One of the most talked about generations is without a doubt the millennial generation. Millennials have seen a lot in their lives at young ages, from the events of 9/11 to the 2008 recession to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a generation with its own unique brand of humor older generations don’t necessarily understand but has also helped shape the sense of humor of the younger generation. Millennials (along with elder Gen-Zs) are also the last group of people to experience a childhood not run by modern technology but witnessed the rise of it in their teens and early 20s. The millennial generation is as complicated and diverse as any other generation, which is shown through their pop culture.
The movies that were released when millennials were growing up and entering adulthood ranged from fantasy franchises based on books to groundbreaking sci-fi films and everything in between. There was no shortage of movies to watch in any genre when this generation was growing up. Game-changing horror films such as The Blair Witch Project and genre-defining movies such as The Dark Knight helped shape the millennial generation and the types of movies they want to see. There were also many coming-of-age films that were released while millennials themselves were coming of age that they related to.
Coming-of-age films are an essential part of the millennial experience that defined the music they listened to, their sense of humor, the clothes they wore, and the way they currently handle adulthood. Since this is a list specifically pertaining to coming-of-age films, franchises such as The Lord of the Rings or movies such as The Matrix won’t be mentioned, and the focus will mostly remain on stand-alone films. With that being said, here are 15 quintessential millennial coming-of-age movies:
15 Mean Girls (2004)
This one almost goes without saying since it is one of the most quoted and most memefied teenage movies of the millennial generation. From overly quoted lines such as Gretchen Weiner’s “that is so fetch!” to iconic scenes such as the Jingle Bells performance, Mean Girls has everything that millennials find funny. Tina Fey’s sharp screenplay combined with memorable performances from Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams made for a perfect blend of teenage angst and comedy. It poked fun at all the typical tropes associated with high school movies as well as the ridiculous beauty standards of the era. Almost 20 years later, it is still hilarious.
14 Cruel Intentions (1999)
With a cast including Sarah Michelle Gellar, Reese Witherspoon, and Ryan Phillippe, some of the biggest young adult stars of the late ’90s and early 2000s, Cruel Intentions is a staple entry in millennial coming-of-age movies. This dark comedy had everything a young person could relate to; teenage angst, rebellion, first love, and popularity. It was many millennials’ first “scandalous” movie as it takes the French novel it was based on, “Dangerous Liaisons”, and turns it into a cruel bet between two Catholic prep school students to see if the headmaster’s daughter can be deflowered. It spawned a not-so-delectable sequel, but most of us choose to ignore it.
13 Superbad (2007)
At the end of senior year of high school before everyone heads off to college, what do most teenagers want to do? Throw epic parties. It’s the last summer of freedom before teens have to learn to become adults, so of course they want to spend their time partying. Superbad is the quintessential millennial movie that expresses a teenager’s need to just have fun before their lives are full of responsibility. Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera humorously portray two high schoolers who want to party and win the affections of their crushes before officially graduating, which proves to be more difficult than they realize. The movie takes place during the late 2000s when technology had already begun to change, but smartphones and social media were not yet commonplace, a time period that specifically relates to millennials.
12 John Tucker Must Die (2006)
John Tucker Must Die sported a cast that was absolutely to die for if you were a kid or teen in the mid-2000s. It starred Ashanti, Sophia Bush, Brittany Snow, and Penn Badgley before he was Joe Goldberg. It was a high school revenge story targeting the popular guy who cheats on all of his girlfriends until three of them (all in different social circles) band together and use the new girl to get even with him. Set to a great soundtrack including songs from The All American Rejects, The Click Five, and The Cure, the teen comedy is a uniquely millennial experience.
11 Bring it On (2000)
There have been plenty of dance-related movies made over the last 20–25 years, but the one that probably stands out the most among people in their 20s and 30s is Bring It On. While it is a cheerleader comedy, it also has intelligent humor and a look into social issues that were ahead of its time. San Diego high school cheerleading team realizes that their previous captain has actually stolen all their dance moves from the Clovers, a black and Latinx squad from a Compton high school. The movie actually prompts the viewers to think about some uncomfortable questions while delivering terrific cheerleading stunts, jokes, and a fun cast.
10 Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
Perhaps one of the most entertaining movies to come out of the millennial generation, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World follows 22 -year old Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) as he embarks on a quest to defeat the seven evil exes to be with the girl of his dreams. The film is edited to the style of video games and comics and every time Scott eliminates a deadly ex, he earns extra lives. Scott is a whiny, immature young adult that lies to the girl he actually has a crush on, and the 17-year-old who thinks she’s in love with him, who learns through them and his battle with her exes that he must change his ways. It’s a wild ride from start to finish and pokes fun at the hipster culture popularized by millennials.
9 Legally Blonde (2001)
While Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) is not a teenager, she is a young woman trying to find her place in the world when she arrives at Harvard for law school. Elle learns a lot and grows a lot during her time at the most prestigious university in the country. She learns that she is much more than meets the eye, not to let a guy determine her self-worth, and that she can fully be herself and make a kick-ass lawyer. She proves everyone wrong without altering her personality or dragging anyone down. Legally Blonde is an empowering coming-of-age story for all millennials simply because Elle proves that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to, and still be fabulous while doing so.
