Each generation has different media, environmental, and historical elements specific to that generation. Depending on when someone is born, we all grow up with different aspects of childhood that shape who we become as adults. Every generation has witnessed various historical events or moments in pop culture that have impacted the trajectory of their lives. Boomers lived through the beginnings of the Cold War and saw the rise of rock ‘n roll. Meanwhile,Millennials and elder Gen-Zwitnessed the events of 9-11 and the start of the digital age. Many important events, technological innovations, and pop culture moments occur in a lifetime that defines entire generations. Just as major historical events and breakthroughs in media impact a generation, so do the movies that are released during those times.
Update July 15, 2025: This article has been updated to include even more movies that defined Gen-X.
The movies that people consume during their formative years have lasting effects on a person’s development. A movie that comforted you as a child may still bring you joy as an adult. A movie that helped you through a rough time as a teenager may have the same effect in your adulthood. More often than not, movies that impacted a person in their youth most likely impacted other individuals in that age group. In the same way that music can define decades or generations, so can movies. The movies that are associated with Boomers, Millennials, and now Gen-Z is often talked about, but what aboutGeneration X?Commonly referred to as Gen-X, this generation is typically defined to include anyone born between 1965-1980, starting right after the baby boom ended. When Gen-Xers were growing up, some of the best and most iconic films were being released. While movies likeStar WarsandIndiana Jonescertainly were part of it, there were plenty of movies that spoke to the real realities Gen X was living through. There were also a lot of movies that perhaps flew under the radar with other people but meant everything to Gen-X. Let’s take a look at the twenty films that defined the generation in order of release.
20Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
When Amy Heckerling’s teen classicFast Times at Ridgemont Highwas released in the summer of 1982, the oldest Gen-Xers were getting ready to graduate high school and just starting to join the workforce. The somewhat raunchy comedy follows a group of both freshmen and seniors as they navigate school, relationships, and their minimum-wage mall jobs.
This movie was made about Gen-X teens, for Gen-X teens. One of the main settings in the movie is their local mall, which was a staple hangout spot formany teenagers in the ’80s. While a lot of teen movies at the time featured a local mall,Fast Times at Ridgemont Highdoes an excellent job at depicting what the mall culture was like for kids then, so much so that if you didn’t grow up then, you may almost feel like you did through this movie. It also very accurately portrays what it is like to start high school and feel compelled to do anything to fit in and be seen as a “mature” teenager.
19Footloose (1984)
The film that skyrocketed Kevin Bacons career, this generation adoredFootloose.Following Ren McCormack (Bacon), who moves from Chicago to a small town and is horrified to discover that dancing has been banned by the local minister. A love of song, dance, and self-expression, but most of all, a rebel without a cause, Ren immediately makes it his mission to break the ban so that he and his classmates can live their lives no longer controlled by the ruling authority.
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It makes sense for Gen Xers to love this movie; they themselves are known for carrying contempt for authority. Raised on the American dream and the idea that liberties and freedoms come above all else, movies during their upbringing tend to reflect these ideologies. So when a movie comes out with the main character trying to take down The Man–– one that includes incredible dance numbers and a good-looking cast––– these young kids and newly-minted adults were excited to watch.
18Karate Kid (1984)
“Wash on, wash off.” the iconic lines that, if you ask any Gen Xer, will put a giant smile on their face. Directed by John G Avidsen, when this film came out, they probably had no idea they’d kick off a beloved franchise thatcontinues to this day. They were just making a cool movie about karate. When Daniel (Ralph Macchio) moves to Southern California with his mother, he struggles with some local bullies. His luck changes when Daniel meets Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita), a repairman who is a pro in martial arts. The two start a quick but testy friendship that helps Daniel gain confidence and stand up to his bullies.
Fun, stylish, and effortlessly cool,Karate Kidbecame an instant classic with a generation excited about breaking the norms that society set for them. After all, Gen Xers are all about questioning authority.Karate Kidwas many people’s first introduction to martial arts and the lessons that can be discerned from the ancient practice while keeping much of the aesthetic, characters, and suburban vibes that many folks in this generation grew up with. Mr. Miyagi and his new teachings were a new world of thought that Gen Xers were excited to get behind and one that carries over today through theCoba Kaiseries, which has shown this brand is as long-lasting asJurassic ParkorGhostbusters.
17The Goonies (1985)
The 1980s gave us some of the most entertaining action-adventure movies of all time, butThe Gooniesreally cemented its place in Gen-X culture in a way that other films of the era did not. The movie follows a group of kids and teens who find out that their homes are about to be demolished to make way for a brand-new development. They decide to go on one last adventure together after discovering a secret map that leads them on an incredible treasure hunt.
Gen-X had a lot of new interests that brought them together in ways that other generations were not always able to compete with. Between the discovery of heavy metal, video games, and rap, Gen-Xers were able to share their love of these new interests with other kids that maybe they would not have normally interacted. That ability is displayed perfectly inThe Goonies, where kids that were part of different cliques were able to come together in their adventure.
