Summer Movies and Where You Can Stream Them

The summer of 2020 likely doesn’t look like any we’ve ever planned and, barbecue and beach vacays might not be in the mix. But as Austin temps are rising, there are plenty of movies to get us in a summer state of mind.

 

 

On second thought, maybe you can go without the beach. This Steven Spielberg classic thriller about the shark that terrorizes Amity Island makes us all rethink our surfside fantasies with its famous tagline, “Just when you think it’s safe to go back in the water.”

 

 

Even though this John Hughes cult classic takes place during the school year, Ferris’ laid-back attitude and vacation-like day of fun get us in the summer spirit. Not to mention the title character’s timeless words of wisdom, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

 

 

Summer is supposed to be all about taking a break and this flick’s gravity-defying swashbuckling, bold declarations of love, and daring rescues allow you to do just that. The actual Caribbean backdrop and mindless, adventurous fun make this film number one on several critics’ “Best Summer Movie” lists.

 

 

Spike Lee's Academy Award-nominated Do the Right Thing transports viewers to the hottest day in the Bed-Stuy neighborhood of Brooklyn, and challenges them to grapple with America’s past, present, and future as racial tensions simmer in the community. As relevant today as the year of its release (1989) this movie is preserved in the  National Film Registry  for being "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant."

 

 

Academy Award-nominated,  Stand By Me is arguably a perfect coming-of-age story set in the last few scorching days of an Oregon summer. The film gives priceless insights to the minds of 4 boys teetering on the line between childish naivete and the unvarnished truths of adulthood.

 

 

Young Dustin Hoffman plays Ben, a recent college graduate who finds himself wondering about his future. He eventually finds his present-day filled with one of his parents’ contemporaries, Mrs. Robinson, while also striking up a relationship with her daughter. Over 50 years after its release, The Graduate holds up as a great dramedy.

 

 

Cheerful and relaxed, this ensemble piece featuring Geena Davis, Tom Hanks, and even Madonna celebrates the girls of summer, the nonprofit All-American Girls Professional Baseball League founded in 1943. In 2012, 20 years after its release, A League of Their Own was added to the Library of Congress's National Film Registry.