To quote Alice Cooper (and poorly paraphrase “High School Musical 2”), school’s out for summer. With Boppenheimer hitting air-conditioned theaters midway through July — just as countless actors and screenwriters head into the heat to join picket-lines in New York and Los Angeles — summer 2023 will no doubt prove a memorable one for Hollywood. What better time then to consider how the movies themselves represent the reason for the season?
The best summer vacation movies range in subject matter and can appeal to all sorts of different audiences. Kid-centric flicks, like “The Parent Trap,” and adult slashers, like the “Friday the 13th” films, explore the traditions and perils of sleep-away camp from spectacularly different view points. Meanwhile, road trip flicks, like the Audrey Hepburn-starring “Two for the Road” and Hindi film “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara,” consider the ins-and-outs of traveling across the country with a similar romanticism but using tones separated by decades and cultures. Destination films, including “The Lizzie McGuire Movie” and “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” (which see their characters head to Italy and Hawaii respectively), celebrate the innate entertainment in stepping off a plane and emerging into somewhere new.
When curating the top films in this surprisingly robust category, we did our best to restrict ourselves to movies that explicitly take place during the summer months — or, at least very least, exist in weather nondescriptly pleasant enough that we could sufficiently lie to ourselves about when they occur. A break from school or work can be part of a title’s plot points, but doesn’t strictly have. To wit, summer vacation plays a critical narrative plot in “Grease” but wasn’t a fit with the rest of our list. (“Grease” is to summer vacation movies what “Reservoir Dogs” is to heist movies, you know?)
Listed in chronological order, the following represent the best summer vacation movies, including “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” “Under the Sand,” “Adventureland,” “Summertime,” “Aftersun,” and more.
With editorial contributions by Wilson Chapman, Kate Erbland, Marcos Franco, Proma Khosla, and Mark Peikert.
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“Summertime” (1955)
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection What it is: Single schoolteacher Jane Hudson (Katharine Hepburn, radiant and Oscar-nominated) travels alone to Venice, where she morphs from awkward caterpillar to butterfly, blossoming under the Italian sun and the Italian arms of Rossano Brazzi. But don’t think this is another ’50s movie about how a woman needs a man. David Lean’s sly film is much more rueful than that. There’s a special ruefulness to recognizing “too-lateness” (to quote film historian James Harvey), and Jane leaves Venice with sweet and bittersweet memories. The final scene will wreck anyone with a heart, just like the end of every good summer vacation.
Perfect for: Romantics who love looking at Venice but hate crowds. —MP
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“Man’s Favorite Sport” (1964)
Image Credit: Everett Collection / Everett Collection What it is: Howard Hawks’ late career addition to his screwball oeuvre is, simply put, the best fishing-centric rom-com ever made. Rock Hudson stars as a world famous fishing gear salesman (the ’60s were a different time!) whose job at Abercrombie and Fitch has turned him into an icon in the outdoor sports community. There’s only one catch: he’s never actually fished. While he has meticulously studied the sport, his fear of touching slimy, wiggly things has prevented him from testing his knowledge on the open water. But when a scheming heiress (Paula Prentiss) devises a plan to enter him in a tournament at her father’s resort, he is forced to learn fishing in a week or risk humiliating himself in front of his biggest clients. Suffice it to say, hilarity and misunderstandings ensue.
“Man’s Favorite Sport?” can’t hold a candle to Hawks’ earlier masterpieces like “Bringing Up Baby” and “His Girl Friday,” but there’s still enough of his comedic genius to get the job done. The Technicolor cinematography is gorgeous, and the absurd ethical norms that govern the fishing community in the film are still hilarious. Plus, there’s a bear that rides a bike! If you’re a screwball comedy completionist, consider throwing this one on next time you’re tempted to rewatch “It Happened One Night” for the 200th time.
Perfect for: Anyone who has forgotten the aphrodisiac qualities of live bait. —CZ
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“Friday the 13th” (1980)
Image Credit: ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection What it is: In 2023, after decades of tragedies including a failed SWAT team intervention that proved the existence of Hell, every rational person knows that summer trips to Crystal Lake should be avoided at all costs. But in 1980, it was fair to assume that the shuttered summer camp deserved a second chance. After all, it had been 22 years since the infamous drowning incident. Nobody could possibly hold a grudge for that long!
“Friday the 13th” is the film that launched one of the most unlikely, incoherent, and delightful franchises in horror history. Sean S. Cunningham’s hastily-made slasher flick doesn’t feature the masked Jason Voorhees that we all know and love, but the whodunnit storyline about the camp’s mysterious teen-killer fills the void left by his absence. While nobody could have possibly predicted “Jason X” after watching “Friday the 13th” (frankly, nothing in this franchise seems like it was planned out more than 15 minutes in advance), it’s not hard to see why horror fans became hooked on the soon-to-be-iconic formula.
