‘Jaws,’ ‘Dirty Dancing,’ ‘National Lampoon’s Vacation,’ and Other Movies That Scream Summer

“Summer” isn't actually a feeling, but even writing the word immediately invokes warm days and melting ice cream and sand between toes. Something about the feeling of summer defies an easy definition, but some movies have a way of capturing it and putting it on display.

American filmmakers seem to enjoy romanticizing summertime and the summer camp experience or swinging in the opposite direction and turning the experience into an absolutely horrific story. In so many classic films, summer seems almost to play a supporting role. But some movies, no matter what the plot, just feel like summertime.

Some movies feel like dives into the pool, warm post-beach days, lazy summer afternoons with a good book, the sting of summer heartbreak, and the melancholy of growing up. Something about filmmakers' ability to make audiences feel those moments so powerfully keeps them coming back every time. Whether it's horror, romance, or comedy, these movies just resonate with fans.

1. Wet Hot American Summer

Summer can't be over without a trip to summer camp, and Wet Hot American Summer marries the camp experience with the bittersweetness of the end of summer. Full of comedic greats like Amy Poehler, Paul Rudd, Ken Marino, and more, the movie pokes fun at the wildness of teen summer camps and the extreme highs and lows it brings on for everyone who experiences it.

Wet Hot American Summer captures that end-of-summer-camp feeling in the funniest way possible. It feels both entirely hyperbolic and strangely on the nose of the worst and best moments of summer camp, those moments that stick with campers years later.

2. Dirty Dancing

No summer should end without a watch of Dirty Dancing, the quintessential 80s summer movie. A summer romance set in the Catskills in the 1960s gifted the world some of the most iconic moments in cinema. “Nobody puts Baby in a corner,” and the “Lover Boy” scene to name a few. Nostalgic at its release, the film brings a whole new level of nostalgia when viewed decades after its release. 

Audiences will have the time of their lives giving this classic a summer rewatch, remembering that beautiful summer romance or recollecting summers spent with family. The film gives viewers a chance to escape to somewhere beautiful and get swept up in a beautifully acted romance.

3. Adventureland

A move back to the 80s, Adventureland stars Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart as two teens who work in an amusement park in the summer of 1987. From love triangles to 80s style to an incredible soundtrack, it hits all the summer movie high points.

The nostalgia, coupled with the hilarious cast and the unforgettable setting, make Adventureland a film that somehow feels fresh and new, even set in the past. It captures the feeling of that pre-college summer and the hope, fear, and joy that make it up and the amusement park setting enhances the summer feeling.

4. Summer Catch

90s heartthrob Freddie Prinze Jr. stars in Summer Catch across from Jessica Biel in a movie that manages to hit some of the biggest summer experiences—love, baseball, and summer on the Cape. The two characters fall in love with one another, despite their parent's wishes, and do everything they can to spend time together.

The nostalgia of the film and the whirlwind of a summer romance make it an easy-to-watch rom-com. The light and low-stakes feeling of the movie and the baseball-centric storyline make this film feel like a childhood summer spent falling in love.

5. I Know What You Did Last Summer

Not much beats I Know What You Did Last Summer when it comes to summer thrillers. Starring some of the biggest names of the 90s, the movie carries suspense and terror through the entire plot, culminating in a surprise ending that audiences probably predicted, but it's always nice to feel validated.

Set in a mysterious, sleepy beach town, the film might not be something anyone actually experienced in the summer of their youth, but it feels strangely familiar. It offers a little camp, a whole lot of 90s style, and mystery.

6. Endless Summer

Summer wouldn't be summer without surfing, and Endless Summer gives audiences their fill of summertime surfs as the two main characters chase swells across the world. Though most viewers may not have experienced a summer in the 1960s, something about the vibes of that decade encapsulates classic summer vibes.

Shot over several years, this documentary offers a realistic, behind-the-scenes look at surfing in the late 60s and transports viewers back to a simpler time. Filmed by Bruce Brown, an award-winning surfer himself, the piece captures moments that audiences otherwise would never see.

