Being an important event in everyone’s life, coming-of-age has become a popular genre, for both kids approaching that moment and for adults reminiscing about theirs. Classic teen movies, like the works from John Hughes, cemented the genre’s status, but streamers in particular continue that legacy, with original productions in the 2010s and 2020s centered around becoming an adult. While Netflix is best known for its selection, Amazon Prime Video also has its share of classic titles, acquiring some of the best movies in the genre in their streaming slate. Here’s our list of the best coming-of-age movies Prime Video has in their roster:
10 Best Coming-of-Age Movies on Amazon Prime
10.
Little Manhattan (2005)
STREAMING ADVICE Read the full list of the 50 Best Streaming TV Services in 2023
At an older age, love can feel like it’s overrated, but watching Little Manhattan easily makes you remember the way love felt growing up, starting to explore all the feelings one had of the opposite gender, with childhood imagination and freedom from responsibilities making it seem so much more wonderful than it is now. Admittedly, it does suffer from a bit of the 2000s stereotypes and gender essentialism that stupid kids spouted, but as long as you remember the film comes from the perspective of a well-meaning, if a bit immature, 10-year-old boy, Little Manhattan feels like a charming recollection of how first love felt.
Our staff rating: 7.2/10
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Actor: Aaron Grady Shaw, Alex Trebek, Austin Majors, Bradley Whitford, Charlie Ray, Connor Hutcherson, Cynthia Nixon, J. Kyle Manzay, Jess Weixler, John Dossett, Jonah Meyerson, Josh Hutcherson, Josh Pais, Mike Chaturantabut, Talia Balsam, Timothy Adams, Tonye Patano, Willie Garson
Director: Mark Levin
Go to Amazon
9.
Música (2024)
We’ve already seen the coming-of-age conflict presented in Música in other films– namely, where parents, society, and loved ones expect things from a male protagonist, but he has a passion for his creative endeavors, only awakened by a gorgeous girl that recognizes his talent. It’s a cliché storyline, even for a musical, but we’ve never heard it this way before, the way Rudy Mancuso takes in the day-to-day noise of his Brazilian neighborhood in Newark and turns it into a musical soundscape paired with rhythmic dancing, theatrical set pieces, and a metanarrative portrayed by his puppets that he says is unfortunately real. There’s something special in the way Mancuso’s directorial debut unfolds, so visually and sonically creative, with a lot of heart that we’ve been missing.
Our staff rating: 7.3/10
Genre: Comedy, Music, Romance
Actor: Andy Grotelueschen, Andy Muschietti, Bia Borin, Bianca Comparato, Camila Mendes, Camila Senna, Francesca Reale, Gregory Jones, J.B. Smoove, JB Smoove, José Báez, Maria Mancuso, Milly Guzman, Regina Schneider, Rudy Mancuso
Director: Rudy Mancuso
8.
Snack Shack (2024)
STREAMING ADVICE Read the full list of the 50 Best Streaming Services With Free Trials
Snack Shack is the quintessential summer movie. It’s sun-soaked and full of mirth as it follows two rowdy boys fighting off bullies and scheming their way to profit, one ingenious scam at a time. But it’s also a tender coming-of-age film, one filled with realistic friendships and painfully awkward romantic encounters. In both instances, Snack Shack doesn’t reinvent the wheel—in fact it’s formulaic almost to a fault. But it’s saved by endearing performances and an effectively nostalgic backdrop. Many times, it feels like any John Hughes movie by way of Superbad. But for the most part, it’s its own distinctive, chlorine-tinged, popsicle-sweet thing.
Our staff rating: 7.4/10
Genre: Comedy
Actor: Amber Paul, April Clark, Christian James, Conor Sherry, David Costabile, Gabriel LaBelle, Gillian Vigman, J.D. Evermore, Lucille Sharp, Michael Bonini, Mika Abdalla, Nick Robinson, Shannon Mosley, Steve Berg
Director: Adam Rehmeier
Go to Amazon
7.
