Sixth Grade: the age of twelve should not feel this hard. Yet, for Max, Lucas, and Thor (The Beanbag Boys), life is full of problems. Crushes, the divorce of your parents, and being brave enough to embrace singing are just some of the issues these boys are facing in this sweet-hearted yet often profane comedy starring little children.
So, if you enjoyed watching The Beanbag Boys getting into trouble, here are five other similar coming-of-age movies you'll love.
If you don't want to miss one of the most iconic coming-of-age sex comedies, then...
Also set in high school, this modern classic sees Jonah Hill and Michael Cera play Seth and Evan, a pair of buddies about to finish school and go off to separate college. Both of them bump into their respective crushes: Seth gets invited to a party hosted by Jules (Emma Stone), and he promises to purchase alcohol for the party, while Evan runs into his crush Becca. He offers to get her some vodka. All of this, with their buddy Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and his infamous one-name fake ID that simply reads McLovin'. What follows is a series of detours and incidents, all in the name of getting alcohol, but yet the film never really loses focus about what it's all about: how difficult it can be to say goodbye to your buddy.
If you like a fresh spin on the coming-of-age genre, watch...
Directorial debut from Olivia Wilde, Booksmart stars Beanie Feldstein (Jonah Hill's sister!) and Kaitlyn Dever as Molly and Amy, a pair of academic overachievers. The premise is a typical teenager situation: overheard gossip. Near graduation, Molly hears fellow students talking about her in the toilet. She confronts them and lets them know she got into Yale, but the group drops a revelation - despite partying most of their high school years away, they too were admitted into good colleges. Feeling betrayed, Molly proposes to Amy that they should have enjoyed their high school years more and that they should go to a graduation party held by schoolmate Nick at his aunt's house. Amy reluctantly accepts. Booksmart has earned almost universal acclaim as the funniest high school buddy comedy since Superbad. It has also received praise and for its inclusivity and progressiveness, without sacrificing its humour.
If you want to see what happens when a sex pact is discovered by parents, you can't miss...
These comedies don't run the gamut of ages for their protagonists. High school and college students are typically the age group featured. So, what about the parents? In Blockers, a trio of childhood friends, Julie, Kayla, and Sam, make a pact to lose their virginity at prom. Their messages are intercepted by Julie's mom Lisa (Leslie Mann), via an open iMessage window on Julie's unlocked laptop. (Damn technology.) Kayla’s dad, Mitchell (a game John Cena playing against type) immediately goes up in arms and is ready to go on a crusade to stop the pact from unfolding.
Meanwhile, Kayla's dad Hunter (Ike Barinholtz), is hesitant as he has a feeling that Sam is a closeted lesbian, but joins the other two parents when he sees Sam forcing herself to kiss her lab partner Chad. As a film, Blockers possesses a uniquely feminist point-of-view for a movie of this genre. It manages to mix up the discussion of troublesome double standards and self-righteous politics of policing female sexuality, together with gross-out gags to fantastic effect.
If you have a perchant for crime comedy, you'll love...
As with most of the movies on this list, Dope revolves around a party, except it has more of a crime flavour to its proceedings. Malcolm (Shameik Moore), is hopeful that he can attend Harvard. Together with Jib (Tony Revolori) and Diggy (Kiersey Clemons), they are a group of geeks living in "The Bottoms," a high-crime neighbourhood in Inglewood, California. When at the party, a drug exchange of molly goes wrong and is interrupted by an armed gang. Unaware that a drug dealer has hidden a gun and drugs in his backpack, Malcolm gets away from the police, only to get implicated anyway when he starts receiving calls from an unknown caller about the dope he's carrying. A smart, insightful film brimming with energy, Dope is an effortless blend of comedy, romance, drama and crime by director Rick Famuyiwa.
If you're looking for some English flavour, you'd like...
The Inbetweeners was an English sitcom that followed the misadventures of Will, Neil, Simon, and Jay at the fictional Rudge Park Comprehensive school revolving around situations of school life. Uncaring school staff, friendship, male bonding, lad culture, and failed sexual encounters are topics that are visited and revisited in this somewhat accurate depiction of drab suburbia. The movie sees the fab foursome going away on holiday at the end of their final year to the admittedly very English tourist destination of Malia. Love, sex, awkward dancing, and some heartwarming lessons await the lads.
Bonus Recommendation: Room (2015)
And now for a palate cleanser. Room is a very different kind of movie from the rest of the movies listed on here, but it's also the breakthrough of one Jacob Tremblay, one of the Good Boys. Tremblay's performance as the wide-eyed boy experiencing the world for the first time is honestly remarkable for a child of his age, and allows Brie Larson to really flex her acting chops, en route to an Oscar winning performance.
