10 Worst Excuses for Ditching Class from Film and TV
10 Worst Excuses for Ditching Class from Film and TV
Ditching school. Cutting class. Playing hooky. If you’re gonna do it, make sure you have a darned good reason and a damned good excuse. In the new Sundance Channel series DREAM SCHOOL, one of the students ducks out to attend the Coachella Festival… but tells her famous faculty that a vicious owl snatched up the family dog. In honor of that failing fib, here are our favorite top tales of truancy from movies and TV.
Can celebrity teachers change the course of high school dropouts' lives? Find out on Sundance Channel's original series DREAM SCHOOL, Mondays 10pm.
Photo Credit: New World Pictures10. Listening to Nick play drums - FREAKS AND GEEKS
Linda Cardellini as Lindsay Weir
When your goofy boyfriend (Jason Segel) asks you to cut class because he wants to “show you something,” do you go? Lindsay did, and was rewarded with a peek at Nick’s giant… drum set. It's enough to put Lindsay on close watch with Mr. Rosso, who forces her to go to the Homecoming dance as repentance.
Can celebrity teachers change the course of high school dropouts' lives? Find out on Sundance Channel's original series DREAM SCHOOL, Mondays 10pm.
Photo Credit: IFC9. My credit card told me to - THE BREAKFAST CLUB
Molly Ringwald as Claire Standish
In John Hughes’ iconic high school detention opus, Claire (it’s a family name) is revealed to be the only screw-up who’s serving time for actually cutting class. And the stylish, snobby, sushi eater ducked out of school just to go shopping. Not original but, hey, it’s better than getting nailed for a flare gun going off in your locker.
Can celebrity teachers change the course of high school dropouts' lives? Find out on Sundance Channel's original series DREAM SCHOOL, Mondays 10pm.
Photo Credit: Cinema Squid8. I'm religious... for baseball - SAVED BY THE BELL
Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Zack Morris
When Zack learns that Jewish kids take the day off for Rosh Hashanah, he suddenly finds religion, ditches school and heads for the Dodgers game. All is well for Zack until Screech spies him catching a foul ball on TV (thanks Ferris Bueller!), leading to some well-plotted blackmail from Jessie’s evil stepbrother.
Can celebrity teachers change the course of high school dropouts' lives? Find out on Sundance Channel's original series DREAM SCHOOL, Mondays 10pm.
Photo Credit: NBC Productions7. I'm siiiick... and also I need to take care of my alien - E.T. THE EXTRA TERRESTRIAL
Henry Thomas as Elliott
Who can think about multiplication tables when there’s a lonely space creature in your bedroom?! To make sure he can stay home, young Elliott plays sick—and plays on his single mom’s sympathies. Of course, holding the thermometer up to the light bulb is the capper, a true stroke of kid genius.
Can celebrity teachers change the course of high school dropouts' lives? Find out on Sundance Channel's original series DREAM SCHOOL, Mondays 10pm.
Photo Credit: Universal Studios6. Her grandmother died - FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF
Ferris Bueller for Sloane Peterson (Mia Sara)
If there’s one wiseass who immortalized cutting class, it’s the legendary Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick). But when it’s time to extricate girlfriend Sloane from the clutches of high school, Ferris relies on a classic old standby, the dead grandmother routine. Sly, simple, unexpected.
Can celebrity teachers change the course of high school dropouts' lives? Find out on Sundance Channel's original series DREAM SCHOOL, Mondays 10pm.
Photo Credit: Cinema Squid5. The Ramones made me do it - ROCK 'N' ROLL HIGH SCHOOL
P.J. Soles as Riff Randell
A hip, spunky chick like Riff could never be expected to comply with the Gestapo-like do-gooders running her school. So you can’t really blame her when she doesn’t show for three days, just to wait in line for tickets to see The Ramones. Excuses? Who needs them?! All you need to say is gabba gabba hey.
Can celebrity teachers change the course of high school dropouts' lives? Find out on Sundance Channel's original series DREAM SCHOOL, Mondays 10pm.
Photo Credit: New World Pictures4. Time to haze the freshman - DAZED AND CONFUSED
As Richard Linklater unfolds the final day of high school in 1976, the seniors scatter to prepare for a very important ritual: The hazing of the incoming freshmen. They begin by warning the high school newbies, who sit unharmed in their last period class, with a special message for poor Mitchy, "Your ass is gonna be purple before the day's over. Have a nice afternoon."
Can celebrity teachers change the course of high school dropouts' lives? Find out on Sundance Channel's original series DREAM SCHOOL, Mondays 10pm.
Photo Credit: Criterion3. I need to start a meth empire business - BREAKING BAD
Bryan Cranston as Walter White
In perhaps the most nightmare excuse ever to skip class, Walter leaves the high school teaching profession to devote his life to cooking crystal meth and becoming a fearsome drug kingpin. Our beloved anti-hero transitions from the one who grades chemistry papers to The One Who Knocks.
Can celebrity teachers change the course of high school dropouts' lives? Find out on Sundance Channel's original series DREAM SCHOOL, Mondays 10pm.
Photo Credit: AMC Networks Press2. School is too hard - FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH
Sean Penn as Jeff Spicoli
It’s not that uber-stoner Spicoli plans to skip Mr. Hand’s (Ray Walston) history class—he’s just perpetually late. When asked to explain, the dude’s sincerity could not be more endearing: a toootally confusing new schedule, the crowded food lines, or the now-infamous “I don’t know.” Aloha, Jeff.
Can celebrity teachers change the course of high school dropouts' lives? Find out on Sundance Channel's original series DREAM SCHOOL, Mondays 10pm.
Photo Credit: Universal Pictures1. We were forced to do drugs - 21 JUMP STREET
Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum as Schmidt and Jenko
The key to being a good narc—which these two bozos are not—is actually attending class. But when duty calls, the fellas skip out to meet their drug connection in the yearbook office, sample the goods and hustle to the bathroom to “help” each other try to puke. Maybe cutting class isn’t such a good idea.
Can celebrity teachers change the course of high school dropouts' lives? Find out on Sundance Channel's original series DREAM SCHOOL, Mondays 10pm.
Photo Credit: Cinema Squid
Cliff Dorfman
David Arquette
