There are few feelings that top the last bell of the last day of school. For most children, summer vacation means boundless possibility, and the anticipation that this will be the best summer of their young life. For others it’s more complicated, and not as carefree as expected. All these sentiments represent summer vacation as an experience deeply tied to childhood.
Summer vacation movies have their own unique feeling. These films were picked because of how they relate to these specific feelings, positive and challenging.
The Sandlot (1993)
There’s nothing more summer than playing outside from sun up to sun down. The Sandlot is a classic film with an ensemble cast of kids who embody how baseball can bring people together. After Scotty Smalls (played by Tom Guiry) moves to a new town he is forced to make friends with a group of local boys. They make fun of his skills, forcing him to leave in embarrassment. After a visit from Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez (Mike Vitar) who invites him back out the boys start teaching him the game that brought them all together.
Making New Friends: Although not specific to summer this is an experience essential to childhood. Connecting with others can be awkward at first, but for children the basis of friendship is as simple as showing up again. Before you realize it, the people you didn’t know have become your best friends, and the memories you share are something you cherish even long after going your separate ways.
Click here to get your copy of The Sandlot on DVD.
The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003)
Certainly a classic amongst any Disney Channel kid The Lizzie McGuire Movie is a perfect example of the adventures that we all dream summer brings. After taking a trip to Rome with her class, Lizzie (Hilary Duff) is thrust into pop stardom when approached by Paolo (Yani Gellman) who convinces her to join him on stage, seeing as she’s the doppelganger of his former partner Isabella. Not everything is as it seems when Lizzie's best friend Gordo (Adam Lamberg) runs into Isabella who reveals Paolo’s real intentions. If What Dreams Are Made Of wasn’t on your playlist before it will be by the time the credits are done rolling.
Summer Abroad: While certainly a privilege to be able to vacation overseas, it’s no surprise that summer is meant for taking trips.This sense of adventure comes with every trip, no matter the scale because the routine of everyday is broken up. Exploring allows us to learn more about our place in the world and bring it back with us home when the trip is over.
Click here to get your copy of The Lizzie McGuire Movie on DVD.
Holes (2003)
Based on the acclaimed children’s book by Louis Sachar, Holes is about Stanley Yelnats IV (Shia LeBeouf) being sent to Camp Green Lake to serve out an 18 month sentence for stealing a pair of sneakers. As punishment he digs holes along with the group of ‘inmates’ who also serve out their sentences. Holes is a story deeply tied to its own folklore, making the story span generations. The family curse follows Stanley everywhere he goes with the only hope of breaking it being to do the right thing.
Summer Heat: Who hasn’t been in trouble before? We’ve all experienced this type of heat, maybe you were grounded or maybe worse. In the summer, without being able to get out it feels eons more intense, as if you’re serving time. The heat of summer makes you sweat but it doesn’t last forever.
Click here to get your copy of Holes on DVD.
Dìdi (2024)
A modern coming of age classic. In Dìdi, Chris Wang (played by Izaac Wang) is an awkward 13 year old who is heading into the summer before high school. His sister Vivian (Shirley Chen) leaves for college and suddenly he’s alone at home with his grandmother Nǎi Nai (Chang Li Hua) and Mother (Joan Chen). Chris embarrasses himself constantly, creating a distance between him and everyone he wants to be friends with, leaving only his Mother there to deal with him. Dìdi explores the Taiwanese-American experience, where the protagonist struggles with his identity and home life. The story transcends race and is relatable to anyone who has felt teen-angst before.
The Lonely Days of Summer: As a teen fitting in is tough. Your friends might not be calling, your crush might not notice you, and it seems like everything your parents say gets on your last nerve. Nostalgia tends to overlook these moments of sitting in the house bored. It’s that awkward age where you’re not quite old enough to venture out alone but you are old enough to not need a babysitter. You just want to be left alone, even though you don’t really want to be left alone.
Click here to stream Dìdi on Prime Video.
AfterSun (2022)
For most children it’s not until much later that they see their parents as a real person with hopes, dreams and struggles. AfterSun explores memory and nostalgia after the fact, pieced together from behind a camcorder. While on vacation Sophie (Frankie Corio) and her father Callum (Paul Mescal) travel to Turkey and stay at a resort. While there we learn how Callum struggles with depression and anxiety. Although he never divulges these struggles to his daughter the film cuts forward and shows adult Sophie (Celia Rowlson-Hall) watching her tapes back now as a mother. The film is devastating, trusting the viewer to fill in the blanks.
Summers Over: Every vacation ends at some point. The slight sting of coming back to reality will fade away eventually but the memory of the summer lives with us. In the end it’s not about the trips or the friends or the adventures, it's about how you've grown in the end. What new understandings you take with you into the fall. And yes summer will come back around again.
Click here to stream AfterSun on Prime Video.
When developing your collection consider adding a diverse range of summer break films. Modern examples explore more mature themes and a more diverse range of experiences. While some are suitable to screen for tweens others may convey some more adult themes. Be aware before screening. For more Summer themed programming ideas, search through Video Librarian’s archive to discover your next film for programming.