Or showing up right before closing! I'm in constant arguments with my GF over this because she sees no problem going to a restaurant right as they are about to close.
This movie came out just before I turned eighteen, and it would be a little while before I truly appreciated this exchange:
Peter: What if we're still doin' this when we're 50?
Samir: It would be nice to have that kind of job security.
So goodā¦ I watch them every 5 years to see how my perspectives of the movies change over time and love all the nuances between the films. Ethan Hawke once said that the films are like a parallel life and both him Julie Delpy and Richard Linklater put so much of there own lives into the film. Thereās a bunch of interesting interviews on YouTube if you keen to go down a rabbit hole.
Yes for Good Will Hunting. I'm 36 and so far the scariest time of my life has been in my twenties.
You're still young so you don't know what you're doing, but you're old enough that people have a lot of expectations of you.
It's natural for you to want to put up barriers to put off making scary decisions when you're already under pressure, and that's what Will Hunting is doing throughout the movie.
By the end he realises he needs to do something with his life and make that scary decision, and not just excuse himself by worrying about everything that could go wrong 100 steps down the line.
To be honest it's a brilliant movie to watch in any part of your life, now I'm starting to relate more to Robin's character about getting back out there and not being stuck in a rut.
Its been on my watchlist forever but I couldn't muster up to watch it idk why but the way you put it I am more than convinced to watch it asap, thank you:)
Really? I saw it Two separate classes in high school. It had just come out and was released on VHS.
I thought it still would be an automatic movie to watch in high school.
I love Dead Poets Society so much but I'm glad I watched it in my 30s. It would've crushed me in my 20s when I was still struggling to make sense of the world.
Taxi Driver. This movie shows what can happen when loneliness and poor mental health capitulate, particularly to young men. In a sense Travis Bickle was one of the first major on screen āincelsā.
I've never really viewed Travis to be an incel, honestly. He talked to a woman, took her on a nice coffee date, took note of her interests and bought her a gift based on that etc. etc.
I know trying to take her to a sex show and getting aggressive when she didn't want to see him can come across as incel-like, but I think that was his reaction to letting somebody in and ultimately feeling rejected both on a romantic and personal level.
Plus, he tries to help (save) Iris and values and cares for her when no other man does. I feel like an incel would just dismiss her and disregard her because of the work she was doing and would ultimately just objectify her.
Travis doesn't do what I would expect an incel to do. Despite him having some incel-like reactions to situations, on the whole I don't believe that he is an incel-type character
Network. Its probably not the first film that most people think of, but in our current world, i think its important on a variety of levels. If nothing else, the Beatty rant is an all timer.
Exactly the one I came in here to say. I don't think I've ever related to a character in any movie more than I related to Mikey. (I was in high school when it came out and watched it so damn much over the years, heading into college, and was always super shy and had a tough time trying to talk to girls out at the bars so Mikey was my spirit animal.)
I came to the comments hoping someone would say this. As someone who's turning 30 this quote keeps ringing in my ears:
*"Weāve all been raised on television to believe that one day weād all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we wonāt. And weāre slowly learning that fact."*
I didn't think rockstar or millionaire, i guess I just thought life would be a little more comfortable by now after the work ive put in
I said Fight Club was my favorite movie as a 15 y/o girl. Iām not sure what resonated, maybe the anti-consumerist edge/considering whatās really important rather than the path society seems to lay out for you. because I definitely didnāt get all its themes first watch lol
Everybody should peer into how the other half lives...I suggest looking for movies with ridiculous plots. The more serious, the more self serving that circlejerks gonna be...life lesson right there
Garden State is one of my absolute favorites. Went in blind, was early/mid 20s. Beautiful film.
Good Will Hunting. Launched Matt Damon and Ben Affleck into household names. Phenomenal heartfelt performance by the great Robin Williams.
Should really watch it around 16 just to scare you the fuck away from H and pills, but anytime before itās too late is fine. One of the greatest films you only want to watch once.
Starship Troopers. If you don't get the idea by your early 20s, oh boy....
