21 Best Romantic Movies About Summer Love That Could Be You This Vacation
There’s nothing more perfect than falling in love during the summer. School is out, the weather is better than ever, and it’s as if you have the entire world at your fingertips. You’re free to live in the moment and anything is possible. That’s its beauty and downfall. Reality always finds a way to catch up to you. Once the season fades, your obligations — whether it’s another semester or a new job — invade your life once again. But no matter where life takes you, that shouldn’t affect true love.
From major highs to heart-breaking lows, here are some intense on-screen summer romances that sum up what it means to fall in love this season. Not only is each movie gut-wrenchingly beautiful, they thankfully all have one thing in common: a summer love that lasts. Sorry for the spoilers, but at least you know they all have happy endings. Our picks include classics staring icons such as Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday to Disney Channel nostalgia faves like Camp Rock to more recent flicks including Netflix's wildly popular The Kissing Booth, there's a romantic movie for whatever mood you're in. So whether you're single and just wanting to watch a summer courtship to get you in your feels or looking for a film during a night in with your partner, here are 21 best romantic movies about summer love.
Copyright © ©Walt Disney Co./courtesy Everett / Everett Collection1/21The Last Song
Not only did Ronnie Miller (Miley Cyrus) and Will Blakelee (Liam Hemsworth) end up together after long walks on the beach, but this was the very beginning of Miam. Are the flashbacks hitting you yet?
Marcos Cruz2/21The Kissing Booth
The Kissing Booth has taken Netflix — and our lives — by storm, and for good reason: it’s a super-sweet high school romance about a girl (Joey King) who’s crushing on her best friend’s older brother. It’ll have you hoping for a summer fling. Ah, young love.
©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection3/21Grease
Need we tell you more? Though the bulk of the film takes place during senior year at Rydell high, Danny Zuko (John Trovolta) and Sandy Olsson (Olivia Newton-John)'s romance started in the summer, and they will seriously make you want a '50s-inspired date. It doesn’t get more magical than a drive-in movie under the stars on a warm night. Throw in the movie’s classic tracks and you’ll be singing “You’re the One That I Want” to your special someone in no time.
Copyright © Everett Collection / Everett Collection4/21Safe Haven
This isn’t your typical Nicholas Sparksstory. The romance is epic, but it’s the plot twists that will get you. Erin Tierney, who’s real name is Katie Feldman (Julianne Hough) runs away after the attempted murder of her abusive, alcoholic husband. She meets widowed father Alex Wheatley (Josh Duhamel), and they fall in love despite their complicated pasts. Isn’t that what it’s all about?
©Roadside Attractions/Courtesy Everett C / Everett Collection5/21Southside with You
The best part of Southside with You, which depicts a first date between two young college students in Chicago, is that it’s based on a real story — you may have heard of Barack and Michelle Obama? We thought so. This movie is all about how the iconic duo fell in love one summer day.
Copyright © ©Screen Gems/Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection6/21Dear John
Savannah Lynn Curtis (Amanda Seyfried) and John Tyree (Channing Tatum) prove that there’s no fighting true love. It only took two weeks for the two to fall for one another, but life always gets in the way. Even with John’s deployment and the endless miles that separate them, you’ll see that people who are meant to be together always find a way back to one another.
©Vestron Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection7/21Dirty Dancing
This is proof that not all family vacations are dull, especially when you meet an attractive dance instructor. Aside from giving you major resort envy, Baby Houseman (Jennifer Grey) and Johnny Castle’s (Patrick Swayze) steamy dance moves will totally make you want to sign up for a class this summer with or without a date. Go ahead, have the time of your life.
Copyright © Fox Searchlight / Everett Collection8/21500 Days of Summer
The romance between Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel) and Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) isn’t necessarily a happy ending, but there’s a lot to learn from the movie’s expectations vs. reality scenarios. Sometimes no matter how badly you want something, it’s just not going to happen — and that's one of life’s hardest lessons that summer love birds definitely need to hear.
©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection9/21A Walk to Remember
Time and love aren’t mutually exclusive. Jamie Sullivan (Mandy Moore) and Landon Carter (Shane West) experience more love in a few short summer months than some people do in a lifetime. This is the throwback romance of all time and no matter how many times you’ve seen it, tissues are still very much needed.
