The nerds versus the jocks. The geeks vs. cool kids. It’s a tale as old as time, but especially since the 1980s. At least on film. Nerd culture may be winning today, but it wasn’t always that way, so here are some of the best movies where the geeks defeat the bullies.
The Nerds Beat The Jocks - Revenge Of The Nerds
Revenge of the Nerds has a LOT of problematic parts to it, but the core theme of the movie remains universal. The underdog nerds get picked on by the football-playing jocks so much that there is nothing left to do but beat them, and beat them at their own game. Sure, it takes the help of some of their national fraternity brothers, and it can easily be argued that much of what the nerds do in the college olympics is straight-up cheating. But hey, at least they use their brains to outwit the jocks' brawn. No one can say Booger cheated in the belching contest, though.
Daniel Ruins Johnny’s Life - The Karate Kid
Daniel LaRusso in The Karate Kid is a quiet East Coast kid who is forced to move to LA where he has a hard time fitting in. In a moment of anger, he lashes out at the popular kid in school, Johnny Lawrence, which makes him a target for some vicious bullying by Johnny and his fellow Cobra Kais. It’s Daniel, of course, who gets the last laugh when he takes Johnny down at the Under 18 All-Valley Karate Championship, which, we’d later learn in Cobra Kai, completely ruins Johnny’s life. Which seems a little unfair of the Karate Kid movies, but nothing a few Coors can’t fix.
Clifford Breaks Moody’s Nose - My Bodyguard
If you’ve never seen My Bodyguard, you’re not alone. If you’re of a certain generation, though, it was one of those movies that was on cable all the time in the mid-'80s, so you might not remember it well, but you remember it. The plot is pretty basic: a wimpy kid, played by Chris Makepeace, gets bullied by a greaser-type (Matt Dillion) and he enlists the biggest outcast in the school (Adam Baldwin) to help settle the score. It takes a while and some ups and downs, but finally, the wimp shows he doesn’t need the outcast and takes out the greaser with one solid punch.
Cecile And Annette Expose Kathryn - Cruel Intentions
It’s hard to think of Reese Witherspoon as some kind of underdog, but that’s what her character, Annette, is compared to the alpha female at an elite private school played brilliantly by Sarah Michelle Gellar in Cruel Intentions. Together with Cecile (Selma Blair), an even quieter teenager at the school, they get revenge on the manipulative Kathryn by exposing all her dirty secrets and sexual exploits, not to mention her copious cocaine use. The final scene in the movie is one that should be in the canon of great moments on film as The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony” plays and Kathryn is embarrassed beyond belief. It’s incredibly satisfying.
Jerry Earns The Bully’s Respect - Three O’Clock High
If there were a Mt. Rushmore of geeks beating bullies, Three O’Clock High would be on it. The movie is so rewatchable because it’s so relatable, yet fanciful. The tension that builds as the clock gets closer and closer to H-Hour – 3 p.m. – is so anxiety-inducing, that you have to keep watching, even when you know how it’s going to end. Starring Casey Siemaszko as Jerry, the geek, and Richard Tyson as Buddy the bully, the movie takes us through all the highs and lows as Jerry tries desperately to get out of the fight he’s been forced into by Buddy. Tick Tock, Jerry.
Ralph Wails On Scut - A Christmas Story
Another classic moment in great bully defeats is in, of course, A Christmas Story. Scut Farkas (Zack Ward) has been harassing Ralphie (Peter Billingsly) and his buddies forever. Every day on their walk to school, they must run the gauntlet past Scut and his toadie, Grover. Finally, one day Ralphie snaps and amid a flurry of obscenities, smacks Scut around for what seems like way too long to cause just a bloody nose, but it works, and Ralphie finally rids himself of the harassment forever. As we learned in A Christmas Story Christmas, he also won Scut's respect.
