It's an exhilarating time in our lives, when we put away the dollies and toy trucks of youth and start macking on the opposite sex. But let's not kid ourselves -- for every thrilling first kiss and illicit sip of adult beverages, there are heartbreaks and breakouts, sudden, mysterious estrangement from parents, perilous feats of social acrobatics... Whether suffering the wackness of adolescence or just remembering the fast times from a safe distance, we can all identify with the ecstasy and the misery of our favorite movie characters as they grow up on the big screen. Spider-Man manages to woo dreamy Mary Jane Watson Kirsten Dunst while he's getting revenge on the jerk who killed his Uncle Ben and fighting crime and becoming the do-gooding-est Public Enemy 1. Sure, it's not your typical teen's life, but it's one of the most iconic out there. The all-star cast featuring Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Susan Sarandon, Ryan Phillippe, Jared Harris, Amanda Peet and more are in top form here, none moreso than Culkin, establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with can someone please capitalize on that already? It centers on a boy named Xavier Bow Wow trying to cope with the death of his mother by winning a roller skating competition with his friends, all while courting his beautiful childhood friend, Naomi Meagan Good. And never forget way before he was into puppets. Fun and fluffy with a cool ensemble cast and a big heart, this movie socks it to us in a sweet place. Sound familiar, Ryan Murphy? And how could we forget the epic Stephen Sondheim cameo?! In a bit of a reversal on the ol' tropes of a coming-of-age story, Mary finds her true self with help from a group of rebels Macaulay Culkin, Eva Amurri. In this case, though, the rebels are good for her, showing the devout Christian that it's acceptance and goodness that she should strive for, not close-mindedness and blind faith. In this teen satire, religion is ripped apart in a progressive, subversive way, as issues like homophobia and teen pregnancy are tackled genuinely, though with a bit of tongue-in-cheek. The film developed a strong cult following after its release, and was even later turned into an Off-Broadway musical. Christian Bale gives one of the all-time great child performances as Jim, a young British schoolboy living the high life in Shanghai before he is separated from his parents and winds up in a Japanese internment camp. Spielberg is at the peak of his powers here, especially in the final heartbreaking scene in which Jim returns to his family a wholly different person. Reed's character Evie is a little bit of a bad influence on the already troubled Tracy Evan Rachel Wood in a breakout performance , much to the consternation of Tracy's mom Holly Hunter. He meets several oddballs working the game booths, played by the likes of Ryan Reynolds, Martin Starr, Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig. At the center is his blossoming romance with Emily Kristen Stewart , which even by the end seems like doomed wishful thinking on both their parts. Indeed, Dito Shia LaBeouf grew up on the mean streets of Astoria, Queens, and over the course of this autobiographical story, he does everything he can to break free of the troubles and family ties of the old neighborhood. The flash-forwards to an adult Dito Robert Downey, Jr. Channing Tatum gives a standout, career-making performance as the volatile Antonio, a friend who makes a grave sacrifice for Dito. Of course, the primary catalyst for this change is the Manic Pixie Dreamgirl to end it all, Natalie Portman's epileptic and pathological, but super super cute, Sam. While both Andrew and Sam start out lost, through each other they find the light at the end of the tunnel. This pie is freshly baked and quickly befouled by Jason Biggs in an icky, sticky sex? That's just one of many ridiculously silly and gross things that the crew get up to, like band camp shenanigans where did you put that flute, Willow? Delightful Diablo Cody penned this Oscar-winning script about a young girl named Juno Ellen Page who gets knocked up by her nerdy best friend Paulie Michael Cera. Olivia Thirlby, Allison Janney and J. Simmons round out a solid cast in this deliciously, deliberately odd movie about growing up. Then he meets Becky Juliette Lewis , a young woman traveling through town, who inspires the whole family to better themselves. Peter Hedges adapted the screenplay from his own novel, which was directed beautifully, with an emphasis on elegiac atmosphere and care for the actors, by Lasse Hallstrom in one of his first English language features. When Olive's reputation begins to get a little tarnished around the edges because of a complete misunderstanding, she decides to embrace her new social standing with zest. While still maintaining all the bloody jeepers creepers moments a horror fan could ever ask for, it finds its emotional core in connecting two outcasts together. It also has one of the greatest scenes of bully comeuppance in cinema history, a. Through a series of misadventures, Smalls is eventually accepted and discovers the passion that will carry him through adulthood. Here, Ryder portrays celibate 15-year-old Charlotte, who is obsessed with Catholicism despite the fact that she is Jewish and determined to get her promiscuous, free-spirited mother Rachel to grow up. Both mother and