Coming of Age Movies That Are Actually Worth Watching
by astoldbymaddie | created - 29 Jun 2013 | updated - 04 Nov 2017 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (2008)
PG-13 | 100 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
The story centers on a 14-year-old girl who keeps a diary about the ups and downs of being a teenager, including the things she learns about kissing.
Director: Gurinder Chadha | Stars: Georgia Groome, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Karen Taylor, Alan Davies
Votes: 30,078
2. LOL (Laughing Out Loud) (2008)
Not Rated | 103 min | Comedy, Romance
When Lola's boyfriend is unfaithful to her on his summer holiday, she dumps him and flirts with his best friend as punishment. But as their class prepares to leave on an excursion to London, the relationship heats up.
Director: Lisa Azuelos | Stars: Sophie Marceau, Christa Théret, Jérémy Kapone, Marion Chabassol
Votes: 9,620
3. Clueless (1995)
PG-13 | 97 min | Comedy, Romance
Shallow, rich and socially successful Cher is at the top of her Beverly Hills high school's pecking scale. Seeing herself as a matchmaker, Cher first coaxes two teachers into dating each other.
Director: Amy Heckerling | Stars: Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy, Paul Rudd
Votes: 245,466 | Gross: $56.63M
4. Whisper of the Heart (1995)
G | 111 min | Animation, Drama, Family
A love story between a girl who loves reading books, and a boy who has previously checked out all of the library books she chooses.
Director: Yoshifumi Kondô | Stars: Yoko Honna, Issei Takahashi, Takashi Tachibana, Shigeru Muroi
Votes: 72,480
5. Turn Me On, Dammit! (2011)
Not Rated | 76 min | Comedy, Romance
In Skoddeheimen, Norway, 15-year-old Alma is consumed by her hormones and fantasies that range from sweetly romantic images of Artur, the boyfriend she yearns for, to daydreams about practically everybody she lays eyes on.
Director: Jannicke Systad Jacobsen | Stars: Helene Bergsholm, Malin Bjørhovde, Henriette Steenstrup, Beate Støfring
Votes: 9,721 | Gross: $0.12M
6. Submarine (2010)
R | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
15-year-old Oliver Tate has two objectives: to lose his virginity before his next birthday, and to extinguish the flame between his mother and an ex-lover who has resurfaced in her life.
Director: Richard Ayoade | Stars: Craig Roberts, Sally Hawkins, Paddy Considine, Noah Taylor
Votes: 96,462 | Gross: $0.47M
7. LOL (2012)
PG-13 | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
As a new year at school begins, Lola's heart is broken by her boyfriend, though soon she's surprised by her best friend, promising musician Kyle, who reveals his feelings for her.
Director: Lisa Azuelos | Stars: Miley Cyrus, Douglas Booth, Ashley Greene, Demi Moore
Votes: 58,124 | Gross: $0.05M
8. She's the Man (2006)
PG-13 | 105 min | Comedy, Romance, Sport
When her brother decides to ditch for a couple weeks, Viola heads over to his elite boarding school, disguised as him, and proceeds to fall for his school's star soccer player, and soon learns she's not the only one with romantic troubles.
Director: Andy Fickman | Stars: Amanda Bynes, Laura Ramsey, Channing Tatum, Vinnie Jones
Votes: 175,606 | Gross: $2.34M
9. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005)
PG | 119 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Four best girlfriends hatch a plan to stay connected with one another as their lives start off in different directions: they pass around a pair of secondhand jeans that fits each of their bodies perfectly.
Director: Ken Kwapis | Stars: Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera, Blake Lively
Votes: 64,979 | Gross: $39.01M
10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
PG-13 | 103 min | Drama
Charlie, a 15-year-old introvert, enters high school and is nervous about his new life. When he befriends his seniors, he learns to cope with his friend's suicide and his tumultuous past.
Director: Stephen Chbosky | Stars: Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Paul Rudd
Votes: 547,475 | Gross: $17.74M
11. Mean Girls (2004)
PG-13 | 97 min | Comedy
Cady Heron is a hit with The Plastics, the A-list girl clique at her new school, until she makes the mistake of falling for Aaron Samuels, the ex-boyfriend of alpha Plastic Regina George.
Director: Mark Waters | Stars: Lindsay Lohan, Jonathan Bennett, Rachel McAdams, Tina Fey
Votes: 434,580 | Gross: $86.06M
12. Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)
G | 103 min | Animation, Family, Fantasy
A young witch, on her mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Kirsten Dunst, Minami Takayama, Rei Sakuma, Kappei Yamaguchi
Votes: 165,174
13. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008)
PG-13 | 90 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
Two newly acquainted music-lovers spend the night scouting the streets of New York City in search of their favourite band's surprise secret show. All the while, they're both being chased after by their tempting but devious exes.
Director: Peter Sollett | Stars: Michael Cera, Kat Dennings, Aaron Yoo, Rafi Gavron
Votes: 95,339 | Gross: $31.49M
14. Bend It Like Beckham (2002)
PG-13 | 112 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Two ambitious girls, despite their parents' wishes, have their hearts set on careers in professional football.
Director: Gurinder Chadha | Stars: Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anupam Kher
Votes: 116,412 | Gross: $32.54M
15. Strike! (1998)
PG-13 | 97 min | Comedy
In the 1960s, a group of friends at an all girls school learn that their school is going to be combined with a nearby all boys school. They concoct a plan to save their school while dealing with everyday problems along the way.
Director: Sarah Kernochan | Stars: Kirsten Dunst, Lynn Redgrave, Gaby Hoffmann, Rachael Leigh Cook
Votes: 7,590 | Gross: $0.97M
16. An Education (2009)
PG-13 | 100 min | Drama
A coming-of-age story about a teenage girl in 1960s suburban London, and how her life changes with the arrival of a playboy nearly twice her age.
