With Homecoming Week nearing, diligent students are planning how to enjoy some well-deserved downtime. From football games and parties to train trips home and fall nights in, here are six movies to watch at your Homecoming movie night.
“Spider-Man: Homecoming”
What comes to mind when you think of Homecoming in movies if not Spider-man? It’s perhaps odd to associate such a major event in academia with a comic book hero, but the 2017 film holds its place in the cinematic universe of Homecoming.
The first of the Marvel Spider-Man movies, this film introduces Tom Holland as high school student Peter Parker, who has to balance his life as a student with nighttime crime fighting. Caught between his obligations and sense of duty, Parker must decide what to do when a villain is revealed to be closer than he thought.
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This movie is available to stream on Disney+.
“With Honors”
Though not Homecoming-centric, this movie is a prime choice to channel the Illinois spirit as it was filmed here on campus.
Starring Brendan Frasier and Joe Pesci, the 1994 film follows a graduate student who loses his thesis and the man whose hands it ends up in. Highlighting the themes of friendship and acceptance, this movie not only features our campus but leaves the viewer with a positive, albeit bittersweet, feeling.
This movie is available to rent on Amazon Prime Video.
“Grease”
Though this movie has nothing to do with Homecoming, it is a musical adventure that helps leave summer behind and usher in the academic year.
Grease sets the stage for an exciting, fast-paced musical adventure in the 1950s. Starting with a summer romance, viewers follow Australian transfer student Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) as she makes her way through American high school and reunites with her summer romance.
This movie is available to stream on Paramount+.
“The LEGO Movie”
Not the viewer’s first choice for a Homecoming movie, but for University of Illinois students, this film has a certain “je nais se quois.”
Set in the LEGO universe — a world played out by children — Emmet Brickowski (Chris Pratt), an average, law-abiding LEGO man, is mistaken for the savior of the world. Uniting with a cast of various characters, Emmet sets off on a quest to save his doomed LEGO world.
The draw to this movie is the character MetalBeard, a bionic robot pirate who assists Emmet on his quest. MetalBeard is voiced by Nick Offerman, an Illinois alumni from Joliet, Illinois.
This movie is available to stream on Netflix.
“Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior”
This Disney Channel Original Movie from 2006 is exactly what is advertised in the title.
This film follows Wendy Wu (Brenda Song), a reincarnated warrior and prospective Homecoming queen tasked with saving the world. As a teenage girl, she faces the struggle and strife of daily life: running against her enemy for Homecoming queen, breaking up with her toxic boyfriend and choosing between the fate of the world and Homecoming.
This movie is available to stream on Disney+.
“Bottoms”
One of the most popular movies of 2023, “Bottoms,” is an entertaining movie for those who seek shock and enjoy football. With something for everyone, the comedic masterpiece has a diverse cast full of fan favorites.
Following rumors about spending their summer in juvenile detention, unpopular best friends Josie (Ayo Edebiri) and PJ (Rachel Sennott) exploit the lie to their advantage. With the goal of dating their crushes, both cheerleaders for the football team, the girls start a feminist self-defense club in response to the perceived threat of the opposing football team. Despite their motives, the club fosters an unexpected community, so what are Josie and PJ to do when their secret is revealed? The film became an unprecedented hit for queer cinema, earning high ratings across the board.
This movie is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
