# Recommend movies featuring life in ivy league schools **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 19, 2010, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-movies-featuring-life-in-ivy-league-schools/564728 "2010-12-19T17:44:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2010, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-movies-featuring-life-in-ivy-league-schools/564728/1 "2010-12-19T17:44:42Z")
I’ve recently watched both \*The Social Network \*and _The Paper Chase_, and now I’m looking for other films that show what that world is like. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2010, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-movies-featuring-life-in-ivy-league-schools/564728/2 "2010-12-19T23:13:35Z")
The one that came to mind immediately after The Paper Chase was [Love Story](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066011/combined) (1970) which is set at Harvard through much of the movie, with lots of scenes showing them walking around campus and studying. I don’t know if it counts, probably not, but [School Ties](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105327/combined) is set at an Ivy League-esque prep school. (look at that cast list! Brendan Fraser, Chris O’Donnell, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, all before they became famous.) ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-movies-featuring-life-in-ivy-league-schools/564728/3 "2010-12-20T01:46:09Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > I don’t know if it counts, probably not, but [School Ties](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105327/combined) is set at an Ivy League-esque prep school. (look at that cast list! Brendan Fraser, Chris O’Donnell, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, all before they became famous.) Prep schools aren’t “Ivy League-esque”. The Ivy League is a specific group of colleges. But Frashier also stared in \*\*With Honors \*\*with Joe Pesci and Moira Kelly about a bunch of students at Harvard. \*\*Legally Blond \*\*also takes place at Harvard. **Harold & Kumar go to White Castle** briefly visits Princeton. \*\*Good Will Hunting \*\* took place at Harvard and MIT. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-movies-featuring-life-in-ivy-league-schools/564728/4 "2010-12-20T02:12:38Z")
For whatever reason, most films portraying life in the Ivy League are set at Harvard. Dartmouth at least has _Animal House_. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-movies-featuring-life-in-ivy-league-schools/564728/5 "2010-12-20T03:19:21Z")
"He was also really into the ‘Yale thing’…he was a closeted homosexual and did a great deal of coke. You know, the ‘Yale thing’. Also \*\*Soul Man \*\*takes place at Harvard Law. I don’t know if any films accurately show what life is like at the Ivy League or other elite universities. Basically the common trope is that an Ivy League school (usually Harvard) is used as the setting to show that the students here are the “best and the brightest from the nation’s top families”. Typically the story will be about the main character trying to fit in and adapt to the culture of cartoonishly pompous elitist jerks who dress head to toe in Brooks Brothers, Burberry and Ralph Lauren clothes. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-movies-featuring-life-in-ivy-league-schools/564728/6 "2010-12-20T03:32:04Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Prep schools aren’t “Ivy League-esque”. The Ivy League is a specific group of colleges. I know, I only meant that those who go to prep schools often go on to attend Ivy League schools. I can’t believe I forgot Good Will Hunting. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-movies-featuring-life-in-ivy-league-schools/564728/7 "2010-12-20T03:38:49Z")
Not the Ivy League, strictly speaking, but _Mona Lisa Smile_ is set at Wellesley. Still, very privileged students at an elite institution, though. ---
**Author:** ![Jman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jman/32/4416_2.png) [@Jman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jman)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-movies-featuring-life-in-ivy-league-schools/564728/8 "2010-12-20T03:47:08Z")
I’ve yet to see a real accurate portrayal of Ivy League life. As an Ivy grad (Cornell), I would imagine my college experience was much like any other school. Studying, frat parties, sporting events, hangin with friends, getting drunk, etc. The only difference aside from perhaps a more difficult curriculum was that the food was awesome. No crappy dining to be found. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-movies-featuring-life-in-ivy-league-schools/564728/9 "2010-12-20T04:11:43Z")
The oh-so-important field trip in Spiderman I is to Columbia University. I’m pretty sure the exhibit they look at is in Low Library (which in reality is almost all admin). What, realistic? There’s a tiny bit of schooling in Marathon Man. I’m pretty sure Dustin Hoffman is a grad student at the beginning. In fact, William Goldman uses Columbia as a backdrop to a handful of stories. He makes some pretty detailed references in his treatise on Morgenstern’s work (ironic, because what’s arguably Goldman’s most famous work isn’t really his own). ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-movies-featuring-life-in-ivy-league-schools/564728/10 "2010-12-20T04:20:04Z")
