What could be better than a summer night at the park or the drive-in watching a movie? Honestly, it used to be a lot more fun before we started feeling the effects of global warming. Many communities still offer free outdoor movie nights at public parks, but most of the drive-ins are gone.
If you don’t have an outdoor TV or screen, you can still stream some of your favorite summer movies from the comfort of you family room. We’ve selected twenty classic movies, in no particular order, that take place in summer or are about something that happened in summer. Streaming information is subject to change at any time.
Grease (1978) – John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John electrify the screen as they sing and dance their way from a summer fling to a real relationship. Available to stream with a subscription to Paramount+, Hulu, Sling TV, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube TV, or rent from Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV, or Fandango at Home.
The Parent Trap (1961 and 1998) Both versions are fun to watch, so you can’t go from with this film about twins who meet for the first time at a summer camp and decide to switch places. Then they concoct a plan to reunite their divorced parents. 1961 & 1998 versions are available to stream with a subscription to Disney+, or rent from YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV, Apple Tv, Fandango at home, or Amazon Prime Video.
I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) From this first movie in the franchise to the last it’s fun to be scared in the safety of your own home. Teens coming home from the beach accidentally hit a pedestrian and try to cover it up. Somebody knows what happened, and they want revenge. Available to rent from Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV, or Fandango at Home.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005) A group of friends discover a special pair of jeans fits each of them. They decide to share the jeans during their summer vacation and what happens to each girl while she is wearing the jeans. Available to rent from Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV, or Fandango at Home.
The Sandlot (1993) When a young boy moves to a new neighborhood he makes friends with a group of kids who love baseball and play in a sandlot. They have many adventures including a quest to recover a signed baseball that gets hit over the fence surrounding a scary house. Available to stream with a subscription to Hulu or Disney+, or rent from Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV, or Fandango at Home.
Adventureland (2009) When James (Jesse Eisenberg) graduates from college, he learns his parents will no longer be paying for his dream vacation to Europe. He’s forced to get a job at an amusement park and prepares himself for the worst summer ever until he meets his co-worker, Em (Kristen Stewart). Available to stream for free on Pluto TV, with a subscription to Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, or rent from Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV, or Fandango at Home.
Mystic Pizza (1988) – Daisy (Julia Roberts), Kat (Annabeth Gish), and Jojo (Lili Taylor) are three waitresses at a pizza shop in Mystic who share their hope, dreams, and plans for getting out of their small town. Available to stream for free on Tubi and Pluto TV, or with a subscription to MGM+, Sling TV, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube TV, Philo, or rent from Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV, or Fandango at Home.
National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983) It’s the Griswold family trying to get to Walley World, an amusement park in California, Clark (Chevy Chase) and Ellen (Beverly Deangelo) encounter hilarious setbacks along the way and try to get the kids excited about the trip. Available to rent from Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV, or Fandango at Home.
Dirty Dancing (1987) Patrick Swayze – this should be all I have to say about this film. The hips don’t lie. Available free on the CW, stream with a subscription to Amazon Prime Video, or rent from You Tube, Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV, or Fandango at Home.
Roman Holiday (1953) Audrey Hepburn is a princess seeking to escape the pressures of her duty to her country. Gregory Peck is a journalist out for a story, but he gets more than he bargained for when he falls for the lovely princess. Available to rent from Amazon Prime Video, Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV, or Fandango at Home.
Mama Mia (2008) It’s a wedding in paradise, but who and where is the father of the bride? Available to stream with a subscription to Max, Hulu, YouTube TV, or rent from Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, or Fandango at Home.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) A gentle alien becomes stranded on Earth. Elliot (Henry Thomas) and his little sister Gertie (Drew Barrymore) befriend the alien. Can they get this little guy home before the military catches him? Available to rent from amazon Prime Video, Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV, or Fandango at Home.
Dazed and Confused (1993) Alright, alright, alright! It’s a young Matthew McConaughey and friends plus summer of mischief. Available to rent from Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV, or Fandango at Home.
Point Break (1991) FBI agent Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) assists Agent Pappas (Gary Busey) in solving a string of bank robberies pulled by individuals wearing masks of U.S. Presidents. Pappas has a theory that the robbers are surfers. Utah tests the theory be befriending surfer Bodhi (Patrick Swayze). Available to watch free on Tubi, Pluto, Plex, or Sling TV, or with a subscription to Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube TV, or rent from Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV, or Fandango at Home.
Jaws (1975) Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water. Police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) , Matt Hooper, a marine biologist (Richard Dreyfuss), and Quint, a professional shark hunter (Robert Shaw) hunt a great white shark that’s menacing a seaside community. Available to stream with a subscription to YouTube TV, or rent from Amazon Prime Video, You Tube, Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV, or Fandango at Home.
Caddyshack (1980) Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, Bill Murray, and Michael O’Keefe will keep you laughing in this spoof on country clubs. Available to stream with a subscription to Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, or rent from Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV, or Fandango at Home.
Stand by Me (1986) Based on the Stephen King novella, The Body, Rob Reiner directs this film set in 1959 in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Oregon. Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, and Jerry O’Connell star as four boys who go on a hike and find the body of a missing boy. Available to stream for free with Sling TV, with a subscription to AMC+, Philo, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, You Tube TV, or rent from Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV, or Fandango at Home.
What About Bob? (1991) Bob Wiley (Bill Murray) is a mentally unstable patient of psychotherapist Dr. Leo Marvin (Richard Dreyfuss). Bob follows Dr Leo on vacation. When he befriends the members of Leo’s family, his problems push the egotistical doctor over the edge. Available to rent from Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV, or Fandango at Home.
The River Wild (1994) Gail (Meryl Streep), and Tom Hartman (David Strathairn) who are having marital problems are on a rafting trip in Idaho with their son, Roarke (Joseph Mazzello). Wade (Kevin Bacon), and Terry (John C Reilly) are rafters who insinuate themselves into the expedition. By the time, the Hartman’s notice Wade and Terry aren’t who they claim, it’s too late and the family is being held hostage. Available to stream with a subscription to Netflix, Hulu, Sling TV, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube TV, or rent from Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV, or Fandango at Home.
The Endless Summer (1966) Documentary filmmaker Bruce Brown, a competition-level surfer, follows surfers Michael Hynson and Robert August around the world in search of the perfect wave. Watch it on Hoopla Digital, Tubi – Free Movies & TV, Indie Box, Fandango at Home, FilmRise, Documentary Movies & TV by Fawesome Teens, Fawesome – Free Movies & TV Shows, WatchFreeFlix, Plex, Kostenlose Filme & TV, TheSurfNetwork, Philo, Prime Video, The Roku Channel, or Apple TV.
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