Film: Twentieth Century Women (2016). Young Actress: Elle Fanning, age 17.

This film centers around divorced single mother Dorothea (Annette Bening), who's running a boarding house and raising her fifteen-year-old son Jamie (Lucas Jade Zumann, 2.5 years Elle's junior) alone in 1979 Santa Barbara. Concerned about Jamie growing up without a father, ( Read more... )

Pollyanna (1960), with Hayley Mills
vs.
Polly (1989), with Keshia Knight-Pulliam

( Read more... )

Film: The Great Gilly Hopkins (2015). Young Actress: Sophie Nelisse, age 14.

Based on the 1978 book of the same name, this film opens as Galadriel "Gilly" Hopkins (Sophie) arrives at another foster home. Her new foster mother Trotter (Kathy Bates, Annie 1999) tries to make her feel welcome, but Gilly, angry and apathetic, pushes away all her ( Read more... )

Film: The Nice Guys (2016). Young Actress: Angourie Rice, age 13.

Set in 1970s Los Angeles, The Nice Guys follows Holland March (Ryan Gosling, Lost River), a private detective, and Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe), an enforcer, who unexpectedly join forces. They find out about a secret film, made by a group of environmental activists, exposing ( Read more... )

Film: Nerve (2016). Young Actresses: Emma Roberts, 24, and Emily Meade, 26.

Nerve begins as shy high school senior Vee (Emma) hears from her friend Sydney (Emily) about an online game in which players carry out various different dares for cash prizes. Vee impulsively joins, and she's immediately paired with another player, Ian (Dave Franco). ( Read more... )

Film: The Conjuring 2 (2016). Young Actress: Madison Wolfe, age 13.

Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson, Little Children, and Vera Farmiga, Orphan), the husband-wife paranormal investigators who saved the day in The Conjuring, are back again. In this film, they travel across the pond to Enfield, a borough of north London, where the Hodgson ( Read more... )

Film: An American Haunting (2005). Young Actress: Rachel Hurd-Wood, age 14.

Set in 1817 Tennessee, An American Haunting follows the Bell family, who earn the enmity of an alleged local witch (Gaye Brown) after their father John (Donald Sutherland, The Hunger Games) wins against her in a court case. Soon after the case, poltergeist activity begins ( Read more... )

Film: This Property Is Condemned (1966). Young Actress: Mary Badham, age 13.

This film is based on the Tennessee Williams play of the same name, and every element typical of Williams comes out in full force here: a small Southern town, a sweltering summer heat wave, a dysfunctional family, sex, and alcohol. Set during the 1930's, the story begins ( Read more... )

Film: Ghost World (2001). Young Actresses: Thora Birch, 18, and Scarlett Johansson, 16.

Based on a classic cult comic book of the same name, Ghost World opens at the high school graduation ceremony for longtime best friends Enid (Thora) and Rebecca (Scarlett). Enid, something of the leader between the two, is cynical and proud of her outsider ( Read more... )

Film: Lost River (2014). Young Actress: Saoirse Ronan, age 19.

This bizarre, boring directorial debut from Ryan Gosling ( The Nice Guys) follows a single mom (Christina Hendricks, Ginger & Rosa) struggling to keep her house in a poor, crumbling city. She gets a job doing slasher shows in a seedy nightclub, while her teenage son Bones (Ian ( Read more... )