Pack up your cutest swimsuit, take your comfiest beach towel, and make sure you have everything in your suitcase, because in this newsletter, we will take you on the best summer vacation you ever had! (Don’t forget that sunscreen because it will be a hot one!) From Italy, to Hawaii, a campsite, or even your local beach, these summer vacay films will keep you entertained, even if your summer plans this year have been nulled!
Gidget
Amazon Prime
Surf’s up with Sandra Dee! Gidget (1959) is perhaps one of Dee’s more famous roles and it sure is a fun one! Here, Dee plays the role of Francine Lawrence, nicknamed “Gidget” for her petite frame, tomboyish nature, and who is seen as “one of the guys.” She refuses to go “man hunting” with her girlfriends because she is more invested in learning how to master the art of surfing! It is not until she becomes infatuated with “Moondoggie,” a fellow surfer. It is a great escapist film, but it also has great psychological depth to its characters. For instance, Gidget learns how to navigate her sexuality for the first time and any conflicting emotions it may bring. Dee’s star image may have presented her as being wholesome, a prude, or miss goody two shoes, but in this film, she complicates that image by demonstrating an awareness of her own body and her own needs – while she does display an uneasiness to her sexuality, she gradually blossoms and so does her confidence in expressing her agency. Gidget really is the ultimate! -Monica
Letters to Juliet
Netflix
Letters to Juliet (2010) follows the young American writer Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) all the way to Italy where she responds to a 50-year-old letter that was once looking for advice on going after true love. Sophie’s advice encourages the now much older Claire (Vanessa Redgrave) to reconnect with her soulmate, Lorenzo (Gael Garcia Bernal). And so the two, along with Claire’s grandson, Charlie (Christopher Egan), journey throughout the beautiful land of Italy in search of Claire’s true love. This film is full of heartwarming moments and passionate outlooks on love. It was so nice to see a focus on the love between a more elderly couple as love is not restricted to a certain age. I found the romantic elements between the younger leads cute, but I was personally more interested in the reunion between Claire and Lorenzo. Sadly, I found the comedic level to be low, almost nonexistent. I hadn’t noticed until one of the characters laughed and I then realized I hadn’t been laughing at all during the film. If you’re a sucker for some wholesome, but poetic romance that idolizes Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, then give this film a watch! However, I warn you, this film mentions cooking and food a lot, so you get yourself a snack! -Thalia
Aquamarine Disney+, Criterion-on-Demand
While enjoying the rest of summer vacation, BFFs Claire (Emma Roberts) and Hailey (Joanna “Jojo” Levesque) meet a blue-tailed mermaid, Aquamarine (Sara Paxton) who has washed up onto shore in hopes of getting out of an arranged marriage by proving the existence of true love. Quickly becoming friends, Claire and Hailey spend the rest of their summer helping out Aquamarine, who will in return, grant them each a wish. Aquamarine (2006) is a very cute and fun film that is so nostalgically comforting. I’m sure when I was younger I thought this movie was uber romantic, but rewatching it now, the romance is outshined by the hilarity of the childish antics I’m sure some of our younger selves are guilty of. There are so many fun elements that stole my attention, the teenage summer love was just a bonus! This movie is very much geared toward young teen audiences, but I still found it funny because I couldn’t believe the lines. Even though I’ve rewatched this about a hundred times, I never get tired of it and I still think Aqua finding love within her friendships is so heartwarming. If you need a surge of good vibes and serotonin, give this a watch! -Thalia
Summertime (1955)
Amazon Prime, Youtube
After a four-year absence from the silver screen, Katherine Hepburn returned in 1955 with David Lean’s romantic Italian escapade, Summertime. Again, reprising her role as the sure of herself, independent woman, Katherine plays Jane Hudson a middle-aged secretary from Ohio who finally gets to go on her dream trip to Venice, Italy. At first, she seems to dwell in her loneliness, at not having a special someone with her in one of the most romantic countries on Earth, It is not until she meets antique shop owner, Renato (Rossano Brazzi) where things start to change. Operating like an early travelogue, the film offers beautiful, scenic images of Venice to make the viewer feel like they are in Venice themselves! You get to travel alongside Mrs. Hepburn and see the beauty of Italy (and partake in an identification with her as she is being romanced, of course). Let the film be your guide!
