These vacation movies will take you on a cinematic trip
Whether you got out of town this summer or not, there’s still a chance to take a cinematic vacation, any time you like.
The 20th Century Studios comedy “Vacation Friends” is dropping on Hulu, making it the perfect opportunity for a little streaming escapism. “Vacation Friends” stars Lil Rel Howery and Yvonne Orji as an engaged couple who encounter a chaotic twosome on vacation in the form of John Cena and Meredith Hagner, who later crash their wedding and sow all kinds of madness.
If “Vacation Friends” inspires more wanderlust, here’s a few more movies about vacations, respites and unforgettable trips — from the funny to the horrific — all for your streaming pleasure.
Harmony Korine tackled that oh-so-American rite of passage, spring break, with his hallucinatory 2012 epic “Spring Breakers,” starring Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Benson. Take the trip to South Florida with the film
on Showtime and Kanopy or as a $2.99 digital rental.
The classic summer disaster movie “Jaws” might be hitting a bit too close to home right now, but Steven Spielberg’s oceanic horror flick is always a worthy summer watch, even if it might not inspire you to go into the water. Stream it on Amazon Prime and Tubi. For an updated version, take a dip with Blake Lively in Jaume Collett-Serra’s 2016 surfer versus shark flick “The Shallows,” available for a $2.99 digital rental.
Chevy Chase owned
the wacky family vacation movie back in 1983 with “National Lampoon’s Vacation” (and its many subsequent sequels). In 2015, Ed Helms attempted to recapture the magic with the raunchy remake “Vacation.” Stream both on HBO Max or a $3.99 digital rental elsewhere.
Perhaps an overseas sojourn is calling your name, so check out European locales with Anthony Minghella’s 1999 Patricia Highsmith adaptation, “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” streaming on the Roku Channel or a $2.99 rental.
The one-two punch of Luca Guadagnino’s 2015 thriller “A Bigger Splash” ($3.99 digital rental) and 2017 romance “Call Me by Your Name” (on Starz or $2.99 digital rental) will have you yearning for the sun-baked shores of Sardinia and long, lazy Italian lunches.
Perhaps HBO’s “White Lotus” has put you in the mood for Hawaii, which is a good enough reason to revisit the 2008 rom-com “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” on Starz or for a $3.99 digital rental.
Looking forward to the fall and colder climates? Nancy Meyer’s 2006 Christmas rom-com “The Holiday” ($3.99 digital rental) reminds us of the transformative power of travel, a theme that’s echoed in Sofia Coppola’s 2003 Japan-set drama “Lost in Translation” (Starz or a $3.99 digital rental).
Finally, one of the most unforgettable vacation movies of all time, John Boorman’s 1972 thriller “Deliverance” ($2.99 digital rental) may have you reconsidering that canoe trip with the boys, but considering a mustache and sleeveless wetsuit, thanks to Burt Reynolds.