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Dirty Dancing
Dirty Dancing
Great American Films Limited Partnership
Buffalo | Culture

It’s An 80’s Summer

Meghan Martin Student Contributor, University at Buffalo
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Buffalo chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Picture this: the sun is setting at 9pm, the Eire County Fair is around the corner, a sticky sweet SpongeBob popsicle is melting all over your pajamas, and your mother is forcing you to watch the best cinema ever created: movies made in the 1980’s.

There is nothing that reminds me more of summer than actors covered in Aquanet; and Harrison Ford’s face. Maybe it is Stranger Things still living in my head rent free or maybe it is my childhood nostalgia peeking through, either way, I find myself longing to live in a world with Walkman’s and Ralph Macchio’s prime. 

In my humble opinion, the 1980’s perfected the summer movie. Every film somehow feels sun soaked, even when it is not technically set in the summer. There is something about the grainy film quality, the iconic soundtracks, and the dramatic one-liners that make these movies feel larger than life. 

If you are trying to curate the perfect “80’s summer,” there are a few movies that are absolutely essential.

Dirty Dancing 

Dirty Dancing: the blueprint for summer romance movies. Set at a Catskills resort in the summer of 1963, the film somehow manages to feel more 80’s than the decade the movie is actually set in. Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey share magical chemistry, and the entire movie feels humid and sticky in the best possible way. Between the lake scenes, the dance rehearsals, and the soundtrack, it makes you want to spend the rest of July learning choreography in your bedroom mirror. Nobody puts Baby in a corner, and nobody should put this movie off any longer.

Dirty Dancing
Great American Films Limited Partnership

Back to the Future

Despite being a Sci-Fi hater to my core, this is one of my favorite movies of all time (I choose not to acknowledge the disgraceful sequels). Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly is basically like Jacob Elordi today: charming and everyone’s dream. Watching this movie in the summer feels mandatory, especially when the sun goes down, you close your curtains, pop some popcorn, and curl up in your own little theater with your cute dog (if she sits still). Plus, the soundtrack alone deserves its own historical preservation society.

The Outsiders

It is a canon event for every girl in the seventh grade to view Rob Lowe as Soda Pop and fall in love, cementing this movie as one of their favorites of all time. The movie captures the feeling of being young in the summer perfectly: staying out too late, feeling invincible one second and completely lost the next. It has its emotional moments at the end, simulating the end of summer; in that way the movies act like a chronological guide to summer feelings. Also, if “Stay gold, Ponyboy” does not emotionally devastate you at least a little, I genuinely do not trust you and we cannot be friends.

The Breakfast Club

Of course, no 80’s movie marathon is complete without The Breakfast Club. Five teenagers sitting in detention should not be as entertaining as it is, but somehow it has become one of the most iconic films ever made (not to brag, but my love started with the iconic Victorious episode based on the movie). Every character feels painfully real, and by the end you somehow feel like you know them personally; I mean I can see all of these characters in people I know. Plus, Judd Nelson’s fist pump at the end is basically the international symbol and should be printed on a flag.

Karate Kid

The ultimate underdog movie and perhaps the strongest argument for bringing montages back into mainstream cinema. Daniel LaRusso (hottie) moving to California, getting bullied, and learning karate from Mr. Miyagi somehow became one of the defining stories of an entire generation. The beach scenes, the training sequences, and the final tournament all scream summer energy. And honestly, “wax on, wax off” may be one of the most culturally significant phrases to ever come out of a movie– except for “this is the skin of a killer Bella”, that is the most iconic line ever uttered. 

What makes these films so special is not just the stories themselves, but the feeling they leave behind. Watching 80’s movies feel like opening a time capsule from a world that I unfortunately never had the privilege to experience. They remind you what summer used to feel like before everyone spent it staring at phones: messy, loud, and a little ridiculous.

turned on LED movie projector
Photo by Alex Litvin from Unsplash

So, this summer, turn off the overhead lights, grab a melting popsicle, and put on an 80’s classic. The world may not have Radio Shack and big hair anymore, but for two hours, it can still feel like it does.

Meghan Martin

Buffalo '29

Meghan Martin serves as Editor in Chief for the University at Buffalo chapter. A native of Cheektowaga, she is currently a freshman majoring in English and Adolescent Education, where she is especially interested in helping students find confidence through reading and writing.

Outside the classroom, Meghan works as an assistant manager, balancing leadership responsibilities with her academic commitments. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and getting lost in a good book. She has a strong appreciation for classic literature (particularly Gothic and Victorian fiction) with Dracula remaining her all-time favorite.

As Editor in Chief, Meghan is passionate about building a welcoming, creative, and driven community within the chapter. She is excited to collaborate with fellow members, amplify diverse perspectives, and help create opportunities for others to grow as writers and leaders.

Meghan’s ultimate goal is to become a high school English teacher, where she can inspire students to engage critically with literature and express themselves with confidence. For now, she is focused on her studies and on successfully launching this chapter alongside a group of motivated and talented young women. She is eager to see the chapter thrive and hopes to connect with many new members along the way.

HCXO!