The 2010s gave us some of the best coming-of-age movies. After starting the decade with two classics, Easy A and The Last Song, we got a subsequent slew of films that portray the ups and downs of growing up and discovering oneself. From throwing wild parties to embracing sexuality to fighting for social justice, many of the decade's coming-of-age flicks explore various facets of the adolescent experience. Look ahead to see which movies from the past 10 years epitomized our angsty pubescent years.
When well-behaved teen Olive (Emma Stone) lies about losing her virginity to make her life seem more interesting, residential meddler Marianne (Amanda Bynes) spreads the rumour throughout their high school. The gossip then launches Olive into the social stratosphere and turns her life upside-down.
Much to her disappointment, rebellious and musically inclined Ronnie Miller (Miley Cyrus) is sent to stay with her father at a Southern beach town for the Summer. Although the trip starts off rocky, the two begin to reconnect through their mutual love of music. All the while, Ronnie is falling for local hunk Will Blakelee (Liam Hemsworth).
Outgoing high school seniors Sam (Emma Watson) and her stepbrother Patrick (Ezra Miller) help socially awkward freshman Charlie (Logan Lerman) break out of his shell and discover the joys of youth.
Watch the Cast of Fear Street Play a Creepy Game of Horror Movie "Would You Rather"
5. Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
Twelve-year-old romantic partners Sam (Jared Gilman) and Suzy (Kara Hayward) decide to run away from their New England town together. While they set up camp and develop a relationship, a search party for them ensues. Ah, young love!
Sutter Keely (Miles Teller) is a wild child who drinks his sorrows away after his girlfriend Cassidy (Brie Larson) breaks up with him. After getting drunk, he wakes up on a stranger's lawn and meets the introverted Aimee Finecky (Shailene Woodley). The two begin to spend time together and develop an unexpected romance as they confide in each other.
Duncan (Liam James) isn't having the best time spending the Summer with mother Pam (Toni Collette), her boyfriend, Trent (Steve Carell), and Trent's daughter, Steph (Zoe Levin). So he gets a job at a nearby water park to find some time away from his family. There, he meets park manager Owen (Sam Rockwell), who becomes a father figure to the awkward teen.
French teen Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos) develops a relationship with older art student Emma (Léa Seydoux). But their romance certainly doesn't come without its obstacles.
When cancer patient Grace Lancaster (Shailene Woodley) joins a support group, she meets Gus Waters (Ansel Elgort). The pair shares a mutual love of books, particularly a novel titled An Imperial Affliction by Peter Van Houten. With the opportunity to meet the author, Grace and Gus take a trip to Amsterdam and begin to fall even more in love.
This film — which came together over the course of 12 years — follows the decade-long timeline of Mason Evans Jr. (Ellar Coltrane). It beautifully explores the ramifications of his unstable home life and familial relationships as he's introduced to romance and enters young adulthood.
High school senior Malcolm (Shameik Moore) and his friends Jib (Tony Revolori) and Diggy (Kiersey Clemons) are just trying to survive their tough Los Angeles neighbourhood, enjoy their youth, and make music in their punk band. But a fortuitous meeting with drug dealer Dom (A$AP Rocky) gets them involved with the wrong crowd as they become targets after unknowingly stashing Dom's narcotics.
Life seems relatively simple for high schooler Greg (Thomas Mann). He and his coworker Earl (RJ Cyler) just create satirical remakes of classic movies. But when Greg meets classmate Rachel Kushner (Olivia Cooke), who has been diagnosed with cancer, he gets a whole new outlook on life.
Shy high school student Quentin (Nat Wolff) has an enlivening night out after helping popular girl Margo (Cara Delevingne) pull pranks on her former friends. Right after their crazy evening, Margo mysteriously disappears, prompting Quentin and some of his friends to follow clues to figure out where she is.
Moonlight details the three main stages in the life of Chiron Harris (played by Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, and Trevante Rhodes) as he comes to terms with his sexuality and reconsiders the construct of manhood.
