Olivia Cooke (background) and Anya Taylor-Joy (foreground) in a scene from Cory Finley’s Thoroughbreds
Nakhane Touré in a scene from John Trengove’s The Wound
I’m about to talk about two recent coming of age movies, and neither of them are Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird. Though I do mention it a few times, it’s not the primary focus of this column, and the sole purpose of this image and caption is to remind you to watch Lady Bird if you have not already.
by Ken Bakely
I’ve recently caught up with two of 2018’s most discussed coming of age films – Greg Berlanti’s Love, Simon and Vince Marcello’s The Kissing Booth – and, beyond the notion that the quality of the two films are intensely disparate, it provides a point of interest in the contemporary thematic and aesthetic expectations of movies about teenagers.
There’s a misconception that movies about, and made for, teenagers are a one-size-fits-all proposition. Looking at them from a more literal level, yes, they’re mostly set in high school, about tumultuous social relationships, and carry a kind of gentle sets of problems; the kind of low-stakes, high-tension rapid gossip spread that anyone who’s graduated can rest assured that they no longer have to deal with. And when Lady Bird, a classically molded coming of age movie which carries the format to such ecstatic heights that it rode its way to a Best Picture nomination, has caused such a splash in the film world, perhaps there’s a bit of subconscious attention directed to what this subgenre means.
Rachel McAdams and Jason Bateman in a scene from John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein’s Game Night
Left to right: Phoebe Robinson, Gillian Jacobs, and Vanessa Bayer in a scene from Alex Richenbach’s Ibiza
Kyle Mooney in a scene from Dave McCary’s Brigsby Bear
Amanda Seyfried and Clive Owen in a scene from Andrew Niccol’s Anon
Left to right: Alexandra Shipp, Lucy Hale, Awkwafina, and Kathryn Prescott in a scene from Olivia Milch’s Dude