-Monica
Say Anything
Disney+, Criterion-on-Demand
Say Anything (1989) has remained in our collective societal memory for so long, with some of its imagery (John Cusack holding a boombox over his head) being so ingrained into pop culture that even people who have never seen or heard of the movie will know about it. It has endured in this way for good reason, it is fantastically written, and is an incredibly enjoyable film to watch. It tells the story of Lloyd (John Cusack) and Diane (Ione Skye), two recent high school grads who start dating the summer after their graduation. This is despite Diane’s father James (John Mahoney) not approving of their relationship. One of the key things that makes Say Anything so good is the fact that it refuses to deal in stereotypes when depicting young people and instead, like a lot of the greatest coming of age movies, paints a picture of what being a young person is actually like, and what their anxieties, hopes, and goals might be. The film pays particular attention to the trouble of figuring out the course of one’s life, while being careful not to shove a simple answer down the audience’s throat. On top of this the movie is also gut-bustlingly hilarious, John Cusack plays Lloyd perfectly and is a big part of making the movie as funny as it is. He and Ione Skye have great chemistry, making Lloyd and Diane’s relationship seem natural and real. Overall, the film is a great watch, and one that I highly recommend.
-Gabe
When in Rome
Amazon Prime
When In Rome (2010) follows Beth (played by Kristen Bell) in her quest to find the perfect love after years of feeling like it doesn’t exist. After attending her sister’s wedding Beth meets Nicholas (played by Josh Duhamel) who sweeps her off her feet. The journey takes them both back to New York after some poor communication and Beth interfering with a magical fountain. If you can suspend your disbelief then you will have no issues watching this film. This movie is fun, cheesy and hilarious with both the main and supporting cast getting a laugh out of me more than once. The plot may feel a little contrived, but that's the fun of it all and this film really gives me “if Disney films grew up” vibes. I wouldn't say that this film brings anything new to the table but it's an enjoyable romp that will give you fun fuzzy feelings all the way through. -Stacy
Teen Beach Movie
Disney+
Teen Beach Movie (2013) is a Disney Channel Original Movie starring Ross Lynch (as Brady) and Maia Mitchell (as Mac). The film takes two regular surfer teens and transports them to a 70/80’s movie musical which is a West Side Story (1961) parody. Now I know that Disney and movie musicals are not everyone’s cup of tea but if you’re looking for a fluffy romp through a cheesy film this is not a bad choice. The songs are catchy and enjoyable and the cast of characters are likable. Anyone can probably find a favorite out of the four main characters, and if not the side characters carry enough scenes with their silly over the top antics. With all that being said, this film does have some flaws that may turn off many from this film. The biggest issue I have with the film is the superficial cynicism that most modern Disney movies come with in the past 7 or so years. In the case of Teen Beach Movie this brand of cynicism comes in the form of Mac, one of the main leads who thinks movie musicals are dumb because they are not realistic enough and has zero suspension of disbelief apparently. Even while trapped in the film, there's a cut between a day and night time scene and she seems utterly baffled at how that could possibly have happened. It’s as if, by making fun of these old-school musicals the film believes its own flaws can be overlooked. However the awkward and cheesy dialogue (outside of the in-universe movie-musical West Side Story), the flat character development and the predictable plot is noticeable and irksome. I do give it some slack for being a film directed at children but I believe children films can still be great (think Pixar or Studio Ghibli for example) and shouldn’t be above criticism. However, like previously mentioned, if you want some fluff to watch on a hot summer's day, this isn’t a bad choice. It's a very popular film for a reason. Just don’t watch the sequel because it retcons basically everything this film tried to build. -Stacy
Just Go With It
Netflix
Going to be real… I couldn’t bring myself to watch this whole movie. No hate to the people who can, but, there is something about Just Go With It that doesn’t make me actively laugh personally, but it’s good if you like this genre of comedy. It’s a fun movie but not something that made me actively chortle. The basis of this movie makes everyone look kind of bad (and the ideal woman is obviously the only one that wouldn’t want to be a homewrecker), there are some weird age differences (someone describes a couple as Barbie and Grandpa Ken, so it’s not just me), and some jokes just really don’t age well. Jennifer Aniston is given an unnecessary makeover (what a beautiful divorced queen in this movie); why are they so mean to Jennifer Aniston? Ridiculous. Hollywood needs to let women age like they’ll let this random man end up with Jennifer Aniston. At least, again, Adam Sandler gets a good vacation. I just think movies based on people being improbably bad at lying are painful, and any relationship that requires this much lying requires too much effort… but it’s good if you want something to watch in the background maybe!
