CNN
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On this 12 months’s earnest and charming “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” titular preteen Margaret (“Clear” star Abby Ryder Fortson) pleads with the divine in regards to the vagaries of rising up, which in her case embody the prospect of transferring to a brand new city in addition to her determined want to pace by means of puberty into womanhood.
It’s a film full of small moments – discovering buddies at a brand new faculty, visits with grandma within the metropolis – that add as much as one thing a lot bigger, tapping right into a theme that stored arising in leisure this 12 months: delicate, hilarious and heartfelt takes on the journey from baby to grownup, with all of the awkwardness and jubilation that goes with it.
After all, 2023 didn’t invent the coming-of-age film, however maybe, it nailed it. Whereas this 70s-set adaptation of Judy Blume’s novel might have simply veered into tacky territory, “Margaret” stays disarming and genuine, in no small half because of Fortson’s efficiency and people (attempt to keep away from utilizing “in addition to” a lot) of Rachel McAdams, who performs her frazzled however well-meaning mom, and Kathy Bates because the overbearing grandmother.
Deft and personable performances are additionally what floor Netflix’s tackle Fiona Rosenbloom’s 2005 novel “You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah,” which manages to skirt round some severe nepo baby favoritism to win over viewers with an insightful have a look at the intricate social hierarchies of center faculty.
Produced by and costarring Adam Sandler, “Bat Mitzvah” additionally stars his daughters Sadie and Sunny Sandler and even options his spouse Jackie. However his daughters particularly handle to make viewers overlook simply how a lot of a Sandler household affair that is, getting us invested of their onscreen household and particularly Stacy’s (Sunny Sandler) conundrum when a cute boy at college – and a large misunderstanding – trigger her to get uninvited to her BFF’s bat mitzvah.
In her all-too-familiar quest to slot in socially, Stacy is confronted with shifting loyalties inside good friend teams at college, inserting the viewer proper there along with her and calling to thoughts what these moments truly felt like for us all. The identical goes for the a lot raunchier however nonetheless intelligent and interesting “Bottoms” – starring the pure and winsome Rachel Sennott – which mixes traditional teen angst tropes with “Combat Membership,” after which places a welcome queer spin on the proceedings.
After which there’s arguably the film of the 12 months, “Barbie,” which was grounded by a really actual and relatable character arc that served as a counterweight to all of the plastic-ness – specifically the younger Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt), who has clearly outgrown her Barbie part and is attempting to determine the parameters of her extra grown-up id when, alongside along with her Mattel worker mom (America Ferrera), she is confronted with the “actual life” doll herself (Margot Robbie). It’s by means of Sasha and her mom’s want to create a secure and warranted world wherein she will develop, that “Barbie” is ready to ship its generally tongue-in-cheek however nonetheless encouraging feminist message.
However this pattern of bullseye portraits of fledgling maturity prolonged past films this 12 months. Within the hit collection “The Final of Us,” based mostly on the acclaimed online game, Pedro Pascal’s tortured loner Joel turns into the default father determine to Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a youth struggling to discover a path ahead in an apocalyptic world ravaged by a fungal zombie plague.
Late within the season, an episode titled “Left Behind” illuminates Ellie’s backstory in a bottle episode that felt extra like a brief movie. In it, those self same grisly social constructions from highschool depicted within the films are seen in full pressure, with Ellie getting right into a struggle with a bully after which breaking out on her personal. Later within the episode, she explores the “wonders” of the now-defunct fashionable world with Riley (“Euphoria’s” Storm Reid), a good friend who instantly turns into one thing extra, cueing these dizzying effects of young love.
Very similar to in traditional teen movies like “Heathers,” “Clueless” and “Imply Ladies,” the protagonists on this 12 months’s high quality crop of (because it occurs, principally feminine) coming-of-age tales navigate by means of and negotiate with the skin world whereas their identities are actively altering, which permits for awkward and even humiliating exchanges to return as simply because the heart-pounding blissful moments of old flame – or one thing akin to it.
Whereas not each challenge talked about right here might be remembered as a lot as some others as soon as 2023 is within the rearview mirror, the very best half is that films like “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” and “You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah” will all the time be accessible of their respective streaming properties for youths to seek out as they arrive of age, as effectively. Mazel tov, Hollywood. You’re rising up so quick!
“Barbie” and “The Final of Us” had been produced by Warner Bros. Footage and Max, respectively, that are owned by CNN’s dad or mum firm Warner Bros. Discovery.
CNN’s Alli Rosenbloom contributed to this story.