20 Essential Coming Of Age Movies That Changed Your Life

6. The Goonies

It's unlikely that anyone who grew up in the 80s isn't familiar with Richard Donner's The Goonies. A classic kids' adventure movie from an era when the genre was going through its most prolific period, it captured the imagination of an entire generation - few movies speak to the spirited, adventurous nature of childhood more memorably. The coming-of-age aspects of The Goonies might be delivered with broad brush strokes - like The Breakfast Club it plays on adolescent stereotypes with the jock, the nerd and so on pulling together and recognising their shared aims rather than focusing on their differences - but it's the unadulterated fun the film exudes which makes it so entertaining. It's as if Donner and writer Chris Columbus have taken this ideal of childhood fantasy and made it a reality, and its cheesy, silly qualities are what lends it its irreproachable charm. Let's hope they don't spoil our memories with a pointless remake any time soon.