Perfect for: Anyone who is ready to fast forward through summer and get to Halloween. —CZ
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“Two for the Road” (1967)
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection What it is: A decade of marriage is a languid milestone that challenges the vitality of any relationship. When a road trip forces the struggling, starring couple of “Two for the Road” to reflect on the highs and lows of their connection over the years, the memories serve as an illuminating reminder of the many emotional challenges they’ve overcome and reignites the couple’s passion. The non-linear plot of the movie switches between past and present, using insightful vignettes to give the audience a better understanding of the couple who has always bonded through their travels. The romantic comedy stars Audrey Hepburn in her penultimate performance before her early retirement shortly after.
Perfect for: Tenured couples at each other’s throats needing a getaway to remind them why they got into their relationship in the first place. —MF
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“Dirty Dancing” (1987)
Image Credit: ©Artisan Entertainment/Courtesy Everett Collection What it is: One of the definitive films about summer romance, “Dirty Dancing” stars Jennifer Grey as Baby: the good-girl daughter of a doctor who vacations in a Catskills resort with her family. There, she catches the eye of Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze, in his most dashing role): a dance instructor at the resort. She winds up filling in as his dance partner, sneaking around the back of her conservative and snobbish parents in the process. Swayze and Grey’s scintillating chemistry lifts up the sometimes cheesy but endearingly sincere movie, which holds up decades later as a story about a young woman gaining independence and discovering what she wants in the process. There’s a reason why “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” remains the definitive song for a summer slow-dance to this day.
Perfect for: Anybody who’s ever been a rebellious teenager. —WC
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“National Lampoon’s Vacation” (1983)
Image Credit: ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett C What it is: The Griswold family has been entangled in enough bad trips over the past four decades (yes, four) that it’s easy to forget that all this mayhem kicked off with a relatively simple first feature, which follows a relatively simple premise: average, everyday American family tries to go on a vacation, and absolute chaos ensues. The Griswolds — including Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo as Clark and Ellen, eventual mainstays of this series, plus kiddos Rusty and Audrey, this time played by Anthony Michael Hall and Dana Barron — have simple dreams for their cross-country road trip to the dazzling Wally World (imagine Disneyland, but wholly dedicated to Mickey Mouse mythos), but from the start, nothing goes right. Their new car — the Family Truckster — is a lemon, the kids are bored, the food is bad, and that’s before they land at Cousin Eddie’s (an iconic Randy Quaid) and people actually start dying. What happens to the Griswolds (and the many ill-fated people in their path) might feel outsized, but it’s rooted in relatability. Vacation is hell, families are insane, and this is all still so funny, because it’s so damn true.
Perfect for: Any person who has ever been on a family vacation. Hell, any person who has ever been in a family. —KE
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“Stand By Me” (1986)
Image Credit: ©Columbia Pictures/courtesy Everett Co / Everett Collection What it is: Led by a stellar ensemble of future stars including River Phoenix and Wil Wheaton, “Stand By Me” remains the gold standard for modern coming-of-age dramas. Rob Reiner’s adaptation of Stephen King’s short story “The Body” takes place in the fictional town of Castle Rock, following four adolescent boys who band together to find the dead body of a missing classmate. What begins as a Tom Sawyer-esque boyhood adventure quickly turns into a moving drama as the boys reckon with the roles that grief have played in their own upbringings. The film jumps back and forth in time between the actual trip and one of the men writing a memoir about the experience later in life, and the bittersweet ending makes one of the most moving statements about the passage of time in modern cinema. Along with “The Shawshank Redemption,” the film is often cited as proof that the best King movies are adapted from his non-horror output.
Perfect for: Anyone who never had any friends later on like the ones they had when they were 12. —CZ
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“The Talented Mr. Ripley” (1999)
Image Credit: ©Miramax/Courtesy Everett Collection What it is: Set in Italy during the summer of 1958, this nail-biter psychological thriller stars Matt Damon as the titlular Tom Ripley: a slippery wannabe-aristocrat whose American Psycho in Rome routine rapidly unravels as he attempts to steal a man’s identity and girlfriend. Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow play the targets of Ripley’s obsession, alongside Cate Blanchett and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman as well-to-do socialities.
Perfect for: Anyone on an international trip with an acquaintance they just can’t seem to trust. —AF
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“Under the Sand” (2000)
Image Credit: ©Winstar Cinema/Courtesy Everett Collection What it is: An empty beach on the coastline of France is a dream getaway for any couple, but when a wealth of privacy results in an unsolved case of “What happened to my husband?” there’s reason to think someplace more public may have prevented the grievous mystery. A French film originally entitled “Sous le Sable,” the storyline of “Under the Sand” leaves Marie Drillon with a mountain of unanswered questions after she wakes up from a nap and her husband of 25 years, Jean, is nowhere to be found. It’s assumed that the man went out for a swim and was swallowed by the tide or perhaps he committed suicide by drowning but Jean’s family is skeptical of all explanations. The dark summer vacation presents the confusing coping mechanisms and the doubtful acceptance of losing a loved one.
