40 best summer movies you’ll adore

Everybody has a perfect summer movie they have to watch each year as the warmer months appear. And if you don’t, it’s time you did! There have certainly been some classics over the decades, and we hope to include some of yours in our selection.

As usual, it is impossible to rank these best summer movies of all time, as they span different decades and genres. So, we’ll leave that difficult discussion for you and your movie-watching buddies.

40 great movies to watch on your summer holiday

1. 500 Days of Summer

After he is dumped by his soul-mate and the love of his life, a young hopeless romantic tries to make sense of what went wrong.

Starring: Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Geoffery Arend

Director: Marc Webb

Duration: 1 hr 35 mins

Released: 2009

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

2. Adventureland

When James Brennan takes on a summer job at a local amusement park, everyone tells him it is a “nowhere” job. It may not be the ideal career, but he soon finds that working in a California amusement park is a great grounding for the real world.

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Ryan Reynolds

Director: Greg Mottola

Duration: 1 hr 47 mins

Released: 2009

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

3. Almost Famous

Set in the 1970s, Almost Famous is the story of a high school boy given an opportunity to write an article for Rolling Stone magazine. His assignment involves stepping out of high school and accompanying a rock-n-roll band on their concert tour.

Starring: Billy Crudup, Patrick Fugit, Kate Hudson

Director: Cameron Crowe

Duration: 2 hrs 2 mins

Released: 2000

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

4. Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar

Having never set foot outside their small Midwestern town, best friends Barb and Star embark on a dream trip of a lifetime.

Starring: Annie Mumolo, Jamie Dornan, Kristen Wiig

Director: Josh Greenbaum

Duration: 1 hr 47 mins

Released: 2021

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

5. The Beach House

Two college sweethearts find their romantic summer break turns sour thanks to some unexpected guests and a mysterious infection.

Starring: Liana Liberato, Noah Le Gros, Jake Weber

Director: Jeffrey A. Brown

Duration: 1 hr 28 mins

Released: 2019

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

6. Beverly Hills Cop

A street-wise Detroit cop rubs the police chief up the wrong way on his mission to solve the murder of a friend. This classic cop movie set the standard for the entire franchise of Beverly Hills Cop movies.

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton

Director: Martin Brest

Duration: 1 hr 45 mins

Released: 1984

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

7. The Breakfast Club

When five high school students have to attend Saturday detention, they realise they have more in common than they thought. This coming-of-age classic is one of the best summer movies of all time.

Starring: Anthony Michael Hall, Emilio Estevez, Molly Ringwald

Director: John Hughes

Duration: 1 hr 37 mins

Released: 1985

Watch on: Amazon prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

8. Breaking Away

For a cyclist, this is not just one of the best summer movies, but one of the best movies, full-stop. It tells the story of a young cyclist’s obsession with a visiting Italian pro-cycling team. As well as competing on two wheels, he faces the challenges of love, life, and friendships.

Starring: Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern

Director: Peter Yates

Duration: 1 hr 41 mins

Released: 1979

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

9. Crazy Rich Asians

Based on a global bestseller by Kevin Kwan, this romantic comedy follows a young New Yorker to Singapore to meet her boyfriend’s whole family.

Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh

Director: John M. Chu

Duration: 2 hrs

Released: 2018

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

10. Dazed and Confused

Dazed and Confused is a tale of a group of four friends spending their final day of high school and the adventures that ensue.

Starring: Jason London, Wiley Wiggins, Matthew McConaughey

Director: Richard Linklater

Duration: 1 hr 43 mins

Released: 1993

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

11. Dirty Dancing

When a young woman attends a Catskills summer camp with her parents, she falls for her dance partner – the camp’s dance instructor. The conflict leads to one of the greatest summer movies.

Starring: Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey, Jerry Orbach

Director: Emile Ardolino

Duration: 1 hr 40 mins

Released: 1987

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

12. Dog Day Afternoon

Three amateur bank robbers decide on a heist at the height of the summer heat. A relatively simple job gets complicated as things start to go wrong quickly.

Starring: Al Pacino, John Cazale, Penelope Allen

Director: Sidney Lumet

Duration: 2 hrs 5 mins

Released: 1975

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

13. Do the Right Thing

Set in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant area on the hottest day of the year, bigotry and hatred reach fever pitch, ending up in violence and mayhem. One of the best summer movies highlighting explosive social issues.

