15 Essential Summer Movies
Movies have a special place in the heart of summer. As the days grow longer and hotter, so does our need to escape. Whether we’re escaping into a cool, dark theater or into the stories on the screen (or both), there’s a particular feeling evoked from a summer movie.
For this article, over 100 Twitter users submitted their favorite “summer movies” to create an essential list as well as help us define what ultimately makes a movie a “summer movie”.
“Summer is the time for blockbusters. Lots of fun and show,” said Twitter user James Bramble (@BrambleJim) “Something that has Tom Cruise jumping out of an airplane or directed by Christiopher Nolan and makes a billion dollars.”
The blockbuster is certainly one type of summer film with its grand display of action and adventure. But not every blockbuster is a summer movie, and not every summer movie is a blockbuster. So what else defines them?
“A summer movie is a vacation; either for my tired soul from the winter or for the characters on screen. It can be big or intimate and still achieve its goal. It can be a fun blockbuster to get swept up in or something smaller,” said Andrew (@desertgranite).
Many responses described summer movies as a type of time machine, bringing us back to the feeling of past summers, of childhood, youth, and simpler times. Of the films submitted, 25% were from the 1980s, which was a peak time for coming-of-age movies.
“It has to actually make me FEEL summer: lazy days, sunshine, beaches, vacations, camp, family, friends, and a sense of freedom,” said Alysinly (@ali0004). “It has to have a certain aesthetic that invokes my own nostalgia of summer.”
For a lot of people, the sense of freedom was a key factor in what defines a summer movie. Not just in the setting of the film, but in the characters too. Herewegomez (@_herewegomez) said that “Abstinence from obligation as a trait in some or most of the key characters” is an important piece of what makes a summer movie.
Julie C (@jcja56) described summer movies as having a “sense of freedom and adventure, coming of age or a fresh start” and “soothing, funny or romantic, but not too stressful or tense.”
While a lot of audiences seek out happy and care-free summer movies, horror movies can bring forth feelings of summer too.
“There's something about murder in extreme heat that feels so on brand,” said @corgiKD.
Summer movies seem to come in all different shapes and sizes, but what we can deduce from this deep dive is that a summer movie should check at least three of the following boxes:
Summertime Setting
Coming of Age
Sense of freedom
Box Office Hit
1980s
Outdoor Activities (Beach, Camping, Sports, etc)
Murder/Death in hot temperatures
Of the 286 films that were submitted, the 15 below were the most popular. None of them check all the boxes, but if you’re looking to capture the essence of summer, look no further than the films below.
#15 Weekend at Bernie’s (1989)
☑Summertime Setting
☐Coming of Age
☑Sense of freedom
☐Box Office Hit
☑1980s
☑Outdoor Activities (Beach, Camping, Sports, etc)
☑Murder/Death in hot temperatures
#14 One Crazy Summer (1986)
☑Summertime Setting
☑Coming of Age
☑Sense of freedom
☐Box Office Hit
☑1980s
☑Outdoor Activities (Beach, Camping, Sports, etc)
☐Murder/Death in hot temperatures
#13 The Way, Way Back (2013)
☑Summertime Setting
☑Coming of Age
☑Sense of freedom
☐Box Office Hit
☐1980s
☑Outdoor Activities (Beach, Camping, Sports, etc)
☐Murder/Death in hot temperatures
#12 Summer Rental (1985)
☑Summertime Setting
☐Coming of Age
☑Sense of freedom
☐Box Office Hit
☑1980s
☑Outdoor Activities (Beach, Camping, Sports, etc)
☐Murder/Death in hot temperatures
#11 Back to the Future (1985)
☐Summertime Setting
☑Coming of Age
☑Sense of freedom
☑1980s
☑Box Office Hit
☐Outdoor Activities (Beach, Camping, Sports, etc)
☐Murder/Death in hot temperatures
#10 The Great Outdoors (1988)
☑Summertime Setting
☐Coming of Age
☑Sense of freedom
☑1980s
☐Box Office Hit
☑Outdoor Activities (Beach, Camping, Sports, etc)
☐Murder/Death in hot temperatures
#9 Summer School (1987)
☑Summertime Setting
☑Coming of Age
☐Sense of freedom
☐Box Office Hit
☑1980s
☐Outdoor Activities (Beach, Camping, Sports, etc)
☐Murder/Death in hot temperatures
#8 Jurassic Park (1993)
☐Summertime Setting
☐Coming of Age
☑Sense of freedom
☑Box Office Hit
☐1980s
☑Outdoor Activities (Beach, Camping, Sports, etc)
☑Murder/Death in hot temperatures
#7 Independence Day (1996)
☑Summertime Setting
☐Coming of Age
☑Sense of freedom
☑Box Office Hit
☐1980s
☐Outdoor Activities (Beach, Camping, Sports etc)
☑Murder/Death in hot temperatures
#6 National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983)
☑Summertime Setting
☐Coming of Age
☑Sense of freedom
☑Box Office Hit
☑1980s
☑Outdoor Activities (Beach, Camping, Sports, etc)
☑Murder/Death in hot temperatures
#5 Do the Right Thing (1989)
☑Summertime Setting
☐Coming of Age
☐Sense of freedom
☐Box Office Hit
☑1980s
☑Outdoor Activities (Beach, Camping, Sports etc)
☑Murder/Death in hot temperatures
#4 Dazed and Confused (1993)
☑Summertime Setting
☑Coming of Age
☐Sense of freedom
☐Box Office Hit
☐1980s
☑Outdoor Activities (Beach, Camping, Sports, etc)
☐Murder/Death in hot temperatures
#3 The Sandlot (1993)
☑Summertime Setting
☑Coming of Age
☑Sense of freedom
☐Box Office Hit
☐1980s
☑Outdoor Activities (Beach, Camping, Sports, etc)
☐Murder/Death in hot temperatures
#2 Stand By Me (1986)
☑Summertime Setting
☑Coming of Age
☐Sense of freedom
☑Box Office Hit
☑1980s
☑Outdoor Activities (Beach, Camping, Sports, etc)
☑Murder/Death in hot temperatures
#1 Jaws (1975)
☑Summertime Setting
☐Coming of Age
☐Sense of freedom
☑Box Office Hit
☐1980s
☑Outdoor Activities (Beach, Camping, Sports, etc)
☑Murder/Death in hot temperatures
You can check out a full list of all the “summer movies” that were submitted on Letterboxd here
