Top 10 Summer Movies To See Before You Die That You Probably Haven't Seen...

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…but I have and I'm making the list so we are in good hands here. I came to the realization recently that it is less likely for folks under 30 to truly stumble onto movies any more because I don't know really anyone with cable. This was hammered home when I was talking to a 20 year old guy and when I rattled off 10 movies, he had seen one of them. I wasn't listing obscure movies either; I mentioned American Pie and he had never even heard the title. 

Back in the day, (oh boy, here comes Old Man Cons) you would pull up the guide on cable that showed everything playing on channels. Shout to the real old days where the guide was a channel with a slow scrolling guide that didn't stop. If you caught it right after your favorite channel, you had to wait for that joker to come back around. You would also sometimes just flip through the channels slowly to see if something caught your eye. One time I was flipping and stumbled upon The Secret Of My Success with Michael J. Fox. It's an awesome movie that I am not sure I would've ever come across otherwise.

That's the problem now with streamers; sure, you get recommendations for movies but it takes an incredibly enticing cover or title to catch your attention. It used to be that if you were flipping channels you might see something or someone that sucks you in to watch. Before you know it, you're 45 minutes into Cocktail. I'd argue if you saw any of the three titles mentioned thus far, they wouldn't necessarily make you think, "I gotta watch this movie."

Which brings me to today's lesson. Below you will find the 10 summer movies that are worth the watch. They are not as well known because they are older, independent/small budget, and/or just never got the love they deserved. To be clear, this is NOT a list of best summer movies. It is a list of movies that most people have not seen.

In no particular order…

The Way Way Back

Shy 14-year-old Duncan goes on summer vacation with his mother, her overbearing boyfriend, and her boyfriend's daughter. Having a rough time fitting in, Duncan finds an unexpected friend in Owen, manager of the Water Wizz water park.

Spoiler: Don't watch this if you like Steve Carell because you will HATE him for the entirety of this movie. Stacked cast and I mean, absolutely stacked. Sam Rockwell puts on a tour de force with his performance as Owen. A true coming-of-age tale set against the charming backdrop of a cape beach town and water park. Not many movies can leverage a water park as the main set piece and still work but TWWB does so masterfully. Sneaky has a ton of comedy throughout a very relatable plot. 

The Kings Of Summer

Three teenage friends, in the ultimate act of independence, decide to spend their summer building a house in the woods and living off the land.

I legit stumbled upon this movie one night over a decade ago when I was flipping channels. So many guys growing up wanted to have a kick ass fort in the woods. At some point during your teenage years, a lot of people clash with their parents and want to live on their own. There are some truly classic plot lines that arise with the leader, the sidekick, and the whacky friend. Offerman has some unreal funny lines too. 

Dazed and Confused

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The adventures of high school and junior high students on the last day of school in May 1976.

One of the more popular movies on my list but still somewhat of a cult classic. Arguably a top 3 all-time greatest soundtracks. Take a look at the cast list and you're going to see some massive stars. So many aspects of this movie would be frowned upon by today's standards but that doesn't change the fact that it's relatable for anyone who has experienced a last day of school as a 14-17 year old. Plus, I am a sucker for movies that take place over the course of one day. 

Heavyweights

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Plump kids are lured into joining a posh fat camp with the promise of quick weight loss and good times, only to find that it is a woodland hellhole run by a psycho ex-fitness instructor.

Many argue this is Ben Stiller's best performance of his career. Non stop laughs with the who's who of 90s plump kid actors. This was also the introduction for so many of us to The Blob that you have now seen at Camp Barstool. Evident by the two gifs, it is choc full of great lines and right in that sweet spot of 90 minutes where so many great movies used to live. 

Camp Nowhere

A group of junior high kids don't want to go to summer camps chosen by their parents. They make their own adult-free camp and "hire" an ex drama teacher to help.

Summer-long camps must've been much more prevalent in the 90s for this movie to make sense but nevertheless it was a intriguing premise. A bunch of 12 and 13 year olds, with the help of Doc Brown, are able to fool all their parents into sending them to a fake camp. At that age, you definitely thought you could survive without your parents and felt like you were older than you were. The NYT nailed it - it's just funny. Not to mention, shout out to Marnette Patterson who held a special place in young Cons' heart. 