Leona (2018)
Present-day Mexico City—Ariela comes from a Jewish family that insists on getting married only to people of the same religion. This rule is complicated when Ariela falls in love with the non-Jewish Iván. She is then faced with the dilemma of choosing herself or her family, who for all their severity, she still loves deeply.
Leona’s modern-day retelling of Romeo and Juliet recalls the likes of Crazy Rich Asians and The Big Sick, but unlike those big-budgeted movies, this intimate Spanish-language film exchanges melodrama for restraint, and it’s all the better for it. Leona is a quietly moving story that’s easy to relate to, despite the specificity of its premise.
Our staff rating: 7.6/10
Genre: Drama, Romance
Actor: Adriana Llabrés, Carlos Aragón, Carolina Politi, Christian Vazquez, Margarita Sanz, Naian González Norvind, Paola Fernández, Rodrigo Corea
Director: Isaac Cherem
6.
Last Film Show (2022)
STREAMING ADVICE Read the full list of the 50 Best Streaming TV Services in 2023
Like many coming-of-age films about films, it’s easy to assume that Last Film Show would be a derivative of all-time film classic Cinema Paradiso. Both films from opposite corners of the world, separated by more than three decades, do share that awe of cinema from a projection booth. However, unlike Paradiso, the awe of Last Film Show is also tempered by the rural poverty its young protagonist faces. Samay learns projection from a film booth, and learns community is formed through the screen, but he also learns it through snatching the few reels that passes through their village, manually experimenting with scrap material, and recreating the same light and shadows through its fundamentals. These scenes are precocious because of the children, but it makes for a more interesting take, because Samay’s journey proves that cinema truly is worth saving, even without the money. It’s undeniably awe-inducing with Pan Nalin’s stunning shots and semi-autobiographical story.
Our staff rating: 7.8/10
Genre: Drama
Actor: Bhavesh Shrimali, Bhavin Rabari, Dipen Raval, Rahul Koli, Richa Meena
Director: Pan Nalin
Go to Amazon
5.
House of Hummingbird (2018)
It’s 1994, and Seoul is facing massive, rapid changes. The unrest is reflected by a lot of its residents, including Eun-hee, a disaffected teen with a less-than-stellar home and school life. She manages to get by with the help of friends and lovers, that is until they change too, and Eun-hee is forced to grapple with the volatility of it all.
Sensitively told and genuinely captivating, House of Hummingbird is a stellar debut by writer-director Kim Bo-ra. Her command shines in how young actress Park Ji-hoo dynamically portrays Eun-hee, in how the story meanders but never loses footing, and in how each frame displays a quiet gorgeousness as the primary colors of her youth pop against the faded backdrop of urbanized Seoul. The delicate balance of all these elements is sure to evoke a sincere, profound feeling in every viewer.
Our staff rating: 8/10
Genre: Drama
Actor: In-gi Jeong, Jeong In-gi, Jung In-gi, Kil Hae-yeon, Kim Jong-goo, Kim Mi-hyang, Kim Sae-byuk, Lee Jong-yoon, Lee Seung-yeon, Park Ji-hu, Park Seo-yoon, Park Soo-yeon, Park Yoon-hee, Seol Hye-in, Son Sang-yeon
Director: Kim Bora
Go to Amazon
4.
Pearl (2022)
STREAMING ADVICE Read the full list of the 15 Cheapest Live TV Streaming Services for Cord-cutting
It's rare to see a prequel surpass its antecedent, but Pearl is that exception. You can watch it before or after X and still get the same satisfaction from piecing together the puzzle of Mia Goth's many roles (three in total across the trilogy). If the first film owed a lot to slasher classics like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the second (surprise!) channels The Wizard of Oz and nods to the splendiferous melodramas of Douglas Sirk. The jarring form-content opposition here makes sense, as we're seeing through the eyes of the main character, who most of all dreams of being in a movie. Because of that very same whimsy, everything has to change: the violence is not as explicit and the role of sex is brought to the forefront. All hail the new kind of final girl: a farm girl-turned-star.
