One of my personal favorite genres in media is coming-of-age; naturally, as someone who watches a lot of movies, I’ve seen a good number of films in this genre. I’ve always been drawn to movies with great character development and relationships, and coming-of-age films truly have some of the best. While there are the more well-known classics like Good Will Hunting, Dead Poets Society, and Mean Girls, there are also plenty of less popular movies that deserve much more recognition than they get. These are the movies that interest me most, so I’ve put together a list of some of my personal favorite underrated coming-of-age films.

1. Reality Bites (1994)

A small friend group of recent college graduates must navigate the highs and lows of young adulthood. The plot sounds pretty generic on the surface, but it’s actually a really nice exploration of what it means to be an adult and how no one’s ever really prepared for the reality of it. It also has a great cast, with people like Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, Steve Zahn, Janeane Garofalo, and Ben Stiller.

1. Lean on Pete (2017)

While working a summer job helping a horse trainer, 15-year-old Charley becomes attached to Lean on Pete, an old racehorse bound to be sold and slaughtered if something isn’t done soon. This movie doesn’t have much of a plot; it mainly follows a teenage boy and a horse as they travel around, occasionally encountering people along the way. However, this film is a really fantastic character piece, and it’s extremely easy to care about everyone involved. I never thought I’d get this attached to a fictional horse, but here we are.

1. Young Adult (2011)

Mavis, a 37-year-old YA novel ghostwriter, travels to her hometown with intent to win back her now married high school sweetheart. While the protagonist is a quite a bit older than you might expect from a coming-of-age film, she is mentally still very immature, living in her high school daydreams and hoping to get the feelings of her youth back. Young Adult was written by Diablo Cody, who also wrote Juno and Jennifer’s Body, other modern classics of the genre, so it’s naturally both funny and heartfelt.

1. About a Boy (2002)

Irresponsible ladies’ man Will meets Marcus, a 12-year-old boy with problems at school and at home, and must learn how to truly care about someone else. This is a very sweet, funny, and heartwarming movie. It follows the coming-of-age journeys of both Marcus and Will, and how they help each other in the process. It has a pretty good cast, featuring Hugh Grant, Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, and Rachel Weisz.

1. Ginger Snaps (2000)

Social reject sisters Ginger and Brigitte are inseparable until one of them is attacked by an unknown creature and starts to exhibit strange symptoms. This movie is simultaneously awesome, weird, and relatable in all the best ways. Ginger’s transformation is a great metaphor for growing up, and anyone who’s watched a best friend change and been unable to stop it can understand Brigitte’s pain.

1. Griffin in Summer (2024)

14-year-old Griffin is extremely dedicated to playwrighting, but both his life and his art begin to change greatly after his mother hires a new handyman. This is absolutely one of my favorite coming-of-age films from the past few years. It portrays with extreme accuracy and entertainment a young person desperate for his art to be taken seriously despite his obvious immaturity, as well as love that he doesn’t realize will always be unrequited.

1. An Education (2009)

In 1960s London, Jenny, a teenage girl with a promising future, is swept off her feet by a charming older man. Upon seeing this movie, I was immediately taken by it. The relationship is portrayed with such realism and devastation, and is only made better by the extremely talented lead actors, Carey Mulligan and Peter Sarsgaard. 

1. Brigsby Bear (2017)

Recently freed from his life of isolation, James’ community comes together to help him rectify the abrupt ending of his favorite TV show by creating a new one. This movie is so incredibly sweet! It’s another one with an older protagonist, but he’s mentally much younger, since he’s been separated from the world all his life and raised on one TV show, produced only for him. It’s a really odd, funny, and heartwarming movie. It’s also produced by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller (directors of Project Hail Mary, The Lego Movie, 21 Jump Street, and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs), and all three members of The Lonely Island.

1. We Are the Best! (2013)

In 1980s Stockholm, three girls are inspired to start a punk band despite having no musical knowledge. This is another really sweet movie, and it’s really easy to connect with and relate to all of the main girls. Even if you’re not a girl or don’t have any interest in punk, this movie is a great reminder of the power of friendship—as corny as that sounds—and rebellion.

1. Eighth Grade (2018)

13-year-old Kayla Day, a shy girl with few friends, makes it through her last week of eighth grade. This is one of my absolute favorite movies ever, and quite possibly my favorite coming-of-age film of all time. It’s very funny and cringy, but it’s still extremely relatable and moving at the right moments. It’s an unbelievably authentic portrait of the most awkward time in anyone’s life, which was likely helped by the lead actress’s input on the script. It’s written and directed by Bo Burnham, and it has some of the best qualities of his previous works in cinematic form.