The summer romance genre is a form of yearning escapism where audiences turn to daydream about love stories and epic romances not often found outside the silver screen. Formulaic, these films feature whirlwind relationships peaking just before hammering home thebest use of a third-act breakupand ultimately either allowing love to conquer all or letting the audience down gently.They are tear-jerkers and coming-of-age tales, oftentimes paralleling multiple romances all against the backdrop of those three glorious months of summer vacation.
While thought-provoking and emotional, summer romance movies are also entertainingly melodramatic and stereotypical, but that’s what makes them well-rounded and enjoyable.They teach lessons of the heart and identity while indulging in butterflies and excitement.Popcorn movies and Oscar-nominated features, the best summer romance movies are the perfect way to end a day in the sun.
10’My Girl' (1991)
Directed by Howard Zieff
My Girlis a nostalgic ode to childhood summers and the innocent imagination of love and romance. Vada (Anna Chlumsky) is not a typical 11-year-old girl. Obsessed with death, her widower father (Dan Aykroyd) runs a funeral parlor out of their home and is beginning to fall in for his new employee, Shelly (Jamie Lee Curtis), a makeup artist. Vada navigates rejecting her father’s new romance, understanding her own fantasy of love, and growing up without a mother. Her best friend Thomas (Macaulay Culkin) is faithfully by her side.
This 90s classic explores the wonder of love and lossfor a young girl who has yet to understand what it all means. A coming-of-age tale,My Girlstands firmly in the adolescent romance genre with wonderful performances from its young leads and experienced supporting stars.
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9’Say Anything' (1989)
Directed by Cameron Crowe
Say Anythingis the ultimate rom-com to satiate the uncertainty of love during a time of transition. In a story of opposites attract, Lloyd (John Cusack) is an optimistic underachiever finding himself attracted to the valedictorian, Diane (Ione Skye). Discovering she is just as curious and attracted to him, the pair begin a summer romance made complicated by her overprotective father (John Mahoney). Lloyd and Diane’s romance comes at the cusp of a life-changing period, a limbo that falls between graduation and the beginning of the next chapter.
With its iconic boombox scenedefining an entire generation,Say Anythingis equal parts romance and comedy, fueling just as much heart and soul into both genres. The backdrop of the summer before their lives change is crucial to connecting with audiences who have felt a similar trepidation about high school sweethearts or summer flings that become more than just fun in the sun.Llyod and Diane’s plight demonstrates just how strong love can be when its participants are destined for different paths.
Say Anything (1989)
A recent high school graduate, with no clear direction for his future, sets his sights on the class valedictorian, sparking an unlikely and heartfelt romance. As they grow closer, they face obstacles from her ambitious plans and her father’s disapproval. The story delves into the poignant journey of young love, the struggles of balancing personal dreams with family expectations, and the transformative power of genuine connection.
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8’The Last Song' (2010)
Directed by Julie Anne Robinson
Ranking amongthe top adaptations of the popular Nicolas Sparks novels,The Last Songis a formulaic summer romance featuring rebellious teen spirit and pairing it with emotional family ties. Ronnie (Miley Cyrus) isn’t thrilled when she’s forced to spend the summer with her father (Greg Kinnear); however, the pair share a common bond with their love for music, but that isn’t the only love Ronnie finds during her time in the southern beach town, developing a swift romance with Will (Liam Hemsworth).
Setting aside the dramatic conclusion to its leading stars' real-life romance,The Last Songfeatures all the right elements to succeed for melodramatic Sparks readers: a girl who doesn’t want to be there falling for the boy who seems too good to be true. While Ronnie nurtures a relationship with Will, she also rekindles a broken bond with her father before tragedy strikes.The backdrop of summer break in a coastal town is cliché but compelling and elevatesThe Last Songand its tear-jerking moments to another level in the romance genre.
The Last Song
7’Call Me By Your Name' (2017)
Directed by Luca Guadagnino
Summer romances are often the first love and the first heartbreak for many of cinema’s favorite characters.Call Me By Your Nameis no exception when it comes to doomed relationships established in the heat of summer. Spending the summer of 1983 with his family at their Italian villa, seventeen-year-old Elio (Timothée Chalamet) falls for his father’s older research assistant, Oliver (Armie Hammer).This critically acclaimed love story blends a coming-of-age story with the burdens of unsustainable relationships.
An emotional feature,Call Me By Your Namesets viewers up for heartbreak alongside Elio with its historically romanticized location, themes of self-discovery, and devastation as the relationship rightfully slips through his fingers.The Oscar-winning film is a stand-out among other summer romance tales for stepping outside of the stereotypical genre elements while also elevating them to the next level.
Call Me by Your Name
In 1980s Italy, romance blossoms between a seventeen-year-old student and the older man hired as his father’s research assistant.
6’Mystic Pizza' (1988)
Directed by Donald Petrie
Almost every viewer can relate to having a summer job and yearning for a romance to add a little flavor to the mix.Mystic Pizzais exactly that daydream for three waitresses, Daisy Araujo (Julia Roberts), Kat (Annabeth Gish), and Jojo (Lili Taylor), as they spend their summer after high school working at a pizza parlor in a town called Mystic. The trio share dreams oflove, adventure, and small-town escapeas they diverge into their own coming-of-age stories.
