August Is Almost Over – Watch These 5 Movies With Perfect Summer Vibes Before It's Too Late
There're classics about first love, nostalgic comedies, and even one sunny horror film.
August is coming to an end, and with it, the warmest, most carefree, and sunniest time of the year. The days are getting shorter, the evenings are getting cooler, and it seems like summer is slipping through your fingers.
But you can prolong this feeling by watching a movie that will transport you to a sun-drenched beach, a bustling seaside town, or an endless road where the air shimmers with heat.
1. 'American Graffiti', 1973
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%
The story centers on four friends spending their last evening of summer vacation in 1962. Curt, Steve, Terry, and John wander aimlessly through the city at night, listening to music and meeting girls in an attempt to prolong their carefree time.
By confining the action to a single evening, George Lucas tells a poignant story about the final moments of youth: the characters move through the city, encountering each other by chance and exchanging brief conversations. The boys gradually realize that their lives are about to change.
2. 'Mamma Mia!', 2008
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 54%
On the eve of her wedding, Sophie accidentally finds her mother's diary. In it, Donna details three affairs that took place during the same summer.
Realizing that any of the men could be her father, Sophie invites them all to the celebration. The meeting results in a sudden revelation for which Donna was clearly unprepared.
The events of Mamma Mia! unfold on a picturesque Greek island where Donna and her daughter run a recently opened hotel. Sunny landscapes, the sea, and the feeling of eternal summer provide the perfect backdrop for rousing numbers set to ABBA songs.
3. 'Mystic Pizza', 1988
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 77%
After graduating from high school, Daisy, Kat, and Jojo found themselves at a crossroads. They spent the summer working at a small pizzeria in Mystic, Connecticut. The three friends are all very different, each with her own personality, life circumstances, and plans for the future.
But this summer becomes a time of change when the girls are forced to consider feelings, independence, and the lives they want to build after leaving their familiar world for the first time.
Mystic Pizza was one of Julia Roberts' first notable movies, released just two years before Pretty Woman.
4. 'Midsommar', 2019
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%
After her parents' death, Dani is emotionally distressed. Despite this, she decides to accompany her boyfriend, Christian, and his friends on a summer trip to Sweden.
The group plans to spend the holiday in a commune celebrating a traditional Midsummer festival. At first, the trip seems like a harmless escape from their problems, but the locals' hospitality gradually takes a terrifying turn.
Ari Aster transforms the familiar trope of a European getaway with friends into a panic-inducing nightmare by stripping us of the genre's most essential attribute: darkness. The movie unfolds amid dazzlingly bright landscapes where mysterious rituals take place.
5. 'The Graduate', 1967
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%
After graduating from a prestigious college, Benjamin returns to his parents' home in Pasadena. The summer that should have marked the beginning of his adult life passes amid confusion – he doesn't know what he wants or sees a clear path for himself.
An unexpected proposal from Mrs. Robinson, an older married woman, draws the recent graduate into a secret relationship. His life changes when he meets Mrs. Robinson's daughter, Elaine, and realizes his true feelings.
Playing Benjamin launched Dustin Hoffman's career in Hollywood and earned the actor his first Oscar nomination. The Graduate quickly became a prominent part of pop culture, and Mrs. Robinson's image became an archetype of a seductive woman ready for a passionate affair.
