Movies on coming of age serve as a reminder of the awkward, humorous, dramatic, constricting, and liberating aspects of growing up. A genuinely powerful one deeply affects your heart. One of the most popular contemporary coming-of-age films is Booksmart, starring Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever. It has received accolades for its humorous examination of growing-up issues. Additionally, it’s one of the many coming-of-age movies that can be seen or rented right now online.
The coming-of-age genre encompasses a wide range of movies. This movie genre, in my opinion, consists of stories about growing up that place a strong emphasis on how that process results in development, self-discovery, or a better understanding of the world.
High school seniors Amy (Kaithly Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) decide to go to the big year-end party despite having spent the majority of their high school careers as nerds and barely mingling with anyone save one other. They embark on a bizarre journey in order to attend this party, which includes hookups that are awkward, drugs, an arrest, and pornography.
Although Feldstein’s brother Jonah Hill plays the role of Jonah Hill in the coming-of-age film Superbad, Booksmart is not a carbon duplicate of that film; instead, it has its own unique personality and sense of comedy. Like Amy and Molly, the movie is very at ease with itself, which helps it offer a novel perspective on the high school comedy subgenre.
Dazed And Confused (1993)
Dazed and Confused, a film about various student groups on the last day of class in 1976, was directed by Richard Linklater. The cast also features Milla Jovoich, Parker Posey, Ben Affleck, Jason London, Matthew McConaughey, and Joey Lauren Adams.
Dazed and Confused provides a picture of high school life in the 1970s, and it comes off as authentic since, for the most part, it’s simply a bunch of teenagers hanging out and searching for something to do. That about sums up a student’s high school experience. The movie Dazed and Confused is likewise quite hilarious and straightforward.
Handsome Devil (2016)
Ned (Fionn O’Shea), a teenager who attends a prestigious Irish school, is the subject of Handsome Devil. Ned is taunted for being unique and frequently suspected of being gay. Conor (Nicholas Galitzine), a new student, quickly gains popularity since he is a talented rugby player. They share a space and develop an unexpected friendship.
Conor is gay from the beginning of Handsome Devil, and the school is homophobic. It is the tale of Conor’s coming to terms with his sexuality as well as the friendship between Ned and Conor. Conor and Ned have an extremely lovely connection, especially when they realize how similar they are after initially thinking they have nothing in common.
Lady Bird (2017)
In this coming-of-age tale about a warring mother and daughter team, Saorise Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, and Beanie Feldstein star. The film is directed by Greta Gerwig. In the movie Lady Bird, Saorise Ronan’s Lady Bird and Laurie Metcalf’s mother are frequently at odds and going through their own growing pains.
Saorise Ronan and Laurie Metcalf’s performances are Lady Bird’s greatest assets. You become both irritated and empathetic with them both because of their actions. Like many mother-teen daughter relationships, despite their fighting, it is obvious that both parties genuinely love and value one another. Growing up is difficult, and being an adult is even more difficult.
Moonlight (2016)
Moonlight, which was directed by Barry Jenkins, depicts Chiron (Trevante Rhodes) as he grows up in a troubled home with a drug-addicted mother Paula (Naomie Harris), explores his sexuality as a teen, and eventually matures into a person in need of love and hope.
In Moonlight, the struggles a man faces as life and society conspire against him are depicted in graphic detail. Chiron has a number of significant losses, but the conclusion of Moonlight brings with it a sense of closure and hope. Despite his difficult road, there is yet hope.
Raising Victor Vargas (2002)
The tale of three siblings being raised by their grandmother is told in Raising Victor Vargas. It also focuses on Victor’s (Victor Rasuk) developing relationship with Judy.
A really amusing and heartwarming movie called Raising Victor Vargas is about taking off your masks so that someone can see and accept you for who you really are. It also touches on themes of family, first love, and maturation.
Real Women Have Curves (2002)
Stars of Real Women Have Curves include George Lopez, Lupe Ontiveros, and America Ferrera. It centers on a Mexican-American kid who is attempting to forge her own identity and pursue her aspirations while being faithful to her ancestry and culture.
