It’s finally here—summer break. You can finally sit back, relax, and enjoy the warm weather. Or, if you’re more of an indoor cat, you can sit inside and live your summer vicariously through the characters (who don’t have an internship) in these summer classics:
Wet Hot American Summer
This cult classic was revitalized by Netflix back in 2015 with the conception of Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, a prequel series to the original movie. With a bombshell cast, including Bradley Cooper, Amy Poehler, Paul Rudd, and Penn alum Elizabeth Banks, this comedy should definitely pique your interest. It’s a film about the last day of summer camp for a raunchy group of teenage counselors who want to finally accomplish their goals before summer ends—whether it’s getting the girl, losing their virginity, or saving the camp. If you’re down for some untraditional comedy that’ll induce both laugher and nostalgia, definitely watch this, then watch First Day of Camp, and follow it all up with 2017’s Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later.
Cruel Intentions
If you want a movie that will make you laugh and shed a tear while still making you a bit uncomfortable, watch this! Starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon, and Selma Blair, this 1999 film is actually an adaptation of Les Liaisons Dangereuses. Based on the Wikipedia plot summary, the book is strikingly similar considering it was written in 1782. The movie is about a Manhattan stepbrother and stepsister with creepy sexual tension who are intent on seducing and ruining the lives of others until school starts up again in the fall. While it’s a little strange and incestuous, it’s actually got some fun romance (not between stepsiblings) and a killer soundtrack (ed. note: "Bittersweet Symphony." That is all).
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
So it doesn’t actually take place during the summer, but it takes place in Hawaii, which, by our standards, is close enough. Accompanying the tropical scenery, it also has a lot of laughs and a full–frontal view of Jason Segel. Kristen Bell's character, a hot TV actress, leaves Jason Segel's character for a British rockstar, played by the delightfully weird Russell Brand. So our male romantic lead takes a trip to Hawaii to get over it; comedy ensues. Also including Jonah Hill and Mila Kunis, this movie will having you dying to go to the beach and roll on the sand laughing at the many terrific one–liners.
Charlie St. Cloud
So far this list has been comedy–heavy, so here’s a dramatic romance to get you in the mood for summer flings. Charlie is a sailor who gets a scholarship to Stanford and is all set to start his life when he gets into a terrible car crash with his brother Sam. Sam dies in Charlie’s arms, but Charlie’s promise to never leave him alone allows him to see Sam everyday. He gives up his scholarship and pretty much does nothing but see his brother until a girl comes into his life and Sam starts to slip away. Everyone needs a good cry every now and then, right? And Zac Efron is a major plus.
Midnight in Paris
Finally, if you’re looking for a bit of fantasy in your life or dream of a European vacation, this will suit your needs. Gil (Owen Wilson) is vacationing in Paris with his fiancée Inez (Rachel McAdams). He is obsessed with the city, unlike Inez, and when he goes out alone at night, he slips into his favorite decade, the ‘20s. Hanging out with Pablo Picasso, Cole Porter, Ernest Hemingway, the Fitzgeralds, and many other artists of the time, he’s living his dream. Live vicariously through Gil and slip into a dreamland without responsibilities, much like how summer feels until we return to Penn in the fall.