7. Blue Crush

The Hawaiian scenery, the 90s style, and the star power of a young Kate Bosworth and Michelle Rodriguez make Blue Crush a summer staple. It feels instantly transportive to a summer of high-stakes surfing and intense bonding on one of the world's most beautiful islands.

The sun-soaked film captures 90s summer style in a way nothing else does. Watching this movie feels like opening a door to a place of eternal summer and beautiful, surfable waves.

8. Midsommar

What hits harder than an A24 film? Midsommar takes place in an unexpected location for a summer film, but one that feels apropos. Florence Pugh stars as an American college student drawn into a strange Scandinavian cult and the tradition of Midsommar. It feels eerie and uncomfortable, and the brightness and summer feeling of it just serves to heighten the terror.

Midsommar strikes a particular chord that no other summer horror movies can. Something about the bright colors, the summer setting, and the brilliant Florence Pugh serve to make it terrifying on a bone-deep level. Even if this movie ran with no audio, just looking at the visuals brings summer to life.

9. Mamma Mia

An unbelievable, all-star cast brings together the beauty and effortlessness of a Greek summer with the fun, exciting music of ABBA. Meryl Streep as the loving matriarch, Amanda Seyfried as her darling daughter, and Christine Baranski and Julie Walters as the dedicated best friends and aunties push the film over the top. 

Summer romance, a Grecian wedding, and endless music make Mamma Mia feel like a summer fever dream that should be relived over and over again. A constant stream of ABBA running over the visuals of a Greek island and a summer wedding transports viewers to sunnier climes and simpler times.

10. Luca

Something about the Italian soundtrack and the bright, beautiful artistry of Luca made this movie a fast fixture on summer watch lists. Sea monsters and best friends Luca and Alberto want to explore the world and leave behind the restrictive world of their childhood. They strike out on their own and make friends with a young human girl, Giulia, and the trio works to find their place in the summery, sleepy town of Portorosso.

Luca captures the joy of a childhood summer and the camaraderie that can only be experienced with those summer friends. The animation in this film stands out as some of Disney's most interesting in the last few years, not shying away from bold colors and even bolder landscapes.

11. Girls Trip

Starring Queen Latifah, Tiffany Haddish, Regina Hall, and Jada Pinkett Smith, Girls Trip follows best friends as they head to New Orleans for the Essence Festival. The “Flossy Posse” used to hang out all the time, but life gets in the way, and they rarely see one another these days. When Ryan invites her friends to NOLA with her, they learn how to reconnect with their love for one another.

A summer trip with friends never goes to plan, but even those tough moments help bring you closer together. Girls Trip reminds audiences of the other important aspects of summer, beyond vacations and beautiful scenery; the opportunity to get closer to friends and family.

12. The To Do List

Aubrey Plaza stars as Brandy Klark in the hilariously irreverent movie set in 1993. Uptight and looking to shake things up before she heads to college, Brandy creates a list of all the things she has yet to try and wants to accomplish before September.

The movie feels like a coming-of-age story but with biting humor that keeps audiences laughing and cringing in equal measure. It perfectly captures the desperation and excitement of the pre-college summer. 

13. The Way Way Back

Starring Toni Collette and Steve Carrell, The Way Way Back serves up teen angst and feel-good moments with equal measure. Duncan's mom (Collette) forces him to spend the summer with herself, her boyfriend (Carrell), and his daughter, and Duncan will do anything to avoid it, even taking a job at the local rundown waterpark.

More than the setting, the bittersweet storyline makes The Way Way Back feel like summertime. It reminds audiences of those dog days of summer, the harder moments of teen years, and the tough parts of growing up. Summer doesn't always mean fun, and The Way Way Back reminds audiences of that in a poignant and beautiful way.

14. Moonrise Kingdom

During the summer of 1965, two kids run away together, forcing their family to band together and find them. From the brilliant, eccentric mind of Wes Anderson, Moonrise Kingdom delivers a sort of dreamy, vintage feel to a summer evening. The visuals throughout feel like summer, Wes Anderson-style.

