Summer Flicks on Netflix

I don't know about you, but right now our family is really in summer.  It's all swim practice and camp pick ups and sunscreen and mosquitoes and dirty soles of feet.  So for my Netflix post this month, it only seemed appropriate to focus on summer.

Netflix has countless summery-type movies (and you can google various lists), but the following are my five favorites, all available to live stream.  I plan on watching them during our upcoming trip to Cape Cod (ahhhhhhh).  I love summer.

1) Adventureland

Ahhh, the days of the crappy summer job.  I for one spent my first crappy summer job working at Johnny Rocket's, where I had to perform a choreographed dance with my fellow servers every time Aretha Franklin's "Respect" came on the jukebox.  But I digress.  The main character in this movie is a high school student who is forced to work at a podunk amusement park for the summer.  The love interest is none other than Kristen Stewart, before she became an adulterer.  The movie is funny, endearing, and worth watching again.  It's a reminder of simpler times.  Sigh.

2) Dirty Dancing  

I still get sad when I think about the passing of Patrick Swayze.  And in this movie, he is in his prime.    It's one of those timeless movies that everyone has seen several times, and if you haven't seen it, well then I don't know if we can be friends.  The theme song still gives me goosebumps, and is there any better line in a movie then "Nobody puts Baby in the corner"?  And if the movie leaves you so inspired that you want to visit the actual hotel that inspired it, you're in luck - it's about to become a "billionaire's yoga hub."

3) Sharknado

This movie brings new meaning to the phrase "so bad it's good."  I mean, it is so, so, so bad.  But they are trying to make it bad.  Kind of like that recent Lifetime original movie starring Will Farrell and Kristen Wiig.  In any event, this movie is about menacing sharks attacking people on land during a hurricane.  The premise is ridiculous and the movie is constantly making fun of itself.  You'll want to stop watching, but you won't be able to.   You may even find yourself watching the sequel...

4) Stand by Me

It's an 80's all star cast!  River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, and a pudgy, nearly unrecognizable, Jerry O'Connell.  Another classic, this one is a coming of age story of friendship and an adventure through the woods looking for a dead body.  It's based on a novel by Stephen King, but it's not cryptic or supernatural - it's actually poignant and deep and was even nominated for an Oscar for best adapted screenplay.  Time to dust this classic off.

5) Y Tu Mama También

When this movie came out back in 2001, it was the first foreign language film (with subtitles) I had ever seen, and it was so amazing that it completely opened me up to the genre.  The movie takes place in Mexico, where two teenage boy best friends embark on a road trip with a woman in her late 20's.  The movie explores their sexual escapades, their sexuality, and the fragility of life.  You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll want to watch it again.

Happy summer, and happy Netflixing!

#StreamTeam