8 Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
Napoleon Dynamite is the ultimate awkward teenager story of the millennial generation. It accurately portrays the awkwardness of life in high school through cliques, embarrassing social interactions with peers, and following dreams that seem unattainable. You couldn’t escape this movie in the mid-2000s. Merchandise for the movie was sold in many stores and the “Vote for Pedro” shirt was everywhere. The movie was a hit with teens and pre-teens thanks in part to the quirky style, deadpan humor, and memorable lines. The movie’s off-beat humor and exploration of the struggles of teenage life are both hilarious and relatable, which make for a dramedy that is simultaneously timeless and rooted in the culture of its time period.
7 Donnie Darko (2001)
Newmarket Films
The appearance of the demonic-looking rabbit Frank in Donnie Darko is an image etched into the brains of many millennials. The talking rabbit tells Jake Gyllenhaal’s sleepwalking Donnie that the world will end in 28 days, and Donnie begins to experience strange things. The movie came out during the time when punk and alternative styles were present in music and clothing, which led to a generation obsessed with anything dark and gloomy. Kids related to Donnie because he represented every young person who ever felt like an outsider among their friends or family.
6 She’s the Man (2006)
.jpg)
In the 2000s, Amanda Bynes was one of the it-girls when it came to teen media. One of her most recognizable roles is Viola Hastings in She’s the Man. Viola pretends to be her brother Sebastian in order to attend his boarding school and join the boys’ soccer team since her school’s cut the girls’ soccer team. Complications ensue when she falls for her brother’s roommate Duke (Channing Tatum), who wants Olivia, who wants Sebastian, who is really Viola. It is essentially a modernized screwball comedy for the millennial generation that tapped into pop culture, humor, and style of the decade.
5 Clueless (1995)
Before Mean Girls, there was Clueless, a movie that flirts with the line between Gen-X and millennial movies. Alicia Silverstone’s portrayal of Cher Horowitz remains a staple character inspiration for many people. Released at a time when the oldest millennials were young teenagers and the youngest millennials were babies, this movie manages to be relatable to both sides of the generation. Between the outfits, the catchphrases, and the early uses of cell phones and home computers, Clueless captures the essence of being a teenager in a way that is accessible to kids of the ’90s and of the 2000s. The movie even popularized the phrase “as if!”
4 Neighbors (2014)
Neighbors is quintessential to the millennial generation mostly because younger millennials who were in high school or college could relate to Zac Efron’s and Dave Franco’s characters, while older millennials could relate to Seth Rogen’s and Rose Byrne’s characters. Teddy (Efron) and Pete (Franco) are college seniors who move their entire fraternity into the house next to Mac (Rogen) and Kelly (Byrne) who live with their newborn child. The couple attempts to befriend the frat brothers at first, but eventually, declares war after a series of wild and gross pranks. Younger people of the generation could see some of themselves in Teddy and Pete, while older people of the generation who were thinking of starting families could understand Mac and Kelly’s struggle.
3 Juno (2007)
Juno covers teenage issues that were rarely talked about in mainstream movies or TV before. Juno (Elliot Page) is a cynical high schooler who must decide what to do about her unplanned pregnancy thanks to one incident with her best friend. She finds a couple who is looking to adopt a baby, but their marriage quickly starts to fall apart after Juno enters their lives. Juno ends up letting the wife adopt the baby even after the divorce because she could see that the baby would be loved. The movie deals with the issues of teen pregnancy, adoption, and growing up quickly, all things that millennials can relate to but was rarely given serious thought prior to this movie.
2 The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
Based on the book of the same name, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a moving coming-of-age drama that follows a teenager named Charlie (Logan Lerman) through his first year of high school. The film tackles sensitive subjects such as teen suicide, mental health, sexuality, and abuse through the eyes of its teenage characters. Charlie befriends two seniors after a stint in a mental health facility following his best friend’s death, and he struggles to navigate the rather difficult aspects of being a high school teenager. Rather than taking a strictly comedic approach to depicting the difficulties of being a teenager, the movie instead takes a realistic approach and showcases the truly upsetting aspects of life that young people deal with, and how friendship can pull a person out of their worst nightmares.
1 Easy A (2010)
Easy A expertly blends comedy with drama to tell the tale of a high school student named Olive Penderghast (Emma Stone) and how she accidentally gets the entire student body to believe that she is basically the Hester Prynne of the school. Olive is an intelligent, witty girl who pretends to have sex with a boy from her school at a party so that he can look good in front of his friends. Her one act of kindness quickly turns into a web of lies as multiple boys from school offer to pay her to let them say they have done the deed. Even though everything everyone is saying about her is false, Olive embraces it by wearing a scarlet “A” on her clothing, even as it wrecks the actual relationships in her life. Easy A effortlessly explores themes such as conformity, reputation, and sexuality in an engaging and entertaining way, making it a favorite coming-of-age story for millennials to this day.