The body-affirming film Real Women Have Curves was a little ahead of its time. Additionally, it depicts a mother and daughter whose cultures and worldviews frequently clash. America Ferrera’s character is coming to accept her sexuality and enjoy her body, despite her mother’s belief that she should feel ashamed of both. The movie questions a person’s sense of obligation to their family while demonstrating how emotional abuse cycles can prevent people from experiencing both personal and professional growth. Real Women Have Curves is a harsh but passionate examination of growing pains, particularly when added familial constraints are present.
Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
The story of Slumdog Millionaire centers on Jamal (Dev Patel), a young man who successfully navigates the Indian equivalent of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Many of the questions he is asked during the course of the flashbacks have some connection to his upbringing. In Slumdog Millionaire, Jamal’s affection for Latika is also depicted.
Slumdog Millionaire is one of the most thrilling coming-of-age tales because Jamal’s path captivates you. You support and encourage him with each new query and tale in the hopes that he will be awarded the million dollars and enjoy a better life. It is exhilarating from start to finish.
Stand By Me (1986)
In Stand by Me, four lads search for a missing boy’s body and discover his dead body. The Body, a coming-of-age movie starring Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, and Jerry O’Connell, is based on a Stephen King book.
The story of how friendship helps these four young boys survive the harsh realities of life and adolescence is at the heart of Stand By Me. The young cast offers terrific performances in the movie, but River Phoenix stands out for his fascinating turn.
Superbad (2007)
Superbad is a coming-of-age tale about two best friends who want to have the time of their lives but wind up embarking on a bizarre adventure while traveling to a party. It was written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Seth Rogen, Bill Hader, and Emma Stone are all part of the Superbad cast.
Superbad is a hilarious high school adventure film, but it’s also a story about how, as you get older, you start to move away from your childhood pals. The movie demonstrates that this unavoidable conclusion is acceptable because they don’t necessarily have to leave your life entirely.
The Breakfast Club (1985)
Five adolescents from various high school cliques spend a Saturday together in The Breakfast Club after being assigned to detention together. They never anticipated how detention would bring them together, and as a result, they begin to understand one another better. The Breakfast Club features Ally Sheedy, Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez, and Anthony Michael Hall among its cast.
Teen movie classic The Breakfast Club by John Hughes is frequently cited and sourced in popular culture. This movie has endured because it emphasizes likable individuals and shows that no matter what high school cliché you embody, we all experience the same emotions of loneliness, anxiety, and confusion.
Coming-of-age stories are generally highly enjoyable in John Hughes movies. Others to see include Sixteen Candles, Some Kind of Wonderful, Pretty in Pink, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and Some Kind of Wonderful
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
Introvert Charlie (Logan Lerman) is followed through his first year of high school in The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Patrick (Ezra Miller) and Sam (Emma Watson), two seniors, become friends with Charlie and adopt him as one of their own. The same-named novel served as the inspiration for the film.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower examines important topics like abortion, spousal abuse, and sexual assault. It approaches these problems with caution and a humane touch. Charlie makes a fantastic narrator because of his complex and empathetic demeanor because he establishes an immediate connection with the audience. In this movie, the three primary leads all deliver some of their best performances.
The Virgin Suicides (1999)
The Virgin Suicides features Josh Hartnett, Kirsten Dunst, James Woods, Kathleen Turner, and Kathleen Turner. The Lisbon family is followed in the movie, especially the Lisbon daughters. The main daughter is Lux Lisbon (Kirsten Dunst), and her sister’s orbit revolves around her disarray.
Tim Weiner (Jonathan Tucker) and the other lads who see and adore the Lisbon girls from a distance are portrayed in The Virgin Suicides. As the girls mature, their parents make an effort to keep them quiet and sheltered from the outside world, particularly the world of guys. This prompts desperate actions. The Virgin Suicides, which is told from the viewpoint of the male character, demonstrates the serious misunderstandings that young boys might have about women and girls. Additionally, it illustrates what happens when parents attempt to stop their children from growing up.