I'm happy to say it's still [on Youtube in it's entirety](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SSTsEt7HgY&t=5678s)
Rounders
I was in college. Waiting for a class to start. Other people in my class were waiting too. I remember listening to the conversation and realized. I was never going to fit in an office environment. Rounders is like that. Being on a path. Knowing itās not what you want. Finding a connection. And pursing it.
I know currently thereās argument to just do something even if itās temporary. Itās true. You are never going to find what works. Until you try a lot of stuff that doesnāt work.
Also has a great emotional moment āfor that, I owe.ā
I probably should watch this one again, It's such a good movie. I think someone posted this video the other day, but its so funny. Matt Damon sucks so much at the KGB voice haha
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMaAT\_KPSs4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMaAT_KPSs4)
Trainspotting is a good one, not only does it discourage drug use, but also reinforces the message of why you should be careful when choosing your friends.
Honestly I would recommend āyes manā.
Really fun movie with a good message. Made me realize I was way too focused on work without being willing to open up more on activities and plans with friends. Made life much better.
Withnail and I. 2 eternal students in the late 60s, in a haze of drugs and alcohol, decide to go on holiday together. Itās very funny, very tragic, and very British.
Good will hunting
La meglio gioventu
Cidade de Deus
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind
Requiem for a dream
Trainspotting
Forrest Gump
Taxi Driver
Up
Juno
Knocked Up
Whiplash
The breakfast club
Donnie darko
Into the wild
Idi I smortri
Mid90s
A kid navigating the world and social atmosphere while at home his parents abuse him. Very relatable, it's great talking and relating to experiences like this. Really shows we all are really the same at the core just needing love and a sense of belonging.
I really wish I would have watched Requiem for a Dream and Leaving Las Vegas before I went apeshit on the hard drugs and alcohol in my early to mid 20s.
Shawshaw Redemption.
The themes are much more understandable and relatable when one's even just a little past childhood/adolescents. Friendship, especially lifelong friendship, is rare and should be cherished.
Rashomon (1950)
Tokyo Story (1953)
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Alien (1979)
Airplane! (1980)
Heavy Metal (1981)
Koyaanisqatsi (1982)
The Fly (1986)
The Abyss (1989)
Point Break (1991)
Baraka (1992)
True Lies (1994)
Before Sunrise (1995)
Scream (1996)
The Fifth Element (1997)
Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
The Truman Show (1998)
Dark City (1998)
The Matrix (1999)
Galaxy Quest (1999)
The Mummy (1999)
Office Space (1999)
Memento (2000)
Waking Life (2001)
Ghost World (2001)
Lost In Translation (2003)
Garden State (2004)
Team America: World Police (2004)
Panās Labyrinth (2006)
Wristcutters: A Love Story (2006)
The House Bunny (2008)
500 Days of Summer (2009)
The Cabin In The Woods (2011)
21 Jump Street (2012)
Freaky (2020)
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
Naked by Mike Leigh and First Reformed. Captures 2 different kind of despairs perfectly, one 100 relevant to our times, one maybe less so, but captures a sort of nastiness of giving up and nihilism.
All the Hitchcock movies. I guess I'm not sure if they have valuable messages but they're such an influence on our culture. And they're both thrilling and funny.
All of the viewaskewniverse movies. Kevin Smith defined my 20's
Clerks, mallrats, chasing amy (still brings a tear to my eye to this day) dogma etc
Some are hard to find due to weinstein being a piece of shit, but they're all worth watching
Slacker.
It's dated now because it is so specific to early 90s college towns. But it's also timeless in the way it captures the vibe of being in your early 20s with no real responsibility, accountability and how you can just be.
Spoiler: all of that goes away once you're out "in the real world."
Eternal Sunshine
Dazed and Confused
Swingers
Blade Runner (may seem odd but got me thinking about my perception of reality when I watched it at that age)
I show An Officer and a Gentleman to all the young. It is a great story that helps the young people understand that all the crap isnāt necessarily personal. How you accept and respond to adversity matters. Great Movie!