Starring: Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee

Director: Spike Lee

Duration: 2 hrs

Released: 1989

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

14. Endless Summer II

Thirty years after the original Endless Summer, this sequel traces the travels of two young stars around the world’s most prestigious surfing spots.

Starring: Patrick O’Connell, Robert ‘Wingnut’ Weaver, Robert August

Director: Bruce Brown

Duration: 1 hr 49 mins

Released: 1994

Watch on: Blu Ray or DVD

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

15. Falling Down

Stuck in traffic in the blistering heat, an ordinary man soon loses control as he becomes increasingly frustrated. He starts walking home with a bat in his hand, but it’s not to play baseball!

Starring: Michael Douglas, Robert Duvall, Barbara Hershey

Director: Joel Schumacher

Duration: 1 hr 53 mins

Released: 1993

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

16. Forgetting Sarah Marshall

When his girlfriend dumps him, a devastated young man takes off for Hawaii to get over her. Unbeknown to him, his ex has gone to the same resort with her new boyfriend.

Starring: Kristen Bell, Jason Segel, Paul Rudd

Director: Nicholas Stoller

Duration: 1 hr 51 mins

Released: 2008

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

17. Girls Trip

Four young women take a mini-vacation to the Essence Festival in New Orleans. Their antics are enough to have even the Big Easy blush.

Starring: Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith

Director: Malcolm D. Lee

Duration: 2 hrs 2 mins

Released: 2017

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

18. Grease

A summer romance gets rekindled when two unlikely partners return from vacation only to discover they are attending the same school. This has got to be one of the best musical summer movies from Paramount Pictures.

Starring: John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing

Director: Randall Kleiser

Duration: 1 hr 50 mins

Released: 1978

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

19. Heartbreakers

Far from the heartbreaking love story that the title may suggest, the only summer fling this mother and daughter team will have is scamming unsuspecting victims.

Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Gene Hackman

Director: David Mirkin

Duration: 2 hrs 3 mins

Released: 2001

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

20. I Know What You Did Last Summer

A tragic accident leads to a life-changing summer for four friends in this coming-of-age movie. However, encountering a hook-wielding maniac may not have been the change they were looking for.

Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Anne Heche, Jennifer Love Hewitt

Director: Jim Gillespie

Duration: 1 hr 41 mins

Released: 1997

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

21. Jaws

If one movie would put you off going for a swim, it’s Jaws. This classic thriller about a killer shark terrorizing a popular New England tourist town will have you riveted to the screen – and the beach!

Starring: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss

Director: Steven Spielberg

Duration: 2 hrs 4 mins

Released: 1975

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

22. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

Bill Murray stars in the title role of this action-adventure comedy summer blockbuster. In his plan to exact revenge on a shark that killed his partner, he assembles a team that includes his ex-wife, a journalist, and someone who may be his son.

Starring: Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Anjelica Houston

Director: Wes Anderson

Duration: 1 hr 59 mins

Released: 2004

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

23. Little Miss Sunshine

A family embarks on a cross-country road trip to California so their daughter can compete in a beauty pageant final.

Starring: Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell

Director: Jonathon Dayton, Valerie Faris

Duration: 1 hr 41 mins

Released: 2006

Watch on: Amazon prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

24. Mamma Mia

The search for a girl’s real father culminates in his daughter’s wedding on a Greek island. Set to the music of Abba, this is one of the best summer movies and romantic comedies ever.

Starring: Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Amanda Seyfried

Director: Phyllida Lloyd

Duration: 1 hr 48 mins

Released: 2008

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

25. Meet the Fockers

One of the funniest and best summer movies, this Universal Pictures sequel to Meet the Parents sees the Byrnes meet the Fockers in their Florida beach townhome. The chaos that ensues will have you laughing out loud.

Starring: Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Blythe Danner

Director: Jay Roach

Duration: 1 hr 55 mins

Released: 2004

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

26. My Summer of Love

This is a story of young love in the Yorkshire countryside. Two young women fall in love and discover they have much to learn from each other – not just about how they fall in love, but about who they are.

Starring: Natalie Press, Emily Blunt, Paddy Considine

Director: Pawel Pawlikowski

Duration: 1 hr 26 mins

Released: 2004

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

27. National Lampoon’s Animal House

Arguably, one of the funniest and best summer movies ever. Animal House is the tale of the Delta Tau Chi fraternity and their raucous antics. This hilarious comedy does not give you time to rest between laughs.

