Movies That Defined Generation X

The Breakfast Club/St. Elmo’s Fire (1985)

You can pick just about any John Hughes movie and it will appeal to a certain segment of Gen X. We pick The Breakfast Club for starters, and Joel Shumacher St. Elmo’s Fire to follow because they have a nice continuity. The Breakfast Club features five high school students in detention for defying the expectations society has imposed on them. It stars Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall, who are John Hughes regulars, but also stars Ally Sheedy (a basket case), Judd Nelson (a criminal) and Emilio Estevez (a jock). St. Elmo’s Fire The film also features these three characters in a story centered around older characters, a group of friends fresh out of college (even though both films were released in 1985). Demi Moore, Andrew McCarthy, Rob Lowe, and Andie McDowell join the gang, struggling with adulthood. It all seems terribly glamorous and adult for young people desperate to make a difference in the world.

See also: Pretty in pink, 16 candles, A kind of wonderful, Say anything and many more. – RF

The Heathers (1988)

Greetings and greetings! Michael Lehmann’s film is absolutely iconic for its four color-coordinated stars—three named Heather and one Veronica—and for its punchy (quotable) dialogue, it’s both a satire on teenage angst and a genuine exploration of it. Winona Ryder is Veronia, a reluctant member of Group A until bad boy J.D. (Christian Slater) comes along and shakes things up by killing the popular kids, making it look like suicide and unwittingly giving them hidden depths they never had. It’s dark, it’s acerbic, and it’s wonderful. Heather is Mean Girls before there was Mean Girls. – RF

Turn Up the Volume (1990)

A movie starring Christian Slater and Samantha Mathis about a rebel who causes an uproar when he tells the truth that adults don’t want to hear via his own pirate radio station is probably going to seem like the most confusing and outdated nonsense to Gen Z (listen up kids, this is what we had before YouTube!), but in 1990, it was awesome. Slater plays Mark, whose alter ego Happy Hard Hard-on calls out the hypocrisies at the school he attends, but after giving a flippant response to a young man threatening suicide, Hard Harry attempts to be a voice for his generation. Inspiring and unifying for people without the internet. – RF

Dead Poets Society (1989)

The movie “Kid Suicides Her Own Life Because His Father Doesn’t Leave Him in the School Theatre” may not have aged well, but for a generation of young people (probably women, let’s be honest) it was devastating and meaningful – our creativity shouldn’t be stifled! Robin Williams plays an inspiring teacher, John Keating, who returns to the boys’ school he attended as a youth to teach English. There he meets some spirited young men and teaches them to express themselves through poetry. It’s a period piece set in 1959, and is peppered with romance, tragedy and inspiration, including the famous “Oh Captain, Captain!” as a sign of respect. Robert Sean Leonard and Ethan Hawke deliver moving performances as two of the young men, so while Peter Weir’s film may be shamelessly sentimental, it had Gen Xers sobbing in the aisles. – RF

Reservoir Dogs (1992)/Pulp Fiction (1994)

Quentin Tarantino was so cool to Gen X in the early 90s, it was like he invented the concept of cool. These two films with their ensemble casts, killer soundtracks, consistently memorable dialogue, and endless style became iconic almost immediately. Reservoir Dogs remains a taught dark thriller, full of violence, blasphemy and impressive performances. pulp Fictionwith its multifaceted narratives, sprawling plot, constant cinematic references and memorable scenes, became even more beloved, and Tarantino became a hero. For many, he has retained his hero status and these films have spanned generations and belong to us all, but there was something special about “being there at that time” for Generation X. – RF