Favorite Coming of Age Film?

[mickeyd]

I have watched The Last Picture Show A few dozen times over the years and just caught it again last weekend on TCM. I was not reared in a small Texas town, but I can still place myself in several of the characters in the movie. To me it's a classic.

 

[Achiever51]

"The Summer of '42"
Just a beautiful story with a gorgeous score by Michel LeGrand.

 

[LOL!]

Breaking Away

and many others
American Graffiti
Dazed and Confused
Fast Times at Ridgemont High

 

[easysurfer]

What? No vote yet for Rise of the Planet of the Apes?

Okay, Dead Poets Society

 

[floridanurse]

good will hunting

very good movie. and i agree with dazed and confused --- love that film! lol

 

[HFWR]

Bucket List

 

[Sarah in SC]

Porky's



Seriously, probably Stand By Me
Heard a great interview about the movie on an NPR podcast earlier this month that you might like:
http://www.npr.org/2011/08/06/139025610/stand-by-me-a-love-letter-to-childhood-innocence

 

[MuirWannabe]

+1 on Stand By Me, and Fast Times.

Also The Sandlot. 'Your killing me Smalls'

 

[Free To Canoe]

The Deer Hunter

 

[deserat]

Sixteen Candles - different generation, but hilarious and awesome music

 

[FinanceDude]

The Graduate..........

 

[rescueme]

The Deer Hunter

+1.

 

[REWahoo]

Grumpy Old Men

Burgess Meridith had me in tears...

 

[Alan]

The Graduate..........

+1

 

[RunningBum]

Grumpy Old Men...Deer Hunter...great movies, and the latter is an all-time fav...but are they coming of age movies? Well, I suppose The Deer Hunter could be about recent high school grads going to Nam, but the actors are so much older that it doesn't seem at all like that.

Anyway...The Goonies.

 

[MichaelB]

Porky's


http://www.npr.org/2011/08/06/139025610/stand-by-me-a-love-letter-to-childhood-innocence

 

[Purron]

Heavy metal thunder...

Easy Rider - Born To Be Wild (HQ) - YouTube

 

[pb4uski]

"The Summer of '42"
Just a beautiful story with a gorgeous score by Michel LeGrand.

+1, exactly the film that I had in mind when I saw the title to the thread.

 

[MichaelB]

I’m trying to find the common element here

The Last Picture Show
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Bucket List
The Deer Hunter
Grumpy Old Men

Perhaps I don’t understand what “coming of age’ means.

 

[Seeking Hobbes]

When I think about "Coming of Age", I think: Children suddenly maturing due to events in the story.

With that in mind... one of my favs (not previously mentioned) would be...

- Empire of the Sun

Empire Of The Sun - Trailer - YouTube

Based on J. G. Ballard's autobiographical novel, tells the story of a boy, James Graham, whose privileged life is upturned by the Japanese invasion of Shanghai, December 8, 1941. Separated from his parents, he is eventually captured, and taken to Soo Chow confinement camp, next to a captured Chinese airfield. Amidst the sickness and food shortages in the camp, Jim attempts to reconstruct his former life, all the while bringing spirit and dignity to those around him.

You should check it out - WONDERFUL!

 

[rescueme]

When I think about "Coming of Age", I think: Children suddenly maturing due to events in the story.

Exactly (as I understood the question).

Even though The Deer Hunter was released ten years after the events portrayed, it represented my life, during that period of time.

I was raised in a mill town, in PA. I served in Nam. I was married in a local church (after I returned) and had our reception in the local Moose Hall; no country club for us (and yes, the "ladies" - women who were handy with a stove did provide a lot of the treats for the meal) and it was quite like the reception portrayed in the film. Heck, years later I even retired from the company showed on the cap logo that De Niro wore (yes, it was "product placement", but I look better than De Niro in a similar hat .)

Movies reflecting of another time such as "The Big Chill" did not resonate with me nor made much of an impression. I'm sure it did with a lot of folks on this board, but it reflected a reality (both in period and past references) that was much different than the life I led, growing up.

Like the characters in The Deer Hunter, I came from a lower-class crowd. My father/FIL were staunch supporters of the efforts of Nam at the time, since they both were WWII vets (FIL served in the BB) and staunch union folks.

However, like another movie - and character portrayed in "Born On the 4th Of July" (based upon the true story of Ron Kovic) who also had the same early allegiance to the effort in Nam, but came to learn the truth of that FUBAR effort and became a powerful voice of opposition, once I arrived in-country I also quickly changed my mind about the effort.

A movie may not change your life, but it can be a reminder of what you went through at an early age. It just shows that regardless of your experiences, there are others who went (good or bad) through the same thing, at the same time of life as you may have. It dosen't have to change your future but it can also be a strong reminder of your past. Heck, the experience portrayed in the film (either good or bad) made you the person you are today...

 

[Purron]

When I think about "Coming of Age", I think: Children suddenly maturing due to events in the story.

Good point. Given this, I'd choose To Kill A Mockingbird

Scout Meets Boo Radley Scene - To Kill a Mockingbird Movie (1962) - HD - YouTube

 

[Htown Harry]

The Wizard of Oz

 

[arebelspy]

Ferris Buller's Day Off

 

[obgyn65]

A movie may not change your life, but it can be a reminder of what you went through at an early age. (...) It dosen't have to change your future but it can also be a strong reminder of your past.

Totally agree.
In my case it was "The Graduate". And for other reasons which I won't get into, "Enter the Dragon" (I know this sounds weird ! )