7 Movies About Summer Love That’ll Heat Your Nights
Summer is officially here, and with it comes promises of sunshine, warm weather, and …summer love?
Sun-drenched romance and summer flings have long been a hallmark of movies. These seven films celebrate all the passion and heartbreak that can come when the calendar flips to summer.
Grease (1978)
“Summer loving, had me a blast” is all you need to put Grease on the list. The 1978 musical comedy shows just how long a summer fling can linger as it charts the romance between Greaser Danny Zucco and good-girl Sandy Olsson. With a heavy dose of nostalgia, Grease will have you top-tapping and hand-jiving through summer, knowing that love can outlast the season.
Dirty Dancing (1987)
Like so many other summer love movies, Dirty Dancing brings together two lovers from very different worlds. Frances “Baby” Houseman’s summer vacation to a fancy resort in the Catskills ends up as the setting where she finds love with dance instructor Johnny Castle. The chemistry between Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze adds more heat, pushing Dirty Dancing from a summer love movie to a film classic.
The Notebook (2004)
For a generation of millennials, The Notebook was the definitive romance movie. The iconic poster adorned bedrooms and dorms, and “If you’re a bird, I’m a bird” was the most romantic line imaginable. The on-again, off-again relationship between Noah and Allie perfectly reflects young love, especially one born out of a summer night. Maybe perspective on The Notebook has changed over the past 20 years, but there’s no denying the influence Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams had on a generation of moviegoers.
Call Me by Your Name (2017)
The summer love movie was made for coming-of-age tales like Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me by Your Name. The beauty of the Italian setting is only outdone by the performances of Timothee Chalamet and Armie Hammer. A critical and commercial hit, Call Me by Your Name became an instant classic in multiple genres, including summer love movies, gay cinema, and period romance.
Adventureland (2009)
A summer job makes for the perfect setting to find love (and comedy). Director Greg Mottola’s follow-up to Superbad brings more awkwardness to the search for love thanks to star Jesse Eisenberg. Hot nights and heartache, a standout performance by Kristen Stewart, and supporting roles by comedy A-listers Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, and Ryan Reynolds make Adventureland a fun summer ride.
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
No director is immune to the appeal of a good summer love movie. For example, Wes Anderson gave his take on the genre with 2012’s Moonrise Kingdom. It’s an innocent romance between two 12-year-old runaway summer campers, set in 1960s New England as only Anderson could envision. The director’s style may not be for everyone, but he captures something about a first love and a finite summer that anyone can recognize.
Roman Holiday (1953)
Roman Holiday earned Audrey Hepburn her lone Academy Award win. As a European princess looking for freedom, she finds love with Gregory Peck’s American journalist, Joe Bradley. The movie is a timeless summer love classic thanks to the chemistry between its stars and, more importantly, the bittersweet way it portrays their fleeting love. The tearful goodbye between Ann and Joe reminds us that summer doesn’t last forever, and sometimes, neither does a perfect romance.
