It’s time to take a vacation, travel, hit the beach — whatever! Daily thoughts shift to bikinis, the beach, and summer time fun. Watching a summer time vacation movie can be just the thing to get you motivated to relax and enjoy the summer weather. Here, we look at 10 summer time vacation movies, movies about travel, movies about summer and movies about having fun.
1. Fool’s Gold (2008). Fool’s Gold stars Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson. It’s about a husband going off to hunt a treasure and damaging his relationship with his wife in the process. Hopefully, the treasure will help reunite him with his upset wife. This is a great summer movie because much of it takes place on the water, and Kate Hudson sports a bikini more than once!
2. National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983). This is an oldie but goodie, and it’s one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. I could watch it a hundred times and never grow sick of it. It’s so funny how Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) just can’t get things to go right. His aunt and her dog both suffer misfortunes, he loses his money having to pay to have his car worked on when he gets stranded in the desert after running the car off the road through a closed road sign. And he just can’t be with Christie Brinkley, even though she seemed open to the idea.
3. On Golden Pond (1981). Some of you may argue you have no interest watching older people spend the summer on a lake in a serene setting. I would disagree. This summer time vacation movie is about relaxation and fishing. Guys, I know you love to go fishing. Henry Fonda and Jane Fonda play father and daughter, with Jane leaving her son with his grandparents for the summer while she spends time with her new husband, the dentist. Katherine Hepburn plays the grandmother.
4. Weekend at Bernie’s (1989). Yes, it’s still OK to watch an ’80s movie. Check out this classic comedy about two guys who go to their boss’ vacation home for the weekend. They think it’s to have fun, but he has plans to kill them since they found out about an accounting error (that he made!). Surprise, surprise — when they arrive, Bernie’s dead. Andrew McCarthy and Jonathan Silverman spend the weekend trying to make people believe Bernie is still alive.
5. Thelma and Louise (1991). Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis make this summer fun movie unforgettable. You might argue that this isn’t the best movie to motivate someone to want to take a vacation — because of what happens to them along the way. However, you could also argue that the two of them were finally set free and lived the life they wanted to, even if it was only for a brief time.
6. Little Miss Sunshine (2006). This summer movie is about a family traveling 800 miles to a beauty pageant for the young daughter in a VW bus. Antics ensue, and the ride is hilarious.
7. My Life in Ruins (2009). Starring Nia Vardalos from My Big Fat Greek Wedding, this traveling vacation movie is about a tour guide whose life is just a mess. She can’t stand her job, and she decides to quit. But look at what happens along the way on what is meant to be her last tour of Greece and its ancient ruins.
8. Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008). In this vacation summer film, a guy goes to Hawaii for a vacation to get over his ex-girlfriend. However, he soon finds that she is there as well — with her new boyfriend. This probably wasn’t the best plan, my friend. The new boyfriend is Russell Brand, a hilarious British comedian in real life.
9. Couples Retreat (2009). Couples Retreat stars Vince Vaughn and Jason Bateman, and it’s a great summer fun movie. The funny plot: The four couples think they are about to embark on a great vacation. However, they soon find that as part of their stay on the island, they have to take part in couples counseling to work through their issues.
10. European Vacation (1985). National Lampoon strikes again on the top 10 vacation summer time movies list. Why? Because Chevy Chase is hilarious, and the film puts us in the mood to travel. The cool part is the appearance of Monty Python’s Eric Idle as a bicycle rider whom the Griswalds hit with their European rental car.
What are your favorite summer vacation movies?
