Iconic Summer Movies

By: Lorraine Rinaldi

Now that June is here, get into the summer sprit by re-watching these classic summer films. Although travelling may be difficult this summer, these movies can help to bring back memories of all the fun and adventurous summers from pre-Covid times.

1. The Sandlot (1993)

This classic baseball movie will forever be a beloved family favorite. It follows a group of boys playing baseball together during the summer of 1962 and all the adventures they had together. While Scott Smalls, who recently moved to town, initially is bad at baseball, the cool kid Benny Rodriguez advocates for him to join the team and offers to help Smalls. However, things take a turn when Smalls decides to play baseball with his stepfather’s precious ball signed by Babe Ruth. This fun and hilarious coming of age story will certainly bring back memories of childhood summers.

 

2. Dirty Dancing (1987)

While Dirty Dancing’s reputation precedes itself, this film nevertheless deserves a spot on the list of iconic summer movies. The film centers around Baby who is vacationing at a fancy resort in the Catskills with her parents and sister. While there, she meets the attractive and skilled lower-class dancer, Johnny, played by none other than Patrick Swayze. Aside from their love story and the beautiful dance scene at the end of the film, Dirty Dancing also deals with more serious topics such as class prejudice and abortion. This film will definitely make you emotional in the best way possible.

 

3. Mamma Mia! (2008)

This film adaptation of the iconic ABBA jukebox musical is the best way to ring in the summer with fun songs, a hilarious story, and beautiful Greece scenery. 20-year-old Sophie, played by Amanda Seyfried, is the daughter of single mother, Donna, played by Meryl Streep. In the final days before her wedding, Sophie reveals to her friends that she secretly invited three men that could potentially be her father to the wedding. To Donna’s surprise, all three men arrive on the Greek Island where the wedding is taking place, and of course comedy, romance, and musical numbers ensue. There is no movie that screams summer quite like Mamma Mia! does.

 

4. 50 First Dates (2004)

Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore make an adorable pairing in the romantic comedy 50 First Dates set in beautiful Hawaii. Veterinarian Henry Roth and Lucy Whitmore meet and have breakfast together one morning, and even make plans for a second date. However, when the second date arrives, Lucy has no memory of Henry, and it is revealed that after suffering a horrible car accident Lucy suffers from anterograde amnesia, meaning she cannot form new memories. Despite this, Henry is determined to make their relationship work. The absurd characters, cute romance, and Hawaiian location give off the perfect fun, summer vibes.

5. 500 Days of Summer (2009)

500 Days of Summer exudes a summer feel due to the love interest’s name, Summer, and the use of time in narrating the story in a nonlinear way. This heartbreaking romance begins with Summer, played by Zooey Deschanel, breaking up with the protagonist Tom, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Tom, now utterly shocked and heartbroken reflects on his relationship with Summer, eventually realizing that she was right: the two are simply not meant for each other. This well-done and beautiful film explores the idea of true love in a sad yet meaningful way, and is great if you are looking for a tearjerker movie.

6. Independence Day

This action-packed science fiction film depicts an out of this world July 4^th – literally. When aliens coordinate an attack on Earth on July 2^nd, major U.S. cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C. are destroyed. The next day, the United States begins a series of counter-attacks but the aliens’ forces are too powerful. Yet, July 4^th, Independence Day, the U.S. plans for an even more intense attack on the aliens. Independence Day has a star-studded cast with Will Smith playing military leader Captain Steven Hiller, Jeff Goldblum as David Levinson – the computer genius who aids in the U.S.’s counter attacks, and Bill Pullman as the U.S. President. This is surely an unforgettable film that is unlike any other summer movie.