The awkwardness of being a teenager gets a little more uncomfortable when high school junior Nadine Franklin (Hailee Steinfeld) has to deal with her popular older brother Darian (Blake Jenner) dating her best friend Krista (Haley Lu Richardson). Just when she's about to hit peak loneliness, Nadine meets classmate Erwin Kim (Hayden Szeto), who shows her that life isn't all that bad.
Elio Perlman (Timothée Chalamet) didn't expect to fall in love while spending the Summer at his family's villa in Italy, especially because he already had a girlfriend. But that's exactly what happens after he meets his father's intern, Oliver (Armie Hammer). Although the two initially cavil, they eventually acknowledge their romantic feelings for each other, and a relationship blossoms.
Christine McPherson (Saoirse Ronan), who nicknames herself Lady Bird, navigates her life in Sacramento, CA, as she experiences heartbreak, prepares for college, and wrestles with her contentious relationship with her mother, Marion (Laurie Metcalf).
Elle Evans (Joey King) decides to run a kissing booth at her high school, which brings her face-to-face with her crush Noah Flynn (Jacob Elordi). And a simple smooch turns into something more.
Lara Jean Covey (Lana Condor) never thought her secret love letters to past crushes would get out. But when they're sent to all five addressees, unbeknownst to her, she becomes involved in a scheme with one of the recipients, Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo).
When Brooklyn teenager Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) is bitten by a radioactive spider and develops superpowers, he must harness his newfound abilities to save New York and the entire multiverse from the destructive plans of the evil Kingpin (Liev Schreiber).
High schooler Simon Spier (Nick Robinson) has a lot to deal with. Not only is he falling for an anonymous classmate nicknamed Blue, but he also hasn't told his family or friends that he's gay. He embarks on a mission to find out who Blue is while getting caught up in a schoolmate's twisted blackmail scheme that could change his life forever.
Alex Truelove (Daniel Doheny) and his girlfriend Claire (Madeline Weinstein) have a grand plan to lose their virginity to each other. But when Alex meets openly gay Elliot (Antonio Marziale), he sets on a new path of sexual identity.
Starr Carter (Amandla Stenberg) is trying to balance her life in a Black lower class neighbourhood with her experience at a wealthy, predominately white prep school. The possibility of reconciliation seems to disintegrate after she witnesses her childhood best friend Khalil (Algee Smith) get shot and killed by a police officer. After the killing, Starr must take a stand for social justice, despite what it does to her image at school.
A 13-year-old Los Angeles native named Stevie (Sunny Suljic) spends the Summer trying to maneuver his way through a tumultuous home life while developing a friendship with a crew of new skater friends.
Willowdean Dickson, nicknamed Dumplin', is often met with confusion when people find out she's the daughter of former beauty queen and local celebrity Rosie (Jennifer Aniston). As a way to challenge normalized beauty standards and show that she's proud of her curves, Willowdean enters her mother's pageant in their small Texas town.
Elsie Fisher (Kayla Day) is a shy 13-year-old who's just trying to survive her last week of middle school. But, of course, things don't go very smoothly.
Teenager Violet (Elle Fanning) dreams of becoming a successful singer. As a step toward making that happen, she joins forces with former Opera star Vlad (Zlatko Burić), who mentors her ahead of a local singing competition.
A young actor named Otis (played by Noah Jupe and Lucas Hedges) is on his way to making it big in the entertainment industry. As he continues to land gigs and grow up over the course of a decade, his relationship with his abusive, alcoholic father, James (Shia LaBeouf), worsens.
Twelve-year-old Max is invited to his first kissing party and asks friends Lucas (Keith L. Williams) and Thor (Brady Noon) to help him learn how to lock lips. Max uses his father's drone to spy on his neighbour Hannah (Molly Gordon) to get a few pucker-up pointers, but it ends up getting destroyed. The trio of good boys then skip school to buy a new drone at the mall, but encounter quite a few obstacles along the way.
High school besties Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) are hoping to have one last hoorah before graduating. Realising they focussed too much on schoolwork, they attempt to pack four years worth of crazy teen antics into one wild night.