Movies That Capture The Feeling Of Being A High School Outcast

What It's About: Napoleon Dynamite is an awkward 16-year-old who tries to help his equally quirky friend become the class president, all the while dealing with bullies who make fun of him.

Why The Character Is an Outcast: Napoleon behaves in a strange and dry manner that makes him an easy target, and his association with his immigrant friend Pedro and shy girl Deb makes all of the characters the loser bunch of the school.

How It Captures Being an Outcast: The film deals with themes of rejection, as Napoleon is an outcast simply because he's different from the average student, while Pedro isn't accepted by his peers due to his status as an immigrant. Napoleon Dynamite does a good job portraying the difficulties of students feeling like they need to belong when they don't conform to high school norms.

What It's About: Charlie is a troubled freshman who has difficulties making friends in high school. His depression prevents him from connecting with people his age and Charlie uncovers the truth behind his depression once he befriends two seniors.

Why The Character Is an Outcast: Charlie's mental struggles go unrecognized by his peers, who consider him something of a weirdo. His inability to pick up on social cues also ends up embarrassing him, such as when he kisses his friend instead of his girlfriend when asked to kiss the most beautiful girl he knows.

How It Captures Being an Outcast: The Perks of Being a Wallflower is about the rejection that students similar to Charlie have to go through due to a lack of awareness of depression. Charlie doesn't get the help he needs to confront his issues, which students of his age see as a sign of him being strange rather than troubled. He's cast out of social circles because he's so severely misunderstood.

What It's About: Andie comes from a lower middle-class household and only has fellow outsider Duckie as her friend. She later gains the attention of popular rich boy Blane and has to choose between Duckie and Blane.

Why The Character Is an Outcast: Andie's poor background is exploited by the bullies in her school, who mock her for it. They routinely bring up their own privileged background to prove they are better than Andie, which leaves her feeling despondent over something she can't control. 

How It Captures Being an Outcast: Pretty in Pink shows the class system that exists in high schools where students are judged based on their social standing. Andie feels left behind compared to her peers when they exclude her from activities she should be a part of and belittle her at every turn.

Andie briefly shuns Duckie to avoid feeling like an outcast when around Blane, although she still feels she's living a lie.

What It's About: Romy and Michele are 28-year-old women who have been friends since high school. The pair decide to create fake life stories for themselves when they attend their 10-year high school reunion so they can finally shed the loser tag they carried as teenagers.

Why The Characters Are Outcasts: Romy and Michele aren't part of the “A-Group” in school, who consider anyone that isn't in their clique to be a loser. In addition, the friends were humiliated in their student life - Michele was fooled into thinking the popular boy liked her and abandoned when she wanted him to return her affections.

How It Captures Being an Outcast: Romy and Michele's High School Reunion depicts the mental toll it takes on students who are rejected from popular circles. It's about the long-term issues that form in people when they live in a high school environment where self-esteem is determined based on how popular someone is.

What It's About: Two high school seniors and best friends, Seth and Evan, try to have a big party before they go off to separate colleges. Since they're considered losers at school, their attempts to do something cool end up causing the party to go haywire. 

Why The Characters Are Outcasts: Seth and Evan are extremely codependent on each other, to the point where they are scared to be apart and around other people. They're considered outsiders because of their different interests and shy mannerisms.

Unlike most other characters, the boys are interested in their love interests because of genuine feelings rather than just to hook up with them.

How It Captures Being an Outcast: Seth and Evan's awkwardness is relatable to those who are too different to be part of any particular group in school. They are judged just for being shy and are scoffed at for wanting real relationships. They also depend on each other to avoid being left alone at school.

What It's About: Popular jock Zack Stiler is dared to turn the unpopular and nerdy Laney Boggs into the prom queen. Laney becomes confident under the attention she receives from Zack but eventually discovers the truth behind his intentions.

Why The Character Is an Outcast: Laney's awkward and shy mannerisms are made fun of by her classmates. The cool students are resentful of Laney for her lack of interest in high school popularity contests and mock her for being different.    

How It Captures Being an Outcast: Laney doesn't doll herself up like the popular girls in school during a time when high schoolers were relatively superficial about looks. As a result, Laney is seen as an outcast due to her disinterest in socializing. 

She's All That shows how unpopular students are saddled into a certain class system in high school since Laney is belittled when she does try to fit in - popular girl Taylor makes fun of her for it.