March: a month full of midterms, melting snow, final assignments, and exam prep. With the April exam season fast approaching, it can feel like summer vacation is still just as far away as it was at Christmas. Here’s a list of movies to watch during your study breaks to make summertime feel a bit closer.
1. The Way, Way Back
Liam James makes his debut as Duncan, a shy 14-year-old boy on vacation with his mom (Toni Collette) and her new boyfriend (Steve Carrell) at their cottage. In the cottage’s town, he finds a summer job at a nearby waterpark and learns to embrace his awkwardness and finds the value in stepping out of his comfort zone.
2. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Based on Ann Brashare’s bestselling novel, four best friends embark on their first summer apart from one another and keep in touch by mailing the same pair of jeans back and forth. This promotes body positivity and shows how true friendships will continue to strengthen even as people grow older.
3. Mamma Mia/Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again
These are the best movies to watch while prepping for road trips with your bestie when you want to sing your heart out.
4: Little Miss Sunshine
The dysfunctional Hoovers family piles together in a Volkswagen bus to drive from New Mexico to California so that their daughter, Olive (Abigail Breslin), can participate in a beauty pageant. This movie is filled with both witty and heartbreaking moments as the characters test each other’s patience and sanity.
5. The Parent Trap (1998 version)
Lindsay Lohan gets her debut playing long lost identical twins Annie and Hallie, who meet at a summer camp and scheme to get their parents back together by switching places with each other.
6. Dirty Dancing
This cult classic features Patrick Swayze’s classic line “Nobody puts Baby in a corner.”
7. The To-Do List
Brandy (Aubrey Plaza), a recent high school graduate, makes a list of sexual activities she wants to complete before going to college in September.