Tulane), the songs from the movie are not only sure to get stuck in your head but also to find their way into your study playlists.
The Social Network (2010)
If you think I’m about to say that this 2010 critical darling was filmed at Harvard, you’re surprisingly wrong. Because the school wouldn’t allow filmmakers to use the campus, the movie was actually filmed at Wheelock College in Boston and Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. No matter where it was filmed, The Social Network gave us a new perspective on the website we check an embarrassing number of times per day.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
If a movie has a dance scene that includes a parade and is set to classic ‘60s music, it’s pretty much impossible for me to dislike it. This classic, which you should see as soon as humanly possible if you haven’t yet, was filmed partially at California State University in Long Beach.
22 Jump Street (2014)
It would be absurd for me to compile a list of my favorite movies filmed on college campuses without including the one that started this whole idea. If anyone wants to go to the midnight premier, you know who to call.