Top 10 Summer Movies: CCC Issue #89

The Best Summer Movies 

 

Ah, summer. 

Many people wait all year for this season and don’t hesitate to call it their favourite over spring, fall, and winter. I love all the seasons for different reasons, which sounds like a cop out, but what I love the most about summer is the warm weather that allows for comfortable outdoor swimming, camping, and exploring. As a kid, summer vacation was a chance for me to play outside even more than I already did, read the kinds of books I wanted to read, and stay up late watching movies. 

I’ve contemplated making a top ten list of the best summer movies for a while now, and finally, I’ve come up with something that I’m satisfied with. I’m going to do two lists for the price of one. The first one is unranked; the ordering of the movies is how I think they should be watched based on the progression of the summer months. The second list is how I would rank all those movies against one another, taking away the “summer movie” filter and looking at them as they stand on their own in terms of quality and entertainment value.

We start things off with a fun school-skipping adventure, Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), because school is nearing its end until September. Even if you’re not in school anymore (high school or university/college) that sense of summer vacation creeping up toward the end of June never really goes away, I feel. You start seeing kids around during the middle of the day in places where you don’t see them the rest of the year—playing at the beach, walking the sidewalks, hanging out in the mall—and they are there as a reminder for those who have joined the work force and are no longer directly affected by summer break. As the school year winds down, kids want to skip out and go enjoy the sun and what the outside world has to offer, not be stuck in some classroom, and Ferris Bueller takes us along for one of the best skipping days of all-time. 

Dazed and Confused (1993) is the perfect follow-up to Ferris Beuller, because it takes us back to that last day of school and the beginning of summer vacation, even though it’s set one decade earlier than when Ferris Bueller skipped school, in the rockin’ 1970’s. The soundtrack is a great one for the summer, and there are so many characters to follow you’re bound to relate to at least one or two. There is always that distinct energy everyone feels as school ends and summer vacation begins, and Dazed and Confused somehow captures that while also moving along at a relaxed pace. It hits on some very relatable coming-of-age incidents, like being pressured at a party or dealing with bullies. It takes place over only one day/night, has some great actors in early roles (Matthew McConaughey, Milla Jovovich, and Ben Affleck, to name a few), and makes for a less-funny-but-no-less-enjoyable-follow-up to Ferris Bueller.     

Finishing high school and going into the first summer as real life sets in is one thing, but the first summer after finishing a college degree hits different. Enter: Benjamin Braddock, played by an apathetic-yet-also-anxiety-filled Dustin Hoffman, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in The Graduate (1967). This is a much more contemplative and dramatic film compared to Ferris Bueller or Dazed and Confused, as it should be, but it’s still quite funny, and has aged surprisingly well. Scenes of Benjamin floating around the pool feel like pure summer moments, especially as he lounges around deep in thought, uncertain what to do with his life, uncertain about his affair with Mrs. Robinson, and unsure about his feelings for her daughter. It adds up to a pretty complicated character, and a perfectly uncertain ending. 

For the next two movies we’re taking a break from strictly summer-set movies about summer and delving into the world of summer blockbusters. One of the best things about summer is being able to go on a summer vacation. It isn’t specifically stated what time of year it is in Jurassic Park (1993), but it’s understood that the movies in the franchise occur in the same years they were released. So, since Jurassic Park came out in June of 1993, I imagine the weekend vacation Dr. Grant, Dr. Sattler, and Dr. Malcolm take to visit the park happens in early summer. Jurassic Park is one of the ultimate summer blockbuster releases anyway, and is right up there with Jaws as one of Spielberg’s best. The tropical Costa Rican island setting (actually filmed in Hawaii) has a summertime vibe, and the sense of adventure is what really makes it feel worthy of watching at the height of summer. I could watch Jurassic Park anytime of the year, but June will always be Jurassic month.

I’m Canadian, so the Fourth of July holiday in the United States doesn’t mean much to me. It comes three days after my country-wide celebration (Canada Day on July 1^st—yeah, Canada was faster on the draw to celebrate Thanksgiving and our own national holiday), but that being said, there’s something about watching the blockbuster Independence Day (1996), a movie centered around the Fourth of July, that transcends its American roots—not to mention transcending the incredibly mediocre script, characters, and dialogue. Maybe it’s because, as Bill Pullman’s President Whitmore says in his epic speech, the Fourth of July will become a worldwide holiday if they can defeat the alien invaders. It’s a pretty predictable movie, but it’s action-packed, and feels more relevant to watch in the summer months than any other time of year.  

A giant shark isn’t going to stop Mayor Larry Vaughn from having the beaches of Amity Island open for business on the Fourth of July weekend. Unlike Independence Day, which sees a worldwide victory for our heroes, the shark in Jaws (1975) terrorizes beachgoers and prompts Chief Brody to join Matt Hooper and Captain Quint to hunt down the shark and kill it. Of all the movies on this list, Jaws is the only one I watch every single summer without fail. To me, it’s the pinnacle of summer movies. Beaches, swimmers, sharks, high-seas adventure, horror, thrills, and so much more. No other summer movie has scared as many people out of the water as this one, and there will probably never be another movie quite like it. It doesn’t really feel like summer to me until I’ve watched Jaws.  

