13 Must-See Coming of Age Movies That Explore Key Adolescent Themes

Hi there, I have compiled a list of adolescent movie themes and, what I believe to be, the best movies that depict each theme.

I have not included films I have not seen. Obviously, there are some films which I know should probably be on this list, but even a film fan like myself cannot watch everything. Almost Famous, The Graduate and Risky Business are all high on my ‘to-watch’ list.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading this and it encourages you to watch some of these films.

Rebellion

All Teenagers at some point act rebellious, in an endeavour to gain independence from their parents. This theme can be spotted throughout coming of age movies, my favourite example is:

Rushmore (1998)

Wes Anderson directs a quirky movie about a teenage boy who is too mature for his own good. In an attempt to prove his maturity, he tries to win over the love of his school teacher, but is faced with consequences. Throughout the movie he is a pain to his peers and does not shy away from breaking a few school rules. The whole movie is amazing and Jason Schwartzman is simply brilliant from start to finish.

Other examples include: A Rebel Without a Cause; Into the Wild; Easy A.

Adventure

Adventure is a key aspect of life of growing up. It is fun and challenging; if you have never been on an adventure in your early life, have you truly experienced life? My favourite example of a adolescent adventure movie is:

Stand by Me (1986)

Stand by Me is about 4 very different boys, who are on an adventure to find a dead body. It questions key problems that teenagers face when growing up and shows the joys of friendship and adventure. It is a heart-warming film, that will remind you of adventurous experiences you may have experienced whilst growing up. River Phoenix (RIP) has a stand-out performance, which is especially impressive as he was only 15 at the time.

Other examples include: Ferris Buellers Day Off; Super 8; Slumdog Millionaire.

Mental Health

Mental health problems are ever-growing in society and teenagers are heavily impacted by it. I think it is important that films address the realism of mental health and how damaging it can be to individuals, families and society. I think, mental health, is best illustrated in:

Dead Poets Society (1989)

A new teacher (Robbin Williams RIP) joins a Private School as an English Teacher. He holds a very good relationship with his pupils, as he encourages them to express freely and be creative. The movie delves into the lives of boys who comes from wealthy backgrounds and the pressure they have put upon them whilst growing up. Robbin Williams’ character is inspirational throughout and Robert Sean Leonard hits the spot with his portrayal of an adolescent with parental pressures.

Other examples include: Donnie Darko; Inside out; We need to Talk About Kevin.

High School Experience

High school is a diverse experience for us all. We all encounter different groups and people whilst at High School Coming of age movies tend to show the stereotypes of High Schoolers, e.g. Jocks and Goths. Coming of age movies must, generally, explore High School, as well as, exploring the lives of the students outside of high school. The film, I believe, that does this best is:

Fast Times at Ridgemount High (1982)

 

Firstly, I would like to state that Sean Penn’s character (Jeff) Spicoli is one of my favourite characters of all time. He perfectly portrays the school stoner, which we all had one, and is very funny in doing so. All-round, Fast Times is a fantastic movie which examines the lives of every type of High Schooler. Alongside Sean Penn, there are other quality performances from Jennifer Jason Leigh and Forest Whitaker – who have, like Sean Penn, gone on to have sterling careers.

Other examples include: Breakfast Club; Napoleon Dynamite; 17 Again.

Music

Teenagers love music. Regardless of the genre, they will all have a favourite artist and song. A lot of teens play instruments and/or sing. It is important films depict the lives of these musicians to inspire future generations. The movie I feel does this the best is:

Whiplash (2014)

Whiplash is about an inspiring Jazz musician (Miles Teller) who struggles to make an impact at his music school. He is constantly trying to impress his teacher (J.K. Simmons), but unfortunately is always getting put down. This story is highly motivational to young people who are pursuing music careers. I believe this is one of the best films, across all genres, from 2010-present. It was Damien Chazelle’s first blockbuster and after seeing his secondary masterpiece, La La Land, I can unquestionably state that this young director is a genius.

Other examples include: Scott Pilgrim vs the world; School of Rock; High School Musical

Family

Family is an instrumental part of every young person’s life, no matter if you have a good relationship with them or not. Your family will always impact your upbringing. I adore my family and have been grateful for the life they have given me. In my opinion, the film that shows family life in the most intriguing way is:

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Little Miss Sunshine is a story of a family who are on a road trip to get their daughter to a beauty pageant.  There is a lot to this film, it is heart-warming but is also very thought provoking in the themes it explores. It has a star-studded cast, with amazing performances by Alan Arkin and Steve Carell. However, I think the best performances are by the young stars: Paul Dano and Abigail Breslin. These two have since gone onto feature in other blockbusters. I think this movie exemplifies their talents, especially at such an early age.

Other examples include: American Beauty; The Incredibles; Cheaper by the Dozen (my favourite movie of all time).

Drugs

As you grow older you get you are more likely to be surrounded by drugs, if you like it or not. No matter what your opinion is on drugs you cannot deny that it is, for a lot of teenagers, a part of growing up. I think the following film is the best representation of drug culture within teenage life:

Quadrophenia (1979)

In this film, we follow a young British Mod (Phil Daniels), who has a violent and drug-induced lifestyle. His life takes twists and turns as he pops pills and fights Rockers. The film shows how chaotic this lifestyle can be and how easily it is to lose your mind. Phil Daniels is very convincing and is perfect for the role. Sting and Ray Winstone are also present throughout the film and give very good performances. The Who made the soundtrack and it is incredible.

