15 Best Summer Romance Movies of All Time

If you ask us, summer is the season of love. Whether it be a gorgeous coming-of-age love story or the setup for a happily ever after, there is something about the summer sun that has all of us in the mood of falling in love. Movies have always been here to help us live hundreds of lives in the course of a few hours of our time. Well, falling in love over and over and over again sounds like a great summer to us! The timelessness of a great romance film is unparalleled. Mix that with the joyous vibes of summer, you get an otherworldly movie-watching experience.

The summer season just feels like there are endless possibilities. Whether you are looking to live out that classic forbidden teenage love story or you want your heart to get ripped out in the heat of the season, summer romance films are a subgenre we can get behind. From romance staples like The Notebook and Call Me By Your Name to even musicals like Grease and Mamma Mia!, here is our carefully crafted list of the best summer romance films!

15 Safe Haven (2013)

For this summer season, some of us want to escape our reality and enter another one. Safe Haven is the kind of movie that can do just that. The film follows a woman named Katie Feldman (Julianne Hough), who arrives in a small town ready to start her life over. With no family accompanying her and no job, her presence in the town starts to raise some eyebrows. However, a local widower named Alex slowly falls for her, integrating her into his life until Katie’s past starts to catch up to her.

Runaway Love

Nicholas Sparks, as you will see from this list, is a master of making summer-worthy romances. Safe Haven feels like a summer vacation that has you at the edge of your seat. The part romance, part thriller, explores the idea of starting fresh and facing your fears. Safe Haven is a summer romance that is dramatic, heartfelt, and emotional. Stream on Prime Video.

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Related: These 3 Rom-Coms Paved the Way for Netflix’s Players

14 La La Land (2016)

The heartwrenching and epic love story we know as La La Land is a great choice for a romance movie this summer. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone star as Sebastian and Mia, two struggling artists in the city of stars, awaiting their big break.

In the pursuit of superstardom, the two cannot help but fall in love. However, just as things start to take off, with Mia’s acting and Sebastian’s music, their paths slowly begin to drift apart as they try to hold on to the life they built together.

A Movie Under the Stars

La La Land is the movie of all movies to watch in the warmth of a summer night. A California summer is unlike any other. The magic of the city, and the sense of infinite possibilities sets the scene for one of the best romance films of all time. La La Land showcases the fragile balance between passion in love and passion in one’s career, accompanied by music that defines our summer soundtrack. Rent on Apple TV.

13 Say Anything… (1989)

The best love stories are always full of ups and downs. In the world of high school romances, falling in love is never that easy. In 1989’s Say Anything…, a confident and optimistic Lloyd (John Cusack) is prepped and ready to win over the jewel of the school, the stunning and smart Diane (Ione Skye).

Well, it turns out, she’s got a thing for him too. However, this gripping tale of first love is halted when Diane’s protective and strict father puts a wrench in their plans.

But Daddy, I Love Him

For a high school love story, there is a sense of maturity in how this beautiful relationship plays out on screen. The heartwarming scene in the car is emotional and captures the innocence of young love in a way that makes it perfect for the summer season. Say Anything is a rom-com that is easy to watch and perfect for the whole family. Rent on Apple TV.

12 Endless Love (2014)

Endless Love is a romantic drama that came out in 2014. The film follows a young and privileged girl named Jade Butterfield (Gabriella Wilde) looking forward to her life after her high school graduation. When her sights set on a working-class young man named David Elliot (Alex Pettyfer), her life gets flipped upside down as the two navigate their love for each other when everything tries to tear them apart.

A Post-High School Romance

What could beat the feeling of entering the summer right after your senior year of high school? The fulfilling feeling of finishing the school year and entering a world of endless possibilities is near euphoric. Throwing in a forbidden and passionate love story is the cherry on top. Endless Love is a love story that is a great mix of both drama and romance. If you want a mix of both, this is not one to miss. Stream for free on Tubi.

11 Dear John (2010)

Now we arrive at Dear John. The film follows a soldier named John, played by Channing Tatum, who falls in love with college student, Savannah Curtis, played by Amanda Seyfried.

The explosive and passionate romance is not full of sunshine and rainbows, as John’s deployment builds an inescapable barrier between the two. Over the course of years, the two find their paths growing apart and merging in hopes that their love prevails.

A Tatum in Love

Romantic dramas that take place over the course of a long period of time are some of the best films to watch during the summer season. It is like watching a condensed version of an epic love story that spans across every season. Dear John displays a more heartfelt and soft side to Tatum that we always love to see. His chemistry with Seyfried is also a highlight of this movie.

