Summer’s lease may have all too short a date, but the memories created during the season have the uncanny quality of lasting a lifetime. At least, that’s what the following movies hint at—in the great American canon of summer romance films, the following 14 stand out as genre classics. From newer comedies like Joel Kim Booster’s Fire Island to nostalgic ’80s meditations on love and class like Mystic Pizza, these films celebrate the unique portal of time between May and September, when the weather is warmer, inhibitions are lowered, and everything seems possible.
Roman Holiday (1953)
There’s a reason Roman Holiday won four Academy Awards when it was released in 1953 (including Best Actress for its star, Audrey Hepburn), and was nominated for six more. Charming and romantic, the classic film puts Hepburn and her costar Gregory Peck’s chemistry at the forefront, with the beautiful city of Rome as their backdrop. Although both Hepburn’s character (a princess pretending she’s a runaway schoolgirl to escape the monotony of royal duties) and Peck’s (a journalist sneakily trying to get a scoop) obscure their true identities from one another, they can’t help but fall in love anyway. (Prime Video)
Call Me by Your Name (2017)
Another romance set in Italy—though this time, the countryside—Luca Guadagnino’s coming-of-age story is the film that made a young Timothée Chalamet into a cult-favorite actor. Playing the role of 17-year-old Elio Perlman, he spends a slow, sexual-tension-filled summer with doctoral student Oliver (Armie Hammer), an experience that changes him forever. (Netflix)
Lovers Rock (2020)
The second installment in director Steve McQueen’s Small Axe series—five films based on the real-life experiences of London’s West Indian community—Lovers Rock takes place during a single summer evening at a house party in 1980. The film follows two young people, Martha (Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn) and Franklyn (Micheal Ward), who meet at the party and form a blossoming relationship. The soundtrack is incredible, and filled with songs from the Lovers Rock genre of reggae. And the film is an ode to both young love and the musical culture of the time. (Prime Video)
Fire Island (2022)
Joel Kim Booster’s Fire Island is a perfectly relatable summer rom-com in so many ways. From its premise of trying to find a real connection in a noncommittal party scene (and being afraid of the real thing when it comes around) to the deeply important bonds of friendship among chosen family, the film is equal parts sincere and hilarious. Plus, performances by professional funny people like Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers help sweeten the deal. (Hulu)
Bonnie & Clyde (1967)
Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty’s timeless romance about two outcasts (and outlaws) who find kinship in each other may not explicitly be set in the summer, but the hot, dry American landscape the two bank robbers traverse on their ill-fated journey throughout the film gives it that feel. Come for the chemistry, stay for the style inspo. (Prime Video)
The Notebook (2004)
A film that pretty much defines the term “summer romance,” The Notebook is beloved for many reasons, including its nostalgic take on young love during the lazy, humid months of the year. Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams will make you believe in soulmates, at least long enough to look up the costars’s (and back then, real-life couple’s) infamous MTV Movie Awards acceptance for Best Kiss. (Apple TV+)
Do the Right Thing (1989)
While Spike Lee’s classic film is primarily about the prickly relationships within a diverse section of 1989 Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhood in Brooklyn, there’s also a love story at its center. Set on the hottest day of the year, Do The Right Thing is a portal into Lee’s New York, and all the visual vibrance that comes with it. (Prime Video)
Grease (1978)
If you haven’t heard “Summer Lovin’” since your coworker performed it at karaoke night, it’s a great time to revisit the absurdly campy musical that gave us John Travolta in short-shorts, Converse, and a cardigan, and Olivia Newton John in poodle skirts, saddle shoes, and a flippy blonde bob (belting “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” no less). (Hulu)
Dirty Dancing (1987)
To be young, in love, and doing a choreographed dance with everyone watching while on summer vacation with your family—sounds great, right? Dirty Dancing fulfills the teenage fantasy that lives within us all (or does now, after watching the movie) of both finding your soulmate and perfecting your dance moves while rebelling against your family over the course of a summer. (Prime Video)
Wet Hot American Summer (2001)
2001’s Wet Hot American Summer’s cast is a who’s-who of top comedians from the era, including Elizabeth Banks, Paul Rudd, Michael Showalter, Amy Poehler, and even Bradley Cooper. Equal parts nostalgic, raunchy, and literally campy, Wet Hot American Summer is such a cult classic that there are not one but two reboots (plus a “making of” documentary) about the film. Taking place on the final day of Camp Firewood in 1981, the counselors and campers engage in all sorts of love triangles and shenanigans while trying to put on, of course, the best talent show the camp has ever seen. (Hulu)
Mystic Pizza (1988)
Class wars. Connecticut. Julia Roberts’s sky-high hair. A slice of pepperoni. There’s so much to dig into with Mystic Pizza, which is set during that mythical American time of the summer after high school, in the seaside town of Mystic. The film explores themes of sisterhood, social status, ethnicity, family ties, marriage—and has a special sauce to it (sorry). In addition to helping make Roberts a star, it also marked Matt Damon’s first film role. (Prime Video)
How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998)
Angela Bassett and Taye Diggs falling in love on the white sand beaches of Jamaica—need we say more? How Stella Got Her Groove Back is a fan favorite, a classic summer romance movie, and an ode to self-liberation all in one. (Prime Video)
Say Anything (1989)
In a decade known for its teenage romance movies, Say Anything stands out as a classic summer love flick, all thanks to John Cusack’s boyish charm, duster coat, and boombox. Though they come from different social worlds, underachiever Lloyd (Cusack) pursues valedictorian Diane (Ione Skye) after they graduate from senior year. The classic film was also director Cameron Crowe’s feature debut, and he certainly made a mark on pop culture and the teen rom-com canon with it. (Prime Video)
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
Moonrise Kingdom is a sumptuous trip. In line with typical Wes Anderson fare, the cozy summer film employs a muted color palette and visual symmetry to teleport viewers to an intricate, imaginary world—in this case, the fictional New England island of New Penzance. The coming-of-age dramedy is all about young love, with Jared Gilman as an orphan boy who runs away from camp to meet up with his pen pal (Kara Hayward). Anderson draws on many of his usual crew, including Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, Bill Murray, and Edward Norton to bring this wistful tale to life. (Prime Video)