The 20 Best Summer Movies for Your Movie Night – Part 1

You are looking for summer movies for a movie night at home? We have compiled the 20 best summer movies from different genres. These are them: the funniest, craziest, most exciting and entertaining movies with summer feeling!

Horror movie or comedy? If you already know which film genre you’re in the mood for, you’ll find the summer movies sorted by genre. There is something for everyone: summer romance, amusing feel-good comedy, summer thriller, swim horror movie and exciting adventure and action movies set in summer. You’ll probably already know some of the classic films, but there are also some real insider tips. All films have one thing in common: they provide a real summer feeling!

The Best Summer Comedies

1. He Who Dies Sooner Is Dead Longer (2006)

This summer movie tells an Upper Bavarian lausbuben story in Bavarian dialect, which provides many laughs but at the same time has depth.

Plot: Sebastian is 11 years old and lives in the Bavarian countryside in the fictional Germingen together with his father.  The boy feels responsible for the death of his mother and tries to make up for this guilt. The story is told from the 11-year-old’s perspective and has many funny moments.

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2. The Fabulous World of Amélie (2001)

The fairy-tale fate of Amélie thrilled more than 3 million moviegoers in 2002. The French film of director Jean-Pierre Jeunet cleared many film awards and conjures a smile on the face. In addition, the earworm soundtrack by Yann Tiersen is just great! Certainly one of the most beautiful summer films!

Plot: Amélie Poulain lives in Paris and works as a waitress at the Café des 2 Moulins. But actually she lives in her own world and celebrates the small beautiful moments in life like the sound of the crunching crust of créme brulée or bouncing little stones over water. After her mother’s death, her father retired and Amélie begins to change her life and her father’s life with little things.

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3. A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1999)

When it comes to entertainment, William Shakespeare’s comedies are still unmatched – and summer movies are no exception. This Hollywood version of the magical mistaken identity play between noisy lovers is opulent to look at and extremely entertaining.

Plot: Duke Theseus and Amazon queen Hippolita want to marry. There he is bothered by subjects who carry unresolved love disputes to them. At the same time, a marriage war among the elf kings Oberon and Titania causes all sorts of enchantment and mistaken identity games in a nearby forest. There, almost all the characters meet and a delicious mistake ensues.

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4. The Vacation of Monsieur Hulot (1953)

Reminiscent of Charlie Chaplin, Monsieur Hulot is a lovable slob who greatly influenced Rowan Atkinson’s portrayal of Mr. Bean and Loriot. Many of the gags from this film made film history!

Plot: Monsieur Hulot is spending his vacations in a small French seaside resort, as are many other guests. But while these guests go swimming, play cards, or engage in other leisure activities, Monsieur Hulot has one mishap after another. The lovable slob, however, doesn’t upset all of Saint-Nazaire’s guests….

The Craziest Summer Movies

5. Black Cat, White Cat (1998)

This family grotesque brings everything that makes for really crazy summer movies. Director Emir Kusturica draws the viewer into the spell of the life of the Sinti and Roma with his lovable, absurd characters and the grotesque plot. You want to go to the Danube yourself and feel the pleasure of life with these gypsies.

Plot: The Sinti Matko lives with his son Zare on the Danube. While the father is looking for a way to earn money quickly and gets involved with crooks, Zare falls in love. During Matko’s illegal coup, however, things go wrong and Matko agrees to marry his son Zare to the gangster’s sister. The plot heads toward an incredible, crazy Balkan wedding with a surprising twist.

6. What? (1972)

Weird plot lines, crazy characters, Italian decadence, Marcello Mastroianni and naked skin – what more could you want if you love crazy summer movies? Roman Polanski’s comedy What? is a surreal social satire and parody of the sex films of the 70s at the same time.

Plot: Pretty tourist Nancy hitchhikes through Italy and lands in a cable car in the film’s setting: a decadent Italian villa. Strange housemates live there, and their behavior never ceases to surprise Nancy. Mysteriously, one of Nancy’s clothes disappears every day. (RATED 16)

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7. Dog Days (2001)

With bitter Austrian humor director Ulrich Seidl holds a mirror up to society. His film, which has won many awards internationally, shows painful and comical at the same time the human coexistence.

Plot: It is the hottest days of the year. On these so-called “”dog days” human abysses open up in the seemingly perfect world of the Viennese suburbs. A young man is pathologically jealous and puts his girlfriend under pressure. And a crazy hitchhiker without a destination drives the people who pick her up out of kindness to madness. The heat drives everyone to the edge of their nerve and more than one situation escalates.

The Best Summer Romances and Romantic Movies

8. In July (2000)

Romantic yet splashy and funny, Fatih Akin’s In July is a fairytale romantic comedy with surprising twists. Four years before he won the Golden Bear, Fatih Akin shot this summer road movie with Moritz Bleibtreu and Christiane Paul.

Plot: It’s summer and Daniel, a trainee teacher doesn’t yet know that it’s the summer of his life. On an adventurous road trip across southeastern Europe, he searches for the love of his life. But he is in for a surprise.

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9. Summer Storm (2004)

Standing by one’s feelings is not easy: especially for teenagers. In Sommersturm, the topic of coming out is handled sensitively and entertainingly. The German film won the audience award at the 2004 Munich Film Festival and also received strong praise from critics.

Plot: Tobi and Achim have always been best friends. But what Achim doesn’t know: Tobi is in love with him. Also no one else knows anything about his feelings for the same sex. For a long time, he himself lacks the courage to admit his feelings and come out. Then comes the summer and the two friends spend together in the training camp of their rowing club in the Bergisches Land. There everything changes for Tobi.

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Plot: Frances, nicknamed “”Baby””, is a daughter from a good family and spends her summer vacations together with her family at the resort “”Kellerman’s””. There she meets dance instructor Johnny and his friends. Baby and Johnny, who comes from a lower class background, become closer, but their love seems to have no prospect for the future.

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Moving on, Part 2 of the 20 Best Summer Movies features our picks for the most exciting horror summer movies, summer thrillers, action and adventure films.

If you’re looking for more recommendations and ideas for things to do together when it’s raining, you can find them here.

Image source Cover image: © Warner Home Video – Summer Storm (2004).

At Abenteuer Freundschaft you can find many more indoor activities and general tips for activities with friends, with kids and with your partner.

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