Great beach movies can effortlessly conjure the sun-kissed, saltwater-tinged glory of actually spending the day riding the waves and searching for the ice cream truck—seriously, why is it always so hard to find the orange Popsicle of my dreams at Riis Beach?—all without having to brave the glaring sun, wash sand out of all your belongings, or deal with any of the other not-so-fun parts of embarking on a beach day. They also feel especially apropos this time of year.
While some may know the present season as “spring,” I prefer to think of it as “those months when it’s getting slightly warm out, but not hot enough to actually go to the beach, so you have to spend all your time inside watching movies about the beach.” (Rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it?)
In that spirit, here are 13 of the best beach movies about sun, surf, and oceanside romance.
Gidget (1959)
Gidget was one of the first films to put California surf culture (in all its sunscreen-scented, tanned, Valley Girl-accented glory) on the map, and it’s still well worth a rewatch if you want to marvel at how charming movies used to be—and get some moodboard inspiration for your next vintage swimwear purchase.