Starring: John Belushi, Karen Allen, Tom Hulce

Director: John Llandis

Duration: 1 hr 49 mins

Released: 1978

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

28. National Lampoon’s Vacation

When the Griswolds set out on a cross-country tour to Walley World, their vacation turns out to be more arduous than expected. One of the funniest and best summer movies.

Starring: Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Imogene Coca

Director: Harold Ramis

Duration: 1 hr 38 mins

Released: 1983

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

29. Palm Springs

While attending a wedding, two guests get stuck in a time loop and have to relive boring speeches and crazy dances time and again. Their shared predicament brings them closer together.

Starring: Andy Samberg, Christin Milioti, J.K. Simmons

Director: Max Barbakow

Duration: 1 hr 30 mins

Released: 2020

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

30. The Parent Trap

When identical twins living apart with separate estranged parents go to the same summer camp, they hatch a “parent trap” to get their mum and dad back together. The Parent Trap earns its place on the list of best summer movies.

Starring: Lindsay Lohan, Dennis Quaid, Natasha Richardson

Director: Nancy Meyers

Duration: 2 hrs 8 mins

Released: 1998

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

31. Point Break

An undercover FBI agent infiltrates a gang of bank-robbing surfers. This young agent has his hands full investigating crimes, learning to surf, and trying to fit into the group at the same time. This is one of the best summer movies, and it appears on other popular movie lists too.

Starring: Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Gary Busey

Director: Kathryn Bigelow

Duration:

Released: 1991

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

32. The River Wild

While navigating a violent stretch of river, a rafting expert has to deal with two armed killers as well as the raging water.

Starring: Meryl Streep, Kevin Bacon, David Strathairn

Director: Curtis Hanson

Duration: 1 hr 51 mins

Released: 1994

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on Prime Video

33. Seven Year Itch

When his family goes on a summer vacation leaving him at home, a faithful man is tempted by the beautiful young woman next door.

Starring: Marilyn Monroe, Tom Ewell, Evelyn Keyes

Director: Billy Wilder

Duration: 1 hr 45 mins

Released: 1955

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

34. The Shallows

Attacked by a Great White Shark just 200 yards from shore, a young surfer finds her journey to safety is becoming a battle of wills.

Starring: Blake Lively, Oscar Jaenada, Angelo Josue Lozano Corzo

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

Duration: 1 hr 26 mins

Released: 2016

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

35. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Four friends decide to stay connected as their lives start to drift apart. Their plan involves sharing a pair of jeans that fits each one of them perfectly.

Starring: Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera

Director: Ken Kwapis

Duration: 1 hr 59 mins

Released: 2005

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

36. Stand By Me

This coming-of-age classic tells the story of 4 best friends’ quest to track down the body of a missing boy.

Starring: Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman

Director: Rob Reiner

Duration: 1 hr 29 mins

Released: 1986

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

37. Star Wars

An unconventional alliance headed by a gifted Jedi Knight takes on the Empire and the dark side of the Force.

Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher

Director: George Lucas

Duration: 2 hrs 1 min

Released: 1977

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMD

38. Summer Camp

When four American camp counsellors spend a summer at a European camp, it turns out not to be the best summer they have ever had. A rage-inducing virus that starts with animals soon spreads to human hosts.

Starring: Diego Boneta, Jocelin Donahue, Maiara Walsh

Director: Alberto Marini

Duration: 1 hr 21 mins

Released: 2015

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

39. Weekend at Bernie’s

This classic comedy tells the tale of how two idiot friends try to convince a hitman their murdered boss is still alive.

Starring: Andrew McCarthy, Jonathon Silverman, Catherine Mary Stewart

Director: Ted Kotcheff

Duration: 1 hr 37 mins

Released: 1989

Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

40. Wet Hot American Summer

A group of summer camp counsellors attempt to settle some unfinished business before the last day of camp.

Starring: Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Michael Showalter

Director: David Wain

Duration: 1 hr 37 mins

Released: 2001

Watch on: Blu Ray or DVD

Official Trailer: Watch on IMDb

Enjoy your summer with these brilliant summer movies

Summertime is a time to enjoy the sunshine and the outdoors. Unfortunately, the UK weather often scuttles people’s plans for their outdoor activities. It’s times like these when some of your best summer movie selections can come to the rescue.

As always, we’ve tried to make our list of best summer movies as varied as possible, and we hope we’ve included something for everyone to enjoy.

So, whether you are stuck in a caravan in Cardiff, the rain is bucketing down in Devon, or the wind is howling in Hereford, we hope you can refrain from your summer becoming a washout when you have these wonderful movies to keep you going.

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