TMS Spotlight: Some Overlooked Summer Movies
(Eureka Pictures / Universal Pictures)
As we wind down for the final month of summer, let’s take a look at some seasonally appropriate movie options if you need a break from the beach or the pool. Rather than just watch the usual comedies—like Harold Ramis’ Caddyshack (1980) or Ivan Reitman’s Meatballs (1979)—we love and always catch on tv; there are some less common flicks to fit the sunny mood as well.
David Wain’s summer camp set cult flick Wet Hot American Summer (2001) has grown to be a staple for some comedy fans, especially with its all-star cast of funny faces like Janeane Garofalo, Amy Poehler, Paul Rudd, Bradley Cooper and Elizabeth Banks. But for those who might not be into the stark, slightly mean-spirited tone of the farce, there’s a more wholesome and relatable piece in Greg Mottola’s Adventureland (2009); with Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig working a local amusement park during summer of 1987. Similarly, Nat Faxon & Jim Rash’s The Way, Way Back (2013), is another modestly quaint family dramedy set on summer vacation starring Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Sam Rockwell and Liam James; where James’ protagonist takes a seasonal gig at a water park. Another, retro-ish summer flick that takes place during camp is Wes Anderson’s charmingly twee Moonrise Kingdom (2012); featuring Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Bruce Willis, Tilda Swinton and youngsters Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward.
(Indian Paintbrush / Focus Features)
Billy Wilder’s classic midlife-crisis comedy The Seven Year Itch (1955) is most famous for its sequence with Marilyn Monroe standing above a breezy subway gate, but the movie also takes place during summer. While not exactly focused around the season or any kind of holiday time off, it is fascinating to watch a story in a time period where it was common for a married man with a wife with kids—here played by Tom Ewell—to intentionally stay home to work and not be included with the rest of the family for a month out of town. Spike Lee’s controversial masterpiece Do the Right Thing! (1989) takes place entirely during the hottest day of the year on a Brooklyn street for Danny Aiello, Giancarlo Esposito, Rosie Perez and John Turturro. John Stockwell’s Blue Crush (2002) is a romance themed summer flick where Kate Bosworth is a local Hawaii surfer with potential also moonlighting as a hotel maid where she meets a pro footballer played by Matt Davis.
For more recent summer adventures abroad, Ari Aster’s trippy horror flick Midsommar (2019) set in Sweden and Luca Guadagnino’s coming of age tale Call Me by Your Name (2017) in Italy might do the trick. So if you want to take it easy the rest of the season, here are a few viewing options available.