The 10 Biggest High School Comedy Movie Clichés

Complex helps you spot all the classic similarities with a countdown of The 10 Biggest High School Comedy Movie Clichés.

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Complex Original

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Since the 1980s and '90s golden age of high school comedies, the genre has fallen victim to clichés. Well-worn plots, predictable characterizations, and recycled jokes have transformed these teenage romps, which range from incredibly fluffy to despicably raunchy, depending on the mood of the culture at the time, into self-parodies.

The latest example of the genre's tropes: The Inbetweeners, a 2011 coming-of-age comedy that's based on the British sitcom of the same name and is finally hitting the States this week. As funny as the movie is, the story of four recently graduated high school friends going on a vacation in Crete together can't go its running time without employing several overused themes and devices. You'll know them when you see them—for the umpteenth time—but in case you don't, Complex helps you spot them with a countdown of The 10 Biggest High School Comedy Movie Clichés.

RELATED: The 50 Funniest Movies of All Time

Written by Jason Serafino (@serafinoj1)

10. The “evil” teacher or principal

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9. The jocks are the bad guys

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8. The nerdy girl gets a makeover

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7. The fat friend

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6. The quest to lose one's virginity

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5. A very awkward sex scene

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4. The nerd is a sex machine

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3. The modest friend is actually their dream girl

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2. An underage kegger

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1. A nerd falls for a hot girl

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