Sidenote - the movie Accepted with Justin Long is this same exact movie except with a fake college. It's also an enjoyable watch. 

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Now And Then

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Four childhood friends gather together to prepare for the birth of Chrissey's baby. They wonder how the girls they were at twelve years could possibly have become the women they are now.

This one definitely came across my desk when I was younger due to growing up with sisters and everyone getting to pick one movie when we went to Blockbuster. It's not my favorite on the list but as a dad with a daughter now, I will definitely watch it with her one day. An excellent soundtrack given the time period during which it is set, it demonstrates well how a close knit friend group can be just as different as they are alike. 

Staten Island Summer

Pals Danny and Frank spend the summer after high school working as lifeguards while figuring out their future.

From the SNL Lorne Michaels' universe, this was written by Colin Jost and largely based on his life. This movie is highly relatable and thus, enjoyable, for anyone who grew up going to a pool club. I'm not talking about you went to the pool in town or at your club a few times per summer. I am talking about the pool rats who got dropped off by their mom for swim practice at 9am and were not picked up until 5pm. You know all the characters in this movie. The cool lifeguard who has been there forever (and probably too long). The manager who everyone kind of hates. The townie mom who probably wants a little too much attention. The quirky maintenance guy. The group of young kids who cause trouble. All the lifeguards who you are on a first name basis with and feel like older siblings. The guy with the bright future and the friend who is going to stay behind in town. I especially enjoyed this movie because this was my life from age 8 until 13 every summer. 

Sidenote: this poster would definitely grab attention on a streamer. Just calling it as a see it. 

Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead

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Five siblings are left alone all summer when their mom leaves town and the evil babysitter bites the dust. When a single mother goes away for the summer, the kids are at first delighted, but then they find out that Mom has hired the sitter from hell to stay with them. When the sitter dies of a sudden coronary they deposit the body at a mortuary, only to discover that all their summer-expense money was in her purse. The kids must find a way to survive the summer without mom or her money. This means actual work

Christina Applegate at her absolute apex throwing 100 on the black. Although this is a ridiculous premise that a mother would leave for the summer to go to Australia and leave her 5 kids with a babysitter, we didn't care because it was awesome. Once again, we are seeing the theme of kids devoid of parental supervision and it works every time. It is absolutely preposterous that Sue Ellen can fool everyone into thinking she is a 24 year old working mother of four but who cares! Also this is a super dark title but hey, it was the 90s. 

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A Good Old Fashioned Orgy

A group of 30-year-olds who have been friends since high school attempt to throw an end-of-summer orgy.

This is a good movie on the cast alone but honestly only truly hits "excellent" levels if you have done a Shore house or Hamptons house. If that is exclusionary I am sorry but the opening scene when Sudekis is trying to slowly disappear from the office on a summer Friday is highly relatable. Back when I did Shore houses, around 10a on Friday the "what train do you think you can get" texts started flying. You'd find a train buddy, grab a couple tall boys, and be on your way to weekend bliss far from the heat and grime of NYC. I could wax poetic about the magic of doing a Shore house but this movie does a good job of showing why it is awesome. 

Wet Hot American Summer

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Set on the last day of camp, in the hot summer of 1981, a group of counselors try to complete their unfinished business before the day ends.

The best way to describe this movie is you get brought inside the weirdest comedic brains imaginable. While there, you are let in on a bunch of inside jokes that you don't get. Somehow, it is very funny even though you don't know what is going on most of the time. It caught so many big actors on the precipice of blowing up and they all speak very fondly of the movie. It is incredibly weird. That's it, that's the best I can do to describe it. 

HONORABLE MENTION

12 Angry Men

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The jury in a New York City murder trial is frustrated by a single member whose skeptical caution forces them to more carefully consider the evidence before jumping to a hasty verdict.

This isn't a traditional summer movie in the sense of the rest of the list, but it takes place in the summer, which is why I made an exception. This is widely regarded as one of the all-time great movies and that is an impressive feat when you consider the entire movie takes place in one room. It has some Hollywood royalty, especially in the Director's chair with Sidney Lumet. You'd be hard pressed to watch this without walking away thinking, "Man, that was good." 

If you have seen all of the movies mentioned here, please follow me here and here. Send me a DM. You will be entered into a raffle for a secret grand prize. 

Enjoy!