Mamma Mia! / Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again 

You’d be hard-pressed to find a better summer double-feature than jukebox musical Mamma Mia! and its euphoric sequel Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. Romantic intrigue unfolds against the stunning backdrop of a Greek island, all soundtracked by catchy ABBA bops. Add in star-studded casts that include the likes of Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Christine Baranski and Cher, and you’ve got a few hours of pure joy ahead of you.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Most of us can relate to being separated from friends at the end of a school year. That’s part of what makes the four BFFs in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants so special: They find a unique and clever way to stay connected over the summer. Follow these magical jeans that somehow fit all four besties around the world – including another dreamy stop in Greece – as the girls experience love, grief and so much more.

Girls Trip 

If staying with your BFFs for a summer vacay is more your speed, Girls Trip is the movie for you. It’s never a bad time to revisit the laugh-out-loud comedy, which stars Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith and Tiffany Haddish as four estranged college pals who reunite for one wild – and emotionally intense – trip to New Orleans.

Dazed and Confused 

Filmmaker Richard Linklater’s beloved coming-of-age comedy Dazed and Confused is a quintessential summer movie. Following a group of Texas teens on the last day of school in 1976, the flick expertly captures the restless excitement and anticipation of the summer ahead. Keep an eye out for appearances by young Ben Affleck, Matthew McConaughey, Renée Zellweger, Parker Posey and Milla Jovovich.

The Parent Trap 

Travel back to summer camp with an 11-year-old Lindsay Lohan, who gives two award-worthy performances in her feature-film debut. What better way to encapsulate the care-free leisure of the season than watching the hijinks of two twins, separated for most of their lives, finally meet and then plot to get their parents back together? We probably throw around the word “iconic” too lightly, but, in the case of this classic Nancy Meyers romcom, it’s absolutely apt.

The Talented Mr. Ripley 

Beautiful Hollywood A-listers, namely Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Cate Blanchett circa 1999? Check. Luxuriating in a sea-side Italian village? Check. That’s how we’d spend our ideal summer – minus the obsessive tendencies and stalking that give way to some downright sinister behaviour in this psychological thriller, that is.

Dirty Dancing 

Who doesn’t love a summer romance, especially one as compelling as the one in Dirty Dancing? It helps, too, that the unforgettable lift (you know the one) was destined to be parodied and mimicked on-screen and, for the most daring among us, attempted IRL during many energized summer nights.

Point Break 

A gang of boho surfers who also moonlight as slick bank robbers? A rookie FBI agent named Johnny Utah (as played by Keanu Reeves) going undercover to infiltrate the group of said surfers? Gripping action scenes – including one can’t-look-away-from skydiving sequence? This stuff is only possible under the blazing summer sun.

How Stella Got Her Groove Back 

Yes, this is yet another movie on this list about a woman who goes on vacation and finds love – in this 1998 movie, it’s Angela Bassett starring as a high-powered career woman and single mother who escapes to Jamaica. Yes, you are sensing a theme here. But can you really blame us?  Summer romcoms are basically all we want to watch.

Adventureland 

No summer is complete without a thrill-chasing trip to an amusement park. Starring Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg as two co-workers who fall for each other, the dramedy offers a version of what goes on behind the scenes at our fave lively parks, which now also carries a tinge of nostalgia after a year of not being able to actually attend them.

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