Perfect for: Anyone who was already skeptical about getting in the ocean. —MF
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“La Piscine” (1969)
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection What it is: A typically Gallic thriller made even more languid under the Côte d’Azur sun, in which couple Romy Schneider and Alain Delon lounge decoratively (it’s a dead tie as to who succeeds best) until the intrusion of Maurice Ronet and his daughter, Jane Birkin. The swimsuits are tiny, the sun is hot, and the pool becomes the epicenter of a quadrangle from which no one escapes unscathed.
Perfect for: Lovers of beauty — both physical and natural — with a penchant for sun-drenched dread. —MP
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“Wet Hot American Summer” (2001)
Image Credit: ©USA Films/Courtesy Everett Collection What it is: David Wain and Michael Showalter caught lightning in a bottle with their absurdist, joke-a-minute parody of summer camp movies. A legendary cast of then-unknown actors including Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper, and Elizabeth Banks star as a horny coterie of camp counselors trying to entertain themselves on their last day of work at Camp Firewood. Filled with intentional continuity errors and rapid shifts in genre, “Wet Hot American Summer” simultaneously feels like an LSD-fueled riff on “Meatballs” and a feature-length “I Think You Should Leave” sketch. It might be the only summer camp movie that’s more fun to watch than going to summer camp.
Perfect for: Comedy geeks and all varieties of sentient canned food. —CZ
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“Swimming Pool” (2003)
Image Credit: ©Focus Features/Courtesy Everett Collection What it is: Hoo boy, François Ozon’s thriller—starring Charlotte Rampling and Ludivine Sagnier—pissed people off with its ambiguous ending. But the whole film is like a half-dreamed moment under the sun, as novelist Sarah (Rampling) finds her work getaway interrupted by the sexually voracious daughter (Sagnier) of her publisher, whose villa she is using. As they engage in increasingly sexualized mind games, the men in their orbit become both playthings and victims. Summer vacation never felt this sexy or scary, and Rampling is at the peak of her inscrutable powers.
Perfect for: Anyone who likes to end vacation with a “WTF just happened?!” —MP
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“The Lizzie McGuire Movie” (2003)
Image Credit: ©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection What it is: Hilary Duff takes her beloved Disney Channel character to Rome in this nostalgia-inducing aughts tale of mistaken identity. When Lizzie is confused for a famous Italian popstar named Isabella during a field trip to Rome, Gordo (Adam Lamberg) and Kate (Ashlie Brillault) cover for the American Cinderella with school chaperone Miss Ungermeyer (a deeply, deeply funny Alex Borstein) as she fell for a hunk celeb. Will Lizzie finally realize her crush for Gordo, or ride off into the sunset with Yani Gellman’s dashing Paolo?
Perfect for: Fans of “Roman Holiday” and/or “A Cinderella Story.” —AF
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“The Parent Trap” (1998)
Image Credit: ©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection What it is: Lindsay Lohan’s unforgettable doubling performance as Annie James and Hallie Parker: redheaded twins spearated at birth, who later meet at summer camp and set about getting their divorced parents back together. Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson — aboard the QE2 or separated by countries — brew intoxicating chemistry as the girls’ parents, and supporting actresses Lisa Ann Walter and Elaine Hendrix dazzle as housekeeper Chessy and feisty foil Meredith Blake. A slew of perfectly executed ’90s slapstick hijinkx (lizard! air mattress! fencing!) make this remake a delightfully sincere upgrade on writer/director David Swift’s 1961 original.
Perfect for: ’90s nostalgics and “Three Identicial Strangers” obsessives. —AF
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“High School Musical 2” (2007)
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection What it is: Ah, yes, High School Musical: the Disney Channel Original Movie empire that just keeps on growing. For its first sequel in 2007, the TV movie phenomenon about theater kids warring with teen jocks changed its setting from high school hallways to poolside putting greens for an adventure all about the possibilties of summer. Bringing back Zack Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, and the rest of the singy cast, “High School Musical 2” kicks off with an all-tiem great number about getting out of classes (“What Time Is it”).
