Cult classic films hold a timeless and unconventional allure

In between periods of serving at the local country club, visiting the cities and catching up with old hometown friends, I spent a great deal of time watching and re-watching cult classic films this summer. Tired of the normal tropes (boy-meets-girl, hero-saves-the-world), I was aching for something different, something original…and boy, did these movies deliver.

I was curious as to what makes a cult classic. Doing research online led me to believe that a cult classic usually embodies the following: First, a body of work that deviates from, and/or was not financially successful with, the mainstream; second, a body of work that has developed a selective, dedicated fanbase; and third, a body of work that utilizes unique editing, acting and/or unorthodox morals in favor of defying normal cinematic conventions.

In honor of the brave leaps that cult classics have taken over the years, I’ve compiled a list of my favorites. It’s probably time for me to hang up a poster of “Pulp Fiction,” isn’t it?

**GENRE: SATIRICAL**

**But I’m A Cheerleader (1999)**

Satirical films allow us to laugh at what we have already found preposterous but have been unable to classify as so, and “But I’m A Cheerleader” is perhaps one of the best examples.

Jamie Babbit’s debut film bravely and hilariously tackles a heavy-handed concept that no other directors were willing to at the time: conversion therapy. When the parents and close friends of Megan (Natasha Lyonne) suspect that she is a lesbian, they send her to “True Directions,” a camp designed to turn all its goers into heterosexuals.

There’s a lot to love about this movie, but my personal favorites are the obsessive monochrome palette, famed drag queen RuPaul wearing a shirt that says “straight is great” and the twinkling music that indicates another stage of therapy is about to be enacted. Natasha Lyonne is always a treat, and the chemistry and budding romance between Megan and Graham (Clea DuVall) feels real, maybe because they’re two actresses who remain close friends to this day.

“But I’m A Cheerleader” is far from a typical LGBTQ+ movie, but it’s one that’s hard to outdo; its use of satire and Barbie-like mise en scene perfectly encapsulates the absurdity of the binary.

**This Is Spinal Tap (1984)**

“This is Spinal Tap” is regarded as one of the first mockumentaries of all time—plus, there’s not many satire movies that have readily convinced their audience that it’s not really a satire.

“This is Spinal Tap” follows the fictional British rock band Spinal Tap as they rise and fall from fame during an American tour. Rob Reiner’s hour-long flick convincingly portrays the hilarious characteristics of rock and roll bands in the 80s, punctuated by a long line of doomed drummers, offensive album covers and of course, lots of hair.

There’s a lot that’s impressive about this movie. For one, the director had ideas for props and backgrounds, yet the dialogue is almost entirely improvised by the actors. The ease of comedic timing the forefront characters (Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Rob Reiner himself) have with each other genuinely left me laughing.

Plus, for a fake rock band, Spinal Tap’s songs legitimately sound so good. Remember: “there’s a fine line between stupid and clever.”

**GENRE: CRIME**

**Reservoir Dogs (1992)**

Two years before releasing “Pulp Fiction,” Quentin Tarantino made his debut as a stellar director with “Reservoir Dogs.” The plot rests on six criminals, all with pseudonyms relating to color, who are hired to carry out a robbery. When the heist goes awry, the criminals start to suspect a traitor in their midst.

Tarantino is known for violence and brash language in his movies, and “Reservoir Dogs” is certainly not an exception. I have to admit that the infamous torture scene was still a little too hard for me to watch.

Though “Reservoir Dogs” is not as popular as Tarantino’s other works, it’s remained a cult classic for several reasons. It’s remarkable that Tarantino was able to create such a multi-faceted story on a tight budget. “Reservoir Dogs” mainly takes place in a dingy warehouse, punctuated by guns, bodies and blood, where the heist itself is intentionally never shown. Yet, the story remains compelling; it’s much more of a character study and an analysis on what happens when violence goes too far than it is a high-paced action film.

Come for Tarantino but stay for Harvey Keitel and Tim Roth, who are both phenomenal in their depictions of Mr. White and Mr. Orange, respectively.

**GENRE: COMING OF AGE**

**Freaks and Geeks (1999)**

echnically Freaks and Geeks is a TV show, but I still think it counts as a cult classic.

Before Jason Segel was known as Marshall from “How I Met Your Mother” and James Franco was known for “The Interview,” they starred alongside Linda Cardellini, John Francis Daley and Busy Phillips in “Freaks and Geeks.”

“Freaks and Geeks” follows the two groups as they navigate the unfairness of high school. The “freaks” are a group of stoner burnouts whose blasé tendencies attract former mathlete Lindsay, while the “geeks,” unashamed enthusiasts of Dungeons and Dragons, are comprised of Lindsay’s younger brother and his two best friends.

Highlights of this series are almost too numerous to count, but I will never forget Millie and Nick’s duet of “Jesus Is Just Alright With Me,” the sarcastic-turned-sweet romance between Ken and “Tuba Girl” and literally every scene with Bill, who regularly put me in a fit. The show embraced stereotypes—the nerdy freshmen, the popular cheerleaders, the uber-Christian girl, even the guidance counselor who tries too hard to be ‘woke’—yet it works because it doesn’t view those identities as permanent and limiting.

Unfortunately, the show never got a chance to explore its growing potential, as it was canceled after a single season. Damn those NBC fools.

**Rushmore (1998)**

“Rushmore” thrives due to an unlikely trio: 15-year-old high-achieving, rule-denying, pompous-acting student Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman), his middle-aged, filthy-rich, self-destructive friend Herman J. Blume (Bill Murray), and their mutual love interest, first-grade teacher Miss Cross (Olivia Williams).

Co-written by director Wes Anderson and his good friend Owen Wilson, “Rushmore” is, at surface-level, a tale of an outcast student eager to make more of himself—notably through directing and starring in his own plays. It has the early markers of Anderson’s style before it dominated the entirety of his films: shots are middle-centered and characters are an archetype of their clothing. Schwartzman brings a sort of eyebrow-knitting intensity to his character’s strictly professional wardrobe that an article by Tyler Ferneyhough calls both “neurotic and eccentric.”

At a larger level, though, “Rushmore” has been debated as a commentary on class and the American Dream: Max and Blume occupy completely opposite financial statuses, but the former is rich in motivation and experience, while the latter is a bloated caricature of a man, worth millions but nothing to do with it. “Rushmore” brings these characters together in an iconoclastic dramedy.

**Dazed and Confused (1993)**

In contrast to the many high school films that feel too good to be true, director Richard Lanklater wanted to make an adolescence movie that actually represented what he and his buddies grew up doing: hazing freshmen, driving around, drinking beer and smoking pot—often all at once.

Set in 1976, “Dazed and Confused” follows several groups of high school kids hanging out on the last day of school. Matthew McConaughey is known for his role as the 20-something Wooderson, but my favorite character is Mitch Kramer (Wiley Wiggins), who saunters into each frame with a consciously unbothered demeanor, even with older kids actively out to get him. It’s an indifference that I’m still trying to master.

With its many quotable lines—“you just gotta keep livin’ man, L-I-V-I-N,”—chic 70s clothes and unforgettable soundtrack, “Dazed and Confused” unfolds like the blissful mediocrity that high school truly is. It didn’t receive much attention in theaters when it came out, but it’s reached its peak through cable and VHS reruns.

“Dazed and Confused,” “Boyhood,” the “Before” trilogy… Linklater’s films feel like if forever was only a moment long. They take place in real time and feel more authentic than any other – and that’s why his productions remain something that people keep going back to.