Coming of Age

I love coming of age movies, love them. Seriously, The Trouble with Angels, Stand by Me, The Sandlot, Now and Then, and most recently, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants – love them. When I was in middle school, I watched Now and Then nearly every day. My brother finally hid it from me, and my mom didn’t make him give it back. It’s a little absurd.

What is it about these movies about adolescence that I love so much? It’s hard to say really. I didn’t exactly love my own adolescence.

I will point out a very important fact: most of these movies breeze past the future that is the characters’ twenties. They fast forward to the characters’ thirties and forties to let you know “how they turned out.” (Oh this decade long quarter life crisis, how uninspiring you are!)

But I think it’s the idea that life is malleable that intrigues me. It’s a reminder of the possibilities of what we can be. All coming of age movies have elements of adventure, self-discovery, hope, and uncertainty.

And friendship, there is always friendship. This is something that I feel becomes secondary in action flicks, rom coms, and dramas that we come to appreciate later in life. Perhaps that is where my affinity for these movies lies.

And, ok, there’s also a touch of rebellion in these movies that appeals to me. This is something I didn’t do enough. (Is it too late now?)