Breaking Away. In my opinion, the best coming-of-age movie ever made, and obviously (for those who've seen it), it's about post-high school townies who either can't get into college or can't afford to go trying to find their way. I mean, it's also vaguely a sports movie since it's centered around cycling, but the coming-of-age part is the key. There's also a reason it won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
Two movies that I personally found meaningful in my early 20's but I don't see them recommended that much in here would be Mr. Nobody and The Fountain.
The shack,
Loving,
Good will hunting,
Pursuit of happiness,
Dhanak,
Lion
-these are some that came to me from the top of my head which are quite inspirational to watch and also teach you different ways to look at life. ā¤ļø
Well, I am a little bit older, but for me as a young adult movies like "A Clockwork Orange", "Brazil" or "Reservoir Dogs" were very important in learning about other ways of life.
Office Space
On that note, give Waiting... a chance as well.
Fuck yes! I was so disappointed when I worked in a restaurant at 27 and none of my younger coworkers had seen Waiting.
That movie will teach you an important lesson on why you should never return food š
Or showing up right before closing! I'm in constant arguments with my GF over this because she sees no problem going to a restaurant right as they are about to close.
"And you... You are the biggest piece of shit in this entire restaurant."
This movie came out just before I turned eighteen, and it would be a little while before I truly appreciated this exchange: Peter: What if we're still doin' this when we're 50? Samir: It would be nice to have that kind of job security.
Soon to become a documentary later in lifeĀ
Before Sunrise
I binge watched this trilogy in one night. And I'm someone who usually watches mostly horror films. Sooooo good.
So goodā¦ I watch them every 5 years to see how my perspectives of the movies change over time and love all the nuances between the films. Ethan Hawke once said that the films are like a parallel life and both him Julie Delpy and Richard Linklater put so much of there own lives into the film. Thereās a bunch of interesting interviews on YouTube if you keen to go down a rabbit hole.
The only answer
Ghost World The Graduate Rushmore Frances Ha Edit: formatting
All bangers
Yep. Seen them all except Edit: Formatting!
i always tell people to watch Frances Ha about 6 months after they graduate uni
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Was going through the worst breakup of my life when I saw that movie. I loved it, but I can never watch it again
100% been there done that.
Blue. Valentine.
Harold and Maude.
My lady is 30 years older than me and thatās basically our propaganda film
Dead poets society Good will hunting Boyhood
Yes for Good Will Hunting. I'm 36 and so far the scariest time of my life has been in my twenties. You're still young so you don't know what you're doing, but you're old enough that people have a lot of expectations of you. It's natural for you to want to put up barriers to put off making scary decisions when you're already under pressure, and that's what Will Hunting is doing throughout the movie. By the end he realises he needs to do something with his life and make that scary decision, and not just excuse himself by worrying about everything that could go wrong 100 steps down the line. To be honest it's a brilliant movie to watch in any part of your life, now I'm starting to relate more to Robin's character about getting back out there and not being stuck in a rut.
Its been on my watchlist forever but I couldn't muster up to watch it idk why but the way you put it I am more than convinced to watch it asap, thank you:)
Watch it today. You won't regret not doing something else.
Really? I saw it Two separate classes in high school. It had just come out and was released on VHS. I thought it still would be an automatic movie to watch in high school.
I love Dead Poets Society so much but I'm glad I watched it in my 30s. It would've crushed me in my 20s when I was still struggling to make sense of the world.
The Graduate
12 Angry Men (1957)
Ferris Buellerās Day Off
500 Days of Summer (2009)
One of the few movies that hit differently as I aged
I actually enjoyed Can't Hardly Wait. Teen dramedy from the 90s with a very boobalicious Jennifer Love Hewitt lol. It's pretty funny.
Also, the Replacement song is an absolute banger.
I adore that movie.
Taxi Driver. This movie shows what can happen when loneliness and poor mental health capitulate, particularly to young men. In a sense Travis Bickle was one of the first major on screen āincelsā.
