What is a summer film anyway? Often the term is used to refer to films coming out in the summer (and there’s a lot to look forward to this year). Studios often save their biggest and boldest films for this time of year, where you can cool off in a cinema on a warm day.
But that’s not why we’re here today. We’re here to talk about movies feeling like summer. Beach parties, summer camps, hot days – it’s more than one season. It’s a mood.
That’s why our team of Polygon film scholars have compiled the following 17 films for you to enjoy this summer. That’s 17 films for 13 summer weeks, so the more adventurous among you can spread accordingly. Enjoy!
What are you searching for?
comedy
horror
theatre
musical
action
a house
Several girls decide to spend the summer holidays in a country mansion. Too bad it’s haunted by ghosts, spirits, and monsters that blur the lines between silly, surreal, funny, and spooky.
Amazon
HBO Max
whisper of the heart
If there’s a movie that makes you feel nostalgic for experiences you’ve never had, it’s this movie about a girl’s summer in Tokyo in 1995.
HBO Max
target
Stand by Me
Four boys embark on a trek in search of the body of a missing child and form a lifelong friendship.
Netflix
target
A league of its own
This fictionalized version of the true story of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was a smash hit and features an all-star cast including Geena Davis, Tom Hanks and Madonna.
Amazon
target
Stray dog
One of the first collaborations between Toshiro Mifune and Akira Kurosawa, two legends of Japanese cinema, Stray dog follows a young police officer who loses his gun on a muggy summer’s day and becomes increasingly panicky at the onset of heat and danger.
Amazon
target
tube
girl trip
This rowdy, raunchy comedy follows a group of friends on a summer trip together and was a breakout role for Tiffany Haddish.
Amazon
Apple
target
vudu
spirited away
Her summer will likely be less eventful than Chihiro’s, but that doesn’t mean you can’t travel to the spirit world with her.
HBO Max
dog day afternoon
Al Pacino robs a Brooklyn bank on one of the hottest days of the year and things go wrong, leading to a lengthy hostage situation and a very tense movie.
HBO Max
target
rear window
A suspenseful Hitchcock classic about a man recovering from a broken leg who spends his summer watching people’s apartment windows, convinced he’s witnessed a crime.
Amazon
Apple
vudu
Everyone wants some!!
Technically an end-of-summer film, Richard Linklater’s comedy is set in the 1980s and follows a college baseball team in the final days before school starts.
Amazon
Apple
vudu
https://www.polygon.com/23076606/best-summer-movies-buy-stream-netflix The best summer movies to stream on Netflix, Hulu and more
