Coming of Age stories can vary from an awkward teen finally figuring it out to a kid with everything and the realities of adulthood hitting them hard. These movies can be funny or sad and anything in between.
We have selected ten coming-of-age movies that I am sure most of you could relate to at some time in your life.
#10 Almost Famous
I hope you are ready for the 1970s, as Almost Famous will take you there when an aspiring journalist gets a job writing for Rolling Stone magazine.
This film takes you through his first assignment for Rolling Stone and his coming into himself. Everything goes wrong and goes right in this movie, making it the perfect coming-of-age story.
Patrick Fugit and Kate Hudson star in the movie with Fairuza Balk, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jimmy Fallon, Anna Paquin, and Zooey Deschanel and is written/directed by Cameron Crowe. This is also semi-autobiographical of Crowe’s own young life as a reporter.
#9 Rushmore
Rushmore follows Max Fisher, who is attending Rushmore high school. He is failing most of his classes but can ace the after-school extracurricular activities. He ends up having a crush on a teacher who is sort of in a relationship with a wealthy father who also happens to be Max’s friend.
This is a unique story that deserves to be watched. This is a movie I can’t compare to anything else because it is that unique. The film stars a young Jason Schwartzman with Bill Murray.
#8 The Graduate
This is the oldest movie on this list and one of the oldest movies I’ve ever reviewed, as it goes back to 1967.
Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, and Katharine Ross pull you into this love triangle involving a college graduate torn between Mrs. Robinson and her daughter.
This is one of those movies that you can not look away from. It pulls you into the madness. There is a reason this was the highest-grossing film in 1967.
#7 Easy A
Easy A was the perfect movie for Emma Stone. Nobody else could have been cast as Olive and pulled it off as she did. Emma Stone became Olive.
This movie was a homage to the John Hughes movies of the 1980s. It is serious and comedic at the same time as Olive lies about losing her virginity, but then it goes around the high school, and she receives a modern-day scarlet letter.
Easy A would be great to watch on a rainy day or on a sunny day. You will be instantly placed in a better mood whenever you watch it.
#6 The Sandlot
The Sandlot movie brought “You’re killing me, Smalls” to the world. Scotty Smalls moves to a new city and decides he would like to learn how to play baseball. Scotty ends up with a group of friends who all love baseball and do everything together.
This movie is more about a close-knit friendship group than baseball, but baseball is what brings them all together. This movie does not bring you any stars, but that may be part of what makes the movie good. Just a story about friends that may bring back memories of your own childhood. This makes a perfect movie for a rainy weekend afternoon.
#5 Breakfast Club
Five strangers all have detention. What could possibly go wrong with that?
We all know what The Breakfast Club is about, even if you haven’t seen it. The five strangers who do not know each other but have to spend a Saturday together in detention cover all your stereotypical student types. You have the star athlete Andrew, John a criminal, Claire a princess, Brian for brains, and someone unstable with Allison.
Even though that promise could go wrong, everything with this movie goes so right, and everyone can still enjoy it today. Friendships can be anywhere, is the ultimate storyline. That and don’t judge a book by its cover.
For the time period, The Breakfast Club had everyone in it, including Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez, Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy, and Anthony Michael Hall.
#4 Now and Then
Four 30-year-olds get the gang back together to remember the life they had as 12-year-olds. Most of the movie takes place in the 70s, with a bit that happens in the 90s. Even if you were not born yet, you would still find ways to relate to the stories being told and may even get a kick out of how much times have changed.
Christina Ricci, Thora Birch, and Gaby Hoffmann star in the movie, as well as Rosie O’Donnell, Demi Moore, and Melanie Griffith. While this is one of the best coming-of-age movies, with it being about teenage girls instead of the normal teenage boy coming-of-age drama is a delightful change as well however I will be honest, and the writing could have been better at points, but overall, this emotional story comes together.
#3 Stand by Me
Stand by Me takes us to Oregon in the summer of 1959. A group of boys go on a search to find a missing boy but end up finding themselves on the way. This movie tackles the typical loss of incense of a teen drama but in a real and unique way.
The film is based on Stephen King’s book with the same stars River Phoenix, Kiefer Sutherland, Jerry O’Connell, Corey Feldman, and Will Wheaton. We all know books are almost always better than their movie adaptations, but this movie breaks that mode and may even be better than the book.
#2 Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
You can’t get more iconic than Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. I am amazed it did not end up at #1, but that also goes to a special film.
The movie, of course, followed Ferris Bueller’s taking a day off from school and having a crazy adventure while he tries not to get caught ditching school. It’s just a fun movie that any generation can enjoy.
A young Charlie Sheen, Kristy Swanson, Mia Sara, and Matthew Broderick are featured in the film.
#1 Juno
Juno is the most heartwarming coming-of-age movie I’ve ever seen and has earned its spot at #1. Both Elliot Page and Michael Cera are so loveable and make you just want to pull for them in Juno, which is about a high school girl that becomes pregnant after she had sex with her best friend one time. It then followers her deciding what to do, her adoption journey, and how everyone is doing now.
This was one of the most impressive movies ever. The script could not have been better. Everything about this film was perfect.
