Ah, Fall. The time when summer ends and you go back to real life, from work to school to other commitments you had temporarily put on hold. Fall can be an exciting time, for example if you’re not a fan of warm weather or you’re really into Halloween, but for most of us, it’s also the time when we start dreaming about our next vacations. And while we’re probably in for a long wait, it doesn’t mean we can’t start traveling inside our own heads. Whether we’re dreaming of family trips or solo adventures, movies are the best way to find some escapism, and you can find anything from comedies to paradise disasters and comical mix-ups out there. Vacation films are often lighthearted, but they are also fantastic for winding down after a hard day of work or school or for breaking from writing a tough assignment that could be making you think of hiring a professional essay writer. Here is a list of great vacation films that will keep you entertained, in alphabetical order!
1. Anyone But You (2023)
Will Gluck
Let’s start with the rom-com that made everyone talk upon release, and that’s still a guilty pleasure for many! Loosely based on William Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing,” the film starts with a meet-cute. Bea (Sydney Sweeney) has a charming interaction with a man named Ben (Glen Powell) at a cafe, and the two spend the night together. The next morning, a misunderstanding leads them to part ways not in an amicable way. But our protagonists will soon meet again, as it turns out they have an acquaintance in common, Bea’s sister Halle (Hadley Robinson), who invited them both to her destination wedding in Australia.
Anyone But You doesn’t reinvent the rom-com genre, but it captures the very best it has to offer, resulting in a movie that’s enjoyable from start to end. Its leads are flawless and are joined by a fantastic cast, and we guarantee you’ll have a certain song stuck in your head for many, many days after watching it.
2. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
Rian Johnson
This sequel to the highly successful Knives Out should absolutely be on your watchlist! Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery takes the whodunit formula that worked so well in the first movie and replicates it with similar results, with the added bonus of it being set in Greece. This time, Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is invited to stay at a tech billionaire’s (Edward Norton’s Miles Bron) home, though no one knows why he’s there. With him are a cast of unlikely personalities, most of them Bron’s friends and one of them, Andi (Janelle Monáe), a former business partner of his, with whom he had a falling out. Needless to say, someone is murdered, and Blanc’s vacation will acquire a new meaning.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is a highly entertaining movie that will have your attention from start to end and truly surprise you at the end. It also features an all-star cast and just as many cameos to look out for, and it will absolutely make you want to visit the island.
3. The Holiday (2006)
Nancy Meyers
What better way to capture the holidays with a film whose title is The Holiday? This 2006 gem has become a Christmas staple for many, and if you haven’t seen it yet, you’re in for a treat. Iris (Kate Winslet) is a British woman who’s been hopelessly in love with her boss for years, and who’s just found out in front of the entire office that he’s about to get married. Amanda (Cameron Diaz) is a successful marketing exec who’s just dumped her cheating boyfriend and is in desperate need of leaving her home of LA. Almost by chance, the two strangers decide to swap homes over Christmas, thanks to an ad that connected them at the right time for both. And so an adventure begins that will eventually change their lives for good.
The Holiday is a product of its time, but it’s also made charming by its leads, including Jack Black and Jude Law who both play highly memorable roles, a fantastic score, and the right dose of humor and heart. Don’t miss it!
4. Jaws
Steven Spielberg
What if the vacation isn’t exactly an idylling one but turns into a bit of a nightmare? The most popular shark movie of all time – and the perfect Fourth of July movie, according to our very own Megan – is a movie that will have your eyes glued to the screen from start to end, and that will make you incredibly tense while using very little gore. Policeman Brody (Roy Scheider) moves from a big city to a small New England town, where he becomes its sheriff. Upon arrival, he finds out that sharks are attacking and people on the beach. The safe decision would be closing them down, but the mayor disagrees, as he needs tourist to come to the town.
From this simple premise, director Steven Spielberg creates one of the best movies of all time, employing groundbreaking techniques and giving us a story that’s just so compelling that it will instantly make the movie one of your all-time favorites.
5. Roman Holiday (1953)
William Wyler
For the last movie on this list, let us take you back in time to 1953, when a European princess (Audrey Hepburn’s Princess Ann) is visiting Europe. One night, in Rome, Ann finds herself so tired of all her commitments that she escapes, only to find herself falling asleep on a park bench due to some sedatives her doctor had given her. The following morning, US reporter Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck) finds her and wakes her up. From there, a completely different type of vacation begins for Ann, as the two – one wanting to escape her schedule, and the other wishing for an exclusive interview, after finding out who she is – inevitably falling for one another.
For a 1950s movie, Roman Holiday has aged incredibly well. Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck make for such fantastic leads, and the film as a whole is so charming that you’ll start dreaming of your own Roman Holiday right after the credits roll.
The 5 movies listed above are all about vacations and will provide something different depending on what you’re looking for. From cult classics to heartwarming rom-coms and tense whodunits, there’s something for everyone. Enjoy!
