Summertime. The term alone conjures up images of summers past. Everyone enjoys that last-day-of-school vibe that the warmer months provide, no matter how long it’s been since they were a student. And this summer will be particularly delightful. We’re eager to put on our flip flops, apply sunscreen, and enjoy every sunny moment after more than a year of stress and solitude. What could be better than summer-themed movies, according to the law of addition? We’ve compiled a list of the top summer movies to lift your spirits and get you ready for the best summer yet.
1. Mamma Mia! (2008)
Director- Phyllida Lloyd
Sophie Sheridan is twenty years old and lives on an exquisite Greek island with her mother Donna Sheridan. She is getting married, and all she wants is for her father to escort her down the aisle and give her away. The only issue is that she has no idea who her father is, and her mother refuses to tell her. She invites three guys who could be that man after she discovers her mother’s diary from the year she was born. Sophie is confident that she would recognise her father the moment she meets him, but she quickly discovers that she has no idea. When her mother is annoyed and perplexed that the three are present, the guys all believe they are the father, and her fiancé is fed up with the whole situation, chaos follows.
2. Thelma & Louis (1991)
Director- Ridley Scott
Thelma Dickinson, a wide-eyed and bullied suburban housewife, and Louise Sawyer, an abused and emotionally drained waitress, sneak out on a lovely summer morning without saying goodbye, desperate to get away from their men and their worries. Unfortunately, the dream of a peaceful weekend of fishing and pleasure goes sour at their first stop, when a tipsy Thelma encounters the heinous side of a forced parking-lot romance. Mexico becomes the final destination of this ill-fated road trip, one felony at a time, amid the backdrop of a devastating murder charge and the interminable desert stretches of highway in the Southwest. As the teal, 1966 Ford Thunderbird convertible of the determined runaways becomes the speedy vessel of risky but total freedom, the police, Thelma’s obnoxious husband, and every roaming con guy along the route want them to surrender.
2. The Endless Summer (1965)
Director- Bruce Brown
These California surfers accomplish in a few months what most people never do in a lifetime, from the unexplored waters of West Africa to the shark-infested seas of Australia to the tropical paradise of Tahiti and beyond… They are living their fantasy. Director Bruce Brown makes a film that is so compelling that it has become a timeless masterpiece that continues to captivate new generations. When it initially came out in theatres, people were enthralled by the film’s tremendous adrenaline and stunning imagery. The film’s most captivating aspect, though, is the sport of surfing itself, which captivates you for hours.
3. Dazed And Confused (1993)
Director- Richard Linklater
In a small Texas community, the end of the 1976 school year is cause for celebration of the summer break. But initially, the Seniors are eager to pursue the newcomers, whom they may subject to ruthless hazing, which for boys takes the shape of hard, scorching spankings. Attempts to flee are undertaken, but they are worthless for the players of the baseball team who have to play that evening, before the celebration, when the alcohol will anaesthetize their seat-sting. Mitch Kramer becomes the ideal prey after his oblivious sister requests the lads to be gentle with him, which only senior quarterback Randall “Pink” Floyd agrees to, while senior year-repeater Fred O’Bannion adds frustration to his reputed fervour for flogging profoundly remorseful.
4. I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
Director- Jim Gillespie
Julie James, Barry William Cox, and Ray Bronson are celebrating the 4th of July with Helen Shivers after she wins a beauty pageant. After attending a party, the four friends decide to travel to the beach in the middle of the night. Inebriated Barry agrees to let Ray drive his car back to his house from the beach. They hit and killed a man who was walking down the street on their way home. Julie’s friend Max Neurick arrives while she is pondering what to do with the body. He goes when Julie assures him that everything is alright. The body comes to life while being dumped in a neighbouring sea and attempts to assault Helen. They throw the body into the sea and resolve not to talk about it again.
5. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Director(s)- Valerie Faris, Jonathan Dayton
Olive Hoover, seven, wants to be a beauty queen more than anything else in the world. The entire family embarks on a long road trip from Albuquerque to California in their 1978 Volkswagen Station Wagon Type 2 when she qualifies for the prestigious Little Miss Sunshine beauty contest; unfortunately, the voyage is anything but smooth. Sheryl, Olive’s overworked mother, is struggling to be the voice of reason; Richard, her husband, is unsuccessfully promoting his self-help programme; Dwayne, Sheryl’s son from a previous marriage, has decided not to say anything until he enrols in the Air Force Academy; and troubled Uncle Frank simply tags along. However, whatever that can go wrong will go wrong on the way to success.
6. Weekend At Bernie’s (1989)
Director- Tod Kotcheff
Richard and Larry are two closest friends who learn that money from their firm has been embezzled. When they tell their boss, Bernie Lomax, he appears to be overjoyed and invites them to his beach house for a weekend of fun, relaxation, and women. However, when they arrive, they find him dead! Larry is determined to have a weekend of fun, leisure, and women, despite Richard’s desire to do the right thing and notify the authorities as soon as possible.
7. Clueless (1995)
Director- Amy Heckerling
Cher is wealthy, attractive, blonde, and well-known, and she can persuade anyone to do just about anything. When Sarah and her friend Dion are unable to persuade a teacher to give her a better grade, they pair him with another instructor to make him happier… and perhaps a little more lenient on his demands. Cher and Dion give a girl named Tai a makeover and try to find her a boyfriend when she transfers to Cher’s school. Cher quickly realises that she needs a boyfriend of her own, but no one appears to fit the bill. Before she meets the boy of her dreams, she has a spiritual transformation and discovers that life is about more than clothes and popularity.
8. Grease (1978)
Director- Randal Kleiser
Danny, the nice American guy, and Sandy, the straight-laced Australian girl, exchange lifelong commitment oaths and split ways forever as the summer of 1958 draws to a close. Unbeknownst to them, however, an unexpected change of plans will reunite the young dreamers at the bustling Rydell High for the new semester, but something has changed this time. Now, as Danny, the cocky Romeo and rebellious leader of the greaser gang T-Birds, feels obligated to uphold his hard-won reputation in front of his peers, Rydell’s high-spirited all-girl band, The Pink Ladies, have a big surprise in store for him.
9. American Graffiti (1973)
Director- George Lucas
On the last evening of summer break, four school friends—Curt, Steve, John, and Terry—say their goodbyes to their carefree lives as teenagers in the twilight of innocence, set against the backdrop of early 1960s Modesto, California. Long-time friends on the verge of maturity will take their first steps into the real world over the course of one long and hot September night; experience the overwhelming feelings of want, disappointment, and love—and, ultimately, view the world in a new light. The boys tour the town’s colourful streets in their gorgeous vehicles, centred on Mel’s brilliant Drive-In and Wolfman Jack’s nonstop Rock ‘n’ Roll disc-jockey act, as an elusive blonde vision in a white 1956 Ford Thunderbird adds to the excitement of this very memorable night.
10. The Sandlot (1993)
Director- David Mickey Evans
Scotty Smalls is the new boy in town, and all he wants to do before the summer is make friends. Benny “The Jet” Rodriquez, the town’s top baseball player, mentors him. When Scotty Smalls knocks a Babe Ruth-signed baseball into the Beast’s backyard during the summer, no one dares to walk over the fence for fear of being eaten. Benny overcame his concerns and defeated the Beast after having a dream about Babe Ruth asking him to go over the fence to get the ball. Benny became a local legend, and the rest of The Sandlot gang lived happily ever after.
