10 Summer '80s Movies We Could Watch Again and Again
‘Karate Kid’ is one of Ree’s favorites.
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There are two kinds of summer days: the ones when you’re outside soaking up every last bit of sunshine and the ones when it’s so hot that stepping beyond the front door feels like a personal attack. That’s when a great movie—and a very powerful air conditioner—comes in handy.
Ree Drummond knows the appeal better than most. “For us, you see, movie watching is our recreation,” she says of herself and her husband, Ladd. “My husband’s a rancher, which means he works outside. When he’s not working, the last thing he wants to do is take a bike ride or go to the lake. I’m not a bikini person myself,” Ree jokes. “So a good movie in an air-conditioned home is all this ranching family needs.”
Honestly, that sounds like a perfect warm-weather plan!
The best summer ’80s movies can transport you somewhere sunny without packing a single thing. You can spend vacation with the Griswolds, practice karate with Mr. Miyagi, dance with Johnny Castle, or climb aboard a pirate ship with the Goonies—all without leaving the couch. There are all-American traditions like baseball games, golf courses, cross-country road trips, and enough aviator sunglasses to last until Labor Day.
So turn down the thermostat, pour yourself an ice-cold drink, and settle in. These nostalgic favorites are just right for a lazy afternoon, a rainy weekend, or any night when the couch sounds considerably better than the lake.’
Settle in for a movie marathon:
Some summer vacations come with sunburns and matching family T-shirts. Baby’s comes with Patrick Swayze, secret dance lessons, and one very ambitious lift. Set at a Catskills resort, Dirty Dancing has everything a summer movie needs—and it happens to be one of Ree’s favorites, too. Just try to hear “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” without immediately reaching for an imaginary dance partner!
New town, new crush, new bullies—it’s going to be a long summer for Daniel LaRusso! Thankfully, Mr. Miyagi has a few chores for him. Ree’s love for this universe runs deep: She became so hooked on the sequel series Cobra Kai that it reportedly made her whole year after it first came out. Wax on, binge-watch on.
The Griswolds pile into the family station wagon for a cross-country trip to Walley World, where absolutely nothing goes according to plan. Naturally. Between the wrong turns, questionable roadside stops, and Clark’s determination to manufacture family fun at all costs, it’s the perfect movie for anyone who has ever spent six hours in a car asking, “Are we there yet?”
A peaceful cabin vacation sounds lovely—until the in-laws pull into the driveway. John Candy just wants to fish, relax, and enjoy a few hot dogs with his family, but Dan Aykroyd arrives with lobster, a speedboat, and enough bravado to disturb the entire lake. There’s also a bald-headed bear and a 96-ounce steak. Summer memories!
There are fighter jets. There are aviator sunglasses. There is an unusually intense beach volleyball game. And every few minutes, the soundtrack produces another song you’ll want to belt from the driver’s seat with the windows down. Maverick somehow makes military training look like the coolest summer vacation imaginable!
A farmer hears a mysterious voice and plows under part of his Iowa cornfield to build a baseball diamond. As one does! What follows is a dreamy mixture of summer nights, old ballplayers, family, and the kind of father-son moment that will have you reaching for the tissues. Kevin Costner and a cornfield were simply meant to be.
Technically, Ferris skips school in the spring—but his glorious day gallivanting around Chicago has pure summer-vacation energy. Ree ranked it third among her favorite John Hughes movies and declared, “It doesn’t get any better than this ditching-a-day-of-school adventure.” Museum! Parade! Fancy lunch! Just don’t borrow Cameron’s father’s Ferrari.
Before kids had cell phones, location sharing, or seemingly any adult supervision, they could simply disappear underground in search of pirate treasure. Mikey, Mouth, Chunk, Data, and the rest of the Goonies dodge booby traps and the Fratelli family while trying to save their neighborhood. Please pack snacks before beginning your own treasure hunt!
Golf is supposed to be a quiet and dignified sport. Apparently, no one told that to Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, or the gopher terrorizing Bushwood Country Club. Caddyshack is loud, ridiculous, endlessly quotable, and best enjoyed by people who don’t mind their sports movies containing more explosions than actual golf.
This isn’t the carefree, splash-around-the-pool kind of summer adventure. Four boys set off through the Oregon countryside looking for a missing boy’s body, encountering train tracks, leeches, bullies, and some painful truths along the way. It’s tender, funny, and sad in a way that makes you remember how enormous one summer could feel when you were 12.
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