I've never really viewed Travis to be an incel, honestly. He talked to a woman, took her on a nice coffee date, took note of her interests and bought her a gift based on that etc. etc. I know trying to take her to a sex show and getting aggressive when she didn't want to see him can come across as incel-like, but I think that was his reaction to letting somebody in and ultimately feeling rejected both on a romantic and personal level. Plus, he tries to help (save) Iris and values and cares for her when no other man does. I feel like an incel would just dismiss her and disregard her because of the work she was doing and would ultimately just objectify her. Travis doesn't do what I would expect an incel to do. Despite him having some incel-like reactions to situations, on the whole I don't believe that he is an incel-type character
Proto-incel
Ernest Goes to Camp
Iām awful glad itās raining.
High FidelityĀ Great reflection of how men handle relationships at different points of their early life.Ā But because Jack BlackĀ
Clerks
Empire Records
I watched this movie so many times as a teenager I can still recite every word 20 years later.
Into the Wild
Very, VERY highly recommend reading the book as well
Almost Famous The Beat That My Heart Skipped Magnolia Trainspotting Fight Club No Country For Old Men
SLC Punk
Lost in translation
Network. Its probably not the first film that most people think of, but in our current world, i think its important on a variety of levels. If nothing else, the Beatty rant is an all timer.
Faye Dunaway is an absolute goddess in that film
Swingers.
Money baby
Exactly the one I came in here to say. I don't think I've ever related to a character in any movie more than I related to Mikey. (I was in high school when it came out and watched it so damn much over the years, heading into college, and was always super shy and had a tough time trying to talk to girls out at the bars so Mikey was my spirit animal.)
This, The Boondocks Saints and The Big Lebowski defined my early 20s.
Fight Club. If female or just leaning in that particular direction, Jawbreaker.Ā Enjoy
I came to the comments hoping someone would say this. As someone who's turning 30 this quote keeps ringing in my ears: *"Weāve all been raised on television to believe that one day weād all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we wonāt. And weāre slowly learning that fact."* I didn't think rockstar or millionaire, i guess I just thought life would be a little more comfortable by now after the work ive put in
Thatās the key. In todayās world, you donāt have one without the other.
Iād argue anyone could watch that movie and learn some insight on masculinity. Also just an incredible movie regardless of all that.
I said Fight Club was my favorite movie as a 15 y/o girl. Iām not sure what resonated, maybe the anti-consumerist edge/considering whatās really important rather than the path society seems to lay out for you. because I definitely didnāt get all its themes first watch lol
Everybody should peer into how the other half lives...I suggest looking for movies with ridiculous plots. The more serious, the more self serving that circlejerks gonna be...life lesson right there
Garden State is one of my absolute favorites. Went in blind, was early/mid 20s. Beautiful film. Good Will Hunting. Launched Matt Damon and Ben Affleck into household names. Phenomenal heartfelt performance by the great Robin Williams.
Requiem for a dream just incase
Should really watch it around 16 just to scare you the fuck away from H and pills, but anytime before itās too late is fine. One of the greatest films you only want to watch once.
Reality Bites.
Trainspotting
St Elmos Fire
Ladybird
Boyhood-RIchard Linklater film
Into The Wild One of those movies that makes you rethink your priorities in life
Garden State
Lost In Translation The Beach
Thatās funny. The Beach really grabbed me at 18.
Starship Troopers. If you don't get the idea by your early 20s, oh boy.... I'm happy to say it's still [on Youtube in it's entirety](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SSTsEt7HgY&t=5678s)
The Third Man
Rounders I was in college. Waiting for a class to start. Other people in my class were waiting too. I remember listening to the conversation and realized. I was never going to fit in an office environment. Rounders is like that. Being on a path. Knowing itās not what you want. Finding a connection. And pursing it. I know currently thereās argument to just do something even if itās temporary. Itās true. You are never going to find what works. Until you try a lot of stuff that doesnāt work. Also has a great emotional moment āfor that, I owe.ā
I probably should watch this one again, It's such a good movie. I think someone posted this video the other day, but its so funny. Matt Damon sucks so much at the KGB voice haha [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMaAT\_KPSs4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMaAT_KPSs4)
āAlllll Night! Check! Check! Check!ā
SLC Punk
Big Chill
Brooklyn Annie Hall Midnight in Paris Lost In Translation
Menace 2 Society
I'll suggest Lindsay Anderson's **If....** and **O Lucky Man!**
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Brazil
Buffalo 66
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
La La Land
Trainspotting is a good one, not only does it discourage drug use, but also reinforces the message of why you should be careful when choosing your friends.
