If you loved Don’t Say Good Luck for its mix of teenage friendships, family drama, awkward moments, and the unpredictable ups and downs of growing up, there are plenty of films that capture a similar spirit. These stories move from first love and changing friendships to family expectations, personal dreams, grief, and the messy process of figuring out who you really are. Some are hilarious, others hit surprisingly hard, and the best manage to do both. So, if you’re searching for movies like Don’t Say Good Luck, these 15 coming-of-age stories deserve a place on your watchlist.
15 Movies Like Don’t Say Good Luck
1. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015)
Greg is a socially awkward teenager who prefers making strange homemade movies with his best friend, Earl, to getting too involved with anyone at school. That changes when his mother pushes him to spend time with Rachel, a classmate diagnosed with leukaemia, and an unexpected friendship begins to reshape all three of their lives. Like Don’t Say Good Luck, the film finds humour in uncomfortable teenage moments without treating its heavier emotions lightly. It is quirky, funny, and deeply moving without ever becoming overly sentimental.
IMDb: 7.7 | Where to Watch: Netflix
2. Suncoast (2024)
In Suncoast, a teenager’s already complicated life becomes even harder when she and her strong-willed mother move her brother into a specialised medical facility. Away from the pressures at home, she forms an unlikely friendship with an eccentric activist involved in protests surrounding a major medical case. The film understands that teenagers can be selfish, funny, confused, loving, and angry all at once. If you enjoyed Don’t Say Good Luck for the way it mixes youthful awkwardness with complicated family relationships, Suncoast is an especially thoughtful follow-up.
IMDb: 6.7 | Where to Watch: Hulu
3. If I Stay (2014)
Mia’s life changes completely after a devastating car accident leaves her in a coma. While experiencing an out-of-body state, she revisits memories of her family, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the future she had imagined for herself before being forced to confront an impossible choice. This is one of the more emotional movies like Don’t Say Good Luck, with far less comedy but plenty of the same questions about love, family, identity, and growing up. Watch it when you’re in the mood for a coming-of-age story designed to hit you right in the heart.
IMDb: 6.7 | Where to Watch: Prime Video
4. Griffin in Summer (2024)
Fourteen-year-old Griffin Nafly is an ambitious young playwright who treats his creative work with the seriousness of a seasoned professional. His carefully controlled summer starts falling apart when he meets Brad, a 25-year-old handyman, and begins dealing with emotions he has absolutely no idea how to handle. What makes Griffin in Summer fun is how seriously it takes Griffin’s very teenage belief that every feeling is enormous and life-changing. Its quirky humour and painfully awkward self-discovery make it an entertaining choice for anyone who likes coming-of-age films with a slightly offbeat edge.
IMDb: 6.8 | Where to Watch: Apple TV
5. CODA (2021)
Ruby is the only hearing member of her deaf family and spends much of her life helping with their fishing business. But after joining her school’s choir, she discovers a genuine talent for singing and begins imagining a future that may take her away from the people who depend on her most. Much like Don’t Say Good Luck, CODA is interested in that uncomfortable moment when growing up starts to mean choosing between family expectations and your own dreams. Warm, funny, romantic, and enormously heartfelt, it is the kind of coming-of-age movie that earns its emotional moments rather than forcing them.
IMDb: 8.0 | Where to Watch: Apple TV
6. The Last Song (2010)
Ronnie arrives at her father’s home carrying plenty of resentment, but their shared connection to music slowly gives them a chance to rebuild their relationship. At the same time, she falls in love and begins confronting the kind of emotions that make adolescence feel both exciting and completely overwhelming. If the family tension and young romance in Don’t Say Good Luck were what pulled you in, The Last Song offers a more melodramatic version of those themes. It is unapologetically emotional, with forgiveness, love, loss, and second chances at the centre of the story.
IMDb: 6.0 | Where to Watch: Netflix
7. My Old Ass (2024)
On her 18th birthday, Elliott has a very unusual encounter with her 39-year-old future self. What begins as a bizarre experience soon becomes more meaningful when her older self starts offering warnings about family, relationships, and choices Elliott hasn’t even made yet. Funny, strange, and unexpectedly tender, My Old Ass is one of those movies like Don’t Say Good Luck that understands how eager teenagers can be to move forward without realising what they are leaving behind. Beneath the comedy is a lovely reminder that growing up is sometimes as much about appreciating the present as chasing whatever comes next.
IMDb: 6.9 | Where to Watch: Prime Video
8. The Edge of Seventeen (2016)
Nadine already feels like the world is against her, and things get much worse when her best friend, Krista, begins dating her older brother. Suddenly, her friendships, family relationships, and already fragile confidence appear to be collapsing at the same time. What makes The Edge of Seventeen so good is that Nadine is allowed to be difficult, dramatic, insecure, selfish, and still completely relatable. If you liked the painfully real teenage energy of Don’t Say Good Luck, this sharp and funny look at adolescence should be one of the first films you pick.