©Sony Pictures/Everett Collection / Everett Collection10/21Call Me by Your Name
Call Me by Your Name, based on a novel of the same name, is the story of Elio (Timothée Chalamet) and doctoral student Oliver (Armie Hammer), who’s staying with Elio’s family in Italy. They develop feelings for each other over the course of the summer, and their relationship is an important “coming-of-age” story for each character, especially the quiet, introverted Elio.
Courtesy Everett Collection11/21Gidget
Teenage Francie heads to the beach one day and decides she’s going to become a surfer, despite the fact that it’s not “what girls do” and that she’s never surfed before. As she learns the ins and outs of catching waves in sunny California, she also falls in love with a surfer boy called “Moondoggie.” The movie is part of the whole genre of surf/beach party movies popular during the late '50s and '60s and has a special place in our hearts.
©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection12/21Say Anything
If you haven’t seen this beloved ‘80s classic, what are you waiting for? Summer is the ideal time to watch it. Lloyd falls for Diane after their graduation and spends the summer trying to win her (and her overprotective dad) over before she leaves to study in England. You’ll have “In Your Eyes” in your head for weeks after.
©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection13/21High School Musical 3
Gabriella Montez (Vanessa Hudgens) and Troy Bolton (Zac Efron) are off to college in the final movie of the iconic franchise, but heading off to different schools doesn’t necessarily mean breaking up. Take cues from the Disney couple: it’s worth making things work. At the very least, have a killer prom night.
Photo Credit: Jonathan Prime14/21Mamma Mia
This flick has its fair share of summer love, including the relationships between young Sophie and Sky on their beautiful island in Greece and the romance between her mother, Donna, and Sophie’s three possible fathers. The upcoming sequel is supposed to give us more information about Donna’s life before Sophie, and tells the tale of how she met and fell in love with Harry, Sam, and Bill — and found herself in the process. (Also, it’s kind of always summer in Greece, isn’t it?)
©Focus Features/Courtesy Everett Collection15/21Moonrise Kingdom
Sam and Suzy don’t fit in, and that makes them perfect for each other. The two 12-year-olds fall in love and run away together to an idyllic place they call Moonrise Kingdom, but their journey doesn’t quite work out as they planned. (Don’t worry, a storm doesn’t destroy their hideaway and they do have a happy ending!)
©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection16/21Aquamarine
Aquamarine (Sara Paxton) has one goal: find love on land to prove to her father that it exists. After bae-watching on the beach with new pals Claire Brown (Emma Roberts) and Hailey Rogers (Jojo), Aqua has her eye on the handsome Raymond (Jake McDorman). Even though they spend a lot of her time chasing after him, the friendship the girls develop is its own kind of love story.
Copyright © ©Disney Channel/courtesy Everett / Everett Collection17/21Camp Rock
Plenty can happen at summer camp! Just ask Mitchie Torres (Demi Lovato) and Shane Gray (Joe Jonas). This was also the beginning of Demi and Joe’s real-life relationship. Bonus: their duet automatically makes this movie a must-watch replay. Get ready for major throwback feels.
Copyright © ©New Line Cinema/courtesy Everett / Everett Collection18/21The Notebook
Last but certainly not least. The iconic story between Allie Hamilton (Rachel McAdams) and Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling) really hits the spot. A summer love will always have a special place in your heart and you never know when that person can pop back in your life again.
Courtesy Everett Collection19/21Roman Holiday
Let’s throw it back a bit, shall we? Roman Holiday is a classic film about a dissatisfied princess, played by the one and only Audrey Hepburn, who wants to experience freedom. She finds it with an American journalist — if only for a few days — during a beautiful summer in Rome.
©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection20/21Chasing Liberty
She’s the president’s sheltered daughter who just wants to experience life without bodyguards. He’s an undercover Secret Service agent masquerading as a regular guy. They fall in love, though she doesn’t know he’s actually protecting her as she travels across Europe. Relatable, right? Well, the whole “First Daughter” bit may not be, but the love story totally is.
©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection21/21Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
This ‘00s classic is technically about friendship and how four very different besties spend a summer apart, but it also contains an unforgettable love story — one that happens to unfold in picturesque Greece. Lena (Alexis Bledel) and Kostos meet when she goes to visit her family in Santorini, and while their relationship may be rocky at first considering how they meet, it’s clearly meant to be.
