The taste of ice-cold lemonade, the smell of fresh-cut grass and coming-of-age movies: it must be summer.
Although everyone has their favorite movie that reminds them of carefree warm days, below are some classic favorites.
Jaws (1975)
Featuring: Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, Robert Shaw, and Lorraine Gary
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
What is summer without the beach and a man-eating shark? This classic Spielberg horror flick features a great white shark terrorizing the people of Amity Island, forcing the police chief, an oceanographer and a shark hunter to head for the open ocean to search and destroy.
National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983)
Featuring: Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Anthony Michael Hall, Dana Baron, Imogene Coca and Randy Quaid
Directed by: Harold Ramis
This summer comedy follows the Griswold family’s zany summer vacation on a wild cross-country road trip from Chicago to their favorite west-coast theme park, “Walley World.” Clark (Chase) leads the group adventure in this first of many National Lampoon vacation movies.
Stand By Me (1986)
Featuring: River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Wil Wheaton, Jerry O’Connell and Keifer Sutherland
Directed by: Rob Reiner
Based on Stephen King’s novella “The Body,” this film is set during summer in the 1950s. It follows four boys on a quest through the woods of Oregon to find the missing body of a teenager.
Dirty Dancing (1987)
Featuring: Jennifer Grey, Patrick Swayze, Jerry Orbach, Cynthia Rhodes and Jack Weston
Directed by: Emile Ardolino
Unhappy about spending her summer holiday at a family camp, 17-year-old Frances “Baby” Houseman (Grey) soon finds more than she expected when she learns to dance and falls in love with her instructor, Johnny Castle (Swayze). This film is a must-see for those dreaming of a summer romance. Also check out the 2004 remake: Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights.
My Girl (1991)
Featuring: Dan Aykroyd, Jamie Lee Curtis, Macaulay Culkin and Anna Chlumsky
Directed by: Howard Zieff
In this tale of love and loss, 11-year-old Vada (Chlumsky) spends the summer adjusting to growing up, having her first crush, spending time with best-friend Thomas J. (Culkin) and accepting her dad’s new romance with make-up artist Shelly (Curtis).
Independence Day (1996)
Featuring: Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Vivica A. Fox, Mary McDonnell and Judd Hirsch
Directed by: Roland Emmerich
Spend the Fourth of July watching America fight for independence once again, this time from alien invaders instead of British redcoats. Smith leads this high-action, special-effect-laden film as a cocky pilot who flies into space to destroy the alien mothership and save the world from destruction.
Wet Hot American Summer (2001)
Featuring: Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Michael Showalter, Marguerite Moreau, and Michael Ian Black
Directed by: David Wain
For the staff and campers at Camp Firewood, the last day of summer is everyone’s last chance to have a hook-up. Despite being critically panned, this hilarious comedy has become a cult hit and is the quintessential summer film. Saturday Night Live alumnae Molly Shannon and Amy Poehler add to the crazy antics at Firewood.
