History of Coming of Age Films

  • Rebel Without a Cause

    Rebel Without a Cause
    The genre is adventure, comedy and drama
    Released in 2012
    Written and Directed by Wes Anderson
    The film is set in 1965
    A pair of twelve year old lovers flee their New England town, but a violent storm heading towards their town causes a local search party to fan out to find the two youths before calamity strikes.
  • The 400 Blows

    The 400 Blows
    The original title is ‘Les Quatre Cents Coups’
    Crime drama, made in 1959
    The narrative is a moving story of a boy, Antoine Dionel who was left without attention and surrounded by inconsiderate adults and neglectful parents, delves into a life of petty crime
    From the film series ‘The Adventures of Antonie Dionel’
    As well as the theme being a character study the film is an expose of the injustices of the treatment of french juvenile offenders at the time
    Written and directed by Francio Truffaut
  • The Graduate

    The Graduate
    Comedy, romance and drama
    Directed by Mike Nichols and written by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry
    Starring Anne Bancroft, Dustin Hoffman and Katherine Ross
    Benjamin Braddock, a collage graduate returns back home to be soon seduced by Mrs. Robinson, a friend of his parents. But what begins as a fun tryst turns complicated when Benjamin falls for the one woman Mrs. Robinson demanded he stay away from, her daughter, Elaine.
  • American Graffiti

    Directed by George Lucas and written by George Lucas, Willard Huyck and Gloris Katz.
    Starring Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard Paul Le Matt
    Comedy, romance, drama set in 1962
    High school grads, Curt, Steve, Terry and John spend their last day before collage, roaming the streets of California. It's their last night of freedom before their grown-up lives begin and Steve's highschool sweetheart, a hot-to-trot blonde dissapearing angel in a thunderbird proves to be all of the exitment of the night.
  • The Karate Kid

    The Karate Kid
    Written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen
    Starring Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita and Elizabeth Shue

    Action, drama, family
    After Daniel moves to California with his mother, he becomes a victim of bullying. After meeting a martial art master, Mr. Miyagi, he is taught that there is so much more to martial art than just fighting.
  • The Breakfast Club

    The Breakfast Club
    Written and directed by John Hughes
    The genre is a comedy and drama
    Five high school students with all different stereotypes (rebel John, princess Claire, outcast Allison, brainy Brian, the jock Andrew) meet in detention. They pour their hearts out to each other telling their stories, making the others see them differently, leaving them wondering if school will ever be the same again
    The film is set in Shermer in 1985
  • Stand By Me

    Stand By Me
    Directed by Rob Reiner and written by Stephan King and Raynold Gideon
    After the death of a stranger, killed near their homes, four Oregon boys Gordie, Vern, Teddy and Chris go to see the body. Through their adventures the boys learn more about each other’s lives and their different backgrounds.
    Adventure, drama, released in 1987
    Starring Wil Wheaton, Jerry O’Connell, River Phoenix and Corey Feldman.
  • Dead Poets Society

    Dead Poets Society
    New English teacher John Keating inspired his students in an all-boy preparatory school, known for its traditions and high standards. With the help of their new teacher his students (Neil Perry and Todd Anderson) learn to pursue their dreams and seize the day.
    Starring Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard and Ethan Hawke
    Drama, directed by Peter Weir and written by Tom Schulman
  • Good Will Hunting

    Good Will Hunting
    Drama, written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck
    Directed by Gus Van Sant, starring Robin Williams, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck
    When Will Hunting solves a difficult graduate-level math problem after working as a janitor with a genius-level IQ, his talent is discovered by Professor Gerald who helps him reach his potential.
  • Almost Famous

    Almost Famous
    Filmed in the year 2000, set in 1973
    Drama, music, romance
    Written and directed by Cameron Crowe
    Main character is a 15 year old boy, William Miller
    William is hired by Rolling Stone magazine to write about an up coming band, Stillwater and follows William through his experiences in life, love and lingo
  • Mean Girls

    Mean Girls
    Comedy, starring Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Tim Meadows, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Poehler and Tina Fey
    Cady moves to America with her family and starts public school for the first time. She experiences tacit laws of popularity that divide the students into clique stereotypes.
    Directed by Mark Waters and written by Rosalind Wiseman (book) and Tina Fey (screenplay)
    It’s important because it breaks typical teenage girl stereotypes and is relatable to the majority of teenage students
  • The Squid and the Whale

    The Squid and the Whale
    Comedy, drama, set in the 1980s
    Written and directed by Noah Baumbach
    Starring Owen Kline, Jeff Daniels, Laura Linney, Jesse Einsenberg, William Baldwin and Anna Paquin
    Follows two Brooklyn boys struggling to handle their parents’ divorce. The older sibling Walt sides with his father while his younger brother Frank sides with his mother.
  • This Is England

    This Is England
    Crime drama set in 1983
    Directed and written by Shane Meadows
    The main character Shaun lost his father in the Falklands War. He earns the respect of the skinheads after standing up to their teasing, he becomes part of the gang and they become his new best friends
    The narrative is based upon the experiences of director, Shawn Meadows
  • Moonrise Kingdom

    Moonrise Kingdom
    The genre is adventure, comedy and drama
    Released in 2012
    Written and Directed by Wes Anderson
    The film is set in 1965
    A pair of twelve year old lovers flee their New England town, but a violent storm heading towards their town causes a local search party to fan out to find the two youths before calamity strikes.