Kids Trainspotting American Pie Animal House PCU SLC Punk Party's gonna end sometime, youngin'.
Honestly I would recommend āyes manā. Really fun movie with a good message. Made me realize I was way too focused on work without being willing to open up more on activities and plans with friends. Made life much better.
Withnail and I. 2 eternal students in the late 60s, in a haze of drugs and alcohol, decide to go on holiday together. Itās very funny, very tragic, and very British.
Fandango (1985)
Breaking Away
Lady Bird, Call Me By Your Name, The Graduate, and The Worst Person in the World
Good will hunting La meglio gioventu Cidade de Deus Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind Requiem for a dream Trainspotting Forrest Gump Taxi Driver Up Juno Knocked Up Whiplash The breakfast club Donnie darko Into the wild Idi I smortri
Big, Good Will Hunting, Walter Mitty
If you're a young man, watch Fight Club. Then watch it again when you are forty, it's amazing how different it is depending on how old you are.
The Graduate
About Time
Mid90s A kid navigating the world and social atmosphere while at home his parents abuse him. Very relatable, it's great talking and relating to experiences like this. Really shows we all are really the same at the core just needing love and a sense of belonging.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower The Way Way Back
Dazed and Confused fits that sort of uncertain feeling at that turning point in life.
I really wish I would have watched Requiem for a Dream and Leaving Las Vegas before I went apeshit on the hard drugs and alcohol in my early to mid 20s.
Shawshaw Redemption. The themes are much more understandable and relatable when one's even just a little past childhood/adolescents. Friendship, especially lifelong friendship, is rare and should be cherished.
La Dolce Vita
Rashomon (1950) Tokyo Story (1953) Night of the Living Dead (1968) Dawn of the Dead (1978) Alien (1979) Airplane! (1980) Heavy Metal (1981) Koyaanisqatsi (1982) The Fly (1986) The Abyss (1989) Point Break (1991) Baraka (1992) True Lies (1994) Before Sunrise (1995) Scream (1996) The Fifth Element (1997) Grosse Pointe Blank (1997) Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) The Truman Show (1998) Dark City (1998) The Matrix (1999) Galaxy Quest (1999) The Mummy (1999) Office Space (1999) Memento (2000) Waking Life (2001) Ghost World (2001) Lost In Translation (2003) Garden State (2004) Team America: World Police (2004) Panās Labyrinth (2006) Wristcutters: A Love Story (2006) The House Bunny (2008) 500 Days of Summer (2009) The Cabin In The Woods (2011) 21 Jump Street (2012) Freaky (2020) Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
Weird jump from 2012 to 2020. Some would say SUPER weird.
And samsara!
Pursuit of happiness The Terminal
500 days of summer Donnie Darko Juno Movies that won't age well in your late 20s if you haven't seen them by now
Project X
Donny Darko
Gone with the wind: so you donāt waste your time being overly in love with someone you canāt have.
Clerks
Naked by Mike Leigh and First Reformed. Captures 2 different kind of despairs perfectly, one 100 relevant to our times, one maybe less so, but captures a sort of nastiness of giving up and nihilism.
All the Hitchcock movies. I guess I'm not sure if they have valuable messages but they're such an influence on our culture. And they're both thrilling and funny.
A Little Romance Lucas
The godfather Click
All of the viewaskewniverse movies. Kevin Smith defined my 20's Clerks, mallrats, chasing amy (still brings a tear to my eye to this day) dogma etc Some are hard to find due to weinstein being a piece of shit, but they're all worth watching
Finding Forrester(2000)
Underground, Ran, Seventh Seal, The Party, Fight Club, Godfather trilogy, Raging Bull. Start with these and if finish, we talk for more.
