Summer is almost here, which means beach days, family road trips, backyard barbecues, and possibly some late-night binge-watching. While there are bound to be plenty of new films released in the coming months to enjoy while you soak up some air conditioning, there’s a trove of cult classic summer-themed comedies to get you stoked for the season you await those hot summer releases. Whether you’re looking to get a little nostalgic for summer's past or get pumped for the best summer vacation ever, you’ll find what you’re looking for in our list of summer comedy movies.
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Adventureland (2009)
In Adventureland, Jesse Eisenberg stars as James Brennan, a young Comparative Literature student and aspiring journalist who dreams of exploring Europe with his best friend before heading off to Columbia University. After being told by his parents that their finances aren’t doing great James has to cancel his vacation and get a dead-end summer job instead. Paulette (Kristen Wiig) and Bobby (Bill Hader) hire James at the local amusement park where he begrudgingly runs carnival games alongside Em (Kristen Stewart) and Joel (Martin Starr). Over weeks of house parties, after-hours parking lot hangouts, and psychedelic bumper car rides James and Em begin to develop feelings for one another, the only person standing in their way is Mike Connell (Ryan Reynolds), the married maintenance man who is cheating on his wife with Em. As summer drifts on in a dreary warm dream the hilarious story of summer love as an underdog reaches its climax and James must come to terms with his financial reality and his feelings toward Em. Adventureland not only makes you laugh but makes you feel that twinge of uncomfortably relatable inadequacy with an underdog story mixed with stoner comedy.
Dazed and Confused (1993)
Released in 1993 but taking place in 1976, Dazed and Confused follows a group of teenagers as the last day of school turns into the first day of Summer. For the upcoming senior class, and a few lucky freshmen, that means the first party of the season, but when the keg delivery driver makes an untimely error, the teens get caught by the host's parents. The young jocks, hippies, nerds, and burnouts then cruise their small Texan town looking for a place to throw an epic start of summer rager before the night is over, while facing their fears, getting even, and having the best night ever. A quintessential coming of age film set in the Texas summer, Dazed and Confused features a cast of young stars, including Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil), Ben Affleck (Argo), and Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club), whose line “Alright, alright, alright” is quoted in pop culture to this day.
Wet Hot American Summer (2001)
Wet Hot American Summer is a cult classic comedy that takes place on the last day of summer camp in 1981. Janeane Garofalo (Mystery Men) stars as the burnt-out camp director who attempts to keep the kids alive alongside her absent-minded staff of counselors portrayed by Paul Rudd (I Love You, Man), Molly Shannon (Superstar), Amy Poehler (Parks & Recreation), Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook) and many more. An ode to summers in the 80s, the film focuses on the camp counselors who have one last chance to put on the best talent show ever seen, escape the impending crash of space technology that’s falling towards the earth, and tell their crush their true feelings. The film is based on the real-life experiences of director David Wain’s (Role Models) time spent attending summer camps in his youth while paying homage to, and parodying classic summer camp films such as Meatballs and Sleepaway Camp. The film is structured similarly to Dazed and Confused, in that it takes place in the span of one day, and follows many different characters. Wet Hot American Summer features a notable soundtrack that encapsulates the early 80s setting, with songs from bands such as KISS, Jefferson Starship, and Loverboy. The sun-soaked film, which has been called gloriously silly as well as a witty pop satire by critics, was rebooted by Netflix for two eight-episode miniseries, a prequel, and a sequel showing the first day of camp and where the counselors ended ten years later.
