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The Best Coming-of-Age Movies Streaming Right Now

Whether you’re escaping the heat or escaping the crowds, summertime calls for getting lost in film’s best coming-of-age stories.

Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime and Showtime are all streaming the very best of the genre, reminding us of a time when life felt a bit more simple, but seemed oh-so complicated at the same time. Netflix has mid-aughts romp “Superbad,” while you can watch its spiritual sister “Booksmart” over on Hulu. Even Disney Plus’ catalogue, brimming with Disney Channel Originals, has a number of movies that dive into the complexity of fledgling adolescence, even when that sometimes means becoming a merman, like in “Thirteenth Year.”

Whether you’re looking for Academy Award winners like “Boyz n the Hood” and “Moonlight” or wanting to feel inspired by the enduring resilience of the young women in “Unpregnant,” “Plan B”, “Skate Kitchen” and “Bend It Like Beckham,” the coming-of-age genre is a rich, often sun-soaked space distinguished by tales of unforgettable memories and life-changing revelations. Read below for the best streaming now.

  • Netflix

    Superbad

    It’s a tale as old as time: two unpopular high school boys want their crushes to get drunk so they’ll hook up at the big weekend party. It’s a premise that hasn’t aged well since “Superbad” premiered in 2007, but the earnest and humorous friendship of Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera) makes the Rogen-Goldberg flick timeless. The comedy duo first began writing the movie as eighth graders, embellishing Seth and Evan’s journey to score booze with dick jokes, sketchy adult strangers and a soundtrack far more cool than the protagonists. Ultimately, “Superbad” is a heartwarming tale of teen boy friendship about what it means to let go so you can grow up.

    Lady Bird

    Is there a better example of teen melodrama than when Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson hurls her body out of a moving car to escape her nagging, yelling mom (Laurie Metclaf)? Greta Gerwig’s film follows Lady Bird through the turbulence of the senior year of high school in early aughts San Fransisco. Along the way, she stumbles through school, confusing boys, tricky friendships, college applications and a rocky mother-daughter dynamic – all to realize how much love is around her just in time to leave.

    Dumplin’

    From director Anne Fletcher, Jennifer Aniston plays the former beauty pageant queen mom of Willowdean “Dumplin'” Dickson (Danielle Macdonald), a teen who throws the local beauty pageant for a loop when she signs up for her mom’s pageant in protest. She doesn’t fit the stereotypical pageant mold and so her entry inspires other contestants to follow suit, revolutionizing the pageant circuit and setting Willowdean on a journey where she finds romance, self esteem and a breakthrough in her relationship with her mom. Best of all is Willowdean’s admiration of Dolly Parton, whose spirit and music enliven the movie.

    Cuties

    Don’t let the controversy dissuade you. Director Maïmouna Doucouré’s feature debut is a nuanced look at girlhood. Everything changes for 11-year-old Amy (Fathia Youssouf) when she joins the self-titled Cuties, a free-spirited dance clique at school. As a Senegalese-French girl raised with a traditional Muslim upbringing, she feels caught between her family’s values and growing up.

    The Half of It

    Alice Wu’s 2020 film is a love story equally about friendship and first romances. It follows Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis), a quiet student who helps the school jock, Paul (Daniel Diemer), win over a girl (Alexxis Lemire). In exchange for a love letter, Ellie gets some cash, but in return she also gets a new friend and a crush of her own.

  • HBO Max

    Unpregnant

    There’s a twisted darkness to Veronica and Bailey’s life-changing road trip from Missouri to New Mexico, but it’s too fun of a watch to really notice. Formerly strained by teen girl growing pains, the childhood best friends come together and cross state lines so that Veronica can get an abortion without permission from her parent. As the two adventure through the desert, Bailey comes into her own and Veronica learns to be confident in herself while on the run from the police, a delusional ex-boyfriend and deranged pro-lifers.

    Real Women Have Curves

    Before making a splash in ABC’s “Ugly Betty” or even the Disney Channel’s “Gotta Kick It Up,” America Ferrera starred in this Sundance Film Festival darling. Based on the play by Josefina López, Ferrera portrays Ana García, a first generation Mexican American teen ready to leave for college, despite her parents wishes she would stay at home. As a compromise, she works with her mother in a sewing factory over the summer and learns more about life than anyone can from being in a classroom.

    Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

    Based on the 2001 novel by Ann Brashares, Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, Blake Lively and Alexis Bledel play four tight-knit best friends who happen upon a mysterious pair of jeans that fits each of their different-sized bodies. As they spend their first summer apart, the quartet stay connected by sharing the pants and the life changing moments that bridge the gap between girl and womanhood.

    Charm City Kings

    This Baltimore-set movie premiered at Sundance Film Festival just before theaters shuttered as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It sees 14-year-old Mouse taken under the wing of Blax, the leader of the infamous dirt bike crew the Midnight Clique. Mouse comes to find himself torn between a straight-and-narrow path and a life full of fast money and violence.

    Spirited Away

    Hayao Miyazaki’s animated classic won the Academy Award for best animated movie at the 2003 ceremony. It centers on Chihiro, a 10-year-old girl who wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches and spirits where humans are transformed into beasts. To free herself and her parents, Chihiro must use all her wits to escape the sorceress Yubaba.

  • Hulu

    Skate Kitchen

    Before HBO Max had “Betty,” there was “Skate Kitchen,” a musing on female friendship and the NYC skate scene from writer-director Crystal Moselle. It stars Rachelle Vinberg, Dede Lovelace, Nina Moran, Ajani Russell and Moonbear as fictionalized versions of themselves in a crew called Skate Kitchen. As the girls work their way through the male-dominated skate scene, they learn more about themselves and how to stand up for one another.

    Plan B

    Given the prevalent difficulty across the United States for young women to maintain their reproductive health, it’s no surprise this list would have more than one female buddy road comedy. This time around, diametric opposite BFFs Sunny (Kuhoo Verma) and Lupe (Victoria Moroles) adventure across South Dakota in search of a Plan B pill after an unromantic first sexual encounter. The duo come to learn about themselves, each other and what wild limits they will go to to save their best friend.

    Booksmart

    Colloquially known as the girl “Superbad,” Olivia Wilde’s feature directorial debut, “Booksmart,” is more than a high school romp. Yes, the best friend duo want to make up for lost time by cramming a swath of high school experiences into one night of partying. However, what Amy and Molly really want is to experience the free-spirited night of antics they constantly saw from their peers on Instagram. Trying to shed their academic overachiever label, Amy and Molly learn just how messy and great life can be when you are honest and let loose.

    Big Time Adolescence

    This slacker comedy drenches the concept of “Dazed and Confused’s” Wooderson in tattoos and, somehow, far more marijuana. Pete Davidson plays Zeke, a drug-dealing college dropout whose best friend is his ex-girlfriend’s teen brother Monroe (Griffin Gluck), otherwise known as Mo. As Mo makes his way through sophomore year, he becomes trapped by Zeke’s antics and learns that sometimes you have to let go of the ones you care about most.

  • Disney Plus

    Bend It Like Beckham

    There may be a romantic storyline at the center of this sports rom-com, but ultimately 18-year-old Jess Bhamra (Parminder Nagra) comes to learn about herself when she joins a semi-professional soccer team. She is convinced to try out when team member Jules Paxton (Keira Knightley) spots Jess’ talent while she’s playing in the park, but she must hide her soccer commitments from her family who disprove of her athletic pursuits.

    The Lizzie McGuire Movie

    Capping middle school with a trip to Rome with your best friend where you meet an Italian pop star who charms you into being his duet partner stand-in? Hey, hey, hey. This is what dreams are made of. As Lizzie (Hilary Duff) navigates the world of Italian pop stardom and the super strict Ms. Ungermeyer, she comes to find that staying true to herself and posing as her famous doppelgänger isn’t so easy. And cheers to the movie soundtrack that introduced a host of kids to “Shining Star” and “The Tide Is High.”

    Thirteenth Year

    If you think puberty is hard, try learning what it’s like to be part fish. In this 1999 Disney Channel Original Movie, Cody Griffin’s (Chez Starbuck) 13th birthday brings on a new set of abilities. He grows scales and fins, learns he can communicate with fish and breathe underwater — and must figure out how to keep this all a secret.

    The Cheetah Girls

    It was an interesting turn of events in 2003 when four cheetah print-clad teen girls on in a Disney production proclaimed, “I don’t want to be like Cinderella.” It made sense: you couldn’t be trapped in a dusty cellar if you were on the precipice of stardom, which Galleria (Raven-Symoné), Chanel (Adrienne Bailon), Aqua (Kiley Williams) and Dorinda (Sabrina Bryan) knew they were. The Whitney Houston-produced movie follows the Manhattanite quartet as they strut their way into a career-launching music deal that could end up tearing the group — and their unique identities — apart.

