 |
TOP FIVE
Summer-Themed Movies
LDI's weekly list of what's hot, what's not, and what's what.
Forget JAWS. Forget DO THE RIGHT THING. Forget STAND BY ME. The true
classics are movies that deal with the real issues of summer: family vacations, fat dads, sexually-curious sons and daughters in peril, colorful locals,
and boat races. Remember when John Candy did one summer-themed movie per year? I do! It was the 80s, the golden age of all things summer...Let's
honor this dead art form:
1. SUMMER RENTAL
This movie gets points for John Candy with the most unforgettable sunburn of his acting career, and an unexpected boat race. If you haven't seen this one, hop to it - if only for the most colorful local in the genre, "Scully" who passes off frozen fishsticks like they're gourmet. What a nut!
2. THE GREAT OUTDOORS
The only thing better than John Candy in a summer
movie, is John Candy AND Dan Akroyd! This one trades in a beach setting for a woodsy lake, which means well-trained bear scenes and fat dad on water skis. The romance between the teenage son and a local is rife with the tension of their socioeconomic divide. Oh, and John Candy eats a 96 ounce
steak.
3. WHAT ABOUT BOB?
"Oh Fay. This is so scrumptious. Is this hand-shucked?" WHAT ABOUT BOB? has Bill Murray at his finest, which is why Steven Spielberg personally paid a quarter of a million dollars on an Oscar campaign to get Murray nominated for his performance. It didn't work out, but the film lives on in Bob's endlessly quotable lines.
4. Tie between SUMMER SCHOOL and ONE CRAZY SUMMER
They're both kinda subpar, but together they make a classic summer movie. SUMMER SCHOOL boasts the underappreciated talents of Mark Harmon, while
ONE CRAZY SUMMER shows Demi Moore and John Cusack falling in love...And it has a top-notch boat race.
5. SHAG THE MOVIE
Want the dancing, the summer fun and the girliness of DIRTY DANCING without the messy abortion drama? Me too! Shag has great music, the adorable and winsome Phoebe Cates, and the steamiest boat scene of any on this list. For anyone who's not sold, check out the Sun Queen pageant.
By Leigh Anne Bowles, Housesitter/Dogwalker/Event Planner.
Back - TOPFIVE Hall of Fame
|
|
 |
|
