Baby boomers – those born between 1946 and 1964 – grew up in a rapidly changing America, witnessing, and sometimes taking part in, the civil rights movement, the women’s liberation movement, and the Vietnam War. And the films they watched as they came of age reflected the cultural shifts that were taking place around them.
In 1968, Hollywood abolished the Hays Code, a guideline for movie censorship that limited depictions of profanity, suggestive nudity, graphic violence, and more. This ushered in a generation of young filmmakers who made increasingly innovative films which explored themes and content previously impermissible in the industry. Many of these films are still celebrated today as among the most influential movies ever made – shaping the efforts of later filmmakers and themselves becoming objects of study in colleges and universities. (Here’s a list of the best movies that defined the boomer generation.)
To assemble a list of movies baby boomers loved that kids study in college, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on syllabus citation counts from the non-profit Open Syllabus, an open-source project tallying the number of times a movie, book, or other media has been assigned across a corpus of millions of college syllabi. Movies released between 1967 and 1985 were ranked based on the number of times they appear as assigned films on syllabi, considering the movies that have been assigned the most to be the most influential. (Documentary films were not considered.) Supplemental data on user reviews from IMDb, an online movie and TV database owned by Amazon, and audience and Tomatometer rankings from Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, are current as of July 2023. Only movies with at least 2,000 IMDb user ratings were included. Director information is from IMDb.
Auteurs including Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, and Stanley Kubrick emerged during this era, and each of these directors has three films on the list. An interest in foreign films grew in the 1960s, and a few of the most influential films of the generation are from Japan, Belgium, Mexico, and Germany.
Some of the movies deal with race, including “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” which features one of the first positive depictions of an interracial couple. Others explore youth culture including “American Graffiti” and “Easy Rider.” Technological advancements were reflected in the sci-fi and action movies of the day, including Ridley Scott’s “Bladerunner,” and James Cameron’s “The Terminator.” (These are the best R-rated sci-fi movies of all time.)
50. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 66
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (124,711 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 90% (100,000 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 93% (55 reviews)
> Directed by: George A. Romero
49. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 67
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (70,923 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 92% (23,226 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 95% (55 reviews)
> Directed by: Norman Jewison
48. Mean Streets (1973)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 69
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (104,686 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 84% (54,874 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 95% (65 reviews)
> Directed by: Martin Scorsese
47. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 71
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (42,111 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 85% (38,278 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 70% (37 reviews)
> Directed by: Stanley Kramer
46. American Graffiti (1973)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 71
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (85,398 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 84% (64,676 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 96% (53 reviews)
> Directed by: George Lucas
45. Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 72
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (203,627 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 87% (73,974 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 96% (73 reviews)
> Directed by: Roman Polanski
44. Mash (1970)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 72
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (70,096 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 83% (53,188 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 84% (55 reviews)
> Directed by: Robert Altman
43. Vagabond (1985)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 72
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (12,577 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 85% (1,000 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 100% (23 reviews)
> Directed by: Agnès Varda
42. Badlands (1973)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 73
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (74,151 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 90% (26,417 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 97% (59 reviews)
> Directed by: Terrence Malick
41. The Deer Hunter (1978)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 73
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (324,627 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 92% (103,588 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 92% (78 reviews)
> Directed by: Michael Cimino
40. The Color Purple (1985)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 73
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (82,334 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 94% (180,943 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 77% (31 reviews)
> Directed by: Steven Spielberg
39. The Terminator (1984)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 78
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (820,969 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 89% (776,923 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 100% (65 reviews)
> Directed by: James Cameron
38. El Norte (1983)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 79
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (4,992 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 82% (2,382 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 92% (60 reviews)
> Directed by: Gregory Nava
37. Alien (1979)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 82
> IMDb user rating: 8.4/10 (823,459 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 94% (460,436 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 98% (126 reviews)
> Directed by: Ridley Scott
36. The Wild Bunch (1969)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 83
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (81,636 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 90% (34,261 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 90% (63 reviews)
> Directed by: Sam Peckinpah
35. The Exorcist (1973)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 84
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (411,866 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 87% (420,561 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 83% (83 reviews)
> Directed by: William Friedkin
34. Brazil (1985)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 84
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (194,716 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 90% (103,103 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 98% (49 reviews)
> Directed by: Terry Gilliam
33. Romeo and Juliet (1968)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 87
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (34,000 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 74% (50,000 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 95% (43 reviews)
> Directed by: Franco Zeffirelli
32. Raging Bull (1980)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 87
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (356,943 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 93% (131,523 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 93% (76 reviews)
> Directed by: Martin Scorsese
31. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai Du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 88
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (11,476 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 80% (1,000 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 95% (56 reviews)
> Directed by: Chantal Akerman
30. Playtime (1967)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 93
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (24,529 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 89% (5,000 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 98% (54 reviews)
