We all know about Grease, the 1978 movie musical partially filmed at Venice High School. However, Venice was also a filming location for many other films and music videos. I reviewed several of them.
Some of the projects filmed at Venice, such as Alesso’s music video “Cool” and the movie Nightmare On Elm Street, are omitted from the list. Venice has many cameos in various projects, not all of which could be included.
Also, “Cool” is terrible and I would not recommend it to anyone.
Movies:
Grease
Unsurprisingly, Grease is first on my list. It’s the platonic ideal of a Venice High School movie. The Myrna Loy statue appears in the opening scene.
This film is a point of pride for Venice’s populace. There’s probably nothing I can remark on that hasn’t been noted by previous generations of students. It’s a good film with catchy songs, and it toes the PG-13 line surprisingly often.
Overall, Grease is a visually appealing look at a time when high school cliques all had custom jackets. I can see why it’s practically required material for teachers and students alike.
Matchstick Men
It’s everyone’s favorite actor: Nicolas Cage. And this time, he’s playing a con man.
Matchstick Men is initially a bit hard to focus on due to its dishwater color palette and occasional Powerpoint scene transitions. But as the story goes on, it gets more nervous and unpredictable- much like its protagonist, Roy (Nicolas Cage). Venice appears as his daughter’s high school.
If you like films with twists, turns, and Nicolas Cage, you will probably like Matchstick Men. It may be in second place, but I definitely enjoyed it.
Whatever It Takes
I like a good early-2000’s romcom. Whatever It Takes is an early-2000’s romcom, but it’s not good. It doesn’t even work as a guilty pleasure, unless you enjoy rampant misogyny in your movies.
One character is only there to be an object of desire for the main character, and they didn’t bother to give her even a vestige of personality. Plenty of other scenes show us exactly how this film sees women.
Shane West has some charisma, but it’s not enough to save this dismal trainwreck of a film. Spare yourself the terribly written romantic entanglements and watch Matchstick Men instead.
Music videos:
“Principal’s Office,” by Young MC
This video is from the 80s and it’s partially in black and white, so it’s hard to identify Venice when it pops up. I did see the words “Rowing Not Drifting” on one wall.
“Principal’s Office” is great. It’s a funny song detailing the everyday horrors of high school, with each scenario more mortifying than the last. There’s also an acoustic beat that is still stuck in my head.
The song’s cadence and narrative reminds me of Will Smith’s music, and it arguably slaps just as hard.
“…Baby One More Time,” by Britney Spears
Britney’s debut is still good 25 years later. This was voted the best music video of the 1990s, which is a big deal since it was filmed at Venice. In some shots, you can see the words “VENICE HIGH SCHOOL GONDOLIERS” on the gym wall.
While the blurred quality of each shot occasionally threw me off, I still enjoyed this music video. At times I thought Britney Spears sounded like a frog, but this was a minor quibble. Mainly, I’m impressed that she made such a big hit at 17.
“High School Never Ends,” by Bowling for Soup
It’s clear that subtlety was not Bowling For Soup’s objective here. “High School Never Ends” is a musical criticism of pop culture’s superficiality. The band yells about how everyone fixates on celebrities, or the “popular kids,” making them feel like they never left high school.
The lyrics are overly simplistic at times, but it’s overall a decent song. Venice appears a few times in the music video. It’s not a masterpiece, but I suspect Bowling for Soup knew this and didn’t care, which I respect.
“Oath,” by Cher Lloyd
This song is… okay. It’s a straightforward, repetitive paean to having a best friend. Lloyd spends the video tootling around in her car and looking up at the camera. Venice appears in the middle.
I don’t have a lot of commentary for this song. I’m just glad it’s not as bad as Alesso’s “Cool.”
These movies and music videos range in origin from the 1970s to the 2010s. Put together, they show us that even with renovations, Venice hasn’t changed much over the years.
Our school has stood unwaveringly for over a century, except for that one time in 1933. The films on this list are a testament to that. Whether Venice is the backdrop for a terrible romcom or a great rap video, it always stays the same.