The opportunity to see summer through Wes Anderson's eyes shouldn't be passed over. While Anderson's color palettes often feel more like spring or fall, Moonrise Kingdom‘s color palette and summer vacation vibes make viewers feel like kids again.

15. Camp Rock

A Disney Channel Original classic, Camp Rock stars the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato in an over-the-top summer camp experience as teens come together to collaborate and create art. Campy in the best ways, full of awful Disney Channel Original music and featuring some of music's biggest names, Camp Rock has summer vibes in spades.

Old enough now to channel nostalgia for millennials and a fun “throwback” movie for Gen Z, the movie gives everyone those fun summer camp vibes. The exciting soundtrack stays stuck in everyone's head, though, so watch with caution.

16. High School Musical 2

Another Disney Channel essential, High School Musical 2, manages to defy the curse of the sequel. The hilarious movie follows the original cast as they enjoy their last summer before they all head off on their respective paths. The film gave audiences songs like “Fabulous” and “What Time Is It?”

While the musical movie has a fun, memorable soundtrack and can lean into campy more often than not, it also manages to capture the poignant heartbreak and excitement that comes with that last summer of high school. Whether they're on the golf course, sitting poolside, or singing in the kitchen, the characters in High School Musical 2 give audiences a chance to relive some of the best moments of that last summer before college.

17. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Based on the classic YA novel, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants embraces the feel-good love and care of strong female friendships. Four friends (played by Blake Lively, America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel, and Amber Tamblyn) spend their very first summer apart. And though their adventures send them far and wide, they remain tied together through the pair of jeans that inexplicably fits them all and journeys with each of them.

The film reminds audiences that “sisterhood” doesn't just mean those who share blood and stands out as a feel-good, women-empowering film because of the way the characters uplift and love one another, even from thousands of miles apart. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants wraps audiences in that poignant summertime feeling of leaving your best friends and finding out more about yourself.

18. Heavyweights

By the title alone, Judd Apatow's cult classic comedy starring Ben Stiller might seem fatphobic, but the rallying feel-good comedy actually puts the fat characters front and center in a way that feels authentic and fun. When a once-laid-back fat camp falls under the new management of an eccentric, over-the-top fitness fanatic, the kids forced to endure their summer experience with him rebel and take matters into their own hands.

Though the movie could be dismissed out of hand as problematic because of the “fat camp” premise, a watch of the film shows that it has so much more to offer. An undercurrent of self-acceptance and love as well as camaraderie through the experience runs through the movie and reminds audiences of the toughest of their summer camp experiences.

19. The Sandlot

One of the iconic 90s movies that the world doesn't seem to get tired of, The Sandlot, brings together the fun of summer break with the excitement of baseball. Something about the camaraderie of a ragtag group of kids pulling together to play their hearts out on a baseball field will always feel like summertime. 

From iconic lines to hilarious moments, The Sandlot delivers humor right alongside the coming-of-age metaphors. Beyond being a classic summer film, The Sandlot stands out because of that unnamable “American summer” quality it gives off.

20. Friday the 13th

Summer films don't just have to focus on the warm, sunny days, and Friday the 13th proves that. One of the original slasher films, Friday the 13th, takes place in Crystal Lake during summer camp season. While stories abound of a creepy killer on the loose, the counselors ignore the warnings of the locals, and chaos and bloodshed ensue.

Not everyone had a pleasant experience at summer camp, and Friday the 13th reminds audiences that even if they had the worst possible camp experience, it could always be worse. Watching the classic slasher flick feels like a summer rite of passage.

21. Jaws

The sleepy town of Amity Island and the dangerous creature that lurks in the surrounding waters bring audiences back year after year. Jaws hits the highs of some of the best summer blockbusters but adds in the element of terror and suspense that comes with that classic “dun dun, dun dun, dun dun” sound.

