When it comes to coming-of-age movies, they often age more quickly than other genres. These are often slice-of-life movies and capture a specific timeframe, and unless they are set in a different time period than their release dates, they often play to the tropes and expectations of that specific time period.
Watching a movie from the '80s or '90s today might cause younger audiences to cringe more often than not. While the stories are universal, there are so many things that make a movie stand out as a product of its time and that is not always a good thing as tastes and standards change over the years.
American Pie (1999)
American Pie was a massive hit when it came out in 1999. However, as with most sex comedies, it has not aged as well as time passed. The movie is about five close friends in high school who make a pact that they will lose their virginity by the time they graduate. These include a guy who has a close girlfriend, one who has an infatuation with a foreign exchange student, and one who seeks out the mother of one of their friends. The idea of making a pact to lose their virginity is clearly a product of its time.
Can't Hardly Wait (1998)
Can't Hardly Wait joins other movies that play out as a "last high school party" movie. However, it doesn't have the timelessness of a fellow '90s movie in the same genre, Dazed and Confused. The difference is that Richard Linklater had his movie take place in the '70s, while Can't Hardly Wait was pure '90s, from Seth Green's nerd to Ethan Embry's '90s outcast. Add in the soundtrack, which was a Billboard hit, and this movie is unashamed of its '90s status.
The Sandlot (1993)
There was a day in the past where kids could go walking around their neighborhood and town and gather to play sandlot baseball without worrying about being abducted or kidnapped. That era ended in the '90s and The Sandlot is a loving remembrance of what it was like when kids were allowed to be free and play without worry. Directed by David Mickey Evans, The Sandlot is a coming-of-age story about kids who learned that it is okay to be a little weird.
Clueless (1995)
Clueless is a movie that might completely blow the mind of a kid watching it in 2021. The movie that made Alicia Silverstone a massive star had her portray a rich valley girl named Cher who was really only good at one thing — fashion.
This movie is full of the slang talk and fashion of the '90s and it seems almost crazy to think that people used to think this was cool. However, the movie is still a sweet story about a girl who thinks she has her life together realizing she still doesn't know herself.
10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
Before he was The Joker, the late Heath Ledger proved in 10 Things I Hate About You that he was one of the top young stars of his era. This movie was based on the Shakespeare play, The Taming of the Shrew, and had Ledger co-star with Julia Stiles in a story where Stiles' younger sister needed to get her sister to go on a date before her dad would allow her to go out with a boy. From the costume design to the music, this movie came out at the end of the '90s, but it lives completely in that decade.
Varsity Blues (1999)
Varsity Blues was a movie about high school football in Texas, which as anyone knows, is a religion in the Lone Star State. The movie stars James Van Der Beek, who was successful thanks to Dawson's Creek at this time, along with names like Paul Walker, Scott Caan, Amy Smart, and Ali Larter. There is a lot of things in this movie that wouldn't fly today, from the kids going to a strip club and seeing their teacher to the whip cream bikini.
She's All That (1999)
If someone wants to ensure that a movie will always live in the '90s, just have Freddie Prinze Jr. as the lead. This is what happened in She's All That, which is a remake of the classic movie My Fair Lady. The movie has not held up well over the years, but it has a few things that make it worth checking out.
First, the cast is amazing, with Prinze joined by Paul Walker, Matthew Lillard, Rachael Leigh Cook, Kieran Culkin, and Anna Paquin. The music is also straight out of the '90s, with Liz Phair, Fatboy Slim, and The Black Eyed Peas featured.
Mallrats (1995)
Kevin Smith followed up Clerks with Mallrats, and it was a commercial failure. Four years later, American Pie was a massive success, and the two movies were very similar. Jeremy London and Jason Lee star as two friends who are trying to figure out life and are both have girl problems. They decide to do what any teens would do, and head to the mall. That alone dates the movie as malls are few and far between in today's world. Mallrats also has a great Stan Lee cameo before they were popular.
Reality Bites (1994)
Reality Bites might be one of the most beloved '90s coming-of-age movies of the entire decade. Ben Stiller directed the movie, which starred Ethan Hawke and Winona Ryder as two college graduates who like each other but struggle to act on their feelings. Ben Stiller and Jeaeane Garofalo also star. From the distinctive '90s indie feel of the movie to the music choices, including Dinosaur Jr. and Lisa Loeb, this movie is a perfect introduction to the '90s for any movie lover.
Singles (1992)
The '90s were known for one big thing when it came to the music scene. This was the era where grunge music overtook metal and seeped into the culture, with the Seattle scene changing how people dressed and acted. Singles, directed by Cameron Crowe, was based in Seattle in the grunge era of the '90s, with the music of that genre playing a huge role, and it will always be a movie entrenched in '90s culture. The movie is about Gen Xers in Seattle and the movie even features members of Pearl Jam.