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Movies have an interesting way of helping us all grow up and deal with some of life’s complex situations. Coming-of-age films are ones we can relate to and watch over and over. So we’ve taken some time to reflect on some of our favorite coming-of-age movies from back in the day that we all know and love. Take a look at our list and let us know which ones were your favorites!
Source: Columbia Pictures
SCHOOL DAZE
Wake up! School Daze is the epic story of college life at an all-black university and the colorism issues students deal with on-campus. Many of us remember getting an honest glimpse at love, race, Greek life and more from this amazing tale, that also came off as a musical at times.
Source: Columbia Pictures
BOYZ N’ THE HOOD
Even if you didn’t grow up anywhere near South Central L.A., you can relate to the complex issues of life in the hood from this 1991 classic by director John Singleton. Tre (Cuba Gooding, Jr.), “Doughboy” (Ice Cube) and Ricky (Morris Chestnut) were the trio we grew up watching on the big screen as they grappled with poverty, gang violence, love and their tough environment.
Source: Touchstone/Buena Vista
SISTER ACT 2: BACK IN THE HABIT
Say amen! When the first Sister Act movie dropped, we just knew that a sequel was sure to follow, and we weren’t surprised that Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit gave us even more laughs the second time around! Sister Mary Clarence (Whoopi Goldberg) gave us a lot to laugh about as she kept the students around her in check with her sass and sharp tongue!
Source: New Line Cinema
MENACE II SOCIETY
O-Dog (Larenz Tate) and Caine (Tyrin Turner) kept us on the edge of our seats in Menace II Society, a gripping tale of young men caught up in the turmoil of life in a dangerous neighborhood. Many critics lauded the film for its gripping depiction, and some people still refer to Tate as O-Dog.
Source: Columbia Pictures
HIGHER LEARNING
Director John Singleton’s follow-up to Boyz n the Hood was Higher Learning, a captivating romantic crime drama which follows the lives of three college freshmen as they deal with racial issues and adjusting to life on a college campus.
Source: Gramercy/MGM
JASON’S LYRIC
You would be hard-pressed to find a sista who didn’t have a crush on Jason (Allen Payne) back in the day! Jason and Lyric (Jada Pinkett-Smith) are a young and lovesick couple who dream of escaping their world in Houston and heading towards a better life. Their lives are surrounded by tragedy, but the bond they have between them left us in tears for sure!
Source: Buena Vista
DEAD PRESIDENTS
Anthony (Larenz Tate), Skip (Chris Tucker) and their gang of friends find themselves trapped between a rock and a hard place when they return home after fighting in the Vietnam War. This story follows the lives of desperate young people who go to desperate measures to make it.
Source: AIP
COOLEY HIGH
Skipping school, smoking in the bathroom and going to wild parties kept these troublemakers too busy to do school work! Cooley High made us laugh, cry and smile as it told the tale of a group of young men who are eager to grow up but who make questionable decisions along the way. This movie made us realize it really IS hard to say goodbye to yesterday!
Source: Paramount Pictures
JUICE
How could we forget Juice? This coming-of-age film is set in the early ’90s in Harlem and takes us through the lives of four young men, including Roland (Tupac Shakur) and Quincy (Omar Epps). They are eager to grow up fast and have respect (or “the juice”), but end up in situations that are more intense than what they could have possibly imagined.
Source: New Line Cinema
HOUSE PARTY
Although many black films during the early ’90s focused on gripping tales of crime and life on the streets, there were films like House Party that were light-hearted depictions of the joys of being young and having fun at the hottest party on the block. Kid and Play made their acting debut in this rumpshaking festival that had us jamming and trying to learn all the sick dance moves.
Source: Touchstone/Buena Vista
THE INKWELL
How can we forget what it was like during summer vacations when we were kids? This dramedy was about a group of young men in the 1970s who were eager to grow up, chase girls and ignore their parents whenever they could get away with it. We loved seeing Drew (Larenz Tate) and his favorite doll, lago, that he had deep conversations with!
Source: Focus Features
PARIAH
Alike (Adepero Oduye) is a teen who struggles with her sexuality and attempts to hide it from others due to immense peer pressure around her from family. Her story reminds us of what it is like to try to fit in to a world that we might not be completely at ease in.
Source: 40 Acres & A Mule Productions/Universal Pictures
CROOKLYN
Crooklyn is the tale of a black family in Brooklyn struggling to make ends meet and keep the peace. But they continue to have a strong bond and love of family that keeps them together no matter what the odds!
Source: Warner Bros.
LEAN ON ME
Most of us could only imagine having a principal as dedicated to his students as Principal Joe Clark (Morgan Freeman) in Lean on Me. The principal’s loyalty to his students who are facing the harsh reality of their everyday lives is a story of tough love. We admire Morgan Freeman’s performance as a strong example of leadership to students in a time of crisis.