    Sandlot

    The power of folklore exacerbates the troubles of a group of neighborhood boys who bond over baseball. Scottie Smalls (Thomas Guiry) wades his way into the sandlot, but things go awry when his step dad’s Babe Ruth-signed baseball soars over the fence of and adjacent backyard. The Beast, a legendary, aggressive English Mastiff, claims the ball and the boys must retrieve it before Smalls’ dad finds out. As the boys run through various innovations to get the ball back, other hijinks of surprise kisses, chewing tobacco and s’more sandwiches ensue, chalking up to a summer they’ll never forget.

  • Amazon Prime

    Selah and the Spades

    Selah Summers power-trips her way through senior year at the prestigious Haldwell Boarding School as a leader of the students’ most powerful faction (the Spades), all the while preparing her next heir and steadying their drug-selling operation without losing grip.

    Submarine

    Adapted from the 2008 novel by Joe Dunthorne, Craig Roberts stars as Oliver Tate, an unpopular Welsh teenager who is intent on holding his family together and having sex for the first time before he turns sixteen. He sets out to achieve these goals by winning over classmate Jordana (Yasmin Paige) and keeping at bay their new neighbor (Paddy Considine), a charming spiritual guru who happens to be his mom’s (Sally Hawkins) ex.

    LOL

    Miley Cyrus cemented her departure as a squeaky Disney star with “LOL,” a portrait about the trials of teen girlhood. The Rotten Tomatoes score may not be so great, but this is one to stick around for the charm of Cyrus as she tumbles through another year of high school, boys, the internet and her infuriating but loving mom. There’s even a class trip Paris and battle of the bands competition that features a swoon-worthy performance by Douglas Booth. Big props to this 2012 movie that managed to bring together a cast that features Demi Moore, Ashley Green and Adam Sevani, alongside Cyrus.

    Sing Street

    When family life becomes strained by the recession, Dublin 14-year-old Conor (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) escapes by falling for the super cool and beautiful Raphina (Lucy Boynton). He concocts a plan to get her attention by forming a band with a few lads, and together they pour themselves into writing lyrics and shooting videos fit for the dawning age of MTV.

    Boyz N the Hood

    John Singleton’s Academy Award-nominated feature directorial debut and classic 1991 movie scopes in on the life Tre Styles (Cuba Gooding Jr.). Tre is sent to live with his father, Furious Styles (Laurence Fishburne), in South Central Los Angeles, setting up a tale that coalesces friendship, pain, danger and love. The stacked cast also includes Ice Cube, Morris Chestnut, Nia Long, Regina King and Angela Bassett.

  • Showtime

    Perks of Being a Wallflower

    Perhaps the quintessential coming-of-age movie— known for Tumblr classics like “Things change, friends leave. And life doesn’t stop for anybody” and “We accept the love we thing we deserve”— socially awkward Charlie (Logan Lerman) hits home for many in his first experience with real friendship. Enticing and eccentric step sibling duo Sam (Emma Watson) and Patrick (Ezra Miller) open Charlie up to a colorful way of living where he discovers music, first love and his dream to become a writer. However, as his new friends get ready to leave for college, Charlie’s world threatens to fall apart.

    Moonlight

    Writer-director Barry Jenkins’ Academy Award-winning film is a stunning vignette of one boy’s journey to manhood. Told in three stages, the film dives into the life of Chiron (played by Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders and Trevante Rhodes) as he grapples with his identity and sexuality while dealing with everyday struggles of childhood and, eventually, burgeoning adulthood. Along the way, Chiron is guided by love and support from his community.

    Eighth Grade

    It’s hard to want to watch an intensely palpable portrayal of being a 13-year-old girl, especially when it is plagued by the era of Snapchat, Instagram and YouTube. But Bo Burnham’s directorial debut proves sweet and delicate enough to rally around Kayla (Elsie Fisher) as she endures her last week of middle school.

    Mid90s

    Set in 1990s Los Angeles, Stevie (Sunny Suljic) escapes home life when he meets a crew of new friends at a skate shop. Baby-faced and with a need to impress the older kids, Stevie embarks on a summer full of reckless skateboarding, first times with girls, drinking, weed and unforgettable memories. The A24 flick is Jonah Hill’s directorial debut.

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