As the summer rolls on, you might find yourself looking to escape into a story about the sun, sand, and scenic locations. There are plenty of summery movies to stream that will certainly make you feel like you’re embarking on an exciting getaway — or reminiscing about summers growing up (no matter how awkward they might have been).
Across the major streaming services, there are plenty of movies, both new and old, that you can dive right into for a summery feeling. Whether you’re looking for some big blockbuster set at the beach, a coming-of-age story on the eve of some school graduation, or even something where it feels like you’re pulling an all-nighter into the summer nights, there are so many different movies to choose from.
Anyone But You
Stream It On: Amazon Prime
Sydney Sweeney stars as Bea, who has an adorable yet self-aware meet-cute with her co-star Glen Powell’s character, Ben. But after a big misunderstanding, they soon go from strangers, to lovers, to enemies. You’ve likely come across the footage of Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell enjoying their time filming in Sydney, which makes the perfect backdrop for this summer rom-com.
Cha Cha Real Smooth
Stream It On: Apple TV+
Anything Dakota Johnson — inject it. This 2022 film sees her (irresistible as always) as Domino, a local mother, who meets 22-year-old non-starter Andrew. He’s got his sights set on her, but can’t seem to get his life together, bar his strange talent as a motivational dancer at bat mitzvahs. It’s his last summer before entering adulthood and he has to mature and pull himself up by his bootstraps if he wants to find love.
Ingrid Goes West
Stream It On: Apple TV+
Ingrid Goes West is really about a girl named Ingrid who stalks the heck out of someone on Instagram. That being said, sunny southern California is a main character in the movie all thanks to a surplus of Instagram-worthy sunsets and sandy beaches. Please don’t try to Ingrid Goes West anyone in real life.
Mamma Mia!
Stream It On: Netflix
The only thing better than a summer romance is three! Let the sweeping Grecian vistas and Meryl Streep’s, well, everything, put you in a good mood. Besides, is there anything more summery than ABBA?
Booksmart
Stream It On: Amazon Prime
Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) are best friends who have always been academic overachievers so they could get into the schools of their dreams. In an effort to get all of their wild energy out in one night, they plan to attend the biggest party of the year but end up getting into even more antics along the way.
Adventureland
Stream It On: Amazon Prime
In the summer of 1987, James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) has just graduated from university. He’s planned a trip to Europe before he begins graduate school, but he’s forced to take a summer job at an amusement park called Adventureland instead. There, he meets his coworker, Emily Lewin (Kristen Stewart), with whom he ends up finding a summer adventure of his own.
Swiss Army Man
Stream It On: Apple TV
Want to spend some time on a deserted island with Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe? Oh yeah, also one of them is dead. Swiss Army Man is definitely an inverted survivalist story — this by no means an uplifting Castaway story. It might not even fulfil any of your dreams of being alone on a deserted island. But it is funny, and that’s what matters here.
Midsommar
Stream It On: Amazon Prime
Starring Florence Pugh, this film may look bright and summery but at this seemingly quaint midsummer festival in rural Sweden, things take a dark turn.
The Talented Mr. Ripley
Stream It On: Amazon Prime
Starring a young Gwyneth Paltrow as Marge Sherwood alongside a devilishly dishy Jude Law as trust-fund baby Dickie Greenleaf, and a sinisterly messed-up Matt Damon as the shape-shifting Tom Ripley. It is a chilling journey through Italy’s Ischia with a murder-mystery plot, but the main focus does, at several moments, give way to a truly phenomenal Mediterranean-chic wardrobe.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Stream It On: Paramount+
When this movie came out in the summer of 1986, it was an instant hit. Matthew Broderick stars as a high school senior who puts together an elaborate plan to convince his parents and most of his peers that he is deathly ill so that he can skip school.
Call Me By Your Name
Stream It On: Netflix
A love story between a teenage boy and an older man. Based on André Aciman’s book of the same name, the movie is set in during an Italian summer in 1983 and revolves around an intense love affair between teenager Elio (Timothée Chalamet) and Oliver (Armie Hammer), an American academic who comes to live with his family.
Can’t Hardly Wait
Stream It On: Netflix
Can’t Hardly Wait reigns supreme as one of the best teen movies about the end of school because it’s all about a raging end of the school year party. Everyone who was a teen star at the time is in this movie. I mean everyone.
The Graduate
Stream It On: Hulu
Find yourself stuck in a post-school slump? You’ve got company with Ben (a young Dustin Hoffman) who is back home and completely aimless, and you’ve probably seen the iconic image of him floating around in the backyard pool. Of course, he eventually finds something, or someone, in Mrs. Robinson, while also striking up a relationship with her daughter, too.
Now and Then
Stream It On: Amazon Prime Video
Now and Then didn’t just define one summer, but so many coming-of-age stories. A group of friends reunites now as one of them is about to give birth, and spend their time together reminiscing on the summer of 1970s which had so many changes and first for them. It’s still a great summer movie guaranteed to make you cry.
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