‘April showers bring May flowers,’ and in cinema rain can certainly bring ambience, but it can also signify all sorts of things, like love, fear, death, and renewal. We’ve selected 15 of our favorite movies with great rainy sequences for you to enjoy this month, rain or shine. Did yours make the list?
1. The Notebook: Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams on that dock… “it’s still not over!” Noah, a mill worker, falls desperately in love with Allie, a rich girl; but her parents don’t approve. The love affair comes to a halt when he goes off to serve in World War II. Noah returns to find out Allie is now married, but he hasn’t lost hope in their romance.
2. Breakfast at Tiffany’s: A stubborn Cat causes a resistant-to-love Audrey Hepburn to finally declare it so. A young New York socialite becomes interested in a young man who has moved into her apartment building, but her past threatens to get in the way.
3. Blade Runner: PEAK Harrison Ford in the rain (like, all the time). Need we say more? Ford’s character must pursue and terminate four replicants who stole a ship in space, and have returned to Earth to find their creator. But will love get in the way of his mission?
4. Jurassic Park: If you don’t move, the T-Rex can’t see you – so hold on tight in your Ford Explorer! During a preview tour, a theme park suffers a major power breakdown. Now the park’s cloned dinosaurs are on the loose!
5. Se7en: Brad Pitt, in the alley, with the gun, with the rain… neo-noir at its finest. A team of men is on the hunt for a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his motives.
6. Singin’ in the Rain: The most iconic rain scene ever! Gene Kelly swings and grooves with his trusty umbrella, and will make your heart swoon. A silent film production company and cast make a difficult transition to sound.
7. Rashamon and Seven Samurai: Both Kurosawa. Both with exemplary rain sequences. Both are incredible. A poor village under attack by bandits recruits seven unemployed samurai to help them defend themselves.
8. The RockyHorror Picture Show: “Damn it, Janet!” why didn’t you get the car fixed before we left? A newly engaged couple’s car breaks down in an isolated area and they find themselves at the strange residence of Dr. Frank-N-Furter.
9. Suspiria: Rain storms set the foreboding tone of this Argento witchy shocker. A young dancer arrives in 1970s Berlin for a prestigious audition for a world-renowned dance company and find earns the spot of lead dancer. The woman she replaced breaks down and accuses the company of witchcraft.
10. Garden State: Throw on your garbage bag poncho and enjoy the incredible soundtrack of this charming indie. A quietly troubled young man returns home for his mother’s funeral after being estranged from his family for a decade.
11. Poltergeist (1982): Pro tip: Make sure to remove the graves before you begin your swimming pool construction project or things will get out of hand. A family’s home is haunted by demonic ghosts.
12. High Fidelity: Don’t leave John Cusack (aka America’s Sweetheart) out in the pouring rain… your love life depends on it. Cusack’s character recounts his top five breakups, including the one in progress.
13. The Shawshank Redemption: Hella spoiler alert! Behind the Raquel Welch poster, through the tunnel, and out to sweet sweet freedom Tim Robbins goes. Two imprisoned men bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency.
14. Forrest Gump: “Little bitty stingin’ rain, and big ol’ fat rain. Rain that flew in sideways, and sometimes rain even seemed to come straight up from underneath.” Watch history unfold through the perspective of an Alabama man with an IQ of 75.
15. Aliens (1986): This follow up to Alien has a lot more rain and a lot more Ripley. After being in hypersleep for 57 years, Ripley is finally rescued by a deep salvage team.