Other examples include: Dope; 21 Jump Street; 22 Jump Street.

Sports

Sports are ever-present throughout your young years. I, myself, have played team sports all my life and will always encourage people to do so. Sports are a huge deal in High School, especially in America, where if you play sports you are seen to have a powerful, or some might say obnoxious, persona. The film with the best insight into young people’s sporting life is:

Coach Carter (2005)

Coach Carter is a story of a coach who implements his strict rules throughout a high school basketball team. It covers black gang culture and how it impacts sports for teenagers in poorer areas. It is undeniably inspirational and after watching this you will become more determined to achieve your goals. The scene where one of the players (Rick Gonzalez) recites, Marianne Williamson’s, ‘Our Deepest Fear’ is a scene I re-watch on YouTube a lot and it never fails to give me goosebumps. Samuel L. Jackson plays his character brilliantly, he is both terrifying and approachable; also, Channing Tatum has a minor role.

Other examples include: Karate kid; Remember the Titans; Teen Wolf.

Romance

When hitting puberty in your teenage years, you suddenly find yourself immersed in relationships, sex and love. I think it is very important coming of age movies explore this theme as it is the starting point of something that will be developed more and more in later life. The film I think interprets teenage love romance in the best way is:

Juno (2007)

Juno is about teenage pregnancy and the troubles of being pregnant at such an early age. The movie is set through the eyes of Juno (Ellen Page) – who, as you may have guessed, is pregnant. She is a very eccentric and likeable character, because she is funny and remains, mostly, positive throughout the film. The film considers young relationships and also, the stigma around teenage pregnancy. Ellen Page was nominated for an Oscar; her performance is simply outstanding. The rest of the cast include some of my favourite actors: Jason Bateman; J.K. Simmons; Jennifer Garner and Michael Cera.

Other examples include: 10 things I hate about you; Grease; Love Actually (William’s Story)

Friendship

Whilst growing up, you immerse yourself among friends. You have some of the greatest experiences and treasured memories with your friends. Personally, I will always treasure my friendships and I have some amazing memories because of them. All films have an underlying friendship theme, but some films depict friendships better than others. I think the following film is a great example of teenage friendships:

Dazed & Confused (1993)

Dazed & Confused is like a lot of the films on this list, as it gives a general overview of adolescent life and not just through the eyes of one protagonist. It explores a lot of key coming of age themes, such as sex and drugs. However, I feel it is best at giving an insight into high school friendships. It presents to its audience the craziness and thrills you can have with your friends during your teenage years. I also think it cleverly characterises the different crowds within high school. The movie is full of great performances from actors who are now huge stars, e.g. Matthew McConaughey and Ben Affleck.

Other examples include: Kick ass; To Kill A Mockingbird; Sex Drive

Growing Up

Growing up is the process which is the main focus in coming of age films. The idea of these films is to best represent growing up and to identify key themes within the process. All the films on this list paint a picture of this process; however, I feel that the following film is best at doing so:

Big (1988)

Big is about a young boy who is magically transformed into an older body. Tom Hanks stars in it and he is truly lovable as the character. I feel the film is the most interesting portrayal of growing up as it compares the differences in adults and children, excellently. The fact that the protagonist has been fast-tracked into an older body means he still has the same characteristics as a young boy. However, this serves him great difficulty as he is expected to act like an adult. In my opinion, the movie shows how wonderful it is to be a young boy but, as the film progresses, it also shows the perks of being mature and older. The film also consists of one of my favourite scenes of all time: Robert Loggia and Tom Hanks dancing on a musical piano.

Other examples include: Boyhood; Harry Potter (all the movies).

Fun

Having fun is a crucial aspect to maintaining a happy life. There are loads of opportunities when you are young to have fun, this could be with mates, family or even just by yourself. I think this theme is best presented in comedies, therefore, I have picked:

Animal house (1978)

Animal House is about a college fraternity, which is seen amongst the characters as being full of low-lives; but, we, as the audience, understand how epic it really is. The film is full of fun and is exactly what you expect of a frat movie. John Belushi (RIP) radiates his pure comedic brilliance throughout the film and, in my opinion, makes it 10x better than it should be. The film is an easy watch; in addition to this, it is very pleasing to watch as you get to see the ‘losers’ get one over on the snobs.

Other examples include: American Pie; Road Trip; Superbad

Uncertainty

During early life, you are faced with heaps of uncertainty. No one knows what the future will hold and that is particularly the case during your adolescent years. I have, therefore, picked the following film:

Adventureland (2009)

Adventureland is about a boy (Jesse Eisenberg) who faces a lot of uncertainty when his parents tell him that they cannot afford his post-grad trip to Europe. As a result, he is stuck at home and starts working for a theme park – called Adventureland. The movie explores his life working at Adventureland and the ensuing friendships he makes. There are also brilliantly funny performances by Bill Hader, Ryan Reynolds and Kristen Wiig. However, the stand-out comical performance was by Matt Bush (had to google him, as he is relatively unknown) as Frigo. Albeit, his performance is limited, he still had me chuckling to myself with his t-shirt that said ‘I’m Frigo, kapeesh!’.

Other examples include: Good Will Hunting; Finding Nemo; Mean Girls.