Top 30 Coming-of-Age Films of All Time

Summer jobs, first kisses, bad haircuts and one last day of school. Some are tender, some are loud, and all of them feel uncomfortably familiar.

1. 1
   Stand by Me

   Four boys walk the rails to find a body in this 1986 Rob Reiner adaptation of Stephen King.
   1000pts
2. 2
   The 400 Blows

   Truffaut's 1959 portrait of a neglected Parisian boy, the template for the New Wave.
   886pts
3. 3
   Mean Girls

   The 2004 comedy where a homeschooled teen navigates the cliques of North Shore High.
   812pts
4. 4
   The Breakfast Club

   Five high schoolers in Saturday detention trade secrets in John Hughes' 1985 classic.
   812pts
5. 5
   Y Tu Mamá También

   Alfonso Cuarón's 2001 road movie about two Mexican friends and an older woman.
   785pts
6. 6
   Napoleon Dynamite

   Awkward Idaho teen Napoleon befriends a new kid in the 2004 cult comedy.
   768pts
7. 7
   The Perks of Being a Wallflower

   A shy freshman finds friends in the 2012 adaptation of Stephen Chbosky's novel.
   700pts
8. 8
   Spirited Away

   Miyazaki's 2001 animated fantasy of a girl working in a bathhouse for spirits.
   700pts
9. 9
   Ferris Bueller's Day Off

   A Chicago teen skips school for one very big day in John Hughes' 1986 comedy.
   650pts
10. 10
    Eighth Grade

    Bo Burnham's 2018 cringe-and-heart portrait of a Gen Z middle schooler.
    650pts
11. 11
    Clueless

    Amy Heckerling's 1995 Beverly Hills riff on Jane Austen's Emma.
    594pts
12. 12
    Lady Bird

    Greta Gerwig's 2017 comedy about a Sacramento teenager and her mother.
    532pts
13. 13
    Cinema Paradiso

    A Sicilian boy and the projectionist who becomes his mentor, in Tornatore's 1988 film.
    532pts
14. 14
    Juno

    Jason Reitman's 2007 comedy about a quick-witted teenager facing an unplanned pregnancy.
    461pts
15. 15
    Superbad

    Two best friends try to score booze before graduation in the 2007 comedy.
    461pts
16. 16
    Aftersun

    Charlotte Wells' 2022 drama of a young woman remembering a holiday with her father.
    461pts
17. 17
    Almost Famous

    Cameron Crowe's 2000 semi-autobiographical tale of a teen rock journalist.
    380pts
18. 18
    Say Anything...

    Cameron Crowe's 1989 romance of a kickboxing dreamer and the class valedictorian.
    380pts
19. 19
    The Graduate

    Mike Nichols' 1967 comedy of a lost college grad and Mrs. Robinson.
    380pts
20. 20
    Fast Times at Ridgemont High

    Amy Heckerling's 1982 ensemble comedy about sex, jobs and summer in Southern California.
    380pts
21. 21
    Rebel Without a Cause

    James Dean defines teenage alienation in Nicholas Ray's 1955 drama.
    286pts
22. 22
    Mid90s

    Jonah Hill's 2018 skate-culture drama about a boy finding a crew.
    286pts
23. 23
    Dead Poets Society

    A charismatic teacher inspires boys at a strict 1950s prep school in this 1989 drama.
    286pts
24. 24
    American Graffiti

    George Lucas' 1973 night of cruising and nostalgia in 1962 California.
    286pts
25. 25
    Dazed and Confused

    Richard Linklater's 1993 last-day-of-school ensemble set in 1976 Texas.
    286pts
26. 26
    Sing Street

    A Dublin teen forms a band to impress a girl in John Carney's 1985-set 2016 musical.
    286pts
27. 27
    Boyhood

    Linklater's 2014 drama filmed over twelve years with the same cast.
    177pts
28. 28
    Moonlight

    Barry Jenkins' 2016 Best Picture winner following one man across three chapters of his life.
    0pts
29. 29
    Call Me by Your Name

    A summer romance in 1980s Italy, adapted in 2017 by Luca Guadagnino.
    0pts
30. 30
    Booksmart

    Olivia Wilde's 2019 comedy about two overachievers cramming a high-school party into one night.
    0pts

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