Chet Gets What He Deserves - Weird Science
One of the great bullies of the ‘80s was Chet in Weird Science. In a lot of ways, he’s the ultimate prototype of the big brother bully, constantly picking on Wyatt, played by Ilan Mitchell-Smith. Chet, played by the late, great Bill Paxon, pretty much doesn’t like anything about Wyatt and is never afraid to let him know it, or give him a towel to cover his women’s underwear. Finally, Lisa (Kelly LaBrock), the woman Wyatt and Gary (Anthony Micheal Hall) created, has had enough and turns Chet into a weird toad-like, fly-eating thing. It’s karmic justice for sure.
The Freshman Dump Paint On O’Bannion - Dazed And Confused
Dazed and Confused has a lot of characters that you’d want to hang out with in high school and one that you wouldn’t. Fred O’Bannion (Ben Affleck) failed his senior year and it seems he only had two goals for his “super senior” year, play football and haze freshman. After taking out some anger on Mitch Kramer (Wiley Wiggins), Mitch and his buddies hatch a plan. They lure O’Bannion out of the Emporium and just as he’s about to wail on a couple of freshmen with his infamous paddle, the others satisfyingly dump a bucket of paint on him. It’s the last time we’d see O’Bannion in the movie, and you have to wonder what became of his night.
George Saves Lorraine - Back To The Future
One of the greatest geek getting back at the bully moments on film happens by accident. You see, it’s supposed to be Marty (Micheal J. Fox) in the car with Lorraine (Lea Thompson) outside the dance in Back To The Future, not Biff (Thomas F. Wilson). When George (Crispin Glover) opens the car door, he recoils in fear, as this is NOT how things were supposed to go. After taking a few punches, George girds his strength and takes Biff down. Audiences rejoice, Lorraine falls in love with the right person, and Marty’s siblings start reappearing on his photo (after George and Lorraine finally kiss, of course).
The Kids Fight Back - Heavyweights
Heavyweights is a great, underrated summer camp movie. The camp for overweight kids has a new owner, Tony (Ben Stiller), who is a nightmare of a director that terrorizes the kids at the camp they previously loved under the old ownership. Finally, the kids snap, and enact revenge in a way only summer camp kids can.
With a plan right out of Home Alone the kids trick Tony into getting trapped in a hole while on a hike and build a holding cell for their tormentor using a bug zapper to electrify it. Tony eventually escapes and knocks himself out trying to fight a camper’s father. The camp is saved from his dictatorship, and we learn not to put Twinkies on our pizza.
Cinderella Saves A Slipper - Cinderella
There is no bigger classic in this genre than good old Cinderella. The Disney film may have come out almost 75 years ago, but it still resonates with kids today because everyone can relate to her. Cinderella loses one glass slipper at the ball, leading Prince Charming to declare he'll marry the woman whose foot fits. Even when her evil stepmother and witchy stepsisters do all they can to stop her from trying it on, she has the other slipper, which she'd hidden, and it fits, of course. So, they all lived happily ever after! Except for the bullies, naturally.
Lana Gets Coned - The Princess Diaries
Lana Thomas (Mandy Moore) is a prototype of the popular cheerleader bully. She torments and harasses Mia (Anne Hathaway) mercilessly until one day Lana goes too far. As Mia and her friend, Jeremiah, sit and chat, Lana lays into both of them. Mia, who has found some confidence after learning she's royalty, calmly walks up to Lana, compliments her cheerleading outfit, and smears an entire ice cream cone on it. The other students erupt in cheer, chanting "Lana got coned!" and Mia wins the day, while later winning at life as the princess of Genovia. It's something the two stars still joke about today.
Bastian Chases Away The Bullies - The NeverEnding Story
The bullies play a pretty small, but extremely crucial role, in The NeverEnding Story. You might not even remember that the three kids who bully Bastian (Barret Oliver) are even in the movie, but without them, we wouldn't have the beginning of the story. The reason Bastian discovers the bookstore and the book that leads to his amazing adventure is because he's hiding from the three little twerps. Bastian gets his revenge at the end, when he rides Falkor into New York City and chases the bullies into the dumpster where they first tossed him.
There may always be bullies, unfortunately, but as long as there are people to stand up to them, the world will be a better place. Let's all take a lesson from our heroes here and, if you're the geek, always stand up for yourself. But, if you're the bully...well...take your just desserts and learn from your mistakes.