While this might be a film to skip with the kids (unless making them afraid of the ocean is the goal), adults with strong stomachs should plan a summer rewatch. Nature versus Man battles it out in Jaws and audiences can get an eyeful of summer beach scenes and terrifying shark massacre scenes in equal measure.

22. Call Me by Your Name

What happens when you marry 80s vibes with Italian landscapes and young, gay romance? Call Me by Your Name stars Armie Hammer and Timothée Chalamet and gives off all the summer vibes. The dreamy soundtrack, the gorgeous scenery, and the poignant, painful romance exemplify the beauty and pain of coming of age and first loves.

Queer love always deserves a spotlight, but the acting in Call Me By Your Name made this film an instant classic. While it certainly doesn't leave audiences feeling good, it does leave a beautiful nostalgia for the summer romance had and lost. It's a reminder of those summer moments that so often get shoved in the junk drawer of the mind.

23. Palm Springs

Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti walk into a wedding. The rest? Absolute summertime insanity. Palm Springs serves up the iconic Californian desert location with Samberg and Milioti's equally iconic humor in a surprising, Groundhog Day-esque romance that leaves audiences wondering what comes next.

Watching Palm Springs feels like hitting the reset and refresh button on summer. It's fun and light and hilarious, and despite the crazed killers trying to take out the main characters, it still feels like a fun summer vacation with your best friend.

24. National Lampoon’s Vacation

It can't get more summer classic than National Lampoon's Vacation. Chevy Chase gives an uproariously funny performance as Clark Griswold, driving his family cross-country to visit a theme park. The usual Griswold hijinks ensue, and Chase's Clark handles them with all the tact and patience of an 80s dad.

While several of the jokes haven't aged so well, the movie overall still feels like an accurate, though far funnier, representation of summer vacation with the family. The classic comedy delivers laughs for the entire run and reminds audiences that those family vacations really can get worse.

25. Flamingo Kid

Matt Dillon stars as a kid who wants more than his modest Brooklyn life can give him and turns to the glitz and glamor of the patrons of the Flamingo Club, the beach club where he works. Summer romance and life lessons abound in the 80s classic that features a fun, bright set, and an even better soundtrack.

Clearly, summer has always had a nostalgic effect on the film industry because Flamingo Kid takes place in the summer of 1963. It serves up quite a bit of retro nostalgia with the soundtrack, costume, and set pieces, but those actors bring you right back to the summers of the 80s, making it a film worthy of a rewatch with the entire family.

26. The Parent Trap

A 90s classic starring Lindsey Lohan and, well, Lindsey Lohan, The Parent Trap does a fantastic job of revamping an even older classic and an even better job of serving up those good ‘ole summer vibes. Separated in infancy, twins Annie and Hallie come together one fateful summer as they both attend the same camp. When they realize their connection and their parent's history, the two participate in elaborate schemes and hijinks to bring their parents together. 

From summer camp feels to a camping trip gone bad, The Parent Trap manages to check most of the “summer film essential” boxes. When it came out, it stood out as a great summer movie, but now? The plot and characters themselves feel secondary to the summer nostalgia it offers up.

27. Fire Island

Queer summer is in full swing on Fire Island, and Fire Island serves it all up in a fun, exciting, over-the-top package. Friends and chosen family gather to experience a fun summer in paradise, but what ensues challenges them all and the ties that bind them.

Not many queer-and Asian-focused films exist, which adds to the draw of Fire Island, as it celebrates an entirely different summer experience than most films. The other draw comes from the uproarious humor and the great chemistry of the cast.

28. Mystic Pizza

Julia Roberts stars in a classic 80s rom-com following the lives of three different women in the small town of Mystic. During the summer after high school, the three girls work together in a local pizza shop as they prepare for everything their future offers.

The coming-of-age story reminds audiences of that particular summer of hope and excitement. Something about that summer crackles with indescribable energy, and Mystic Pizza manages to bottle that energy and pour it straight into every scene.