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Coming of age films
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Rebel without a cause
This film follows the life of a troubled teenager in the 50s trying to escape his boring middle class life. This film shows some of the aspects of teen life that have changed in the 21st century like what people wear to school. In this film they wear ties and jackets to school whereas in a film such as 21 Jump Street you wear what you want to school. Some aspects of teen life have stayed the same. For example rebelling against parents and society is still a popular thing to do. -
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T tells the story of a troubled child who summons up the courage to help an alien return to its home-world. An alien is left stranded on earth and left behind by his kind after a rushed take off from the planet. This film is a success as it was one of the first to show a friendly alien and not a hostile one. It goes against the typical stereotype of young people which shows them rebelling and causing mischief. -
Home Alone
This Christmas comedy film shows the rapid change in a young boys life over the holiday. After being cared for all his life he has to adapt to being left alone at home with robbers trying to break into his house. The film underlines some of the problems for teenagers like neglect as Kevin the main character is completely forgotten about by his family. The film spawned 5 sequels underlining its success. -
Good Will Hunting
Will Hunting is a genius but works as a janitor at MIT. After assaulting a police officer Will becomes a patient of a therapist and studies mathematics with a renowned professor. He starts to think about his current relationships and his future during his time in therapy. This film is seen as a great coming of age film because of the great acting and inspiring story. -
American Pie
This teen sex comedy is about a group of teenagers fed up with still being virgins. The four friends make a pact to all lose their virginity before they graduate high school. The title is American Pie because the main character is caught masturbating with a pie showing the films comic nature from the off. This films success is shown by the three direct sequels to it and how successful it was at the box office. I think it was a great coming of age film because it relates to teenagers problems in -
Harry Potter franchise
The franchise that continued till 2011s deathly hallows part 2 shows a young boy turn into a young man over the course of ten years. The audience sees how Harry Potter and his friends change over time and the adventures they have on the way. Love and Friendship is shown as the characters grow up in the films and reminds the audience about the important things in life to them, and those living in Hogwarts. This franchise takes a twist on coming of age films by adding fantasy. -
Mean Girls
Mean girls tells the story of a teen thrown into high school after being home schooled most of her life. This film shows the harsh aspects of school for those that don’t fit in or are new like the main character. This film tests the main character and shows how people can change in school. This film surprised people by turning a non-fiction book about girls being mean into an effective comedy and I think this is why it was successful. -
Superbad
A teen comedy film telling the story of two childhood best friends who are expected to go to their last party together bringing a lot of alcohol. As this is the first house party the main characters have been to with this group of people they want to impress everyone. This makes for a great comical coming of age film as the characters go to all lengths to get hold of some booze. I enjoy this coming of age film because it has a great cast and a very well written story. -
Easy A
Easy A is about a girl who pretends to lose her virginity with a friend to stop him getting bullied. This leads to her being labelled as a tart at school. The film shows how the main character deals with the bullying and the idea of losing ones virginity. A lot of these coming of age films deal with the concept of sex such as American pie, Superbad and Easy A. I think that Easy A gives a good twist to this type of story. -
Attack The Block
The film is set on a council estate in south London and follows a young street gang as they defend their block against alien invaders. I think that this film clearly shows the main character growing up and taking responsibility for his actions. He turns from a gang leader to a hero during the course of the film. The main characters are some of the most rebellious I’ve seen in coming of age films. -
21 Jump Street
21 Jump Street stars Jonah hill and Channing Tatum as teens that were two opposites in high school who came together to be police officers after graduation. When the two characters go back to school as undercover agents trying to stop a drug outbreak they realise how much it has changed in the few years they’ve been away. This film is fun because it shows the constant evolution of teenagers and how things are always changing. The school scene is perfectly depicted in this film. -
This is England
The film set in 1983 tells the story if a young boy who joins a gang of skinheads and learns about their culture and beliefs. He becomes a part of their gang by earning the respect of its members when he sticks up for himself. The main character had lost his father in the Falkland’s war so had nobody to stick up for him. A spin off TV show started in 2010 that had two series. -
Fury
A film that is not always considered a coming of age film as the main character, Brad Pitt, is already a war veteran tank commander. Another character Norman Ellison is new to the tank company and has to face many fears like killing a man. He is forced to do so adding a twist to the genre because in most coming of age films the character finds their own path. The film shows the audience the horrors of war and what some went through at a young age. -
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Coming of age films