Flirtatiously melodramatic, a good summer romance movie likeMystic Pizzacannot take itself too seriously.Its young cast, bound for stardom, rises to the occasion, showcasing the bonds of small-town friendship and hopes of something more that intertwines with love and heartbreak.
Mystic Pizza
In the small coastal town of Mystic, Connecticut, three young women navigate love, friendship, and life’s uncertainties while working at the local pizzeria, Mystic Pizza. As they face the challenges of relationships and personal growth, they come to understand what they truly want for their futures.
5’A Summer Place' (1959)
Directed by Delmer Daves
Based on the novel bySloane Wilson,A Summer Placeisa classic Hollywood romancethat features the messy entanglements of new love and old flames. Returning to a vacation town in Maine where he worked in his youth, now-successful businessman Ken Jorgenson (Richard Egan) begins an affair with his former love, Sylvia (Dorothy McGuire), while his daughter Molly (Sandra Dee) falls for Sylvia’s son, Johnny (Troy Donahue). The young couple are unaware of their parent’s infidelity.
A soap opera-like pair of romances set in a beautiful coastal town during the opportunity of summer is a recipe for popcorn cinema.The secrecy of each couple drives the excitement for audiences as any good forbidden love story should.A Summer Placesends viewers tip-toeing back and forth across a line of morality, however, urging them to leave judgments at the door for the sake of enjoying melodramatic rom-com stories.
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4’Grease' (1978)
Directed by Randal Kleiser
While the entire film doesn’t take place over the course of summer, it’s the perfect school’s out flick to enjoy at the drive-in this summer. Set in the late 1950s all-American high school, a smooth-talking greaser (JohnTravolta) has his bad-boy image confronted when his good-girl summer romance (Olivia Newton-John) transfers to Rydell High. Danny and Sandy both question their identities, and a battle for who is willing to compromise to maintain their love ensues.
Greaseis an iconic movie musical that, while existing inthe shallow end of the romance genre,is thought-provoking about the social expectations of love and the problematic pressure of how far you’re willing to go to stay with someone.It’s also my fondly enjoyed as a popcorn sing-along with a stellar cast that is the perfect summer-lovin' movie choice.
Good girl Sandy Olsson and greaser Danny Zuko fell in love over the summer. When they unexpectedly discover they’re now in the same high school, will they be able to rekindle their romance?
3’A Walk to Remember' (2002)
Directed by Adam Shankman
Audiences already know to break out the tissues for thisadaptation that critics hated but audiences loved. Based on the Nicholas Sparks novel,A Walk to Rememberis the terminal love story of Landon (Shane West) and Jamie (Mandy Moore), a pair of teens from opposite social hierarchies who fall for one another only to realize that time is not on their side. Their relationship portrays the power of love as it goes beyond the mundane rites of teenage passage and into depths neither character was wholly prepared for.
It’s a teen movie, there’s no way around it.A Walk to Remembergenerates the waterworks andspeaks to the sentimental soulsof those who watch it and understand the love story for what it’s worth and nothing more.It’s a tale of being loved unequivocally when time is the enemy, andA Walk to Rememberis worth it, sap and all.
A Walk to Remember
2’The Notebook' (2004)
Directed by Nick Cassavetes
An iconic set of Nicholas Sparks star-crossed lovers,The Notebooktakes summer romance to the next level by chronicling multiple decades ofthis cinematic and literary relationship. Bound by their social classes and expectations, Noah (Ryan Gosling) and Allie (Rachel McAdams) are meant to be together but are continually driven apart by circumstances within and beyond their control. One of the most famous (or infamous, depending on the perspective) adaptations,The Notebookremains the gold standard in the romance genre.
It’s a story of destiny, fear, and sacrifice, all for the sake of love.A then-and-now romance movie,The Notebookdetails the evolution of Noah and Allie’s hearts, inspiring viewers that maybe true love really does exist and can spark during the magic of summer. With an opinionated legacy among viewers and critics, it’simpossible to imagineThe Notebookin any other formwith any other cast, making it one of the greatest love stories of all time.
The Notebook (2004)
An elderly man reads to a woman with dementia the story of two young lovers whose romance is threatened by the difference in their respective social classes.
1’Dirty Dancing' (1987)
Directed by Emile Ardolino
Iconically synonymous with summer and romance,Dirty Dancingcombines all the right elements to soar to the top of the genre. Spending her summer at the Catskills resort is not what Baby (Jennifer Grey) had in mind, but her perspective changes when she meets the resort’s dance instructor, Johhny (Patrick Swayze). Beginning as dance partners, Baby and Johnny start to fall for one another until Baby’s father (Jerry Orbach)finds out, banning her from seeing Johnny.
Teenage rebellion, an idyllic resort, forbidden love, and an epic third-act dance sequence,Dirty Dancingis everything and more, dropping viewers into the heart of summer that feels more like a dream than a movie.It appropriately earned an Academy Award for Best Original Song for “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life.” The undeniablefiery chemistry between Swayze and Greyis magic and remains that way decades later.
Dirty Dancing
Spending the summer at a Catskills resort with her family, Frances “Baby” Houseman falls in love with the camp’s dance instructor, Johnny Castle.
