'Sunshine and Shade' - A New Documentary on the Experiences of Indian Students in Australia to be Broadcast on Public TV in India

List of Movies/Television Programs where the Characters go Abroad

I’m starting to compile a list of movies and television programs where the young characters (roughly 14 years of age to somewhere in their early 20’s) go abroad and I need the help of IHEC Blog readers. While I’m primarily looking for movie and television characters from the United States who go abroad I would also like to learn of characters from any nation travelling to another country. Here is my very, very brief list:

- The Olsen twins
Passport to Paris (1999)
Winning London (2001)When in Rome (2002)

- The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003) - middle school trip to Rome

- Beverly Hills 90210 Brenda and Donna go to Paris

- Toot & Puddle which will be a topic of a future IHEC Blog post! (see photo above)

If you know of any movie or television characters who traveled abroad please let me know by adding the information to the comment section. This IHEC Blog post is in many ways a continuation of my most popular post entitled “Portrayal of Exchange Students in Movies on TV in the U.S.” which you can read here as well as a related post about Matthew McConaughey’s upcoming comedy film called Exchange Students which you can read here.

It should be noted that the above list of Olsen Twins and Lizzie McGuire movies and the 90210 television show does not reflect my personal viewing habits. Well, Toot & Puddle are enjoyable to watch with my children! I simply heard a colleague mention these at a session during the recent NAFSA: Association of International Educators conference in LA.

Portrayal of Exchange Students in Movies and on TV in the U.S.

This past Saturday I caught the “Gilly – Science Fair” skit on Saturday Night Live with Zach Efron (host of the show) acting as an exchange student from Germany. You can access the skit here.

As I watched the skit I immediately began thinking of past movies and how exchange students were portrayed in film and television in the United States. The first to come to mind for me was Long Duk Dong from Sixteen Candles fame. Long Duk Dong’s most memorable scenes/lines are arguably “What’s Happening Hot Stuff” and “Dong, Where is my Automobile?” (click on scene titles to view videos).

Others that come to mind include:
- Monique, the French exchange student in Better Off Dead
- Üter Zörker from The Simpsons
- Fez from That '70s Show

Most disturbing is that a simple Google search for “exchange students in movies” brought up the “Sex Crazed Exchange Students” DVD for sale on Amazon at #9.

I’m interested in knowing what IHEC Blog readers think about the portrayal of exchange students in film and if they know of other examples (both positive and negative) that they would like to share.