The most memorable graduation moments from movies

Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) just graduated college, but the last thing he wanted was to celebrate the achievement with a bunch of his parents' stuffy friends. While eager to praise the recent graduate, many want to know what he has planned for his life going forward. Some partygoers even had some friendly advice for Benjamin, like Mr. McGuire (Walter Brooke), who offered one word: "plastics."

Thornton Melon (Rodney Dangerfield) might have been the world's oldest college freshman. Melon was so popular at Grand Lakes University that he gave the commencement speech at the graduation at the end of his first year. Melon spoke from the heart, telling the new grads about to head out into the world: "Don't go. It's rough out there. Move back with your parents." Sounds like good advice.

Diane Court (Ione Syke) may have had a poignant and honest commencement speech, but the highlight of the Lakewood High School graduation ceremony was Joe's rendition of "The Greatest Love of All." At the annual end-of-school-year party, highlights included Lloyd (John Cusack), who wrangled a date with Diane, serving as "key master." Corey (Lili Taylor) performed all her anti-Joe songs, and the Lakewood rooster even made an appearance before being ambushed. 

As we've already showcased, honesty is a key component of any worthy commencement speech. Lelaina Pierce (Winona Ryder) is a smart girl, but she had no idea how she and her fellow Gen-X college graduates would head out into the real world and "repair all the damage they inherited." Her immediate focus was to celebrate with friends Troy (Ethan Hawke), Vickie (Janeane Garofalo), and Sammy (Steve Zahn) on a nearby building roof with pizza and beers.

Super-slacker Billy Madison (Adam Sandler) somehow hilariously managed to cram 12 years of schooling into a brief amount of time. When it was done, the hotel heir opted not to stick with the family business but rather further his education in college with hopes of becoming a teacher. Billy lays it all out in his graduation speech, which, in its own Sandler way, is one of the most endearing moments of the movie. 

A lot is going on at the Huntington Hillside graduation party. Various social circuits collide with each other, but outsider Preston (Ethan Embry) and his quest for the beautiful prom queen Amanda Beckett (Jennifer Love Hewitt) is in full force. Meanwhile, nerdy William is seeking revenge for years of torment at the hands of popular Mike Dexter. Kenny (Seth Green) is determined to lose his virgınity, and teen-angst poster girl Denise (Lauren Ambrose) can't believe she steeped low enough to attend this party. There's also a pretty decent 1990s pop-alternative soundtrack to boot. 

This is a bittersweet movie, considering the tragic end to Robin Williams' life. However, the famed actor delivered a performance as an adult dealing with mental illness who eventually goes to medical school. He hopes to treat his patients through traditional medicine, compassion, and humor while getting to know them. Perhaps the film's most memorable moment comes at the end of Patch's graduation, where he grabs his diploma wearing nothing under his gown. 

One of the more visional movie graduation moments came from Freddie Prinze Jr. His character, Zack, shows up to his high school graduation naked — with only a cap, sash, and strategically placed soccer ball. When taking the stage to receive his diploma, Zack appropriately throws out the soccer ball to a gleeful Laney (Rachael Leigh Cook). We don't advise this move in real life, however.

Ghost World, starring Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson, might be a forgotten dark comedy from the early 2000s. However, it does have a rather entertaining high school graduation scene. The highlight is a brief farewell rap that is notable enough to make this list. Along with angst-ridden outcasts Enid (Birch) and Rebecca (Johansson) stomping on their caps and flipping off the school on their way out.

Two years after first-year Harvard law student Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) shockingly proved in court that Brooke Taylor-Windham (Ali Larter) didn't murder her husband, she gave her graduation commencement speech. She spoke about passion and confidence, traits that helped Elle buck the odds and succeed at Harvard when many never took her seriously. And "remembering that first impressions aren't always correct." 

When Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) graduated high school, he was approached by the creepy Norman Osborn (Willem Dafoe) after the ceremony. The father of his friend Harry (James Franco) seemed intrigued by Peter's aptitude for science. Of course, Dafoe had an alter ego of his own: Green Goblin. That form and Peter's Spider-Man persona would become well acquainted with each other throughout the movie.

Disney favorite Lizzie McGuire (Hilary Duff) did manage to physically make it through her junior high graduation, but it wasn't easy. First, she was exposed by former bestie Kate Sanders as an "outfit repeater." Then, she's thrown into giving the graduation speech, which she was obviously unprepared for. Finally, Lizzie trips while walking off stage and accidentally pulls down the large banner backdrop that falls on the assembled graduates. Par for the course for Lizzie.

This should have been a time to celebrate for Scott (Scott Mechlowicz). He had just graduated and planned to spend his last summer before college with his girlfriend, Fiona (Kristin Kreuk). However, she decided to dump Scott at his graduation ceremony. Then, later at a graduation party, Scott finds out through the wonder of song (and one of the best film cameos ever) that she'd been cheating on him for some time.

It takes a lot of guts to proclaim your love for the girl of your dreams during a valedictorian speech at a high school graduation ceremony. Well, that's what Denis Cooverman (Paul Rust) did. The object of his affection? Beth Cooper (Hayden Panettiere). In some ways, Denis' proclamation is endearing since he framed it in a manner of not having any regrets. Denis had some other things to get off his chest, which added to the greatness of his speech.

There are varying levels of intelligence within any given graduating class. But as Jessica Stanley (Anna Kendrick) told fellow grads Bella (Kristen Stewart), Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), and the rest of her class, it's OK to go out and make mistakes. It's part of the growing process, just as long as we don't get in the way of any vampires that might want to do us some harm.

Leave it to salutatorian Robbie (Jonah Bobo) to bad-mouth love during his eighth-grade graduation speech. Perhaps not the proper forum for such a topic after losing his first game of love, but why not when you have the podium? It was a good thing Cal (Steve Carell) was there to set him straight and show him that love is not worth giving up on after one shot. Of course, Cal did this during Robbie's speech, so he kind of stole the show. But that's OK, it made for your typical heartwarming rom-com moment.

In another somewhat forgotten movie, Brandy Klark (Aubrey Plaza) is an intelligent overachiever and proud of it. After all, she wrote her own introduction to be made before giving her high school valedictorian speech. She also continued to be mocked by some meaner classmates due to her virgın status, which pretty much ended her speech. Tough break, Brandy!

Don't blame this version of Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) for being late for his high school graduation. He and his Spider-Man alter ego were busy keeping the streets of New York City safe from bad guy Aleksei Sytsevich (Paul Giamatti). When he finally made it on stage to receive his diploma, Peter also took the time to give his girlfriend, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), a kiss that nobody at the ceremony would ever forget. 

High-tailing it from jail to their high school graduation in Jared's sports car, play-it-by-the-book-no-more best friends Molly (Beanie Feldstein) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) make a smashing entrance at the ceremony. Valedictorian Molly eventually makes it on stage, plants a serious kiss on Jared, and delivers a touching speech while Amy and the rest of the graduating class cheer her on.

Held at one of the nicer estates on Staten Island, Claire Carlin (Maude Apatow) and her friend Joanne are celebrated with a graduation party before heading off to college. Claire's slacker brother Scott (Pete Davidson) doesn't really want to be there, but he was able to score some weed and is offered a job by his cousin Joe (Kevin Corrigan). It was one of the more subtly humorous moments within an underrated movie.