We’re back to a summertime-coming-of-age adventure. The Sandlot (1993) can actually be watched at any stage of the summer, because it covers nearly the entire two months. We begin at the end of the school year as Scotty Smalls moves to a new town and becomes friends with eight other neighbourhood kids who play baseball at “the sandlot”, then we see Fourth of July fireworks when they play a night game, and throughout the whole movie it’s baking hot—in fact, it was so hot when they were shooting principal photography many of the kids got heatstroke in real life. This one is right up there with Jaws and Jurassic Park as one of my favourite summer movies and favourite movies in general. It has themes of friendship, self-discovery, plus plenty of laughs, thrills, and classic summer antics, like going to the pool, hanging out with friends, and getting into trouble. 

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) isn’t set during summer, but the combination of high-seas thrills and the sunny Caribbean setting makes it fully rooted in my mind as one of the ultimate summer movies. Adventure is a big part of what defines the greatest blockbuster movies. Even though there have been so many big blockbusters released in the 21^st century so far, few have stood out to me as having distinctly summer vibes. Curse of the Black Pearl was one of my favourites to watch in the summer when I was a kid/teenager, and it continues to be. Though I enjoy the sequels Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End as well, nothing can beat the original. It sparks my imagination, thrills me, and makes me laugh to no end.   

Next up is Wet Hot American Summer (2001). I mean, it has summer right in the title. This one is perfect to place near the end of the list because it takes place on the last day of one of the classic staples of summer: going to summer camp. This is the most ridiculous movie on this list, and has perhaps the most star-studded cast, including newcomers-at-the-time Bradley Cooper, Amy Poehler, and Paul Rudd. It spoofs the teen sex comedy and summer camp subgenres, but has a very particular brand of humour that might not be for everyone. There are some hilarious gags and surprising moments, but the thing that stuck with me the most from this movie is the song used during the opening titles/opening scene around the campfire. “Jane” by Jefferson Starship is a banger, and has become a requirement for my summer soundtrack. Even though the movie is sometimes inconsistent, I’d still say it is essential summer movie viewing. But, I would go a step further and suggest adding in the prequel series from Netflix, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, which I think is even funnier. If you want to go full tilt, start off with First Day of Camp, then watch the movie, then watch the sequel series, Ten Years Later, and then finish off with the making of documentary, Hurricane of Fun.

Last but not least is Stand by Me (1986). Last summer I watched The Sandlot and Stand by Me back-to-back as a double feature, and discovered they didn’t match up as well as I thought they might. Stand by Me is the perfect one to end this marathon of summer movies, though, because it’s set during the Labour Day long weekend, right at the end of summer, and is one of the most contemplative coming-of-age movies. Like The Sandlot, it’s about kids, set around the same time, only it has darker, more serious subject matter. Like some of the other best summer movies, it has the drive of adventure, the warm weather, and the freedom from school as the kids discover things about themselves and each other. It ends with the main character having grown up and written about this time in his life, which feels like the perfect way to end the summer. Even if we have grown up and moved beyond summer vacation and the magic that held, the memories remain.

 

Now that we have the chronological order of how to watch my top ten summer movies, let’s look at how they compare against one another.

 

10. Independence Day (1996)

I loved Independence Day when I was a kid simply for the spectacle of aliens attacking planet earth, but it’s nowhere near as impressive to me now. I watched it again recently for the first time in a long time, and I can still have fun watching it and look past some of the dumber aspects while recognizing that it’s not particularly great beyond those special effects. I almost didn’t include it in this list, but it fits well in the summer movie roster, and of all the summer-set blockbusters, is one of the few to have stood the test of time, even if only in a minor way. As far as its place on the ranking list, it is definitely at the bottom, far below the other nine movies on here.

 

9. Wet Hot American Summer (2001)

The first time I saw this movie I didn’t get it. I didn’t think it was consistently funny, but I also didn’t get a lot of the humour. After watching the prequel series and re-watching the movie, I started to get it, and now I find it pretty funny from beginning to end. That being said, there are still many jokes that don’t work for me, the pace is odd, and there are too many characters for it being a ninety-minute movie. Wet Hot American Summer is still one of the better low-budget comedies I’ve seen despite those shortcomings. The critics were wrong about this one, but I do think the material ended up being better suited to episodic storytelling on Netflix.

 

8. Dazed and Confused (1993)

Even though Dazed and Confused has the same issue as Wet Hot American Summer of having too many characters for its runtime, it somehow feels like less of an issue here. I think it’s because of the more realistic approach to the material, and the way many characters feel like real people, just existing around those characters we get to spend more time with and get to know better. I find Dazed and Confused is more about the vibes than anything. Kick back, enjoy the music, see what the characters get up to, appreciate the recreations of the time period, and you’ll have a good time. Don’t think too much about how scattered the movie can be, how there isn’t much of a story, or how it lacks much structure.