_Across the Universe_ has some scenes at Princeton in the sixties. Probably won’t qualify if you’re going for realism, though. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-movies-featuring-life-in-ivy-league-schools/564728/11 "2010-12-20T05:04:59Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > For whatever reason, most films portraying life in the Ivy League are set at Harvard. Dartmouth at least has _Animal House_. What is this reference to Dartmouth? Animal House was at Faber, IIRC the school motto was “Education is Good”. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-movies-featuring-life-in-ivy-league-schools/564728/12 "2010-12-20T05:11:20Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Not the Ivy League, strictly speaking, but _Mona Lisa Smile_ is set at Wellesley. Still, very privileged students at an elite institution, though. I believe Wellesley is one of the “Seven Sisters”. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-movies-featuring-life-in-ivy-league-schools/564728/13 "2010-12-20T05:53:40Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > What is this reference to Dartmouth? Animal House was at Faber, IIRC the school motto was “Education is Good”. True, but the movie was based on a series of Chris Miller stories in National Lampoon, stories based on frat life at Dartmouth, which was Miller’s alma mater. ---
**Author:** ![Khan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3ab097/32.png) [@Khan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khan)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-movies-featuring-life-in-ivy-league-schools/564728/14 "2010-12-20T06:51:27Z")
> [@Jman](#): > > I’ve yet to see a real accurate portrayal of Ivy League life. As an Ivy grad (Cornell), I would imagine my college experience was much like any other school. Studying, frat parties, sporting events, hangin with friends, getting drunk, etc. The only difference aside from perhaps a more difficult curriculum was that the food was awesome. No crappy dining to be found. I agree. I went to Yale for undergrad and I’m in grad school at UIUC right now, and I haven’t seen any substantial differences between how students behave themselves in day-to-day life at either school. Maybe the backgrounds, life trajectories, whatever are different, but I don’t make any assumptions. I guess the main difference I’ve seen is the the blue-on-orange “I” flags hanging from people’s windows instead of white-on-navy “Y” flags. 😉 Besides, it’s much more fun to make fun of other schools in your conference, isn’t it? Go jump off the bridge like the rest of your roommates. Harvard sucks and Princeton doesn’t matter! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-movies-featuring-life-in-ivy-league-schools/564728/15 "2010-12-20T07:28:23Z")
_The Skulls!_ ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-movies-featuring-life-in-ivy-league-schools/564728/16 "2010-12-20T07:29:47Z")
Also: _A Beautiful Mind._ ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-movies-featuring-life-in-ivy-league-schools/564728/17 "2010-12-20T07:51:03Z")
**With Honors** w. Joe Pesci, Brendan Fraser and Moira Kelly. I can’t vouch for its accuracy, having attended an ACC school. But a really cool ACC school… ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-movies-featuring-life-in-ivy-league-schools/564728/18 "2010-12-20T10:32:00Z")
In [_The Good Shepherd,_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Good_Shepherd_%28film%29) Edward Wilson (Matt Damon) gets his start in the spy game as a Bonesman at Yale. He’s no scholarship-boy, either, he’s an old-money, Old American preppie WASP. All through, he plays the part with understated, unflappable, upper-class American manners. I recall, late in the film, when he finally bursts out to his wife (Angelina Jolie): “I only married you because of him!” (Their son, whom he got on her so they had to get married.) And I was thinking: "The first time **in your whole life** you raise your voice, and you have to say **that?"** Most telling quote in the film: Joseph Palmi (Joe Pesci): “Let me ask you something… we Italians, we got our families, and we got the church; the Irish, they have the homeland, Jews their tradition; even the niggers, they got their music. What about you people, Mr. Wilson, what do you have?” Edward Wilson: “The United States of America. It’s ours. The rest of you are just visiting.” ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-movies-featuring-life-in-ivy-league-schools/564728/19 "2010-12-20T14:00:27Z")
_Legally Blonde_? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-movies-featuring-life-in-ivy-league-schools/564728/20 "2010-12-20T14:26:47Z")
The Oliver Stone film W begins with George W Bush’s Yale years, although like The Good Shepard and The Skulls, it’s principally about his membership in the Skull and Bones secret society. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-movies-featuring-life-in-ivy-league-schools/564728.md?page=2)