Growing up, whether in fiction or in real life, can be difficult and boring. It’s no surprise that it’s something that’s often explored in movies, and coming-of-age stories are especially popular because of their relevance and relevance to most viewers. Even though characters may want to grow up and accept changes in their lives, other characters are more resistant.
The next 10 movies show what happens when characters resist the act of growing and maturing a little more than most. Some could definitely qualify as a coming-of-age movie, while others argue (or at least partially suggest) that growing up and putting away all the childish stuff isn’t always the best thing to do, defying the norm. There are also things.
“End of the World” (2013)
The World’s End It begins as a comedy, gradually morphs into a sci-fi movie, and ends with a surprisingly sad expression on the face of a man who denies the fact that he is no longer in his teens. , the film’s plot sees him pressuring his old school friends to complete the massive pub crawl he attempted in his youth, but was never able to finish.
He is shown living in the past compared to his friends who all have their own lives and have traditional adult things like professional careers and families. It’s implied that Gary can live out the rest of his life without having to grow up and conform to society’s norms, thanks to the sci-fi elements of . He can enforce such norms.
“Guardians of the Galaxy” (2014)
Peter Quill/Star Lord guardian of the galaxy The movie can be annoying at times, but you can’t quite fault the fact that he acts like a boy (especially in the first movie). After all, he was taken from Earth at an early age and forced to grow up as best he could in an unfamiliar environment and without even the sight of his best parent.
He matures a bit in the formation of the Guardian himself, learning to better himself in the process. , Avengers: Infinity War It has been demonstrated that the inability to control such things can have tragic consequences.
Turning Red (2022)
There are many youth movies released by Pixar, turning red Definitely noticeable. It features a quirky and original premise involving a girl who turns into a giant red panda whenever she experiences strong emotions. One thing makes this struggle even more dangerous, but she becomes adept at controlling her emotions and even changing shape.
She was given the option to permanently remove her Red Panda’s shapeshifting abilities, but she probably did so in adulthood, even though her past family members tended to remove similar abilities before reaching adulthood. In this way, she continues to look to the future for part of her childhood and begins to grow without losing that part entirely.
“Dazed and Confused” (1993)
By extending the eventful night at the beginning of summer vacation to its full screening time, dazed and confused It expresses the desire to maintain youth for as long as possible. Many of the characters are also having the time of their lives and don’t seem to want the night to end, resulting in audiences being treated to a very enjoyable and refreshing film.
Even though it’s a blunt hangout movie and each character has their own wants and desires, it’s hard to say dazed and confused I have a plot. It has more concept. And the concept is “You can’t stay young forever, so let’s stay young and have fun.” In demonstrating this and making the viewer feel that thrilling sensation, the film definitely succeeded.
“The Graduate” (1967)
One of the most groundbreaking and popular films of the 1960s, Graduate Follow a young man named Benjamin Braddock. He’s fresh out of college, unsure of what to do with his life, and spends much of the film while having a dangerous relationship with Elaine’s mother, a young woman whom Ben’s parents want him to meet. , laments his lack of purpose. calm down.
Here we are criticizing rather than praising Ben’s inability to grow. This is well illustrated in the film’s downbeat (and sometimes misunderstood) ending, which childishly disrupts Elaine’s wedding and ends her life just before she realizes she’s made an impulsive mistake. run away with her.
“Stand By Me” (1986)
assist me Looking at the resistance to growth is definitely bittersweet. Perhaps it emphasizes the bitter over the sweet in the ending of the film. It celebrates the innocence and freedom of being a child, but at the same time the main plot involving a group of young friends who set off on an “adventure” to see a dead body is rather dark.
The epilogue tells the audience that once-close friends have fallen apart and one of them died tragically early. The best and strongest friendship you will ever have.
“Clerks” (1994)
It’s perfect, isn’t it? salesperson Examines the boredom that accompanies early adulthood given the writer/director Kevin Smith Most of the cast were all in their early twenties during production. Dante and Randall present his day as his two main characters in the film as they try to survive a boring, dead-end job.
There is an undeniable catharsis in people who have done similar work or felt similar. salesperson It presents a rather harrowing depiction of adulthood. While there is some positive maturation in the characters in the sequels (released 12 years after him and 28 years after him respectively from the original), reaching middle age has also been shown to present additional challenges. increase.
“Toy Story” (1995)
toy story It may contain some adult jokes and mature themes, but in the end it’s a family movie. We’re dealing with toys that live lives of their own when their owners aren’t looking, and while the children’s characters are important, it’s the toys themselves that go through the most dramatic character arcs in the first film.
Ironically, Buzz Lightyear doesn’t want to grow by learning the truth about who he is, and Woody is jealous of Buzz, which makes him immature for much of the film. The two eventually learn from each other and mature, but much of the film is stuck in a relatively childish way that otherwise refuses to grow, become smarter, or be more compassionate. To do.
“Logans Run” (1976)
even if the characters Logan’s Run The world wanted to grow up and get old, but it wasn’t allowed. This is because it takes place in a futuristic city that offers a luxurious lifestyle and affluence to all, but no one in the population is allowed to live beyond the age of 30.
It’s a world for young people, and only young people, and the film looks at the problems and tensions that such a system creates. It’s one of those science fiction movies that at first seems to present a utopia, only to reveal that things are dystopian, all because the movie’s futuristic city doesn’t make people grow up .
“Ted” (2012)
Ted It wouldn’t be a comedy if the two main characters weren’t acting like immature kids for most of their runtime. It follows a teddy bear and a man from childhood who have been brought back to life 27 years ago.Both are physically older, but mentally or emotionally less mature.
This causes problems and tension between the male partner and his sentient teddy bear, but as a lighthearted comedy, things are neatly wrapped up by the end. Given that the humor carried over and probably spawned sequels with diminishing results, no one is allowed to grow up too much.