daughter experience a coming-of-age in this film, albeit one very, very latently, as their lives take drastic twists and turns around them. Director Greg Mottola and writers Seth Rogen bring a certain sweetness to the randy stoner humor that is so very super-good. This drama based on the best-selling young adult novel is secretly fantastic, as it should be with a cast consisting of Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera and Blake Lively. Right before the four best friends leave for the summer, marking the first time they are separated, they encounter a pair of pants that fits them each perfectly, despite the fact that they have completely different body types. They pledge to each keep the good luck charm for one week at a time before sending it off to someone else in the group. Each character has qualities any young girl watching can relate to, and through it all, they maintain important and life-long friendships with the other equally unique young women in the film. It should be so much cornier than it actually is: a faithful adaptation and touching, positive portrayal of female friendships. With dozens of peripheral characters floating in and out of the picture, Linklater takes an honest, rambling look at the inaugural night of the summer of '76, with plenty of boss tunes, bitchin' wheels, plentiful pot and hot babes. Lindsay Lohan plays Cady, a sweet-faced young redhead who, after years of home-schooling and traveling the world, has to figure out the shark-infested waters of high school. She becomes friends with some so-called nerds named Janis Lizzy Caplan, who is amazing and Damien Daniel Franzese , who encourage her to spy on the mean girl gang The Plastics from the inside. Somehow, though, Cady gets a little too close to the subject matter — including alpha Mean Girl Regina's ex-BF. Regina is played to bitchy perfection by Rachel McAdams. Norbury, aka Tina Fey, lectures the girls on calling each other bitches, so, sorry. Will Cady remember her non-mean roots? Will Lindsay Lohan ever put in a performance as good as this again? Can Amanda Seyfried really fit her whole fist in her mouth? The world may never know. Even though Sean Penn's goofball surf stoner Spicoli is the film's mascot, freshmen Stacy Hamilton Jennifer Jason Leigh and Mark Ratner Brian Backer and their struggles with romance is its heart. Amy Heckerling's direction is also sensitive, and, in many ways, brings a perfect balance of comedy ordering pizza in class and lightly dramatic beats an abortion scene that Crowe himself has struggled to repeat in his own hit-or-miss directorial outings. Precious Gabourey Sidibe is barely literate and pregnant with her second child; the father of her children, as we learn in flashbacks, is her own father. Precious is brutally abused by her own mother Mary, who is played with a wide-eyed ferocity by Mo'Nique. There is a glimmer of hope for Precious, though, in the form of a class headed up by a caring teacher; as she learns to read and write, she finds her own voice, as well as friends among her classmates and strength in herself. Over the course of his last summer before college, Luke decides to save his financially ruined family by selling pot and lose his virginity to his therapist's daughter, both of which go about as well as you'd expect. With style to spare and a savvy selection of mid-nineties hip hop Wu-Tang Clan, Biz Markie, A Tribe Called Quest , this is a must-see of the genre. Daniel Larusso Ralph Macchio takes up karate so he can fight the jerks, but his teacher Mr. Miyagi Pat Morita shows him there's more to life than a sweet crane pose. Yeah, there's a cute girl Elisabeth Shue on the scene and an angry ex-boyfriend who trains under a war-hardened sensei, but Mr. Miyagi's lessons are all about the bigger picture: life, love and honor. Of course, a sweet crane pose doesn't hurt. Peter Sarsgaard plays David, a charming older man who is so delightful that he manages to win over Jenny's parents and even the audience despite the inappropriateness of their relationship. The excellent ensemble cast, which includes Dominic Cooper and Rosamund Pike as cool but concerned friends of David, wonderful screenplay and ace direction make this a humdinger of a heartbreaker. Sam's night is saved by a giant party that, while it does include various humiliations, a ridiculously racist Asian character named Long Duk Dong, and perhaps a date rape at the hands of Farmer Ted Anthony Michael Hall , eventually saves her birthday from being a complete flop. This unforgettable comedy stars Alicia Silverstone as a seemingly dippy princess who loves to play matchmaker, and even takes over the life and style of weird new girl Tai, played by the late Brittany Murphy. Although she is technically in line to inherit the title, she must prove herself to the village in order to demolish the antiquated gender roles. It and netted an Academy Award nomination for the outstanding lead Keisha Castle-Hughes, marking her as the youngest to ever be nominated in the Best Actress category. The film tackles the pitfalls of idealization and the consequences of unrepentant racism, and it elegantly displays the struggle between good and bad. It also acknowledges how coming to terms with the grey area is what makes us grow. As their magical dabblings start going really wrong, she realizes how power-hungry and warped they've become. After she