> Directed by: Jacques Tati
29. Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 93
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (39,000 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 83% (10,000 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 91% (47 reviews)
> Directed by: Peter Weir
28. The Official Story (1985)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 96
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (10,000 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 89% (2,500 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 100% (12 reviews)
> Directed by: Luis Puenzo
27. Back to the Future (1985)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 96
> IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (1,113,249 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 94% (1,095,654 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 96% (83 reviews)
> Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
26. Cabaret (1972)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 97
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (51,993 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 87% (36,131 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 93% (43 reviews)
> Directed by: Bob Fosse
25. Ran (1985)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 101
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (130,000 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 95% (25,000 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 96% (90 reviews)
> Directed by: Akira Kurosawa
24. Halloween (1978)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 103
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (244,066 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 89% (303,558 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 96% (73 reviews)
> Directed by: John Carpenter
23. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 111
> IMDb user rating: 8.7/10 (1,329,541 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 97% (250,000 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 94% (109 reviews)
> Directed by: Irvin Kershner
22. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 116
> IMDb user rating: 8.7/10 (954,220 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 96% (279,963 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 94% (83 reviews)
> Directed by: Miloš Forman
21. Subway (1985)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 119
> IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (15,813 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 75% (5,000 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 67% (9 reviews)
> Directed by: Luc Besson
20. All the President’s Men (1976)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 122
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (117,562 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 92% (50,360 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 94% (65 reviews)
> Directed by: Alan J. Pakula
19. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 126
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (22,820 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 91% (5,000 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 100% (40 reviews)
> Directed by: Rainer Werner Fassbinder
18. The Marriage of Maria Braun (1979)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 128
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (14,390 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 90% (5,000 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 92% (26 reviews)
> Directed by: Rainer Werner Fassbinder
17. My Beautiful Laundrette (1985)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 129
> IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (16,791 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 74% (5,000 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 98% (43 reviews)
> Directed by: Stephen Frears
16. Killer of Sheep (1978)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 137
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (7,234 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 84% (2,500 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 98% (81 reviews)
> Directed by: Charles Burnett
15. Easy Rider (1969)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 150
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (105,530 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 82% (58,791 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 83% (54 reviews)
> Directed by: Dennis Hopper
14. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 157
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (785,984 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 93% (437,137 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 86% (73 reviews)
> Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
13. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 161
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (121,700 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 87% (130,710 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 96% (74 reviews)
> Directed by: George A. Romero
12. Jaws (1975)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 177
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (565,147 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 90% (945,011 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 97% (93 reviews)
> Directed by: Steven Spielberg
11. The Conversation (1974)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 196
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (105,754 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 90% (35,231 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 96% (57 reviews)
> Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
10. The Shining (1980)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 218
> IMDb user rating: 8.4/10 (942,587 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 93% (482,374 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 84% (96 reviews)
> Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
9. The Graduate (1967)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 237
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (262,940 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 90% (183,691 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 87% (83 reviews)
> Directed by: Mike Nichols
8. Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 254
> IMDb user rating: 8.6/10 (1,277,193 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 96% (863,326 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 92% (132 reviews)
> Directed by: George Lucas
7. Chinatown (1974)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 257
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (309,557 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 93% (78,076 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 99% (76 reviews)
> Directed by: Roman Polanski
6. Taxi Driver (1976)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 261
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (761,825 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 93% (260,919 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 96% (94 reviews)
> Directed by: Martin Scorsese
5. The Godfather (1972)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 278
> IMDb user rating: 9.2/10 (1,704,373 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 98% (734,439 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 97% (133 reviews)
> Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
4. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 284
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (114,618 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 88% (56,616 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 88% (64 reviews)
> Directed by: Arthur Penn
3. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 368
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (629,868 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 89% (299,429 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 92% (113 reviews)
> Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
2. Apocalypse Now (1979)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 372
> IMDb user rating: 8.4/10 (629,925 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 94% (286,235 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 98% (96 reviews)
> Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
1. Blade Runner (1982)
> Est. no. times assigned on college syllabi: 504
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (721,985 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience rating: 91% (338,132 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating: 90% (121 reviews)
> Directed by: Ridley Scott