The school year is coming to an end; everybody is ready and excited for the final bell to ring so we can go home and get ready for our long vacation! Why not watch some of the best summer movies to take up some of that free time on break. So here’s a list of six summer movies that just scream summer.
“The Sandlot”
Set in the summer of 1962, Scotty Smalls, a new kid in town in San Fernando Valley, California, is taken to be part of a new baseball team. Benny, a young baseball prodigy, and his rowdy team mates, now including Scotty, spend their summer bonding over baseball, going on small adventures, and getting into mischief. The central plot kicks in when Smalls accidentally hits a baseball signed by Babe Ruth into a yard guarded by a massive, supposedly terrifying dog known as “The Beast.” The kids come up with increasingly wild plans to get the ball back without facing the dog. The film was released in 1993, but is a nostalgic portrayal of the summer of 1962.
“Grown Ups”
Directed by Dennis Dugan and written by Adam Sandler and Fred Wolf, “Grown Ups” is about five childhood friends, Lenny Feder, Eric Lamonsoff, Kurt McKenzie, Marcus Higgins, and Rob Hilliard, who reunite for a Fourth of July weekend at a lake house where they all grew up together as kids. The movie highlights friendships and how meaningful and important a good friendship can be. The now middle-aged men bring their families together for a weekend at a lake house where they spent their summers as kids. What follows is a mix of hilarious antics, playful rivalry, and heartfelt moments as they try to reconnect with each other, relive their youth, and show their kids how to enjoy life without screens or distractions.
“High School Musical 2”
School’s out, and Troy and his friends land summer jobs at the exclusive Lava Springs Country Club, which is owned by Sharpay Evans’ wealthy family. Sharpay is determined to win Troy over, offering him special privileges and opportunities to further his future, hoping to break up him and Gabriella, his current girlfriend. As Troy gets caught up in the perks of his new position, tensions rise among the group, especially between him and Gabriella. Meanwhile, Sharpay manipulates events to get Troy to perform with her in the club’s annual talent show. Eventually, Troy realizes he’s losing sight of what truly matters. He makes things right just in time for the big show, where the entire group performs together. In the end, friendships are mended, love is reaffirmed, and the summer ends on a high note.
“Grease”
Grease is a classic musical set in the 1950s which is all about teen romance, catchy songs, and high school drama. The story follows Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson, who have a sweet summer romance. When summer ends, they unexpectedly reunite at Rydell High School, only now, Danny is trying to keep his cool greaser image with his T-Bird buddies, and Sandy is the sweet, innocent, new girl trying to fit in. It’s what happens when the bad boys meets the goodie two shoes.
“Mamma Mia!”
The story centers around Sophie, a young woman about to get married. She wants her father to walk her down the aisle, but the twist is, she doesn’t know who he is. After secretly reading her mother Donna’s old diary, she invites three men from Donna’s past, Sam, Bill, and Harry, to the wedding, hoping to figure out which one is her dad. Donna, played by Meryl Streep, is completely shocked when her former flames show up, and chaos, comedy, and emotional moments follow as the characters sort through their past and present relationships.
“The Parent Trap”
The Parent Trap is a fun, heartwarming family movie about identical twin girls, Annie and Hallie, who were separated at birth when their parents divorced, neither one knowing the other ever existed. They meet for the first time at summer camp (one is from London, the other from California), and after an initial rivalry, they discover the truth: they’re sisters! They hatch a classic switcheroo plan to swap places to meet the parents they’ve never known and secretly try to reunite their mom and dad. Of course, things get tricky when their dad starts dating a gold-digging woman named Meredith, and the girls have to step up their matchmaking game.
