From Classics to Hidden Gems: 12 Movies About Vacations Gone Wrong.

Summer, with its enchanting relaxation and inevitable sense of freedom, is one of the most attractive times of the year for filmmakers.

Today, I will continue to share excellent movie selections with you. I invite you to travel back to carefree vacation days and watch a few funny movies about vacations gone wrong. These pictures are about holiday romances, the search for happiness and oneself. The selected twelve tapes are rich in the feeling of summer.

Sunny movies about vacations gone wrong.

Dirty Dancing, 1987

17-year-old Frances from a good family comes to a country hotel with her family on vacation. Imagine: summer 1963, high-waisted jeans, crop tops, Jennifer Gray’s unkempt curls, and mind-blowing dancing. It is how you may remember the movie Dirty Dancing. 

Only a few films in the cinema can be watched a huge number of times and still give the same great pleasure as the first time. Dirty Dancing is just one of the few such films. Patrick Swayze and the entire cast, music, and choreography are outstanding. Plus, there is the indescribable atmosphere of that time.

Meet Joe Black, 1998.

William Parrish is a wealthy and influential newspaper magnate. Before his birthday, he takes a long-awaited vacation and relaxes a little. But then death itself appears in his life in the guise of a charming young man, Joe Black.

It is Brad Pitt with a scythe who plans to spend the last days of his earthly life with Parrish and then take him with him to his destination. William has to come to terms with his fate. He mentally says goodbye to his family and loved ones but keeps a close eye on Joe Black, who has his eye on his beloved daughter! 

It is a touching story about appreciating all the little things in life and, most importantly, love. This movie has beautiful interiors, clothes, and pleasant orchestral music. It is three hours of pleasure for the ears and eyes.

Stealing Beauty, 1995.

Lucy, a beautiful American girl, arrives for a summer vacation in Italy at a villa with old family friends. The girl is young, attractive, and sad because recently, her mother, a famous poetess and top model, committed suicide. Lucy will never forget these holidays: she will have to find her father, unravel the mystery of the last entry in her mother’s diary, lose her virginity, be disappointed and fall in love with herself again. 

It is a languid film, warmed by the Italian sun, soaked in the sea breeze and freedom. Slowly, like the scorching sun setting behind the horizon, Bertolucci leads the viewer to the outcome, where everyone will receive their realizations.

The Beach, 2000.

The young American, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, craves adventure, drive, risk, adrenaline, and passion. He decides to spend his vacation in Thailand, where he meets a young man who keeps a map of a distant island. Together with two Frenchmen, Richard goes to this island, but everything turns out to be not as carefree and easy as he thought.

On the Paradise Island background with a blue lagoon, Danny Boyle asks in this film: ‘Why, exactly, do you want to go to heaven?’ And it’s true, maybe this, our life, is better than heaven?

Neighbors, 2014.

It is a comedy dedicated to the other side of the coin of all summer parties, namely the life of those in the neighborhood of such parades of bacchanalian licentiousness. A young couple of former partygoers, having settled in an American suburb and having a child, encounters students who have settled in the house across the street. As luck would have it, summer is just around the corner, and the flywheel of parties is starting to spin up with some very rapid force. What wins here is not a call to the police, an attempt to mix laxatives into drinks, or a constant appeal to the conscience of young people. And the common truth is, “If you want to fight the crowd, become part of it.”

I recommend the film because you will have laughter that makes your cheekbones ache. 

Roman Holiday, 1953.

The young Princess Anne arrives in Rome on an official visit. Her days are scheduled minute by minute—receptions, visits to factories, interviews… in general, melancholy! She is just a girl. She wants freedom, and she runs away from the palace into the street, where the residents of the Eternal City walk, sing, and kiss.

It is a film for a good mood and a reminder that not only money rules the world! Romantic feelings decorate our lives, filling them with a unique, intoxicating aroma.

Last Vegas, 2013.

All ages are suitable for a cheeky party. It is probably what Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro and Morgan Freeman thought when they agreed to portray the images of elderly partygoers on screen. Three former partygoers head to Las Vegas for the last party of one of them. No, this man is not fighting a fatal disease, as many might think. He just decided to get married. But, the “city of sins” in just thirty years has completely changed from how they remembered it in their youth.

There is a natural break in the mold – how can you hang out in a seemingly abode of sin and pleasure when it has turned into a cradle of pensioners and calm Asians? Blowing up the dance floor when you’re over seventy is still possible. But what do you do if you have to blow up an entire city? 

I recommend this film to everyone. It does not contain provocative vulgarity, naked body parts, or bad humor, but it has everything we value in a good movie.

The Beach Bum, 2019.

It is an unusual tragicomedy that does not try to show all the delights of summer parties and endless vacations but deconstructs the genre. A wild partygoer named Moon Dog didn’t care about all social norms. All he wants is money for the alcohol and beach parties. But he will not receive his late wife’s inheritance if he does not finish his autobiography. 

It is stunning acting by Matthew Makhogesi, and yet not a perfect movie about an imperfect person.

One Wild Moment, 2015.

It is a pleasant picture of summer, the sea, and dramatic first love. Starring French cinema stars Vincent Cassel and Francois Cluzet.

In the story, two best friends go on vacation to Corsica, and to keep things simple, they take only their daughters with them. But, of course, it doesn’t work out without intrigue: one of the girls falls in love with her father’s hot 42-year-old friend. The situation is further complicated because the girl’s father is rigorous and generally does not allow guys near her.

In general, I sincerely recommend that you watch this film. It is a charming light French dessert with almost the best role of Vincent Cassel and Corsicas’ landscapes. 

Our Happy Holiday, 2018.

It is truly a stupid comedy. Marion and Ben meet on Tinder, and something begins to happen between them after the first date. Although the guys are completely different: Marion is a broad-minded girl who lives for pleasure and often goes to such meetings, Ben is the right guy who calls his mother every day and went on a date on Tinder for the first time. A guy and a girl decide to go on vacation together. Poking their finger at the map, they choose Bulgaria.

This story has many funny and stupid situations and a rather sudden ending. The eternal truth is that when traveling, even the closest person can reveal himself in a completely new light—let alone strangers. It is one of the great French movies about vacations gone wrong.

Hector and the Search for Happiness, 2014.

Hector is a psychiatrist. Daily, he listens to his patients, who are trying to find themselves and become happy. But one day, the main character suddenly thinks, how can he help others if he still does not understand what happiness is? 

It is a comedy of the “one day he gave up everything and left” category. Hector packs his things and goes on a trip around the world. Along the way, he meets different people, each with a personal idea of happiness. Will Hector find his truth? Look for the answer in the film.

So it turns out that a light romantic comedy, imbued with an eternal philosophical question, will make any viewer think about this topic.

Paris Can Wait, 2016.

Anna is an American who comes to Cannes with her husband. The couple must then travel together to Budapest, but due to health problems, Anna cannot board the plane, and the man leaves alone. His business partner, Jean, takes the woman by car to Paris.

Suddenly, an ordinary trip turns into a beautiful journey around France, with picnics in nature, visits to museums, and the best restaurants. In addition, a tender story begins to swirl between Anna and Jean. The film is very beautiful, funny, and touching. And, of course, the picture will please the eye: the number of gorgeous views in this movie is countless.

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P.S.

I had so much fun collecting these summer vacation movies. I hope you found a new picture for your next movie night. What is your favorite summer tape?

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