1. Stand by Me

This movie is unbelievable! As we grow old, some movies just aren’t as good as when we first watched them. “The Goonies” is a great example of this, watch it again and you’ll see it was better in the past. This is not the case with “Stand by Me”; the movie’s nostalgic aspects only keep building every time we watch it, to a crescendo that never comes.

This, plus many more reasons, is why this gets the no. 1 spot in our Coming of Age Movies

2. The Graduate
A masterpiece of cinema and arguable technically the best movie on our list. When the dust covers over the Blu-Rays of all the other movies on our list, they’ll still be releasing “The Graduate” on whatever new format they are using in the year 2545, that is of course, ”if man is still alive and woman can survive….” Coming of Age Movies

3. Breakfast Club
It’s very difficult to make the banal interesting. A story of a motley crew of teenagers who get detention and spend a Saturday afternoon together sounds more like the storyline to a dogma 95 movie than a Hollywood blockbuster. That’s one of the many reasons you grace this list with your presence, “The Breakfast Club”. One of those Coming of Age movies to watch with a female friend or loved one!

4. A Bronx Tale
Very underrated coming of age movies, that will inevitably be forgotten with time. It’s got a great cast and is a warm hearted tale in parts. What’s more, Robert De Niro directed it. The best quote is when the bikers get rowdy at the wrong bar. Sonny the mob boss asks them nicely to leave, but they won’t. So he goes to the door and Sonny says “Now yous can’t leave.” Calogero: “I will never forget the look on their faces, all eight of them. Their faces dropped. All their courage and strength was drained right from their bodies.”

5. Fast Times Rigdemont High
As a youngster, my life was full of awkward moments. Sometimes looking back I think it was just a montage of them. This coming of age movie encompasses all those moments in one movie. It’s a brilliant film to watch with friends, you will love it!

6. C.R.A.Z.Y
You haven’t seen this, I bet! It has subtitles and yet it’s Canadian but it’s great. Very funny, easy to watch, clever, sincere, emotional and all round fun. One of those great coming of age movies!

7.  Almost Famous
Great soundtrack, which some might argue carries the film immensely. I liked it, especially when he’s on the roof of the house and says “I’m on drugs” before jumping into the pool.

8. Rushmore
Wes Anderson is a great director…no questions and while this film is no “Royal Tenenbaums”, what is? What about that moment when Bill Murray sinks to the bottom of the pool with a cigarette still in his mouth. Quirky, plus where else can you see a play version of Serpico?

9. My Girl
When she walks up with the flowers in her hand at the end, we all shed a few tears. And why wouldn’t we? We’re not monsters and he’s gone forever… at least where he’s gone, Michael Jackson can’t touch him any more!

10. The Basketball Diaries
Few people know that the story of Jim Carroll’s life is available in song form by no other than the man himself, Jim Carroll. Besides the song being great, the move is pretty good; especially as every other movie on this list is pretty middle class besides, “A Bronx’s Tale” and this …. Probably says something about me but f*ck it!