16The Breakfast Club (1985)
In what is perhaps his best film, John Hughes’The Breakfast Clubfollows five high school students who wouldn’t normally be caught dead in the same room during a Saturday detention held in the school’s library and overseen by their rather harsh principal. Each of the five students represents a high school stereotype, but they are all revealed to be much more than they appear early on in the movie.
The conversations they have with one another while stuck in the library are not only realistic with believable dialogue but perfectly showcase how they are all essentially the same. Sure, some may be rich while others poor, or some popular while others are not, but when it comes down to it, they are all facing the same insecurities and familial issues. Other generations can relate to this sentiment as well, but very few movies have depicted it as authentically asThe Breakfast Club.
15St. Elmo’s Fire (1985)
IfThe Breakfast Clubwas the representation of the younger Gen-Xers still in high school, thenSt. Elmo’s Fireis the representation of the older Gen-Xers who were in college and preparing to join the adult workforce. It was one of the first films to explore what young adults of the generation were going through as they were leaving adolescence behind and entering the “real world” for the very first time.
The movie follows a large group of friends, played by members of theinfamous Brat Pack, as they try to navigate their way through adult life following college graduation. The movie is a moving look into what post-college life is like for 20-something-year-olds who want to retain their college friendships in adulthood despite their lives taking them in different directions. The group of friends hopelessly try to maintain their friendships even though they know deep down that it is impossible for everyone to stay the same as they were in school.
14Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” With a message like this, you could say Ferris Bueller was a symbol for the Gen Xer population.Ferris Bueller’s Day Offis a beloved film that, while still popular today, hit a particularly important note with this generation. Following an entrepreneurial, popular, and fun-loving kid, Ferris Bueller decides to plan the ultimate day off from school. From concocting the perfect scheme to get out of going to class to heading all over town looking for fun experiences to escaping his evil principal who’s trying to catch Ferris skipping school, Ferris takes viewers on a journey that has them falling in love with being alive.
Ferris is a hyper individualist, something that many Gen Xers themselves firmly hold on to. While he is a lovable character who breeds connections with everyone he meets –– from strangers on the street to his best friends Cameron and Sloane, he stays driven by a desire to experience the most that life has to offer him. Themselves heading into adulthood and beginning to understand who they want to be as they grow up, Ferris Bueller was an inspiration for many Gen Xers who wanted to emulate his free-spirited nature and love of life. And while this generation of people tends to be hyper-focused on work, Ferris was an important reminder of the need to slow down and savor life while you still can.
13Heathers (1988)
Gen-X had plenty of comedic teen movies to choose from, but they also had perhaps the best dark teen comedy to watch, 1988’sHeathers. In a decade filled with upbeat stories about being a teenager, this movie turned heads. It centers around a girl named Veronica (Winona Ryder) who hangs out with the three most popular girls in school, who all happen to be named Heather, in order to survive the tricky social cliques of high school. She is miserable by their side, so when she meets devilishly charming J.D. (Christian Slater), she becomes infatuated with him and is easily lured into his plan to rid the school of its social imbalance.
The film has become a cult classic in the almost 35 years since its release, but at the time, adults were weary of it considering the dark nature of the narrative and the murderous tendencies of its male protagonist. Now it is so popular and mainstream they made a musical theater production of it.
12Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)
When thinking of two lovable, metal-head best friends, many people probably think of Wayne and Garth, which is valid. Before them, however, there were Bill and Ted.Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventurefollows the two titular protagonists on their quest to avoid failing history class. The problem is they hate studying but love music. On the brink of failing, their future selves return to the past to warn them that if they fail, they won’t become the “Two Great Ones” who bring peace to the world by turning it into a metal-loving paradise. They travel back in time in a phone booth to meet the historical figures they are supposed to write about to learn about them and eventually give their presentation.
It seems like the type of movie to strictly be a dumb comedy that plays into the California “dude” stereotype, but it is so much more than that, as the movie respects its protagonists and treats them with care. The best aspect of Bill and Ted as characters and the reason Gen-Xers love them so much is that not only are they hilarious, but they truly just want everyone to have a good time. It’s a fun time any way you slice it, and fellow Gen-X membersKeanu Reeves and Alex Wintersadd a certain charm to their characters that made the movie work so well.
11Do the Right Thing (1989)
Spike Lee’s third directorial effort effectively portrays the brewing hatred and bigotry between the residents of the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn. However, it also just as effectively depicts the generational disdain between the younger people and the older people of the neighborhood. As we get older and become adults, it is inevitable that we start to have disagreements with the generations that came before us.Do the Right Thingexplores this inevitability in a very poignant way.
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Lee captures this sentiment through an angry lens. The young people are fed up with the older people, and vice versa. No one gets along anymore because they all have their own thoughts and opinions. The growing anger and annoyance at each other rose so high that it eventually erupts into a night full of violence and chaos. The local pizzeria is burned down, the police get involved, and the neighborhood changes forever. It is a more serious look at the way young adults of Gen-X were feeling at the time.