single-handedly puts an end to the havoc, she finally discovers how to live a life of serenity, using her powers for good and not making other girls lose their hair. This film is a perfect example, focusing on two brothers, 16-year-old Walt Jesse Eisenberg and 12-year-old Frank Owen Kline , as they absorb much of the collateral damage in the wake of their parents' divorce. Though their folks Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney try their best, they're self-absorbed Park Slope literati of the highest caliber, which means they know little-to-nothing about the pain they're inflicting on their children. The movie's loose structure and semi-improvised banter created the template for Judd Apatow and others, but a great cast of Steve Guttenberg, Daniel Stern, Mickey Rourke, Kevin Bacon, Timothy Daly and Paul Reiser make male bonding look downright warm… unless a roast beef sandwich is involved. Let us never forget Jerry Orbach's role as the dad who was instructed to never put his daughter in the corner. And so it was. The film follows Rocket, a good-natured boy who aspires to be a photographer and manages to stay out of the crime scene that has sucked in his teenage peers. He comes into his own mostly through observation, yet another subversion of the coming-of-age story. The dark comedy tracks a quirky love triangle between Schwartzman's teenage Fischer, Murray's wealthy businessman Herman Blume and the beautiful grade school teacher Rosemary Cross, played by Olivia Williams. Smart, poignant, strange and unlike most anything that came before, this original take on the coming-of-age story, where everything from the teen doing the growing up to the methods that force him there are as eccentric as it gets, has become a hallmark of quality indie film-making. Their sexcapade turns increasingly intimate as every angle of their love triangle gets exploited, if you know what we mean. A sobering coda forces the audience to reevaluate the wild romp they've just been on, and adds a layer of meaning absent from your average sex comedy. Well, nobody called Jim Stark a chicken first. It results in a fever dream of a coping mechanism, as Jim, Judy a stunning Natalie Wood and Plato a heartbreaking Sal Mineo hole up in an abandoned mansion acting out a fantasy family, reaching the film's climax at the Griffith Observatory. Its disparate group of characters, including high school footballers Sonny Timothy Bottoms and Duane Jeff Bridges , pretty rich girl Jacy Cybill Shepherd and beleaguered town patriarch Sam the Lion Academy Award-winner Ben Johnson all seem to be in a state of personal purgatory which they may or may not escape. Emma Watson and Ezra Miller play Sam and Patrick, the step-siblings who introduce him to the world of awesome music, parties, sex and assorted harsh realities of high school. Paul Rudd appears briefly as the teacher who gives him awesome books to read along the way, while Mae Whitman plays Charlie's punky first girlfriend. Carrie tries her best to cope with the ridicule of classmates and indifference of teachers, but a class prank in which she winds up looking like a pigs' blood-dipped ice cream cone lets the telekinetic tiger out of the cage. The resultant mass slaughter made a generation of teens reconsider just how relevant the prom was anyway. An atypical take on the coming-of-age story, this journey belongs mostly to Astin's Mikey, the leader of the group who didn't know he had it in him. The Balzac-worshipping kid clearly has his heart in the right place, but is so utterly misunderstood by his parents and teachers that, as he stands by the shore in the final frames, we recognize a soul that is utterly alone in the world. Truffaut would chronicle the life of Doinel in four subsequent films, but this first one is the most groundbreaking and enduring. With its crafty, cynical screenplay by Buck Henry, it revolves around the shiftless Benjamin Braddock Dustin Hoffman whose ambition doesn't extend much further past his parents' swimming pool. An affair with Mrs. A play on the theme, certainly, but as he does make a mental leap to adulthood by the end, one that still counts. The comedy netted Oscar nominations for Hanks and the original screenplay, and is regarded by multiple institutions as one of the greatest comedies ever made. As little baby Cammy Crowe did when touring with '70s power groups like Led Zeppelin and The Eagles, William Miller Patrick Fugit loses his virginity, effectively separates from his worrywart mom Frances McDormand , then gets demystified and ultimately re-mystified about the music world. Attentive viewers learned how to put on lipstick with their cleavage thanks to Molly Ringwald's Claire, what it's like to be a super nerd as per Anthony Michael Hall's Brian, how much it can actually suck to be a jock courtesy of Emilio Estevez's Andrew Clark, why it's a bad idea to dump the contents of your purse out for all to see via Ally Sheedy's Allison, and why a bad boy can be dangerously adorable by way of Judd Nelson's John Bender. Secrets, beauty tips and diamond earrings are shared, all to the best '80s tunes. If you don't tear up at the end, you might be a robot. Though the movie takes place in 1959, it's proven effectively timeless as a rite of passage story of Gordie Wil Wheaton , Teddy Corey Feldman , Chris River Phoenix and Vern Jerry O'Connell becoming men without even realizing it.