 

7. The Graduate (1967)

I don’t know what it is specifically about this movie, but I really enjoy it. Maybe it’s the music by Simon & Garfunkel, or the time spent with the characters, who feel very dynamic and relatable, or the build-up of suspenseful drama as Benjamin begins dating Mrs. Robinson’s daughter, despite her having forbade it, and no one knowing about his secret affair with Mrs. Robinson. Or, maybe it’s just a combination of everything. I find it incredibly engaging, easy to watch, and funny, but also sad, and I appreciate the subject matter isn’t overtly explicit, it’s handled in an effective manner. The fact that this movie is only at #7 just goes to show how many other extremely good ones are on this list.

 

6. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

Again, it’s tough to see Pirates only at #6, because it’s one of my favourite blockbuster movies, and stands out as being one of the few special-effects-heavy movies of the 2000’s that is still just as fun to watch today as it was when it was first released. I was only eight when it came out, and it thrilled me, but it never gets old. What puts the other five movies above this one, though? Well, that’s a tough one. If I were to offer any disapprovals of Pirates, it might be that it’s a little long. No action scenes drag on, though, and no dialogue scenes do either, so what, exactly, could be cut, I’m not sure, but it’s tough to compete with the other five films because those ones have made me laugh more, inspired me more, and are just more special.    

 

5. Stand by Me (1986)

Stand by Me is character-focused, and remains so from beginning to end. That doesn’t mean it’s simplistic or boring, though. It is as good as it is thanks to the young actors giving it their all, especially in the more emotional scenes, and the craft of the director directing them. Even though it gets pretty serious, there’s still room for humour, heart, and even some back story. I really don’t have anything bad to say about Stand by Me, but I will say it doesn’t have quite the same quantity of entertainment value, for me, as movies 1-4. The quality of the film and its entertainment value is still extremely high.

For more on Stand by Me, check out my Favourite Films Series: 

https://cccmovies.blogspot.com/2021/09/stand-by-me-1986-favourite-films-series.html

 

4. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

I am always up for watching Ferris Bueller because I know it’s going to make me feel better after. I never fail to laugh many, many times, and there isn’t a single scene that I don’t enjoy. From the second the titles begin over a black screen and I hear Ferris’ mom and dad call his name I start to chuckle, right up to the end credits and beyond, as Ferris comes out of the bathroom to tell us the movie is over, and we get one last “chick-ah-chick-ahhhhh…” from the hilarious and iconic song “Oh Yeah” by Yello. It’s hilarious, original, and the best movie of its kind.

For more on Ferris Bueller, check out my Favourite Films Series: https://cccmovies.blogspot.com/2017/06/ferris-beullers-day-off-1986-favourite.html

 

3. The Sandlot (1993)                                               

What puts Sandlot above these other movies (but above Stand by Me and Ferris Bueller in particular) is the good-hearted-nature of the movie and the pureness of the fun to be had watching it. This one makes me laugh, but it also makes me contemplative like Stand by Me, and it's inspiring, in many ways. Even though it’s just about some kids hanging out and getting into trouble with a big dog, there’s some variety, there are many characters without having too many, it recreates the 60’s just as well as Stand by Me recreates the 50’s or Dazed and Confused recreates the 70’s, and every other element comes together to make it something special.  

For more on The Sandlot, check out my Favourite Films Series: https://cccmovies.blogspot.com/2021/07/the-sandlot-1993-favourite-films-series.html

 

2. Jaws (1975)

Hardly any other filmmakers aside from Steven Spielberg have been able to successfully blend all my favourite genres into one movie, and Spielberg has done that twice. The first time was with Jaws, which is a horror film at its core, but it’s also an adventure story in the second half, it’s a thriller through and through, it’s comedic, it’s dramatic, and there isn’t anything I would change about it. This two-hour masterpiece has everything it needs to work exactly the way it’s supposed to, and I can’t think of anything else new to say about it at this point.

For more on Jaws, check out my Favourite Films Series: https://cccmovies.blogspot.com/2017/06/jaws-1975-favourite-films-series.html

 

1. Jurassic Park (1993)

Of course this is my number-one. It outranks most other movies in a myriad of categories for me. What is it about Jurassic Park that I like more than Jaws? It’s the story. I love dinosaurs, and Michael Crichton’s novel served as one of the most-creative, interesting, and gripping tales of prehistoric creatures in decades. It’s a benchmark not just for dinosaur stories, but for science-fiction-thrillers in general. I will never get tired of going back to Isla Nublar and marvelling at a place where dinosaurs rule once again. Like Jaws, it’s a two-hour masterpiece, it combines my favourite genres, and it checks every box.  

For more on Jurassic Park, check out my Favourite Films Series: https://cccmovies.blogspot.com/2021/06/jurassic-park-1993-favourite-films.html

 

I know I left out many great summer movies, so tell me: which ones should I have included? Did I miss your favourite? Comment wherever comments can be read!