These classic summer movies are a worthy farewell to the season

I don’t know how we missed it, but this year we apparently entered some kind of space-time continuum wormhole, and each month passed faster than the month before. We are now a week away from the official end of summer. Of course, no one is mad about fall coming (bring the cozy books and pumpkin spice lattes), but… you still want to give summer a proper send-off. What better way to spend those last lazy, hazy days of the season than watching some classic summer movies?

You know the type: these movies have a quintessentially summer feel even though they span several seasons. Maybe you watched them every summer growing up, or maybe they came out during that summer we all had—that summer filled with core memories that seemed to last forever, but we didn’t realize at the time that it would be the last of adolescence wonderful summer.

No matter how these movies found you, they will always represent the best summers in your mind. So, let’s celebrate the rest of it with this very nostalgic watch list.

the best of the best

1. sandy land (1993)

In the summer of 1962, Scotty Smalls was the new kid in town. But when young baseball phenom Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez introduced him to baseball, Smalls’ life changed forever. Are you still a 90’s kid if you and your friends/siblings aren’t all obsessed with another character in this movie? As summer movies go, this one may be the most quotable.

2. cocktail (1988)

Tom Cruise plays Brian Flanagan, a fast-talking New York bartender who moves to Jamaica and falls in love with artist Jordan Mooney (Elizabeth Shue). But Brian’s mean qualities get the best of him when he makes a bet with his old bartending mentor Doug Coughlin to sleep with a wealthy older woman and drive Jordan away. It’s more of a dramatic comedy than a romantic comedy, but the show’s summer essence is still very much there.

3. How Stella got back to her best (1998)

Can we just take a moment to marvel at the fact that this movie came out nearly thirty years ago and Angela Bassett, who plays the eponymous character, still looks the same? This woman is a work of art. The film also takes us to Jamaica, where Stella, a successful 40-something, goes on vacation and meets Winston (Taye Diggs), a handsome young islander. And, well, let’s just say things get steaming hot Stella is starting to get the hang of work-life balance.

4. Weekend at Bernie’s (1989)

If you live a life where “nothing can get in the way of my vacation,” Weekend at Bernie’s It should resonate deeply with you. Somehow this ’80s cinematic treasure manages to pull off a completely creepy idea – salesmen Richard (Jonathan Silverman) and Larry (Andrew McCarthy) pretend they’re dead The boss comes alive – and makes it hilarious, fun and light-hearted.

5. summer school (1987)

I’m 100% sure I didn’t have to watch this movie growing up, but here we are. In the film, high school physical education teacher Freddy Shoop (played by Mark Harmon) is assigned to teach English tutoring at summer school. Freddy is unenthusiastic about the job at best, until he realizes that the underachieving students in his class actually have a lot to offer. it’s a bit like breakfast club meet stand and deliver…just less emotion and being on the beach.

6. Great outdoor activities (1988)

Nothing says summer like vacationing at a lakeside cabin. exist Great outdoor activitiesFamily man Chet Ripley (John Candy) is determined to relive the good old days at Pine Tree Lodge Resort with his family. However, things take a turn for the worse when his brother Roman (Dan Aykroyd) travels with the family. The hilarity and chaos that ensues is the peak of summer travel.

7. Dirty Dancing (1987)

No one leaves the baby in the corner! This classic film takes place in the summer of 1963 at Kellerman’s Restaurant in the Catskill Mountains. There, Frances “Baby” Houseman (Jennifer Grey) meets and falls in love with camp dance instructor Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze), ultimately leading to a very dramatic dance moment at the end of the film . What can be said to be this film’s greatest contribution to society? Countless ’90s kids tried this iconic gondola at lakes and swimming pools across the United States.

8. And your mother (2001)

In this coming-of-age film, best friends Julio (Gael Garcia Bernal) and Tenoch (Diego Luna) find themselves in an interesting situation: with Julio’s cousin Road trip with his wife Maribel Verdu (Luisa Cortez). She’s just discovered her husband’s latest affair and decides to accept her best friend’s invitation to take a road trip to a remote beach in Mexico. question? They made it up to impress her. As they travel to unknown destinations, they both learn a lot about friendship, sex, each other, and themselves.

9. The Goonies (1985)

If you see the words “The Goonies” and immediately hear “Hey, you guys!” in your mind, you’re one of my kind. In this adventure, a group of kids living in Astoria, Oregon, find their families facing foreclosure due to encroaching development. So when they discover an ancient treasure map, they do the only logical thing: go in search of the loot that can save their home. There are booby traps, skeletons, pirate ships, awkward teenage relationships… what more could you want?

10. Don’t tell mom the nanny is dead (1991)

When I saw this when I was younger, I wished I could be like teenager Sue Ellen Crandall (Christina Applegate), whose mom goes to Europe for the summer, leaving her behind. Now that I’m a mother myself, I envy Sue Ellen’s mother. European summer? Yes please! Spending a summer at home taking care of my four siblings and ending up having to go to work to support everyone when the nanny unexpectedly quacks? Hard pass.

11. Friday (1995)

For beginners, Friday Featuring an all-star cast: Ice Cube, Chris Tucker, Nia Long, Tom Lister Jr., John Witherspoon, Regina King, Faison Love… the list goes on. But there’s something undeniably summery about a movie that does absolutely nothing. Just hanging out. Got into trouble. Talk trash. Pure prank. If there’s a saying about summer, it’s “It’s Friday, you have no job and nothing to do.”