Films for Summer

Summer is right around the corner: the time of sunshine, jet-set holidays and summer romance (except most of that is illegal right now). However, whilst we may be stuck in Britain with the more-than-likely hit and miss weather, we’ll still have films to live through vicariously. In order to combat the summer blues I am already feeling looking out at the grey skies of Coventry, here are my go-to movies for that summertime feeling.

Grease

The entire premise of this movie is based on a summer romance that began on a beach holiday and the fun, campy hijinks that follow when Sandy and Danny end up at the same high school. Grease is an absolute classic that just screams summer and plasters a smile on your face from start to finish. It’s got everything: bright colours, feel-good music and a huge carnival scene that makes me miss the slightly dodgy local fairs and their creaky, rickety rollercoasters.

Jaws

Sun, sand, sea and loads of people who just want to have a lovely swim: what’s not to love? Oh yes, and also a giant, mechanical shark. Despite being about a vicious fish on a killing spree, Jaws‘ blue skies and bluer water make me want to book a ticket to go sunbathing on Amity Island. Though, after watching, I might want to stick to the hotel swimming pool rather than the open waters.

Palm Springs

Only debuting on Amazon Prime last month, this film has already soared to the top of my list to get me in a summery mood. A refreshing take on the classic time-loop trope, this romantic comedy focusses on two characters constantly reliving the same, chaotic wedding day in Palm Springs, California. The film is wonderful in its own right, pulling on your heartstrings and making you giggle simultaneously, but what really gives it such an appealing aesthetic is the summery cinematography. From beautiful shots of the leads lounging in a pool, to scenes of them driving through the Californian desert, it makes me question if I would mind being stuck in a time loop in the gorgeous summer sun too much.

Lilo and Stitch

An underrated Disney classic that I adore so much. At its heart, this film is a heart-warming story of family love, how hard people are willing to work for the ones they love and the importance of loving people, no matter how broken they seem. The film is made even more entertaining through the addition of aliens. For me though, what really makes it one of my ultimate summertime films is the beautiful depiction of modern Hawaiian culture, complete with hula dance, fire dancing and a lot of surfing. Alongside this, I would argue that Lilo and Stitch has one of the best, and also one of the most unapologetically summery, soundtracks of any Disney film. If I ever feel the summer blues creeping in, I will simply play ‘Hawaiian Rollercoaster Ride’ at the highest volume and I will be cured.

500 Days of Summer

This is my favourite film and I will recommend it until the day I die. In order to stop me watching this so much and keep the movie special to me, I make it tradition to watch it on the first day of summer every year – I’m genuinely more excited to watch this on 21st June than I am to (hopefully) be able to hug my friends again. This film programmes you to be in a summer mood: from the title and Zooey Deschanel’s character name to the completely blue-centric colour scheme and the ridiculously good soundtrack, this is the kind of film you should watch on a projector on a hot summer night as you cry over your short-lived summer romance.

Mamma Mia

Despite the amount of hate I get for loving this film (and its sequel) as much as I do, there is no denying that this is the ultimate summertime movie. I could probably quote it by heart, and could definitely perform every single musical number in my sleep. It is because of this that I have a very well fleshed-out back up plan to move to Greece with nothing but my ABBA CDs and a pair of trusty dungarees. It is impossible not to crack a smile at Mamma Mia, so, at this point, I’ve decided to stop trying to defend Pierce Brosnan’s casting and have just embraced this movie in all its summery, campy glory.