Best Coming of Age Movies that Make You Remember “Those Back in the Day Moments”

For many of us, passing those awkward teenage years was one of the best things that we thank God did not follow us into adulthood. But hey, don’t be so hard on yourself. How else could you have known that the adults were right all along? This list pf coming-of-age movies speak from a personal perspective that might resonate with you and bring back some memories. If you’re in your adulthood, it’s time to revisit those precious moments of embarrassment, annoyance, innocence, and awkwardness. Oh, the good ole days when you didn’t have the stresses of adulthood.

1

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller
Stephen Chbosky
2012

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1991. High school freshman Charlie is a wallflower, always watching life from the sidelines, until two senior students, Sam and her stepbrother Patrick, become his mentors, helping him discover the joys of friendship, music and love…

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8 IMDB
2

Boyhood

Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke
Richard Linklater
2014

The film tells a story of a divorced couple trying to raise their young son. The story follows the boy for twelve years, from first grade at age 6 through 12th grade at age 17-18, and examines his relationship with his parents as he grows.

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7.9 IMDB
3

Sing Street

Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Lucy Boynton, Maria Doyle Kennedy
John Carney
2016

A boy growing up in Dublin during the 1980s escapes his strained family life by starting a band to impress the mysterious girl he likes.

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7.9 IMDB
4

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

Asa Butterfield, Jack Scanlon, Vera Farmiga
Mark Herman
2008

When his family moves from their home in Berlin to a strange new house in Poland, young Bruno befriends Shmuel, a boy who lives on the other side of the fence where everyone seems to be wearing striped pajamas. Unaware of Shmuel's fate as a Jewish prisoner or the role his own Nazi father plays in his imprisonment, Bruno embarks on a dangerous journey inside the camp's walls.

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7.8 IMDB
5

The Fault in Our Stars

Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff
Josh Boone
2014

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a patient named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

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7.7 IMDB
6

The Book Thief

Geoffrey Rush, Sophie Nélisse, Emily Watson
Brian Percival
2013

While subjected to the horrors of WWII Germany, young Liesel finds solace by stealing books and sharing them with others. Under the stairs in her home, a Jewish refugee is being sheltered by her adoptive parents.

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7.6 IMDB
7

Lady Bird

Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts
Greta Gerwig
2017

A California high school student plans to escape from her family and small town by going to college in New York, much to the disapproval of wildly loving, deeply opinionated and strong-willed mother.

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7.4 IMDB
8

Little Boy

Jakob Salvati, Emily Watson, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
Alejandro Monteverde
2015

An eight-year-old boy is willing to do whatever it takes to end World War II so he can bring his father home. The story reveals the indescribable love a father has for his little boy and the love a son has for his father.

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7.4 IMDB
9

Juno

Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner
Jason Reitman
2007

Faced with an unplanned pregnancy, an offbeat young woman makes an unusual decision regarding her unborn child.

7.4 IMDB
10

The Edge of Seventeen

Hailee Steinfeld, Haley Lu Richardson, Blake Jenner
Kelly Fremon Craig
2016

Two high school girls are best friends until one dates the other's older brother, who is totally his sister's nemesis.

7.3 IMDB
11

An Education

Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, Dominic Cooper
Lone Scherfig
2009

Despite her sheltered upbringing, Jenny is a teen with a bright future; she's smart, pretty, and has aspirations of attending Oxford University. When David, a charming but much older suitor, motors into her life in a shiny automobile, Jenny gets a taste of adult life that she won't soon forget.

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7.3 IMDB
12

Submarine

Noah Taylor, Paddy Considine, Craig Roberts
Richard Ayoade
2011

15-year-old deep-thinking Welsh schoolboy, Oliver Tate struggles to initiate and maintain a relationship with Jordana, his devilish, dark-haired classmate at their Swansea high school. As his parents' marriage begins to fall apart, similar problems arise in his relationship with Jordana.

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7.3 IMDB
13

Fish Tank

Katie Jarvis, Michael Fassbender, Kierston Wareing
Andrea Arnold
2009

Everything changes for 15-year-old Mia when her mum brings home a new boyfriend.

7.3 IMDB
14

Five Feet Apart

Haley Lu Richardson, Cole Sprouse, Moisés Arias
Justin Baldoni
2019

Seventeen-year-old Stella spends most of her time in the hospital as a cystic fibrosis patient. Her life is full of routines, boundaries and self-control — all of which get put to the test when she meets Will, an impossibly charming teen who has the same illness. There's an instant flirtation, though restrictions dictate that they must maintain a safe distance between them. As their connection intensifies, so does the temptation to throw the rules out the window and embrace that attraction.

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7.2 IMDB
15

Easy A

Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, Amanda Bynes
Will Gluck
2010

Olive, an average high school student, sees her below-the-radar existence turn around overnight once she decides to use the school's gossip grapevine to advance her social standing. Now her classmates are turning against her and the school board is becoming concerned, including her favorite teacher and the distracted guidance counselor. With the support of her hilariously idiosyncratic parents and a little help from a long-time crush, Olive attempts to take on her notorious new identity and crush the rumor mill once and for all.

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7.1 IMDB
16

The Spectacular Now

Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley, Brie Larson
James Ponsoldt
2013

Sutter, a popular party animal unexpectedly meets the introverted Aimee after waking up on a stranger's lawn. As Sutter deals with the problems in his life and Aimee plans for her future beyond school, an unexpected romance blossoms between them.

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7.1 IMDB
17

Never Let Me Go

Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, Keira Knightley
Mark Romanek
2010

As children, Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy spend their childhood at an idyllic and secluded English boarding school. As they grow into adults, they must come to terms with the complexity and strength of their love for one another while also preparing for the haunting reality awaiting them.

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7.1 IMDB
18

It's Kind of a Funny Story

Keir Gilchrist, Emma Roberts, Zach Galifianakis
Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden
2010

A clinically depressed teenager gets a new start after he checks himself into an adult psychiatric ward.

7.1 IMDB