-Alexa
The Parent Trap (1961) Disney+
Maybe it’s because I go into this sort of movie looking for quick emotional payoff, maybe it’s because I’m familiar with the 1998 remake, but The Parent Trap (1961) isn’t quite my thing. Twins separated at birth, Sharon and Susan (Hayley Mills), meet at camp. There, they hatch a plan to switch places in hopes of getting their parents (played by Brian Keith and Maureen O’Hara) back together. They soon realize that their father is planning on marrying the villainous Vicky (Joanna Barnes), creating an obstacle for their parents’ romance. The movie is interested in doing two things, making us laugh, and creating a complex family dynamic. In pursuit of this it almost entirely neglects developing the romance between the parents, and when it does try to build a rapport between them it is laughably unbelievable (the father sees the mother has cooked a meal for him and is once again instantly head over heels in love with her). It cares so little about developing this relationship because an interesting romance isn’t the point of the movie. The point of the movie is trouncing Vicky. It is good vs. evil told through the lens of romance. And the film does this idea justice, having us root for the parents’ romance despite them having no real reason for wanting to reconnect. Hayley Mills is excellent, she is funny and makes the twins likeable throughout. The film drags a bit near the end, taking a while to wrap up, but is otherwise enjoyable. While I would prefer a movie with a more developed romance, The Parent Trap(1961) is still fun, and something that I would recommend if you’re looking for, what I would call, a domestic adventure. -Gabe
The Parent Trap (1998)
Disney+
The Parent Trap (1998); you might consider it the start of the Disney remake epidemic we’ve been going through in recent years, but as far as remakes go, I think this is a good one. Twins separated at birth, Hallie and Annie (both played by Lindsay Lohan), meet at summer camp. They decide to switch places to get their parents back together. This plan hits a roadblock when the twins realize that their father is about to marry the gold-digging Meredith Blake (Elaine Hendrix). This is the exact same plot as the original 1961 movie, but here it is used to create a completely different atmosphere. With Nancy Meyers (Something’s Gotta Give, The Holiday) in the director’s chair, this romcom really brings the rom in a way that the original doesn’t. From the moment we meet the twins’ parents (played by Natasha Richardson and Dennis Quaid) we get a sense of how much they like each other. Each one speaks fondly about the other in a way that is easy to believe. While watching this I found myself with butterflies in my stomach, anxious about the outcome of their relationship. This is due, in part, to Natasha Richardson’s excellent performance as the twins’ mother. She possesses a bouncy bubbliness that works well with the role of a woman nervous and in love. This film, much like the original, drags a bit during the camping scene where the gold-digger and the father break up. It ends on a high note, however, with the mother and father reuniting. The soundtrack is fantastic, containing banger after banger (There She Goes, In the Mood, Top of the World). It is one of the film’s highlights (how could you not have a good time while horns are blasting Soulful Strut at you). The Parent Trap is really just fun. It does a great job at building a romance between two people who are miles apart and is a good pick for easy-going summer viewing. -Gabe
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