Our staff rating: 8.1/10
Genre: Drama, Horror, Thriller
Actor: Alistair Sewell, Amelia Reid, David Corenswet, Emma Jenkins-Purro, Gabe McDonnell, Matthew Sunderland, Mia Goth, Tandi Wright, Todd Rippon
Director: Ti West
Go to Amazon
3.
Penguin Highway (2018)
Surreal, strange, yet wondrous, Penguin Highway never takes a straightforward approach to its story. Penguins pop up out of nowhere, leading the nerdy and precocious Aoyama to study them via empirical observation and logical deduction. These studies don’t end up with a feasible explanation– in fact, by the final act, the film abandons all laws of physics. But the journey to that act feels intuitively right. This journey feels like an indescribable formative experience. Aoyama may be obsessed with growing up and committing to the reasonable adult mindset, but he is still a child. From fending off bullies to forming connections with others, his childhood imagination served him better than science could. The film reveres this discovery as well as it should.
Our staff rating: 8.2/10
Genre: Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Actor: Hidetoshi Nishijima, Kana Kita, Landen Beattie, Mamiko Noto, Megumi Han, Miki Fukui, Misaki Kuno, Naoto Takenaka, Rie Kugimiya, Winston Bromhead, Yu Aoi
Director: Hiroyasu Ishida
Go to Amazon
2.
Honey Boy (2019)
STREAMING ADVICE Read the full list of the 50 Best Streaming Services With Free Trials
There is so much power to this story based actor Shia Laboeuf’s life. As a kid, he lived with his father on the road during the filming of Even Stevens and other star-making roles. His dad was a war veteran who goes to bikers’ AA meetings and who had a brief acting career himself. He was full of anger that made Laboeuf later suffer from PTSD, but which he was able to perceive in a fascinating way.
Putting Laboeuf’s fame aside, this is an incredible movie on emotionally abusive parent-child relationships. It’s a universal story. With Shia Laboeuf as his father and Lucas Hedges as current-day Laboeuf.
Our staff rating: 8.4/10
Genre: Drama
Actor: Al Burke, Ben Maccabee, Byron Bowers, Clifton Collins Jr., Craig Stark, Dorian Brown Pham, Eli Santana, FKA Twigs, Giovanni Lopes, Graham Clarke, Greta Jung, Kara C. Roberts, Kingston Vernes, Laura San Giacomo, Leana Chavez, Lucas Hedges, Ludwig Manukian, Maika Monroe, Martin Starr, Natasha Lyonne, Noah Jupe, Paulina Lule, Sandra Rosko, Shia LaBeouf
Director: Alma Har'el, Alma Har'el
1.
Submarine (2011)
Awkward. That is how Oliver Tate can be described, and generally the whole movie. But it is professionally and scrutinizingly awkward. Submarine is a realistic teen comedy, one that makes sense and in which not everyone looks gorgeous and pretends to have a tough time. It is hilarious and sad, dark and touching. It is awesome and it's embarrassing, and it's the kind of movie that gets nearly everything about being a teen right, no matter where you grew up.
Our staff rating: 8.6/10
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Actor: Adrienne O'Sullivan, Ben Stiller, Claire Cage, Craig Roberts, Darren Evans, Elinor Crawley, Gemma Chan, Lydia Fox, Lynn Hunter, Melanie Walters, Noah Taylor, Paddy Considine, Sally Hawkins, Sarah Pasquali, Sion Tudor Owen, Steffan Rhodri, Yasmin Paige
Director: Richard Ayoade
Go to Amazon
Ready to cut the cord? Here are the 14 live TV streaming services that offer a free trial.
More lists
Lists on how to save money by cutting the cord.