27 best coming of age movies that will make you embrace the change in your life
Coming of age movies hold a special place in our hearts, showing us that no matter what we plan for in life, we'll have to overcome certain obstacles and challenges and embark on several unexpected changes that will lead us to an ultimate, fulfilling life.
From childhood to teenage years, the experiences faced during a school year or a year in adulthood, to how a character evolves while handling a specific situation in their life, coming of age have warmed our hearts, inspired us, and (mostly) shown us the good always prevails over evil.
Many of these movies have focused on the ever-so-enlightening teenage years and given us some absolutely hilarious classics such as The Diary of a Teenage Girl, Superbad and Saoirse Ronan's Lady Bird. Other teen movies have had much darker, serious storylines, such as Thirteen, in which a new friend negatively influences a straight-A high-school student, and The Fallout, starring Jenna Ortega, in which her character navigates her life following a traumatic high school shooting.
However, if you want something more light-hearted, look no further than Pixar's Turning Red.
Icons.
Other movies transcend past the teenage years and into adulthood, such as Boyhood, famously shot over 12 years, and saw its lead actor Ellar Coltrane transform from a young boy to a college-going student. Coming of age movies have also focused on people navigating difficult, unjust situations, such as a teenager travelling from her rural hometown to New York for an abortion in Never Rarely Sometimes Always and a young man sent to a conversion therapy camp after coming out to his religious parents in Boy Erased.
With countless stories in their genre, there's certainly something that everyone can relate to, so without further ado, we've compiled a list of the 27 best coming of age movies to get lost in.
John BramleyThe Perks Of Being A Wallflower (2012)
Based on the 1999 novel by Stephen Chbosky, the movie The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, starring Emma Watson and Logan Lerman, follows the coming-of-age journey of socially awkward teenager Charlie. Always watching from the sideline, Charlie's life takes a turn for the better when he meets Sam, who teaches him about the joys of friendship, love, music and more. However, as she prepares to leave for college, Charlie finds his newfound confidence deeply threatened.
Dana Hawley/LionsgateAre You There God? It's Me, Margaret (2023)
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret is a heartwarmingly endearing tale centred on eleven-year-old Margaret as she questions heavy topics such as her identity, place in the world, and the usual pre-teen angst of friendships and adolescence when she moves to a new town. With Abby Ryder Fortson in the lead role, the movie also boasts Kathy Bates and Rachel McAdams.
Disney PixarTurning Red (2022)
The adolescent struggles of protagonist Mei are expertly depicted in this Pixar movie, which sees the titular character inherit the ability to turn into a giant red panda when experiencing extreme feelings. This prompts her to focus on the best way to handle friendships, school and her relationship with mother Ming, all in time to attend the concert of a dreamy boyband. Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan lend their voices to this feel-good animated flick.
VERTIGOThe Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015)
Bel Powley, Alexander Skarsgård and Kristen Wiig star in The Diary of a Teenage Girl, based on the book, The Diary of a Teenage Girl: An Account in Words and Pictures by Phoebe Gloeckner. Set in seventies San Francisco, the quirky and hilarious movie follows a precocious 15-year-old who has a sexual awakening and decides to go on a journey to lose her virginity, which involves starting a relationship with her mother's boyfriend.
Spirit EntertainmentThe Florida Project (2017)
The Florida Project is beautifully shot and set in, yes, you guessed it, Florida, with the emphasis being on the mischief and adventure taken on by a precocious six-year-old Moonee and her playmates while living in the shadows of Walt Disney World over one summer. The lead of this movie was a then-six-year-old Brooklynn Prince, who is phenomenal in the underrated coming-of-age film.
Sony Pictures Television Inc.Little Women (2019)
There have been many film and TV adaptions of Little Women, but our favourite is the 2019 film directed by Greta Gerwig. Starring an impossibly talented cast of Florence Pugh, Emma Watson, Eliza Scanlen and Saoirse Ronan, the coming of age movie focuses on the four sisters in the years after the Civil War. Jo wants to be a writer, while Amy studies painting in Paris. Meg is focused on her marriage, while Beth develops an illness than brings the family back together.
Mubi UK LimitedAftersun (2022)
Aftersun sees Sophie, now an adult, reflecting on the rare time she spent with her loving father, Calum (Normal People's Paul Mescal), at eleven years older. Attempting to separate the man she knew from the man she didn't, her memories paint a powerful picture of Calum, who, in return, struggled with life outside of fatherhood.
Universal StudiosBoy Erased (2018)
Boy Erased is the heartbreaking story of Jared Eamons, the son of a small-town Baptist pastor, who discovers he is gay. Upon picking up the courage to tell his parents, they struggle to reconcile their love for their son and send him to a conversion therapy camp where he's introduced to a conflict of interest and sets out to find his own voice and accept himself while no one else can.
MGMBones and All (2022)
Despite its disturbing undertones, Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet are brilliant as two young lovers who fall in love during a 3,000 road trip through the backroads of America before they are finally confronted by the terrifying bond that brought them together in the first place.
Universal PicturesLady Bird (2017)
Starring Saoirse Ronan as the titular character, the movie follows the journey of teenager Christine McPherson, who gives herself the nickname "Lady Bird" in the early noughties as she attends Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic High School in Sacramento, California, while dreaming of attending a prestigious college in a "city of culture" on the East Coast. This movie was directed by Greta Gerwig and saw award-season acclaim during the year it was released.
