There’s a feeling in college that’s hard to explain until you feel it fleeting. It’s the late-night conversations that turn into sunrises, the way you can drop everything to take a road trip, the friendships that feel like family because, for the first time, you’re navigating life on your own—but together.
Some movies capture that feeling—the friendships, the uncertainty, the freedom—so well that watching them in college just hits differently. Here are a few that will make you want to call up your best friends and make the most of the time you have now.
1. Superbad (2007) – “I just want to go to the rooftops and scream, ‘I love my best friend, Evan!’”
At first, Superbad feels like a raunchy comedy about high school boys trying to get alcohol. But watch it in college, and you realize it’s about something deeper: the fear of growing up and growing apart. Seth and Evan’s last night together isn’t just about sneaking into a party—it’s about holding onto a friendship and hoping it stands the test of time. This is something many college students struggle with when graduating, wishing and hoping for the friendships made in college to carry over into the real world.
2. Dazed and Confused (1993) – “If I ever say these were the best years of my life, remind me to kill myself.”
This movie isn’t just about one wild night in the ’70s—it’s about the kind of nights that feel never-ending when you’re young. It’s about driving around with no destination, nowhere to be, no time to be there. It’s about making memories out of nothing and realizing you’re in a phase of life that won’t last forever. Watching this in college reminds you that sometimes, the best times aren’t the big accomplishments or events—they are the small, in-between moments with the people you love.
3. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) – “We are infinite.”
That tunnel scene. The one we’ve all seen and replayed over and over because it gives this sense of freedom that we all long for—one that some of us know. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is about friendship, finding your people, and embracing the kind of freedom that only exists when you are young. Watching this in college makes you realize these years are the ones you will look back on forever.
4. Frances Ha (2012) – “We’re like a married couple that doesn’t have sex anymore.”
College is one of the last times when friendships come first for many people, before careers, relationships, or responsibilities start pulling everyone in different directions. Frances Ha perfectly captures that phase: the effortless closeness, the way life just works when you are together, and the slow change that comes when people start figuring out their own path. But instead of being sad, it’s a reminder to appreciate the friendships that make life feel lighter.
5. Before Sunrise (1995) – “Isn’t everything we do in life a way to be loved a little more?”
There’s something about Before Sunrise that makes you want to book a spontaneous trip across the world. It’s a movie about connection—the kind that happens when two people meet at exactly the right moment in their lives. In college, when every day holds the possibility of meeting someone who changes you, this movie feels like a reminder to go out and embrace these moments.
6. Almost Famous (2000) – “It’s all happening.”
When you’re younger, Almost Famous seems like a cool rock-and-roll adventure. In college, it feels like a love letter to your youth—the feeling of chasing a dream, meeting people who change your life, the lack of fear and willingness to fall, but knowing you will get right back up. The naivety of youth and just how beautiful it is. This movie is a reminder to look back on all of these things.
College is one of the few times in life when everything feels possible. These movies remind us that it’s a special time to be living through.
So take the trip, stay up late, say yes to whatever ridiculous plan your friends come up with. Because one day, these are going to be the stories you look back on and smile.
