Coming Of Age Movies Best: The Top 10

The story of a naive and young boy who gets the opportunity to go on the road with a rock band in order to write story for a magazine was and still is one of the coming of age all-time-favorite films. Throughout his journey, the boy is "forced" to grow up quicker, as he experiences the ups and downs of being an adult. The film was released in 2000 and stars Billy Crudup, Patrick Fugit, and Kate Hudson, among other celebrities.

‘American Graffiti’ tells the story of a couple of high school grads who before going off to college, decide to have one last night of adventures with their friends. The 1973 film portrays a group of teenagers going through a coming of age, and who have to decide if they will actually attend college or stay in a small town.

‘Sixteen Candles’ is a classic coming-of-age film written and directed by John Hughes. The 1984 movie follows “Samantha Baker" (Molly Ringwald), a teenage girl whose 16th birthday is overshadowed by her sister's wedding and the chaos of family life. The film features standout performances by Anthony Michael Hall, Michael Schoeffling, and Long Duk Dong (portrayed by Gedde Watanabe), and remains a beloved staple of 80s cinema.

‘The Breakfast Club’ was released in 1985. This coming of age film tells the story of five students who meet in school detention and find out what they have in common. All of them have to deal with a world of adults that seem not to understand them. Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Ally Sheedy, Emilio Estevez and Judd Nelson are part of the main cast.

Released in 1986 and based on Stephen King's book ‘The Body,’ the story of ‘Stand By Me’ revolves around a group of friends who struggle with growing up, moving to the next stage of school, and approaching realities and responsabilities of adulthood, like the fact of dealing with death, for instance. Actors River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O Connell, and Wil Wheaton are part of the main cast.

Steven Spielberg's ‘Empire of the Sun’ is considered to be a coming of age film viewed from a different perspective. It tells the story of a young English boy named "Jim" (portrayed by Christian Bale at the age of 13 in 1987), who struggles to survive during World War II. The film depicts how "Jim" lives a series of situations that even adults would find hard to deal with, like living under constant surveillance.

Coming of age does not only mean the transition from childhood to adulthood; it also implies certain extent of maturity, which is something depicted in the 1989 film ‘Dead Poets Society.’ Set in the late 1950's, the movie tells the story of a group of students who experience not only an academic growth but also a personal one due to his teacher's passion for poetry. Late actor Robin Williams portrayed "John Keating", one of the main characters.

‘Rebel Without a Cause’ is a real coming of age classic film which depicts the moral decay of the American youth and the conflicts between parents and teenagers. The story of a rebellious and troubled guy who moves to a new town where he finds friends as well as enemies became really popular after it was released in 1955.

When it comes to coming of age movies, unplanned pregnancy is also a very popular topic. ‘Juno’ tells the story of a young woman named "Juno" (Ellen Page) who makes an unusual decision regarding her unborn kid. It is also considered as one of the greatest contemporary coming of age movies, which was released in 2007.

Released in 2014 ‘Boyhood’ is considered to be one of the best contemporary coming of age films. It portrays the life of "Mason" from his early childhood to his arrival at college, from ages 6 to 18. The film was filmed from 2001 to 2013, actually showing how the actors got older for real.