It’s getting hot, life is moving outside, iced coffee is being sipped in forbidden quantities – and we’re sitting in front of the TV. When it’s over thirty degrees, you have to retreat to the cool living room from time to time and experience fictional summer adventures on the screen. Maybe one of these films is even showing at an outdoor movie theater near you.
Jaws, Steven Spielberg, 1975
Fifty years ago, Steven Spielberg made cinema history. And he did so without having the dreaded great white shark constantly swimming across the screen. The only negative thing about this cult hit is that it made society excessively afraid of sharks, because the big fish rarely actually attack us. Diving into the mass panic on the beach and enjoying a bit of seventies nostalgia definitely sounds like a good plan for a summer evening.
Moonrise Kingdom, Wes Anderson, 2012
Summer cries out for adventure. Wes Anderson brews up the best of them in his brain, where things are so much more colorful than in the real world. In “Moonrise Kingdom”, boy scouts Sam and his pen pal Suzy run away and explore the fictional island of New Penzance on their own. The comedy makes the unique and fleeting state between childhood and adolescence and between freedom and escape tangible.
Midsommar, Ari Aster, 2019
If you’re afraid of horror movies, you should watch them in summer. Because then there is generally less darkness. Not the most logical argument, but it doesn’t matter, because “Midsommar” will stay with viewers for days after they’ve watched it in the early morning sunshine. The white dresses and floral decorations are deceptive, because in Ari Aster’s world, the summer solstice is not celebrated cheerfully, but by a sectarian commune with disturbing rituals and the odd murder.
La Dolce Vita, Federico Fellini, 1960
A womanizer with authorial ambitions in search of the juiciest secrets of Rome’s celebrities meets an American actress. A storyline that would also make a good romcom in the 21st century, but it worked even better in 1960 and was penned by Fellini. The Rome of the 1950s, quieter storytelling than today, black and white aesthetics – “La Dolce Vita” is the perfect recipe for summer relaxation.
Triangle of Sadness, Ruben Östlund, 2022
This cruise is a wild ride, from boarding the luxurious ship to crash-landing on an island. Deliberately exaggerated and satirical, viewers are treated to overloaded aesthetics, bitter humor and excellently written verbal battles. Ruben Östlund presents us with the most shameful abysses of human behavior on a golden caviar platter, and yet you can’t and won’t look away.
Dazed and Confused, Richard Linklater, 1993
Nothing screams summer more than the very last day of school before what feels like endless weeks off. Add a bit of the seventies to the mix and a cult film is born. However, “Dazed and Confused” still had to become one, as negative criticism rained down after its release. Another plus point: the cast is full of stars in their infancy, such as Ben Affleck, Parker Posey and Milla Jovovich, who probably had no idea in 1993 how famous they would one day become.
Little Miss Sunshine, Valerie Faris, Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris, 2006
Little Olive wants to win a beauty pageant. So the whole dysfunctional family sets off for California. The yellow VW bus takes them on a road trip full of arguments and absurd situations. Anyone who loves Steve Carell as Michael Scott in “The Office” will also appreciate him as Frank Ginsburg in this comedy.
The White Lotus, Seasons 1, 2 and 3, Mike White
Not a movie, but a series, but probably the most fitting entry on this list. Like Ruben Östlund, Mike White knows better than anyone how to make fun of the behavior of the upper class. The recipe is simple: take a luxury resort in Hawaii, Italy or Thailand, a group of rich and outrageous guests – dysfunctional families, potential sugar daddies, newlywed couples – a murder and you’re glued to the screen for hours, even though it’s the best summer weather outside.
Thelma & Louise, Ridley Scott, 1991
Everything that belongs to the road movie subgenre also belongs on this list. “Thelma & Louise” is a road movie in a class of its own. Two best friends want to escape their dull everyday lives – sounds understandable. The happy journey soon turns into an escape and the bored friends become skillful, albeit involuntary, criminals.
I Know What You Did Last Summer, Jim Gillespie, 1997
Another horror movie that is best watched in the summer. Four friends celebrate their high school graduation – so far, so harmless. Until something terrible happens that they want to cover up. But the past quickly catches up with them. Exactly one year later, back on summer vacation, they are haunted by the titular phrase “I know what you did last summer” and never have a moment’s peace.
Stand By Me, Rob Reiner, 1986
Little goes on in a sleepy little town over the summer. So the four friends have to go to the next town when they hear about the disappearance of a boy of the same age. Their goal: to find the body. The story is based on the novella “The Body” by Stephen King and has everything a summer movie needs: a coming-of-age narrative, friendship and suspense.
Mamma Mia!, Phyllida Lloyd, 2008
The naked nightmare of every musical hater. And there are said to be quite a few of them. If you can live with the spontaneous vocal interludes, you’ll be spoiled with an endlessly cheesy and unrealistic story that nevertheless, or perhaps because of it, puts you in a good mood. A planned wedding, relationship chaos, Abba songs and a Greek island – that’s the summer recipe for Mamma Mia!, which worked so well that a sequel flickered across cinema screens ten years later.
Roman Holiday, William Wyler, 1953
Rome is the ultimate summer destination. In this classic, Audrey Hepburn as Crown Princess Ann explores the romantic city on her own. She meets a reporter who at first has no idea who he has in front of him. She chugs through the streets with him on a Vespa and spends what is probably her most relaxed time, without any princess obligations.
Spring came before summer, and we have a movie list to match.
In this book you can read about how summer is portrayed in the world of film, from the silent movie era to the present day.
