Fewer things are more heart-warming than a good coming-of-age film. They serve as sweet reminders of how life used to be – free from responsibilities and so to the world and all of its experiences, making them the perfect watch for all ages. More than stories about growing up, they often make us reflect back on our own earlier years and how they shaped us.
Plus, the genre has classics in abundance. From Stephen King’s Stand By Me to Clueless and Dead Poets Society, your next movie marathon night with friends, family or a loved one is ready to go.
Whether you’re feeling nostalgic, happy or sad, films that portray human development at different stages and in varying environments always make for a good watch.
1) Best For Adventure Lovers: Stand By Me (1987)
A cinematic classic, Stand By Me, is one of Stephen King’s earlier box office hits. The film follows a group of four pre-teen boys during the summer before they start high school. The group hears of a missing teen in the woods and ventures out to find the body in the hopes of finding a sense of adventure and being heralded as heroes. As the boys embark on the journey, each child must confront the underlying problems in their respective lives as their camaraderie is put to the test.
Director: Rob Reiner
Cast: Will Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell, Kiefer Sutherland
2) Best For A Girls’ Night In: Mean Girls (2004)
The original Mean Girls film tells the age-old tale of friendship, social hierarchy within schools and just how mean teens can sometimes be. The film’s protagonist Cady moves from Africa to America, and is quickly thrust into the whirlwind that is American high school life and all the drama that comes with it. While much of the film’s dialogue is satire, the high school comedy gets an A+ for delivering a guide on how to navigate friendships, alienation and how we should treat one another.
Director: Mark Waters
Cast: Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Tim Meadows, Amy Poehler, Ana Gasteyer
3) Best For Indie Film Lovers: The Perks Of Being A Wallflower (2012)
The Perks Of Being A Wallflower dominated the 2010s soon after its release due to its clever script, which brilliantly showcased the importance of inclusion and tolerance, and what can happen to teenagers who are mistreated and left on the fringes of society. The film sees a young teenager name Charlie struggle to make friends until he meets a welcoming group of fellow wallflowers.
Director: Stephen Chbosky
Cast: Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Johnny Simmons, Paul Rudd, Nina Dobrev
4) Best To Watch When Feeling Nostalgic: Clueless (1995)
As if Clueless didn’t deserve a mention. Based on Jane Austen’s 1815 novel Emma, the film propelled the careers of its cast, including Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd and Donald Faison. The film follows Cher (Silverstone), a materialistic Beverly Hills teen, who spends most of her time matchmaking others but not without encountering her own problems with friendship and love along the way.
Director: Amy Heckerling
Cast: Alicia Silverstone, Brittany Murphy, Paull Rudd, Donald Faison, Stacey Lauretta Dash
5) Best For A Cheesy Watch: To All The Boys I’ve Loved (franchise)
Before To All The Boys franchise graced our screens, many felt as though the coming-of-age rom-com genre was a thing of the past, primarily left in the 1990s and 2000s. The story of Lara Jean figuring out boys and high school all the same time, however, resonated with audiences upon the first film’s release in 2018.
Director: Susan Johnson
Cast: Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, Janel Parrish, Anna Cathcart, Andrew Bachelor, Madeleine Arthur
6) Best For A Film Buff: Dead Poets Society (1989)
Robin Williams stars as John Keating, a kind-hearted English teacher who aspires to change the lives of his pupils through teaching them poetry. Over time, the kids begin to see life in a different way as Keating develops their minds and passions as they learn more about the meaning of life. One of Williams most moving performances, have your tissues at the ready.
Director: Peter Weir
Cast: Robin Williams
7) Best For An Eye-Opening Watch: Turtles All The Way Down (2024)
Based on John Green’s novel of the same name, Turtles All The Way Down follows a young teenage girl who struggles with her Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Ava (Isabela Merced) must fight to distinguish the thoughts that are hers – and those that aren’t – all while figuring out how to date, how to maintain friendships and how to keep up with school too.
Director: Hannah Marks
Cast: Isabela Merced, Cree Cicchino, Felix Mallard, Maliq Johnson
8) Best For A Teachable Moment: How To Have Sex (2023)
Molly Manning Walker’s award-winning film How To Have Sex premiered in 2023, and served as a much-needed depiction of the highs and lows of young adulthood, primarily surrounding sex and all of its grey areas. As three sixteen-year-olds head out to Malia as a rites-of-passage holiday, the girls soon face new friendships, relationships and sexual pressure.
Director: Molly Manning Walker
Cast: Mia McKenna-Bruce, Lara Peake, Samuel Bottomly, Shaun Thomas
Read the original article in ELLE UK.
