Best movies like California Dreaming

Similar in 79%

About Last Night... (1986)

Plot Summary:

A man and woman meet and try to have a romantic affair, despite their personal problems and the interference of their disapproving friends.

Similar in 79%

Bart Got a Room (2008)

Plot Summary:

Everyone is searching for love in director Brian Hecker's semi-autobiographical story. Danny Stein, a high school senior at the bottom of the social food chain, needs a prom date. As a cause of anxiety for Danny, Bart Beeber, the nerdiest guy in school, has already found a date -- and booked a hotel room. At the same time, Danny's divorced parents are both looking for relationships again.

Similar in 90%

Dish Dogs (2000)

Plot Summary:

Two friends travel from town to town taking jobs as dishwashers until they both find love and must choose separate paths.

Similar in 86%

Class (1983)

Plot Summary:

Naive Midwestern prep student Jonathan bonds with his more worldly roommate, Skip, who takes the small-town boy under his wing. At Skip's urging, the inexperienced Jonathan is emboldened to seek out older women in the cocktail lounges of nearby Chicago, where he meets and beds the alluring Ellen, who unfortunately turns out to be Skip's mother. The division between the friends is further deepened when a cheating scandal engulfs the school.

Similar in 78%

Shag - More Dancing (1988)

Plot Summary:

Summer of 1963. Carson is getting married to her boyfriend so her friends Melaina, Pudge and Luanne take her to Myrtle Beach for one last irresponsible weekend.

Similar in 85%

The Inkwell (1994)

Plot Summary:

The Inkwell is about a 16-year-old boy coming of age on Martha's Vineyard in the summer of 1976.

Similar in 88%

The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (1976)

Plot Summary:

Based on a true story, Tod Lubitch is born with a deficient immune system (which is unlike being born with AIDS). As such, he must spend the rest of his life in a completely sterile environment. His room is completely hermetically sealed against bacteria and virus, his food is specially prepared, and his only human contact comes in the form of gloved hands. The movie follows his life into a teenager.

Similar in 87%

A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon (1988)

Plot Summary:

A recent high school graduate is faced with two options, either go to a business school where his father wants him to go to, or get a full time job. However he decides to defy his father and go to Hawaii. Trouble is he has no money. Along the way he comes to understand his parents and eventually bonds with his father.

Similar in 85%

The Wood (1999)

Plot Summary:

In the panicky, uncertain hours before his wedding, a groom with prenuptial jitters and his two best friends reminisce about growing up together in the middle-class African-American neighborhood of Inglewood, California. Flashing back to the twenty-something trio's childhood exploits, the memories capture the mood and nostalgia of the '80s era.

Similar in 83%

Outside Providence (1999)

Plot Summary:

In this coming-of-age comedy, Tim Dunphy is leading a go-nowhere existence, spending his days smoking pot and hanging out with his best friend, Drugs Delaney. But Tim's lazy days of getting high are jettisoned after a brush with the law convinces his blue-collar dad to send him to a Connecticut prep school. The one saving grace of the new school is Jane, a fellow student Tim falls for immediately.

Similar in 80%

Youth in Revolt (2009)

Plot Summary:

As a fan of Albert Camus and Jean-Luc Godard, teenage Nick Twisp is definitely out of his element when his mother and her boyfriend move the family to a trailer park. When a pretty neighbor named Sheeni plays records by French crooners, it's love at first sight for frustrated and inexperienced Nick. Learning that she is dating someone, Nick launches a hilarious quest to find his way into Sheeni's heart -- and bed.

Similar in 78%

The Girl Next Door (2004)

Plot Summary:

Exceptionally ambitious high schooler Matthew has aspirations for a career in politics when he falls in love with his gorgeous 19-year-old neighbor, Danielle. But Matthew's bright future is jeopardized when he finds Danielle was once a porn star. As Danielle's past catches up with her, Matthew's love for her forces him to re-evaluate his goals.

Similar in 81%

The Last American Virgin (1982)

Plot Summary:

The friendship of a group of young friends struggling with teen sex, drugs, and work is jeopardized by a romantic interest which may turn pals into bitter rivals.

Similar in 90%

Whatever It Takes (2000)

Plot Summary:

A nerdy teen, Ryan Woodman is smitten with the popular and gorgeous Ashley Grant, who apparently has no interest in him. Meanwhile, dim star athlete Chris Campbell has his eye on Ryan's brainy and beautiful friend, Maggie Carter. The two agree to help each other in their romantic quests, but, as they come closer to their goals, both Ryan and Chris suspect that they might be pursuing the wrong girls.

Similar in 89%

The Wackness (2008)

Plot Summary:

Set in New York City in the sweltering summer, The Wackness tells the story of a troubled teenage drug dealer, who trades pot for therapy sessions with a drug-addled psychiatrist. Things get more complicated when he falls for one of his classmates, who just happens to be the doctors daughter. This is a coming-of-age story about sex, drugs, music and what it takes to be a man.