UNIVERSALThirteen (2003)
Thirteen was a movie that definitely shocked us but also offered an authentic, gritty look at the all-too-real journey of a straight-A honour high-school student Tracy Freeland (Evan Rachel Wood), who befriends the school's calculating queen bee Evie (Nikki Reed). Tracey is quickly influenced by Nikki into issues such as drug use, exploring her sexuality, stealing money and more. Her mother (Holly Hunter) realises her once-sweet daughter's destructive new habits and steps in to stop her before it's too late.
StudioCanalThe Virgin Suicides (1999)
The Virgin Suicides by Sofia Coppola follows the journey of five adolescent sisters in an upper-middle-class suburb of Detroit during the seventies who are withdrawn from school and put under intense observation by their religious, overprotective parents after the youngest sister, Cecilia, makes a suicide attempt. Interestingly, the movie is told from the perspective of a group of adolescent boys in the neighbourhood who are fascinated by the girls' lives.
UniversalBoyhood (2014)
Boyhood is an incredible cinematic treat, especially as it was filmed over twelve years with the same cast, including Ellar Coltrane, Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette (now that's dedication!). This was done to bring authentic continuity in following a young boy named Mason's journey from early childhood to his arrival at college.
David BornfriendMoonlight (2016)
Moonlight scooped up the Best Picture gong at the Oscars in 2016 (Never forget: after La La Land was wrongly announced as the winner in the category!!). The movie, written and directed by Barry Jenkins, explores the difficulties the lead character faces with his sexuality and identity and the physical and emotional abuse he endures throughout his childhood, adolescence, and early adult life.
(c) 2007 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved.Superbad (2007)
Starring Jonah Hill and Michael Cera, we all love the 2007 comedy movie Superbad, especially as it introduced us to the wonderful Emma Stone! But in general, the movie was a hilarious coming-of-age story of two BFFs, Seth and Evan, as they attempt to navigate the last weeks of high school. In particular, they want to lose with virginity before they head off to college, but their plans prove harder than it seems.
Universal PicturesBooksmart (2019)
Booksmart is basically Superbad but with the genders flipped. The Olivia Wilde-directed movie stars Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein as best friends Amy and Molly, who decide to let loose and make up for lost time in the weeks before graduation after realising they have spent all of their high school life focused on excelling in academics.
TM and © 2007 Twentieth Century Fox. All rights reserved. Not for sale or duplication.Juno (2007)
This coming-of-age movie, starring Elliot Page, was adorned by many. Focused on social misfit Juno, who handles everything in life with sarcastic humour, finds herself with an unwanted pregnancy. She ends up finding a failed rock star and his wife to adopt her unborn baby but unwittingly finds herself more involved in their lives than she had hoped, which ends up putting their marriage and Juno's baby's adoption in jeopardy.
NBC UniversalNever Rarely Sometimes Always (2020)
Sidney Flanigan is brilliant as pregnant teenager Autumn who journeys out of her rural Pennsylvania town with her cousin Skylar to seek an abortion in New York City in the film Never Rarely Sometimes Always. The movie is a crucial watch as director Eliza Hittman addresses current, real-life healthcare issues such as access to abortion in the United States and emphasises how each woman's journeys are different and complex when they find themselves with an unwanted pregnancy.
Everett Collection Inc / Alamy Stock PhotoThe Fallout (2021)
Jenna Ortega really made us teary-eyed as she took on the role of Vada, who attempts to navigate life following a high-school shooting that leaves her with severe trauma. Along the way, she reevaluates her relationships and her view of the world while finding new love and attempting to leave her tragic past behind.
Yet to come to UK screens.
Mean Girls TM & copyright © 2004 PARAMOUNT PICTURES. All Rights Reserved.Mean Girls (2004)
We couldn't complete this list without Mean Girls! If you don't already know (how could you not?!), the comedy flick follows Cady (Lindsay Lohan) as she slowly comes into her own at high school while unwittingly navigating the Plastics, a group led by the infamous Regina George), as well as falling for Regina's ex Aaron.
TCD/Prod.DB / Alamy Stock PhotoPrecious (2009)
Gabourey Sidibe takes on the titular role of this powerfully moving drama of a sixteen-year-old making the journey from oppression to self-determination by getting the chance to transfer to an alternative school after getting pregnant by her own father for the second time and suffering constant abuse from her mother. It makes for a heartwrenching watch.
Allstar Picture Library Limited. / Alamy Stock PhotoPicnic at Hanging Rock (1975)
The Australian mystery film Picnic at Hanging Rock focuses on the students and teachers at Appleyard College, a girls' private school in Victoria, who go missing during a picnic in 1900. The effects the disappearances have on the school, and local community is explored in great depth, making for essential viewing. This movie, in general, is one of the Australian film industry's greatest films, and it's clear why.
COPYRIGHT © (2015) BY PARAMOUNT PICTURES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (2008)
Watching Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging was a right of passage for all growing up, and it's clear why. The cheeky movie starring Georgia Groome, Aaron Johnson and Eleanor Tomlinson saw 14-year-old Georgia overcoming the trials and tribulations of growing up while also being your typical teenager and writing everything in her diary, including everything she has learnt about kissing.
Excel EntertainmentDil Chahta Hai (2001)
The Bollywood movie Dil Chahta Hai centres on three close friends (Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna) who go their separate ways after college, with Akash heading to Australia, Sameer busy as a ladies' man and Siddharth devoting himself to a career as an artist. Eventually, they are brought back together.
© Film Council / Lions GateBend It Like Beckham (2002)
We all know and love Bend It Like Beckham for its comedy, but the movie is essentially Jess' journey in navigating her traditional South Asian identity, which came with pressures from her parents to find a husband and learn how to cook while living in the UK, while also achieving her non-traditional dreams of being a football star.