National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983)
Released in 1983, this road-trip comedy, which was originally written as a short story for the National Lampoon magazine, is chock-full of classic Chevy Chase slapstick humor. Chase portrays Clark Griswold, the goofy, bespectacled patriarch of the Griswold family. Along with his wife Ellen (Beverly D’Angelo), son Rusty (Anthony Michael Hall), and daughter Audrey (Dana Barron), Clark sets out to make a memorable summer with his family. The four pile into the unfortunate wood-paneled, pea-green family station wagon and set off on a cross-country trip full of mishaps on their way to the Walley World amusement park, including crashes, infidelity, and the strapping of a corpse to the roof of the family car. The film was a box office smash, raking in over $61 million, with critics noting the way the film was able to create comedy out of humiliation, and how Chase’s confidence in his comedy kept the laughs coming one after another. Following the success of this first National Lampoon Vacation film, several spin-offs were created, including a European vacation, a Christmas vacation, and a trip to Vegas, all starring Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo, though the roles of Rusty and Audrey have been taken on by various actors over the years. The franchise even landed a legacy sequel of it's own in 2015, starring Ed Helms and Leslie Mann in the roles of Rusty and Audrey, alongside Christina Applegate and Chris Hemsworth as their significant others.
Luca (2021)
Set on the Italian Riviera in the heat of summer, Luca, a young sea monster, goes against his family's warnings and travels to the surface where the mysterious and terrible land monsters reside. Tired of his controlling parents bossing him around, Luca runs away to the land city of Portorosso where he makes quick friends with another young sea monster who lives on the surface named Alberto. While pretending to be human and exploring the sun-soaked town, the two boys join a local triathlon of swimming, cycling, and pasta eating to win money for a Vespa, which the pair believe will be their key to exploring the world. With the help of a human girl named Giulia the boys train day and night while Luca’s parents search for their missing son. While training Luca and Giulia become close, sharing their love of learning, much to the distaste of Alberto, who becomes jealous of their friendship. While battling their way through tough feelings and bowls of pasta the boys must learn to be honest with each other, even when it’s hard to be vulnerable. A film with a lot of heart, Luca is a story of underdogs who give it their all to win big while showing parents that they can’t keep their children safe from following their dreams. While the family-friendly film is animated its scenes are bathed in warm sunlight in a picturesque seaside Italian town where the boys spend their days eating ice cream cones and their nights under the stars, or as Alberto calls them, little fish.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)
A hilarious and heartwarming story of heartbreak, Forgetting Sarah Marshall stars Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, and Russell Brand in a wild take on rebounds, rocky relationships, and vacations gone wrong. In Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Peter Bretter (Jason Segel), is a big-hearted slob who works as a composer for a TV show called Crime Scene: Scene of the Crime, where his ex-girlfriend, Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell) is the star. After a painful and devastating breakup, Peter decides to take some time off from the show and relax on the beaches of Hawaii. Upon Peter's arrival at the resort, though, he runs into none other than Sarah, who is vacationing with her new boyfriend, English rock star Aldous Snow (Russell Brand). The awkward vacation ensues with the exes running into each other around the resort, though Peter tries to make the best of the situation, taking surfing lessons from air-headed Kunu (Paul Rudd) and falling for the beautiful and funny hotel receptionist, Rachel Jansen (Mila Kunis). The summer vacation vibes are in full swing in this Judd Apatow-produced comedy, which embodies the raunchy romantic comedy genre completely as the stars lap up fruity cocktails poolside, and Peter dons some of the ugliest Tommy Bahama style shirts and ska band worthy fedoras. The film features appearances from some comedy favorites, such as Jonah Hill, Bill Hader, and Jack McBrayer, and is complete with a puppeteered musical from the perspective of Dracula, sung by Segel himself.
American Pie 2 (2001)
A sequel to the 1999 sex comedy film American Pie, this follow-up film takes young Jim (Jason Biggs), Kevin (Thomas Nicholas), Stifler (Seann William Scott), Oz (Chris Klein), and Finch (Eddie Thomas) to a beach house in Michigan where they plan to host the greatest summer beach party ever. Featuring sunny blue skies, babes in bikinis, awkward young men obsessing over said babes, and a wildly fun pop-punk soundtrack, American Pie 2 is a tad more grown-up, and possibly even funnier than its predecessor. In the absurd and raunchy film, Jim visits his nerdy prom date Michelle at band camp where he asks for sexual advice to woo his foreign exchange love interest, Nadia. After spending some vulnerable quality time together though, Michelle and Jim start to fall for each other. While love awkwardly blossoms between the two college students, Oz attempts to stay connected with his long-distance girlfriend, and the wise romantic Finch is a one-woman man, still lusting after Stifler’s mom. This is much to the displeasure of Stifler, who is still preoccupied with trying to sleep with as many women as possible. After outrageous parties, uncomfortable hijinx, and some, unfortunately placed superglue, the five best friends learn that sticking together is more important than anything else.