10 A Walk to Remember (2002)

Nicholas Sparks has a knack for summer-worthy romances. A Walk to Remember is just another one that you definitely need to add to the list. Shane West and Mandy Moore star in one of the best coming-of-age romance films ever.

In the film, Landon Carter and Jamie Sullivan are two high schoolers who have their unlikely paths cross when Landon is forced to perform community service. They slowly find out that falling in love is the simplest part of their epic love story.

Nicholas Sparks Strikes AGAIN

A Walk to Remember is an intimate romance film that fully embodies the renewing energy of young love and, even more than that, heartbreak. This film is packed full of lessons about life and the complicated nature of being young and in love, which makes it nostalgic by default. Stream on Netflix.

9 (500) Days of Summer (2009)

(500) Days of Summer is a 2009 romantic comedy starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Tom and Zooey Deschanel as Summer. Tom is the classic hopeless romantic protagonist who is ready for a love story he deserves. However, after 500 days in his relationship with Summer, she kicks him to the curb. In an attempt to figure out what went wrong, audiences follow Tom as he goes over the events of the last 500 days up until the breakup.

Love That Expires

(500) Days of Summer is the kind of movie that is just as inspiring as it is romantic and funny. Audiences are able to follow the ins and outs of this whirlwind romance while also watching Tom find the other aspects of his life that fulfill him.

No matter what stage you are at in your own love stories, (500) Days of Summer is an underrated rom-com to bring your summer to life. Stream on Hulu.

8 Mamma Mia! (2008)

Time to get up and dance! If there is a musical that is bright enough, fun enough, and heartfelt enough to bring a typical summer day to a whole new level, 2008’s Mamma Mia! is right here. On this lovely trip to Greece, hotelier Donna (Meryl Streep) is getting ready for her daughter’s wedding. However, little does she know that her daughter is conspiring to bring 3 men her mother used to know to finally learn who her father is to walk her down the aisle. Take all this fluffy mess and add ABBA as the soundtrack. Genius.

Yes, We’ve Been Brokenhearted

As far as movie musicals go, the love audiences have for Mamma Mia! is unprecedented. Honestly, what screams summer more than a wedding under the sun on the Greek Islands?

Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried are absolutely incredible. Every year is the perfect year for an ABBA summer. Honestly, this movie is full of heart and heartache. However, you need to give this one a watch even for the soundtrack alone. Stream on Netflix.

Related: 10 Underrated ’90s Rom-Coms

7 Crazy Rich Asians (2018)

One of the most definitive parts of the summer season is the vacation aspect of it. There is a certain magic in escaping your day-to-day life and going somewhere new. Well, in the case of 2018’s Crazy Rich Asians, Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) is about to find herself tossed into the extravagant world of her boyfriend Nick Young (Henry Goulding). Upon landing in Singapore to attend Nick’s best friend’s wedding, Rachel is met with the shock that her boyfriend is part of one of the wealthiest families in the country and is eligible bachelor #1.

Love and Money

Crazy Rich Asians is one of the best romantic comedies to come out of the last decade. During a time when us movie lovers were itching for a modern rom-com to sweep us off our feet, we were blessed with Crazy Rich Asians. This film explores the harsh realities of social hierarchies and the sometimes crippling demands of Asian culture that revolve around family loyalties, social standings, and wealth.

This film is full of character growth, impeccable imagery, and a sense of self-discovery that makes it a great and uplifting watch for summer. Stream on AppleTV+.

6 50 First Dates (2004)

We wish we could keep having 50 first dates with this movie. Starring Adam Sandler as Henry and Drew Barrymore as Lucy, the early 2000s rom-com 50 First Dates follows a love story of infinite patience and unyielding love. The film follows Henry and Lucy’s relationship in the aftermath of a terrible accident that leaves Lucy unable to remember what had happened the day before. Therefore, Henry is forced to curate new and interesting ways to win her over every day, with the hopes that her mind finds the love she once had for him.

A Sandler/Barrymore Masterpiece

Adam Sandler might be one of the most underrated romantic comedy leads ever. This man’s filmography in the genre is something we can’t help but gawk at. His partnership with Barrymore is nothing short of perfection and for summer, 50 First Dates has to take the cake. The film is heartfelt, wholesome, and hilarious.

Treading lightly when it comes to movie-watching during the hottest time of the year is always a good bet. Well, 50 First Dates is a film we can watch 50 times over and never get tired of it. Stream on Hulu.

