The 20 best female coming-of-age movies, from 'Now and Then' to 'Lady Bird' (2024)

Thirteen (2003)

This movie, about a (you guessed it) 13-year-old, is basically every parent's nightmare. It follows Tracy (Evan Rachel Wood), a middle school teen who befriends a troubled classmate and gets into...everything. It's an indie flick of the very dark variety, and captures the much more serious side of adolescent experimenting. If your childhood was a happy one, Thirteen is probably interesting, but if it wasn't, it's most definitely a trigger. —Seija Rankin

Lady Bird (2017)

Greta Gerwig's coming-of-age dramedy perfectly taps into the highs and lows that come with desperately wanting to find oneself, being on the brink of young adulthood, and the complicated beauty of the mother-daughter relationship. Whether it's the separation anxiety Lady Bird (Saoirse Ronan) gets from leaving her friends as they go away to college, or her desire to live creatively in a romanticized version of the East Coast, the film feels like an honest snapshot of one of the most exhilarating and terrifying moments in a young woman's life. —Aja Hoggatt

Love & Basketball (2000)

The hyper-specific locale of the Los Angeles suburb Baldwin Hills, a.k.a the Black Beverly Hills, adds an extra layer of authenticity by highlighting a real neighborhood that is home to Black prosperity — something rarely depicted onscreen. With that backdrop, the film is able to be, simply, a girl-next-door love story between two basketball players (Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps) who pursue their dreams (and each other) from childhood to adulthood. Watching their love story play out is at times angsty, at times heartbreaking, and altogether inevitable. —A.H.

Now and Then (1995)

If you went to a slumber party between the years 1995 and 2005, chances are, this movie informed the night's activities (#seance). Before women sat around at brunch debating who was a Samantha or a Miranda, they were tweens who were a Chrissy (Ashleigh Aston Moore), a Teeny (Thora Birch), a Sam (Gaby Hoffmann), or a Roberta (Christina Ricci). It's a kids' movie, but the characters tackle all sorts of adult (and tragic) topics. —S.R.

My Girl (1991)

This '90s favorite is about Vada (Anna Chlumsky), the daughter of a widowed funeral director, who has hypochondria and faces all the struggles of growing up, from a first crush to a first period. But the movie's central tragedy and a defining moment in Vada's life is all about Thomas J. (Macaulay Culkin). We won't spoil anything in case there is anyone left in the world who doesn't know the ending, but trust that tears will be shed. —S.R.

Precious (2009)

Based on Sapphire's brutally raw novel Push, Precious tells the story of a 16-year-old girl trying to escape the cycle of abuse. As we see Claireece "Precious" Jones (Gabourey Sidibe) endure nasty threats and violence from her mother, we can only hope that the world will finally show her mercy. It's a harrowing watch, but it's Precious' inner strength in her journey to finally finding a way out that ultimately makes it empowering. —Kevin Jacobsen

Sixteen Candles (1984)

Parts of John Hughes' comedy classic haven't aged well — looking at you, Long Duk Dong and also the entire date-rape plotline — but the story of Sam Baker (Molly Ringwald) and her forgotten birthday stands as one of the director's most iconic coming-of-age tales. Being a teenage girl means feeling invisible, and, more often than not, like you're the only sane person in a crazy world — a feeling that Sixteen Candles captures perfectly. It's more slapstick comedy than emotional cry-fest, but Sam's heart-to-heart with her dad about unrequited love is one of the most touching, realistic father-daughter scenes in film history. —Devan Coggan

The Virgin Suicides (2000)

The sorry tale of the Lisbon sisters is the ultimate in teenage tragedy. Sofia Coppola masterfully adapted Jeffrey Eugenides' novel, which follows the five sisters as they struggle to find themselves among suffocating parents, new relationships, and the stifling expectations of '70s suburbia. —D.C.

Juno (2007)

Juno introduced us not only to Diablo Cody and the world's hippest soundtrack, but also to a character who was tough, funny, and vulnerable all at once. While people may remember the movie more for its quirky teen dialogue than its emotional impact, don't tell us you didn't tear up seeing the note Juno (Elliot Page) left for Vanessa (Jennifer Garner) framed above the crib. —Dana Schwartz

Pride & Prejudice (2005)

Jane Austen's tale of the independent-minded Elizabeth Bennet and her sisters navigating the trials and tribulations of love in 19th-century England is elegantly adapted in Joe Wright's 2005 film starring Keira Knightley. Elizabeth thinks she has the arrogant Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen) figured out, but she eventually lets go of her prejudice and embraces him for his inner decency, growing as a person in the process. —K.J.

