The news that Clueless turned 20 last week, (yes, 20, no I can’t believe it either) and reading all the nostalgic posts about it got me thinking about the films I loved growing up. The films I watched with friends at sleepovers or alone when I was babysitting, and that I bought on video and took to university and watched over and over, when I probably should have been writing an essay or, I don’t know, going out, or something.

Without further ado and in no particular order here are my top five #flashbackfriday films.

I wasn’t really a big fan of scary movies growing up but I made an exception for The Lost Boys, which isn’t really very scary at all. It featured my 80s crush Corey Haim (see also License To Drive). In the film Corey’s character’s older brother, who was played by Jason Patric (and who eventually replaced Corey in my affections) gets in with the local group of vampires, led by Kiefer Sutherland, which is obviously a Very Bad Idea. Road tripping round California a couple of years ago I stopped off in Santa Cruz to see the bridge from the film. You could say I’m still a fan.

Way before he became McDreamy Patrick Dempsey starred in Can’t Buy Me Love, as Ronald, a nerdy highschooler who gets the chance to elevate his social status when he comes to the rescue of a popular cheerleader, giving her $1000 to replace the white suede suit (which I totally wanted, remember, it was the 80s!!!) that she’d borrowed from her mother without asking and subsequently ruined. In exchange she agrees to pretend to be his girlfriend in order to make him popular. The plan works. She starts to like him. He turns into a massive jerk. And, well, I won’t spoil the ending but important life lessons are learned.

Reality Bites is the film that launched my ongoing crush on Ethan Hawke. I probably watched this about once a week during my final year at university and subsequently can quote huge chunks of dialogue, which basically is of no use whatsoever. I wasn’t very happy at university so I’m not really sure why I loved this film, in which the character’s lives don’t get any better after university, quite so much. It was probably mostly down to Ethan Hawke tbh.

Although Dirty Dancing and Ghost were probably more popular sleepover selections Point Break is hands down my favourite Patrick Swayze starring film. But then what’s not to like about a movie in which Patrick Swayze heads up a gang of surfers who commit audacious crimes and Keanu Reeves plays a cop who goes undercover and learns to surf in order to take them down? A remake has recently been made and is scheduled for a Christmas release (er, why mess with perfection Hollywood people?). I just watched the trailer for the remake (research!). I can reveal that as well as surfing there seems to be snowboarding and rock climbing (I know, right, seriously, what?!) as well as stunts that make the Fast and Furious franchise look like a reality TV series. Without Keanu I’m not on board.

Karate Kid didn’t make it into my original top five but then I watched the You’re The Best soundtracked montage fight scene on YouTube and, well, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off had to go. Karate Kid is a classic underdog story in which Daniel, played by Ralph Macchio (who was well into his twenties during filming fact fans) is a bullied teenager who, through karate and, erm, car cleaning, eventually gets his own back on his tormentors.

On another day and in a different mood my top five might have included Cocktail or Top Gun (that beach volleyball scene!) both starring Tom Cruise of course. I have a soft spot for the body swap movie genre so Big nearly made the cut (side note but if I was asked to compile a list of my favourite body swap movies Freaky Friday and 13 Going On 30 would definitely be in there too). I’m also very fond of The Goonies and I’m still wondering if I should have included Back To The Future. But then what would I have lost…?! #thestruggleisreal

That’s me. Over to you. What films would make your list? Do share below!