5 Call Me By Your Name (2017)

Time to get a little more somber. Summers are dynamic. The season is made for falling in love, finding a happily ever after, and sometimes, unrelenting heartbreak. One of the most summer-esque romance films has to be 2017’s Call Me By Your Name, starring Armie Hammer as Oliver and Timothée Chalamet as Elio Perlman.

In this gorgeous LGBTQ+ romance film, a young Elio finds himself in a passionate and forbidden romance with doctoral student Oliver. Make sure you have your tissues for this one because there is no way to stop the tears.

Italian Summer Tears

Call Me By Your Name is beautiful from the inside and out. This film encapsulates a more calm and melancholy side of summer love. And, as heartbreaking as the ending of this one is, the artistic cinematography, the refreshing and emotional score, and the Oscar-worthy performances by these lead actors make Call Me By Your Name a must-watch romance film. Stream on Hulu.

4 Grease (1978)

We can credit the creation of a “summer love national anthem” to none other than Grease. “Summer Nights” alone shoves Grease into this conversation. 1978’s musical rom-com Grease follows the lives of high schoolers Danny Zuko (John Travolta) and Sandy Olsson (Olivia Newton-John) in the wake of their whirlwind summer romance.

With the complicated dynamics of high school social hierarchies and the history of these two lovebirds still looming into the school year, Danny and Sandy have to navigate their own circles to see if they can find their way back to each other.

Oh, Those Summer Nights

We were born to hand jive baby! Summer is nothing without music, and what can beat the Grease soundtrack? Grease incorporated upbeat and vibrant musical numbers with a wholesome and addicting plot to make for a fantastic summer romance film. From the impeccable costuming to the dramatic and distinct characters in this ensemble, Grease might just be the most fun you’ll have falling in love this upcoming summer. Stream on Max.

3 The Last Song (2010)

Okay, we know that Nicholas Sparks is a master at romance that leaves us in a puddle of tears. Well, The Last Song is not different. The Last Song follows the life-altering summer of a young and rebellious teenager named Ronnie, played by Miley Cyrus. Ronnie is sent with her brother to spend a summer with her father at his gorgeous beach house.

However, staying with her father and facing the complications of their strained relationship is nothing like the summer of Ronnie’s dreams. That is, until she ends up falling in love with beach boy Will (Liam Hemsworth). Just when her summer begins to look up, Ronnie’s world and her relationship implode.

Love and Pain, But on the Beach

The Last Song has everything you could possibly want in a summer romance film. Cyrus and Hemsworth are jaw-dropping in this heartfelt love story. That, alongside the delicate and heartwrenching relationship Ronnie carries with her family, makes for a well-rounded story that will leave you reaching for tissues and gasping for air. Stream on Disney+.

2 Dirty Dancing (1987)

This 1987 romantic classic is a must-watch this summer. Dirty Dancing will forever be a feel-good watch that has turned into one of the best summer romance films of all time.

The movie follows Baby (Jennifer Grey) whose summer plans get derailed when she finds herself at a slow-paced resort with her family. However, with an itch to spice things up for the summer, resort dance instructor Johnny (Patrick Swayze) swoops in like a knight in shining armor as he chooses Baby as his new dance partner. Well, the inevitability of them falling in love is a given. However, the complications of their social status threaten to tear them apart.

Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner

Dirty Dancing mixes the lively and energetic atmosphere that the summer season brings us all and perfectly weaves it into a swoon-worthy summer love story. With a soundtrack that was expertly crafted by God himself and the natural and explosive chemistry between Swayze and Grey, Dirty Dancing is like an all-you-can-eat buffet for summer romance films. Stream on Paramount+ through AppleTV.

1 The Notebook (2004)

No other movie screams romance like The Notebook. This Nicholas Sparks film adaptation is a grand love story, following Ally (Rachel McAdams) and Noah (Ryan Gosling) as they find themselves falling deep in a whirlwind summer romance for the ages. However, their very different social standings get in the way of their happily ever after, as Ally’s parents forbid the relationship.

However, as the fates decide, Ally and Noah find themselves falling back into each other’s paths years later, forcing both of them to make decisions that could alter the course of their lives.

The Summer Flame That Never Went Out

The Notebook is a generational and timeless romance film that perfectly displays the passion of a summer romance. McAdams and Gosling have chemistry to stand the test of time and had all of us falling head over heels in love with their love. The Notebook feels like the most precious summer time capsule that sets up a gorgeous romance that we will never forget. Stream on Prime Video.