Director: Lone Scherfig | Stars: Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, Alfred Molina, Olivia Williams
Votes: 138,115 | Gross: $12.57M
17. The To Do List (2013)
R | 104 min | Comedy, Romance
Feeling pressured to become more sexually experienced before she goes to college, Brandy Klark makes a list of things to accomplish before hitting campus in the fall.
Director: Maggie Carey | Stars: Aubrey Plaza, Johnny Simmons, Bill Hader, Alia Shawkat
Votes: 41,896 | Gross: $3.45M
18. The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (2002)
R | 104 min | Comedy, Drama
A group of Catholic school friends, after being caught drawing an obscene comic book, plan a heist that will outdo their previous prank and make them local legends.
Director: Peter Care | Stars: Kieran Culkin, Jena Malone, Emile Hirsch, Vincent D'Onofrio
Votes: 14,173 | Gross: $1.78M
19. Electrick Children (2012)
R | 96 min | Drama
Rachel, a teenager born and raised in her Mormon community, believes that she has been inpregnated by listening to music and must get to Vegas to find the "father" of her miracle baby.
Director: Rebecca Thomas | Stars: Julia Garner, Liam Aiken, Billy Zane, Cynthia Watros
Votes: 6,152
20. Saved! (2004)
PG-13 | 92 min | Comedy, Drama
When a girl attending a Christian high school becomes pregnant, all of her former friends turn on her and she is ostracized and demonized.
Director: Brian Dannelly | Stars: Jena Malone, Mandy Moore, Macaulay Culkin, Patrick Fugit
Votes: 48,955 | Gross: $8.94M
21. Donnie Darko (2001)
R | 113 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
After narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a man in a large rabbit suit who manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.
Director: Richard Kelly | Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Mary McDonnell, Holmes Osborne
Votes: 849,293 | Gross: $1.48M
22. Whip It (2009)
PG-13 | 111 min | Drama, Sport
In Bodeen, Texas, an indie-rock-loving misfit finds a way of dealing with small-town misery after discovering a roller-derby league in nearby Austin.
Director: Drew Barrymore | Stars: Elliot Page, Drew Barrymore, Kristen Wiig, Sarah Habel
Votes: 70,152 | Gross: $13.04M
23. Charlie Bartlett (2007)
R | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A rich kid becomes the self-appointed psychiatrist to the student body of his new high school.
Director: Jon Poll | Stars: Anton Yelchin, Robert Downey Jr., Hope Davis, Kat Dennings
Votes: 66,676 | Gross: $3.95M
24. Mermaids (1990)
PG-13 | 110 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
An unconventional single mother relocates with her two daughters to a small Massachusetts town in 1963, where a number of events and relationships both challenge and strengthen their familial bonds.
Director: Richard Benjamin | Stars: Cher, Bob Hoskins, Winona Ryder, Michael Schoeffling
Votes: 35,814 | Gross: $35.42M
25. Dazed and Confused (1993)
R | 103 min | Comedy
The adventures of high school and junior high students on the last day of school in May 1976.
Director: Richard Linklater | Stars: Jason London, Wiley Wiggins, Matthew McConaughey, Rory Cochrane
Votes: 199,123 | Gross: $7.99M
26. Dear Lemon Lima (2009)
PG-13 | 87 min | Comedy, Drama
After being dumped by Philip, her one true love, the infatuated Nessa enrolls at his private school in the hopes of winning him back.
Director: Suzi Yoonessi | Stars: Savanah Wiltfong, Shayne Topp, Eleanor Hutchins, Kari Nissena
Votes: 1,256
27. The First Time (I) (2012)
PG-13 | 95 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A shy senior and a down-to-earth junior fall in love over one weekend.
Director: Jonathan Kasdan | Stars: Dylan O'Brien, Britt Robertson, Victoria Justice, James Frecheville
Votes: 73,600 | Gross: $0.02M
28. Adventureland (2009)
R | 107 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
In the summer of 1987, a college graduate takes a 'nowhere' job at his local amusement park, only to find it's the perfect course to get him prepared for the real world.
Director: Greg Mottola | Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Ryan Reynolds, Martin Starr
Votes: 168,653 | Gross: $16.03M
29. Ask Me Anything (2014)
Not Rated | 100 min | Drama
A confused teenager writes a blog revealing her daily activities and secrets, advised to do so by her high school guidance counselor in lieu of moving on to her first year in college.
Director: Allison Burnett | Stars: Britt Robertson, Molly Hagan, Andy Buckley, Robert Patrick
Votes: 12,968
30. Mustang (2015)
PG-13 | 97 min | Drama
When five orphan girls are seen innocently playing with boys on a beach, their scandalized conservative guardians confine them while forced marriages are arranged.
Director: Deniz Gamze Ergüven | Stars: Günes Sensoy, Doga Zeynep Doguslu, Tugba Sunguroglu, Elit Iscan
Votes: 40,881 | Gross: $0.85M
31. The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015)
R | 102 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A teen artist living in 1970s San Francisco enters into an affair with her mother's boyfriend.
Director: Marielle Heller | Stars: Bel Powley, Alexander Skarsgård, Kristen Wiig, Christopher Meloni
Votes: 33,534 | Gross: $1.48M
32. Palo Alto (2013)
R | 100 min | Drama
An unflinching portrait of adolescent lust, boredom, and self-destruction that centers around a shy young girl on the cusp of an illicit relationship with her soccer coach.
Director: Gia Coppola | Stars: Emma Roberts, James Franco, Jack Kilmer, Zoe Levin
Votes: 31,114 | Gross: $0.75M
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