Perfect for: Millennials missing simpler times and any kid working a shitty job. —AF
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“Forgetting Sarah Marshall” (2008)
Image Credit: ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection What it is: It’s hard to upgrade after getting dumped by a famous actress who’s new relationship is publicized on every TV channel. Needing to escape the cluttered confines of his now companionless apartment, Peter Bretter heads for the North Shore of Oahu where he hopes to recenter his emotions in a luxurious edge-of-the-water resort. To the audience’s amusement, things take an interesting turn at check in as Bretter notices his ex-girlfriend walking towards the front desk where she is shortly joined by her new rock n roll boyfriend, Aldous Snow. Despite the unpleasant surprise, Bretter eventually enjoys his vacation after becoming acquainted with a hotel employee.
Perfect for: The criers in need of relatable humor who struggle to set their identity apart from their romantic encounters. —MF
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“Adventureland” (2009)
Image Credit: ©Miramax/Courtesy Everett Collection What it is: College graduate James Brennan has big plans to study abroad over the summer but his daydreams of spending grad school in the warm European sun is held up by his shortage of funds which leads him to take a less than desirable job. After his parents break the news that they can no longer bankroll the trip, Brennan, lacking any real working experience, takes the only job he can land, a game attendant at Adventureland, a worn-down amusement park in western Pennsylvania. On the bright side (or so it initially seems) he meets Emily, a nice girl with a dark side who brings out his more daring side.
Perfect for: Anyone who had to work a shitty summer job or who falls into the foolhardy trap of dating co-workers. —MF
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“Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara” (2011)
Image Credit: Eros International/courtesy Everett Collection What it is: Though not explicitly about a summer vacation, Zoya Akhtar’s 2011 comedy-drama shares critical emotional tissue with the best films about road trips, friendship, self discovery — and a little European holiday to kick it all into gear. Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar (who wrote the dialogues), and Abhay Deol star as Arjun, Imraan, and Kabir, three childhood best friends on a two-week trip through Spain. Though the trip is ostensibly Kabir’s bachelor party, it’s an excuse for him to flee from his fiancee (Kalki Koechlin), to repair the fractured friendship between Arjun and Imraan, for Imraan and Kabir to curb Arjun’s workaholic tendencies, and for Imraan to pursue his own hidden agenda in between salsa dancing, snorkeling, and running with the bulls. The Akhtar siblings flawlessly execute a rare feat in Hindi cinema; a gorgeous, introspective film with both style and substance, as well as a commercial blockbuster that’s as beloved now as the day it premiered. “Zindagi” grounds Roshan from his hunky hero pedestal, elevates Deol into a relatable leading man, and finds the perfect balance for Akhtar’s specific brand of comedic charm (often via designer handbag) — it even builds a believable character for Katrina Kaif as Laila, giving one of her strongest performnaces to date. It’s the kind of movie that will change how you vacation in your own life, hoping that every trip leads to emotional catharsis, seaside epiphanies (set to Javed Akhtar’s poetry), and at least one round of “Señorita.”
Perfect for: Travelers on their way to Europe, but not for a bachelor party. —PK
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“Moonrise Kingdom” (2012)
Image Credit: ©Focus Features/Courtesy Everett Collection What it is: Wes Anderson’s masterful portrayal of summer camp love is structured just like the idyllic romances it depicts: a series of profoundly cinematic highs and lows followed by an inevitable return to normalcy when school starts again. First-time actors Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward give remarkable performances as Sam and Suzy, a Khaki Scout and New Penzance resident who act considerably more mature than the clueless adults surrounding them as they explore the New England coast together. The Boy Scout-adjacent Camp Ivanhoe represents some of the best world building of Anderson’s career, as the 1950s summer camp is the perfect canvas for his offbeat sense of humor. “Moonrise Kingdom” features both the razor-sharp wit of Anderson’s early works and the visual lushness of his more recent output — and might be the best film he’s made to date.
Perfect for: Armchair Khaki Scouts and anyone who’s just dying to know how an orchestra is assembled. —CZ
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“Aftersun” (2022)
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection What it is: Charlotte Welles’ acclaimed debut feature stars Paul Mescal, in the role that got him an Oscar nomination, as Calum, a single father taking his 11 year-old daughter Sophie (an incredible Frankie Corio) on a summer vacation to Turkey. There, they laze around the sun, sing karaoke, go scuba diving, and dance, as the young and perceptive Sophie explores romance for the first time and the cheerful Calum hides glimmers of sadness from his daughter. But that’s only one layer of the movie, which is filtered through the eyes of an older Sophie (Celia Rowlson-Hall) piecing together what her dad was going through via the old camera footage she’s kept from that trip.The movie’s meta narrative — and the perfectly calibrated performances of Corio and Mescal — make the film one of the few to capture what it’s like to look back on summer vacation memories, with small moments and happy times registering in a different, more melancholy pitch.
Perfect for: People with daddy issues, people who fell in love with Paul Mescal’s character in “Normal People,” or people with daddy issues who fell in love with Paul Mescal’s character in “Normal People.” —WC
