These days it seems as though the box office is dominated by the newest super hero action adventure, or even by an animation comedy. (Not that I mind). And of course there is the supposedly overdone "Coming of Age" genre. I know I'm not alone in this, in that everyone got really John "Hughish" right around the time hits like Fault In Our Stars and Perks Of Being A Wallflower were coming out. Suddenly everyone wanted to be a little bit indie, quirky, but still cool enough to bang the hottest kid in school. I personally don't believe that these type of films deserve all the flack they receive, and personally am here to defend them.
When you throwback to the Hughes days of films with hits like Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, and Ferris Bueller's Day Off you can see a pattern forming in these coming-of-age tales. Each gave voices to a generation that otherwise felt mute. A character feeling belittled, in a small town, having to rise up to their potential, or beyond what others think they are capable of. It's a very typical story arc, but the added flare of teenage troubles appealed to the younger generations. These films were fun, the troubles did not run extremely deep, but still held emotional ties to audiences everywhere. Hence their popularity continuing 30 years later.
Fast forwarding ahead, new and more bolder coming-of-age films have come about; such a Perks of Being A Wallflower, The Fault In Our Stars, The DUFF, and most recently The Edge of Seventeen. These films are honest, crude, and reflect the state of adolescence at the moment. Teenagers trying to find their place in the world, and trying desperately to overcome their own problems. A classic trope of these films is having parents who seem to troubled with their own lives to pay attention to their childs, and the teenagers having actual emotional and health problems. These films cannot be overlooked, as they carve a pathway in understand of one another, and in hoping to shape a world that can empathize with these main characters.
Coming-of-age films will always find a place in american cinema, and hopefully their stories become more prominent, and taken seriously. The audience these films are geared towards are absolutely captivated by the stories and characters introduced in these films. Most have an inspiring yet spunky main character, who is extremely strong-willed in all of her actions. As our world changes, these films will also mold to fit the constant moo of the coming generations.
So hell yes coming-of-age movies keep em coming.