Also Read: 20 Hollywood Teenage Romantic Movies
IMDb: 7.3 | Where to Watch: Netflix
9. Dìdi (2024)
Set during the summer before high school in 2008, Dìdi follows 13-year-old Taiwanese American Chris as he tries to understand skateboarding, flirting, friendships, social media, and his increasingly complicated relationship with his mother. The story is built from the tiny embarrassments and emotional overreactions that make adolescence feel painfully authentic. Fans of Don’t Say Good Luck should especially connect with its messy friendships, first crushes, family tension, and nostalgic humour. It is funny because it remembers exactly how ridiculous being 13 could feel—and moving because it remembers how serious it felt at the time.
IMDb: 7.3 | Where to Watch: Apple TV
10. The Half of It (2020)
Ellie Chu agrees to write a love letter to a popular girl on behalf of her classmate Paul, expecting it to be a straightforward arrangement. Things become much more complicated when Ellie develops feelings for the same girl while also forming an unexpected friendship with Paul. The Half of It is a smart, gentle coming-of-age story that treats teenage romance as only one part of a much bigger journey toward understanding yourself. If friendship and self-discovery were your favourite parts of Don’t Say Good Luck, this is an easy recommendation.
IMDb: 6.9 | Where to Watch: Netflix
11. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
Charlie begins high school feeling deeply isolated, but his world slowly opens up when he becomes friends with a group of older students. Through them, he experiences friendship, romance, parties, belonging, and the complicated emotions tied to his past. It is heavier than many of the other movies like Don’t Say Good Luck, but its emotional honesty is exactly what makes it memorable. Few coming-of-age films capture quite so well the relief of finally finding people who make you feel less alone.
Also Read:15 Best Misfit Movies For Every Rebel, Dreamer & Weirdo
IMDb: 7.9 | Where to Watch: Netflix
12. Clouds (2020)
Based on a true story, Clouds follows teenager Zach Sobiech as he forms a music group and records the inspirational song “Clouds” while living with a devastating diagnosis. Music, friendship, family, love, and ambition all become more urgent as Zach tries to make the most of the time he has. This is unquestionably one of the heavier recommendations on the list, but it never loses sight of youthful hope. If you want something more emotional after Don’t Say Good Luck, Clouds delivers the kind of heartfelt story that stays with you after the credits.
IMDb: 7.5 | Where to Watch: Prime Video
13. Theater Camp (2023)
When the beloved founder of a theatre camp falls into a coma, its eccentric staff members are forced to figure out how to keep the struggling summer programme alive. The result is a chaotic mix of intensely committed theatre kids, oversized personalities, ambitious performances, backstage drama, and plenty of comedy. Theater Camp is less interested in family drama than Don’t Say Good Luck, but it shares its youthful energy and love for young people taking their passions very seriously. For anyone who enjoys performing-arts stories where everyone is just a little too dramatic, this is an easy win.
IMDb: 6.9 | Where to Watch: Prime Video
14. Lady Bird (2017)
As the end of high school approaches, Lady Bird dreams of escaping Sacramento and attending a prestigious college far from home. Between arguments with her mother, changing friendships, disappointing romances, questions of popularity, and anxiety about what comes next, her final year becomes a crash course in growing up. Like Don’t Say Good Luck, Lady Bird understands that adolescence can be funny, frustrating, selfish, loving, and heartbreaking—sometimes within the same conversation. It is also one of the defining modern coming-of-age films for anyone who has ever desperately wanted to leave home only to discover how deeply attached they were to it.
IMDb: 7.4 | Where to Watch: Netflix
15. The Sky Is Everywhere (2022)
Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker is a talented musician living among the redwoods of Northern California when the sudden death of her older sister, Bailey, turns her world upside down. As she struggles with grief, she finds herself pulled between family, music, friendship, and a complicated new romance. This is a more melancholic entry among these movies like Don’t Say Good Luck, but its focus on young love, family, identity, and learning how to move forward makes it a fitting choice. It is visually dreamy, emotionally messy, and especially suited to viewers who prefer their coming-of-age stories on the more reflective side.
IMDb: 5.6 | Where to Watch: Apple TV
From hilarious high-school disasters and awkward first crushes to complicated families, grief, friendships, and big dreams, these movies like Don’t Say Good Luck capture many different sides of growing up. Some are much funnier than others, while a few go into considerably heavier emotional territory, but they all understand that adolescence is rarely neat or predictable. Whether you’re looking for romance, nostalgia, family drama, or a story that might leave you reaching for a tissue, there is plenty here for your next movie night.