20 Essential Coming Of Age Movies That Changed Your Life

11. The Last Picture Show

Peter Bogdanovich's 1971 movie The Last Picture Show demonstrates how universal the themes surrounding coming-of-age are across the generations. Set in a small town in Texas in the early 1950s it is also a comment on the changing face of America in the aftermath of the Second World War, hinting at the sexual liberation which would emerge in full over the following decades. Starring Timothy Bottoms and Jeff Bridges as friends Sonny Crawford and Duane Jackson, The Last Picture Show charts their progression into adulthood and yearning for sexual and emotional satisfaction as they prepare to finish high school. Shot in beautifully composed black and white, Bogdanovich - working from Larry McMurty's semi-autobiographical novel of the same name - is as much concerned with the exploration of youthful sexuality as he is with depicting America in the throes of dilapidation and exhaustion. The result is a classic, and comparisons to the great Hollywood directors of old - John Ford, Howard Hawks and more - are fully justified.