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Caddyshack (1980)
The Bushwood Country Club’s annual Fourth of July banquet is drawing nearer and teenage caddy Danny Noonan is vying to win the college scholarship that his work is awarding similar to what audiences saw in the co-writer, Doug Kenney’s first film, Animal House. Unruly pool parties and teen romance escapades meet late summer nights with bachelor golf legends, and Bill Murray hunting down a putting green destroying gopher with plastic explosives makes for one crazy ride. Michael O’Keefe stars alongside Chevy Chase and Rodney Dangerfield, who made his acting debut in the golf-centered comedy, which has been called the funniest sports movie ever made by ESPN. Caddyshack was inspired by real people that cast and crew members encountered during their time working as caddies before their film careers. This crude, raucously hilarious, and sometimes juvenile film was met with mixed reviews upon its release, but is now beloved by many as a cult classic, with critics praising the comedic performances of Murray, Chase, and Dangerfield. While some criticize the film's loose structure, fans of the film appreciate the space created for the comedians to do what they do best.
American Graffiti (1973)
It’s the last day of summer vacation in 1962, and a group of freshly graduated seniors is making the best of their final night together before college begins. After meeting at Mel’s Drive-In the young adults pile into cars to go cruising around the streets of Modesto California. While elusive and mysterious disc jockey Wolfman Jack plays rock n roll classics, the four young men, Curt, Steve, Terry, and John talk about their plans for the future while living it up on the last night before they become adults. Curt desperately tries to find a beautiful blonde he had spotted while cruising. An angel, he calls her, who has stolen his heart with a glance. While chasing her while Thunderbird, good guy Curt manages to get caught up in some trouble with a group of smooth-talking greasers. John, the owner of the fastest car in town, gets tricked into driving a bossy twelve-year-old girl around all night before finding himself in a cut-throat drag race at dawn. Nerdy Terry, entrusted with his friend's sweet ride, picks up a rebellious young woman who he takes to Paradise road for a night of awkward flirtation and first drinks of alcohol. Written and directed by George Lucas, and produced by Francis Ford Coppola, American Graffiti is a summertime classic that teaches audiences to be present, to live in the moment, and reminds us that time slips away too fast.
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
Directed and written by Wes Anderson, Moonrise Kingdom is a warm and dreamy coming-of-age story where sweet, whimsical childhood ideas meet rather than an adult feeling drama. Introverted twelve-year-old Khaki Scout Sam Shakusky runs away from his summer camp on the New England island of New Penzance as a storm is brewing off the coast. Wise beyond his years, yet childishly naive, the bespectacled misfit orphan escapes to meet his pen pal Suzy, a twelve-year-old girl who has stolen his heart. Suzy runs away from her family home, which is known as Summer’s End, and after reuniting the pair hike their way through the wilderness, camping and fishing in search of a secluded cove where they plan to live in their tent as an act of romantic defiance. Suzy’s parents, accompanied by the police and Sam’s camp counselors, search until they find the two runaways as the storm turns the small island upside down. While rain and wind rips at the walls of the town's buildings Sam’s fellow Khaki Scouts devise a plan to save the relationship of their fellow camper. Shot in glorious, glowing gold light with similar cinematography to The Royal Tenenbaums, the crew of Moonrise Kingdom paid great attention to detail in the original props created for the film, in an attempt to make the story feel as real as possible. The sweet, innocent, and funny film features themes of pre-teen romance, collapsing families, and profound existential anxiety in young people, while making audiences feel nostalgic for an era they might not have been around to experience themselves.
