According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, coming of age is the moment when a person becomes an adult and achieves maturity and respectability. Every transition period in our lives is marked by new challenges and blessings, but seeing other people go through it makes the change so much easier. Here are the seven best coming of age films to help you feel nostalgic about the simpler times, and both nervous and excited about the times to come.
1. "Boyhood"
Released: July 11, 2014
Summary: The film follows Mason as he grows from childhood to adolescence to young adulthood, and we witness the many trials and joys he faces.
"Boyhood" is the ultimate coming of age film because it goes over every milestone from childhood to the college years. It tackles tough issues like alcoholism, domestic violence, divorce and drug use, but it also emphasizes the value of family, school and chasing your dreams. By the end of the movie, you feel like you've relived your whole life and you'll likely shed a tear or two.
2. "The Breakfast Club"
Released: February 15, 1985
Summary: Five high school students, each belonging to a different 'clique', meet in detention and learn that they're not so different after all.
Although this John Hughes' classic is now over 30 years old, it's still as relevant today as it was in its heyday. Taking us back to high school and the pressure associated with fitting in, it's hard not to be moved by the emotional transformations of each of the characters by the end of the film.
3. "The Graduate"
Released: December 22, 1967
Summary: After graduating from college, Benjamin Braddock lacks direction and falls for the charms of bored housewife and family friend Mrs. Robinson. Things get complicated when Benjamin falls in love with her daughter.
An oldie but a goodie, it's hard not to relate to Benjamin Braddock's quarter life crisis. Coming home from college and being bombarded with questions about what you're doing next and what those four years of college were for is every graduate's worst nightmare.
4. "Fast Times at Ridgemont High"
Released: August 13, 1982
Summary: A funny and timeless classic that tackles the craziness of high school in the 1980s while also addressing serious teenage issues like sex, drugs, abortions, and relationship problems.
"Fast Times" will make you wish you were in high school again just so you could pull a Spicoli and have a pizza delivered to your class. Although it's a little over-the-top, it does a great job of addressing a lot of the pressures high schoolers face.
5. "Blue is the Warmest Color"
Released: October 9, 2013
Summary: Adele finds her whole world changed when she meets Emma, a young blue-haired woman who helps her discover herself as a woman and who helps her grow as an adult.
"Blue is the Warmest Color" addresses the difficulty of coming to terms with your sexuality as a teenager when you're facing pressure from your peers to fit in. Although the film received a lot of attention for its explicitness, it also deserves recognition for not being a cliché film about coming out, and instead being a film about young love.
6. "Almost Famous"
Released: September 22, 2000
Summary: High schooler Will Miller gets the opportunity of a lifetime when Rolling Stone magazine offers him the chance to write about and accompany an up-and-coming rock band as they go on tour.
Imagine 15-year-old you being offered a chance to go on tour with the latest and greatest rock band and write about it for one of the most prominent music magazines in the nation. Fortunately, we can live out this dream through 15-year-old Will Miller, and through his eyes we get to witness the 1970s in all of its rock-n-roll, sex, and drug fueled craziness. "Almost Famous" gives us hope that one day, we will be cool.
7. "Dead Poets Society"
Released: June 9, 1989
Summary: High school student Todd Anderson is shy and under a lot of pressure to follow in his brother's footsteps and attend Yale University. Unorthodox English teacher John Keating inspires Todd as well as his classmates to challenge the status quo.
John Keating is the English teacher we all wish we had. He challenges his students not to conform, and empowers them by telling them that their ideas are important and have the power to change the world. After watching this movie, it's easy to believe that anything is possible. Under his guidance, we see Todd and his classmates mature into creative and inspired young adults.
