3 Classic Movies That Foreshadowed Everything That Happened In ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’

Jenny Han, author and creator of the Summer I Turned Pretty franchise, is clearly a cinephile in her own right. Her work often contains references to movies that are decades older than her characters (and, more than likely, her audience), giving her storylines layers that only movie lovers will fully understand. Because if you are familiar with the films the show references, you’ll realize that much of the story’s plot is an homage to iconic storylines of old—and though the material has certainly been updated, it’s clear that these films have been foreshadowing the show’s direction all along.

So, what three film references should viewers pay attention to?

Casablanca(1942)

This iconic film is specifically referenced during the Christmas flashback while Belly and Conrad are secretly in the Cousins beach house together. They watch the film together and argue over the ending—which is key to this reference.

The film revolves around a love triangle in WWII between the stoic Rick Blaine, the magnetic Victor Laszlo, and the beautiful Ilsa Lund—who just so happens to be Rick’s ex-lover and Laszlo’s wife. It is eventually revealed that Ilsa left Rick because she knew circumstances wouldn’t allow them to be together, but that she still loves him nonetheless. Though she wants to be with him and he’s still deeply in love with her, Rick ultimately gives her up, sending her off with Laszlo for the greater good, where he knows she’ll be safe and taken care of, knowing that his feelings aren’t more important than that.

This is where this film becomes relevant to The Summer I Turned Pretty: When they get to the end of the film, Belly clearly believes that Ilsa should have stayed with Rick, while Conrad says that she was better of with Laszlo. It’s a sly way to say that in different circumstances, Belly would have chosen to stay with Conrad, her great love; Conrad, on the other hand, chooses Rick Blaine’s selfless route, having tried to let Belly go so that she can be happy and loved the way she deserves, even if it’s with someone else.

Bye Bye Birdie (1963)

During the third season of The Summer I Turned Pretty, Belly talks about how she grew up watching Bye Bye Birdie with her mother, even singing the songs to herself while getting ready for bed. This is pretty significant, considering the titular character of the film is named Conrad Birdie (pretty on the nose, eh?), who plays a charming, enigmatic teen idol. In the film, Conrad Birdie gets his army draft notice and decides to do one last farewell concert for his fans in Ohio. There, all the teen girls swoon over Conrad Birdie (while all the teen boys show their dislike for him—Jeremiah would probably relate), but only one girl is chosen to receive a farewell kiss: a girl named Kim, who’s already in a relationship with a boy named Hugo. When Kim swoons over Conrad, Hugo breaks up with Kim, though later Hugo comes back and fights for his girl, punching Conrad and reclaiming his relationship. Ultimately, Kim bids Conrad farewell as he leaves for the draft.

To some degree, this story will probably sound familiar to The Summer I Turned Pretty fans. Belly has always put Conrad on a pedestal (much like teen girls put Conrad Birdie on one), and much like Hugo, Jeremiah’s jealousy of that is what causes many of the issues in his relationship with Belly. Not to mention we’re no stranger to seeing Jeremiah punch Conrad in the face, especially over Belly. And when Conrad says goodbye to Belly on her wedding day, as she lets him go, she thinks, “Bye bye, Birdie.” At that point, Belly still planned to go through with the wedding and believed this was her final farewell to her own Conrad—her own little Bye Bye Birdie moment.

Sabrina (1954)

Sabrina is perhaps the most on-the-nose film of the three, to the point where it’s almost laughable that Belly mentions loving it. Why? Because the movie revolves around a young woman who falls in love with (and has to choose between) two wealthy brothers that she grew up with. (Personally, I’d like to believe she watched the movie as a child and saw it as aspirational.)

The set-up in Sabrina is a little different, of course. In the film, titular character Sabrina has spent her whole life in love with the Larrabee family’s youngest son, David, a charming womanizer who originally doesn’t give her the time of day. However, after a two-year stint in Paris (sound familiar?), Sabrina comes back matured and looking lovelier than ever—and catching David’s eye in the process. This, however, becomes a problem because David is engaged to the wealthy daughter of another businessman as part of a lucrative business deal, which is where his older brother Linus comes in. Linus is stoic, hard-working, and responsible, and knowing his brother’s flights of fancy, decides to sabotage his relationship with Sabrina by trying to make her fall in love with him instead. While his plan works, he soon realizes that he’s fallen for Sabrina just as hard, further complicating the situation.

While Belly spent her childhood loving Conrad, not Jeremiah, it’s easy to otherwise see how the brothers fit into these roles. Jeremiah, the charming womanizer, is who Belly believes she wants, though truthfully she prefers the depth and stability that Conrad offers her. And just like in Sabrina, it’s clear which brother Belly is going to choose in the end—and what kind of love she ultimately prefers.