There’s nothing quite like the gradual start of summer. With the gorgeous weather of spring starting to grow warmer and warmer, everyone can look ahead to the bountiful joys that come with the new season. Above all else, most families can look forward to the beginning of summer vacation, allowing children and teens of all ages to enjoy some much-needed time off from school.
To coincide with the new season, we decided to look back at some of the many teen comedies that eloquently capture the carefree tone of summer. From cult classic musicals to riveting sports comedies, these teen movies will have you pining for warmer weather, out-of-control parties, and the meaningful friendships that characterize late adolescence and early adulthood.
Few moments in life are as cathartic as graduating from high school. With the burdens of childhood behind you and the larger expanse of the future at your feet, the end of high school makes for an exciting–if somewhat terrifying–experience to grapple with. Capturing these two contrasting feelings in a hilarious and straightforward manner, Superbad might just serve as the ultimate teen comedy of the 2000s, as well as the best film to feature the comedic might of Seth Rogen and company in action. Loaded with endlessly quotable lines and laugh-out-loud funny moments, it’s the kind of movie that will have audiences grinning from ear to ear throughout. Watch Superbad on Prime Video.
The stylistic successor to Superbad, Booksmart intelligently captures the same poignant themes as its 2000s predecessor, swapping out Jonah Hill and Michael Cera’s awkward seniors for Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever’s academic overachievers. As with Superbad, Booksmart tackles the uncertainty of life following high school graduation, including the debilitating fear of losing touch with your childhood best friends. Alternating between energetic comedy and genuinely emotional sequences, it’s that rare comedy that forces viewers to laugh even as they reflect on their more meaningful friendships from the past. Watch Booksmart on Amazon Video.
Though it’s not technically set against the backdrop of summer vacation, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off encourages every viewer to seize the moment and live each day to its absolute fullest. Taking a break from school and setting off on his own whirlwind of adventures, Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) and his friends manage to effectively illustrate that life is meant to be enjoyed, allowing us to glory in each and every moment before it passes us by. Watch Ferris Bueller’s Day Off on Hulu and Paramount+.
The word “summer” tends to conjure up a multitude of images in most people’s minds, be it ketchup-smothered hot dogs, outdoor barbecues, or a backyard game of baseball played by the neighborhood’s youngest residents. Such is the premise behind the nostalgic ‘90s sports comedy The Sandlot, a film focused on several pre-teen boys who bond over their shared love of baseball. Floating along with the ease of a hot-flying baseball, The Sandlot makes for a fast-paced family comedy that somehow entertains those who adore sports, as well those unable to sit through a baseball game in its entirety. Watch The Sandlot on Disney+.
The granddaddy of modern teen comedies, without American Graffiti, it’s almost certain there’d be no Superbad, Booksmart, or Dazed and Confused (in short, no decent teen comedies to coincide with summer at all). The breakout film for a young George Lucas, American Graffiti looked back to Lucas’s earliest upbringing in early 1960s California–a decade marked by souped-up hot rods, plucky rock and roll songs, and enough moussed hair to oil a Boeing 747. Throughout it all, Lucas found a way to combine the overarching joys and anxieties that come with early adulthood, including a budding sense of uncertainty about the future. Watch American Graffiti on Netflix.
Does any song accurately sum up the lax summer season to the same extent as “Summer Days”? Quite possibly the most iconic musical of the 1970s, Grease winds the clocks back to the late 1950s, complete with humorous allusions to period-authentic rock songs, Elvis movies, and leather jacket-clad greasers obsessed with their social image. Between its incredible soundtrack and elaborate dance numbers, Grease makes for a delightful teen comedy that you’ll be tapping your foot along to the moment the opening credits begin to play. Watch Grease on Amazon Video.
