All Rileyed Up

I am currently reading The View From Mount Joy for book club and I’m still in the early pages of attending high school with Joe. Joe works for the school paper and during a staff meeting, one of the guys suggests an interview with the school’s exchange student, whose name is Gisele, and the editor replies, “Go ahead, Myers. But don’t try to wangle a date out of it.”

What is it about exchange students? They are often portrayed to be hotties that everyone wants to get with, or completely out of touch with all the ways of American high school and therefore subject to ridicule.

My mother, as a side job, used to help with finding exchange students placement in American homes, and I’ve interacted with countless exchange students. I’ve lived with several of them. Admittedly, there are a couple notable (and one smelly – seriously, it was a problem) exceptions, but for the most part, exchange students fit right in with the space-time-high school continuum. Nothing like these guys:

American Pie. Everyone’s favorite exchange student, Shannon Elizabeth catapulted to stardom after she got naked and pleasured herself in Jason Biggs’ bedroom. I’m SO SURE that happens all the time.

Can’t Hardly Wait. No idea what that exchange student’s name is but he says “Would you like to touch my penis?” to a lovelorn Ethan Embry at a very opportune moment.

Sixteen Candles. Long Duc Dong, baby. Long. Duc. Dong. Sure, it’s funny when he says “That you?” (Yeah, that me.) but what really cracks me up about Long Duc Dong is the way Grandma and Grandpa clap at him to get his attention. “Dong! Dong! Grandpa is talking to you!”

Better Off Dead. Exchange student meets girl next door. Cute, sweet, skis well. AND can fix cars. Is Monique a keeper? All signs point to YES!

Not Another Teen Movie. That forgettable spoof with Areola, the naked exchange student from an ambiguous country. Her whole purpose was… um… did I already say she was naked?

With exception to last one, I still recommend those movies. They’re funny. But when it comes to exchange student portrayals, I’m going to have to give props to non-American films. Try these two:

Linda Linda Linda. This is a Japanese flick wherein three Japanese high schoolers draft the school’s Korean exchange student to be the lead singer in their punk rock band after getting into a fight with the original lead singer, and they have to two days to rehearse for their performance in the school variety show. Honestly, this is what I imagine it feels like to be an exchange student. Doo-na Bae is the exchange student, and she wins my heart in the scene where she meets the guitarist’s ex-boyfriend. Here’s the preview (the preview isn’t in English, but it’s pretty self-explanatory):

l’Auberge Espagnole. In this one, they’re ALL exchange students! Seven college students from different European countries participate in a study abroad program in Barcelona, where they live together in an apartment. The universal language of hilarity ensues. And just wait until you see how they portray the American. (Although, really, I think the British got it worse with the visit from the brother.) Here’s the preview:

So, what about you? Any movie exchange students you thought were superb or superbly ridiculous?