The five best summer camp movies to binge-watch this weekend
Remember camp? The bug spray, the songs and the friendship? Well, you can relive it all. Sort of.
As the warmest season kicks into high gear, we’re reminded of our favorite trips to summer camp, which weren’t the ones we actually went to but the slightly more glamorous versions portrayed in movies. We’ve rounded up the five best summer camp movies available to stream or rent. It’s all the fun and none of the bugs.
If you love absurdist humor: Wet Hot American Summer
The original Wet Hot American Summer film takes all the tropes you know and love from a summer camp film (and many 80s films in general) and systematically pokes fun at each one. It’s a weird movie with a strikingly talented cast (including the likes of Bradley Cooper, Amy Poehler and more before they hit it big), and their charisma and commitment pull it together. In fact, it worked so well that Netflix revived it twice, first for the 2015 prequel First Day of Camp and the upcoming 10 Years Later, premiering Aug. 4.
Stream it on Starz. Bonus: Stream the revival series on Netflix.
If you love Ben Stiller as a villain: Heavy Weights
Heavy Weights is one of those movies that, for a certain age group, aired on cable constantly. You may have caught all or part of it, but it’s been awhile and definitely worth revisiting. The 1995 film, set at a “fat camp” for boys, follows a group of underdogs terrorized by Ben Stiller’s vicious ex-fitness instructor, and was co-written by Judd Apatow long before he became a household name.
Stream it on Netflix.
If you are nostalgic: The Parent Trap (1998 or 1961)
Depending on your generation, seeing either Lindsay Lohan or Hayley Mills in double generates feelings of nostalgia. Both versions of the film feature summer camp prominently, where the separated twin sisters reunite. Both are a lot of fun, but we’re partial to the newer version, if only for Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson’s performances as the estranged parents.
Stream the original on Netflix. Rent the 1998 version on Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu or YouTube.
If you love musical theater: Camp
Glee was a great show (some of the time), but if you’re a musical theater kid, the best representation of the oddities and obsessions of that world comes in the form of this cheeky film about a musical theater summer camp for kids and teens. All of the young stars are quite talented, and you may recognize a pint-sized Anna Kendrick, who delivers a performance of The Ladies Who Lunchfrom Company -- a song meant to be performed by a woman in her 60s or 70s -- with so much verve it’s easy to see why she became a star.
Stream it on Netflix.
If you’re a Wes Anderson fan: Moonrise Kingdom
Did you ever think summer camp wasn’t stylized or twee enough? Wes Anderson certainly did. The idiosyncratic director brought his touch to the genre with this 2012 film, which was nominated for an Oscar for its screenplay. The movie is packed with stars like Bill Murray and Edward Norton, but they don't overshadow its talented young leads, Suzy and Sam, played by Kara Hayward and Jared Gilman.
Stream it on Netflix.
You can scroll through more of our binge recommendations below.