Mermaids (1990)

Cher is brilliant as free-spirited single mother Rachel, who makes a habit of moving from place to place with her kids, but Mermaids is really the story of Winona Ryder's Charlotte, Rachel's religious 15-year-old daughter. After settling in a small Massachusetts town, Charlotte tries to reconcile her growing sexual desire with her deep Catholic guilt while also stressing to her mother the importance of building a life in one place together. —K.J.

Crooklyn (1994)

The year is 1973, the setting is Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, and our hero is a 9-year-old girl named Troy (Zelda Harris). This Spike Lee joint depicts not only the life of its main character but the vibe of an entire neighborhood — tragedies and joys combined. The Carmichael family's fate takes a turn, but the perfectly curated soundtrack and sets keep things from getting too dark. —S.R.

The Edge of Seventeen (2016)

Kelly Fremon Craig's dark comedy is one of the most realistic depictions of what it's like to grow up as a 21st-century high schooler. Hailee Steinfeld imbues the teenage outcast Nadine with a sardonic spikiness, whether she's trading insults with a teacher (Woody Harrelson) or talking graphically about sex. But underneath all that sarcasm is a squishy heart, as Nadine learns to come to terms with her insecurities. —D.C.

An Education (2009)

Growing up means sometimes thinking you're more mature than you are, leading you to take on more than you can handle. Such is the case for Jenny (Carey Mulligan), a bright 16-year-old London girl who enters a relationship with an older man named David (Peter Sarsgaard). Over time, Jenny finds herself in over her head and comes to realize that David isn't who he says he is, getting a sobering education into the dangers of the real world. —K.J.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005)

A pair of magical pants that deepens the bond between a group of four best friends? That's exactly what you get when you watch this coming-of-age drama. The personalities and struggles of each friend — Carmen (America Ferrera), Bridget (Blake Lively), Lena (Alexis Bledel), and Tibby (Amber Tamblyn) — could not be more different, but there is not a single one that doesn't connect with the audience.

Watching Bridget lose her virginity prematurely or Lena break down her walls and experience first love, there is a subtle honesty that is rarely seen in a studio film featuring a cast of teenage girls. Carmen's relationship with her father is more complicated than most, as the two figure out how to exist in each other's lives after time apart and new additions to the fragile family. The audience can truly feel her anger and frustration and later acceptance of this new dynamic, while Tibby learns about true loss. Whereas some films attempt to give viewers one-dimensional, drastically different characters in hopes you will be able to relate to one, viewers can sympathize with parts of each member of the sisterhood. —A.H.

Brooklyn (2015)

Eilis (Saoirse Ronan), a young Irish woman, experiences the push and pull of the comforts of life at home and her desire to chart a new path in America in this romantic period drama. After settling in Brooklyn and developing a relationship with a good-natured man named Tony (Emory Cohen), she receives bad news from back home and must figure out the best course for her life. —K.J.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before (2018)

Lara Jean (Lana Condor) is a wallflower type who just so happens to have it bad for her older sister's boyfriend. She's written secret letters to him and four other boys she's sweet on to declare her feelings, and her younger sister takes things into her own hands and (gulp) sends them. This movie is about high school crushes on the surface but delves into the pain of young love that we all know too well. —S.R.

The Princess Diaries (2001)

Mia Thermopolis (Anne Hathaway) discovering she's the heir to the throne of a European kingdom may not be the most relatable experience to your average teenage viewer, but the emotional journey she goes through is rooted in truth. Under the tutelage of her dignified grandmother (Julie Andrews), Mia transforms from dorky teenager to elegant princess, though it's not the smoothest of transitions as she navigates the harsh realities of sudden fame while learning the power of staying true to herself. —K.J.

Little Women (2019)

The story of the March sisters isn't a new one, but director Greta Gerwig's interpretation of Louisa May Alcott's 1868 novel feels at once classic and outrageously timely. Just because you've read (and watched) the heartache her characters endure before, don't expect to be any less emotional over it. Jo (Saoirse Ronan) and Laurie's (Timothée Chalamet) drama will still hit you like a Mack truck.

Eighth Grade (2018)

Few films have captured just how awkward and painful it is to be an eighth-grade girl as well as Bo Burnham's feature directorial debut. Wracked with anxiety, Kayla (Elsie Fisher) is hopelessly addicted to social media and tries desperately to fit in with her classmates. At a time in her life where even the smallest interactions feel like life or death, Kayla's struggles are all too relatable, but it's her relationship with her dad (Josh Hamilton), who just wants them to connect again, that stays with us most. —K.J.