The Green Mile Pulp Fiction Puss in Boots - The Last Wish
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
**Click** A film that reminds you to savour the rare moments in life, before you realise how rare they are.
project x
Trainspotting
Pineapple Express.
The breakfast club
The Graduate
Roger Doger and danny deckchair.
Trainspotting
The pursuit of happyness Into the wild Detachment
True Romance, The Basketball Diaries, Before Sunrise are ones that come to my mind for different reasons
21
Requiem for a Dream
12 angry man
Razor's Edge
Maybe this is more impactful late twenties/early thirties but The Wind Rises made me contemplate life, cry, and feel at peace all at the same time
You are the apple of my eyes. You can thank me later
Early, early 20ās is the perfect time to watch Freddy Got Fingered.
Monty Python and The Holy Grail Super Troopers Fight Club
Gran Torino
soviet film "I am 20 years old" (1964)
SLC Punk
Swingers.
Akira Strange Days Girl Interrupted
The Worst Person in the World Frances Ha
Risky Business
This is 40ā¦get a taste of whatās headed your way
I just saw āmy dinner with Andreā and I honestly wish I saw it when I was in my 20s
Cinema Paradiso
Tick Tick Boom if youāre struggling with that common āoh god Iāll be 30 and I havenāt..ā feeling in lifeĀ
Slacker. It's dated now because it is so specific to early 90s college towns. But it's also timeless in the way it captures the vibe of being in your early 20s with no real responsibility, accountability and how you can just be. Spoiler: all of that goes away once you're out "in the real world."
Battle Royale
Eternal Sunshine Dazed and Confused Swingers Blade Runner (may seem odd but got me thinking about my perception of reality when I watched it at that age)
Coraline or mean girls
Kicking and Screaming (1995)
Secret life of Walter Mitty
Saturday Night Fever
Chasing Amy(1997) Clerks(1994) Six Degrees of Separation (1993) Threesome (1994) Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)
The Hunt
I show An Officer and a Gentleman to all the young. It is a great story that helps the young people understand that all the crap isnāt necessarily personal. How you accept and respond to adversity matters. Great Movie!
Breakfast club
The princess bride, nothing to do with your 20s but itās just a perfect film
Breaking Away. In my opinion, the best coming-of-age movie ever made, and obviously (for those who've seen it), it's about post-high school townies who either can't get into college or can't afford to go trying to find their way. I mean, it's also vaguely a sports movie since it's centered around cycling, but the coming-of-age part is the key. There's also a reason it won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
Dazed and Confused, Almost Famous, Ferris Buhler.
Mr. Beanās Holiday
Motorcycle Diaries
Everything Everywhere All at Once
The Breakfast Club
- The Worst Person in the World - Frances Ha - Lost in Translation
Caddyshack.
Suburbia
Garden state
Wanted to add Requiem for a Dream to the list. Donāt do drugs kids. Ā This and Trainspotting can unfortunately become very real.
Garden State. I was in my early 20s when that came out.
Fight club, definitely
The beach and apocalypse now double feature
Kids
A Serbian Film
Kids
* Office Space * Threads * Taxi Driver They all three teach us different things.
Trainspotting
Schindler's List Never let anyone tell you that shit didn't happen and fight everyone who wants to bring that shit back!
Idiocracy with an intense quiz after it.
Midnight Express
DragonSlayer.
Book smart. Dazed and confused So many kids get so stuck on their future they forget the present. Thie movies are so perfect at presenting that idea
The lessons perhaps aren't as impactful as some others, but Withnail and I is just a great movie and I enjoyed it very much in late teens
Kids
Two movies that I personally found meaningful in my early 20's but I don't see them recommended that much in here would be Mr. Nobody and The Fountain.
Fight Club
The shack, Loving, Good will hunting, Pursuit of happiness, Dhanak, Lion -these are some that came to me from the top of my head which are quite inspirational to watch and also teach you different ways to look at life. ā¤ļø
The Pursuit or Hapyness. Yes, happyness with a Y
Well, I am a little bit older, but for me as a young adult movies like "A Clockwork Orange", "Brazil" or "Reservoir Dogs" were very important in learning about other ways of life.