The 18 Best Beach Movies to Watch While You Wait for Your Next Vacation
If your next vacation is months away, and you're in desperate need of some sunshine and cocktails, look no further. Whether you fancy partying until sun-up in Ibiza or taking in a high-end resort in Hawaii, you can live vicariously through the characters of these seaside movies. From Jennifer Aniston rom-coms to early Leonardo DiCaprio roles, there's no end of content set in luxurious locales and idyllic islands.
For anyone feeling stifled in their day to day life, How Stella Got Her Groove Back is the perfect beach inspiration. If you prefer a little grit, throw on Jaws or Cast Away to get your dose of beachside living with a twist. Here, we round up 18 of the best beach movies available to stream right now, to make you feel like that much-needed vacay is just moments away.
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Diane Keaton's wardrobe in Nancy Meyers' classic rom-com inspired the Coastal Grandmother trend, and it's easy to see why. The jaw-dropping Hamptons locale will have you dreaming about your own summer vacation, and Keanu Reeves' appearance as a hot doctor can cure just about anything.
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Forty-year-old single mom Stella (Angela Bassett) takes a solo vacation to Montego Bay, Jamaica. There, she meets Winston Shakespeare (Taye Diggs), a handsome chef's assistant who is 20 years younger than her. Can love really blossom on vacation, or is it all just a holiday romance?
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One thing's for sure: Blue Crush will inspire you to finally take those surf lessons this summer. Kate Bosworth and Michelle Rodriguez co-star in this iconic sports drama about three best friends surfing on Hawaii's famed North Shore. When Anne Marie (Bosworth) joins the Banzai Pipeline competition, she's given the chance to display her talent in the hopes of finding a sponsor.
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Kristen Wiig and Amy Mumolo co-write and star in this beach romp about a pair of best friends who decide to leave Nebraska for the first time ever. Barb and Star arrive in Florida, where they meet the seriously hot Edgar (Jamie Dornan), and get caught in the middle of a plot to destroy the Vista Del Mar.
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If you missed Ibiza when it first dropped on Netflix, it's time to rectify that. Three best friends, played by Gillian Jacobs, Vanessa Bayer, and Phoebe Robinson, travel to Barcelona where they meet a charming DJ (Richard Madden). His next stop is Ibiza, and the gang is torn between heading to home to their commitments, or spontaneously following him.
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Following the success of How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey reunited for Fool's Good, in which they play a divorced couple searching for treasure. As if the concept couldn't get any better, they're forced to hunt for said treasure in the Bahamas, meaning blue skies, dreamy seas, and a whole lot of sun.
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Thanks to Baz Luhrmann's Elvis, the King is experiencing another renaissance, so there's no better time to explore some of his back catalog. In Blue Hawaii, Presley plays a man returning to Hawaii after a stint in the army, eager to hit the waves and reunite with his girlfriend. The soundtrack even features the iconic track “Can't Help Falling in Love.”
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An all-star cast including Dwayne Johnson, Zac Efron, and Priyanka Chopra brings Baywatch to the big screen. The soapy romp sees everyone's favorite lifeguards hooking up, saving lives, and foiling an evil drug lord (yes, really). The film may not have been a hit, but the beach has never been in better hands.
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If the thought of sunbathing for hours on a quiet beach bores you to tears, then Steven Spielberg's classic movie is the antidote. When a great white shark starts attacking beachgoers, the police chief (Roy Schneider) teams up with a shark hunter to stop the carnage. Sun, sand, sea, and scenes that'll make you jump out of your skin.
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Point Break may be an action crime movie, but it's also about surfing. Keanu Reeves plays a rookie FBI agent who infiltrates the surfing community while investigating a series of bank robberies. Patrick Swayze plays Bodhi, the group's leader, and the movie quickly became iconic thanks to its inventive plot and the chemistry between its cast members.
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With Lin-Manuel Miranda co-writing the soundtrack and Dwayne Johnson playing Polynesian trickster Maui, Moana was always going to be great. Auli'i Cravalho's incredible performance as Moana, a young woman desperately seeking adventure, is the true heart of the film. Bask in the beauty of ancient Polynesia, and try not to sing along.
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During a vacation with her boyfriend, Robin (Anne Heche) is involved in a plane crash with pilot Quinn (Harrison Ford). The pair finds themselves stranded on an island in the middle of the ocean, where they must learn to work together if they have any hope of survival. Beautiful beaches and impressive landscapes abound.
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The Beach follows Richard (Leonardo DiCaprio), an American traveler who is given a map to what's described as a tranquil paradise. However, his quest is marred by strange and unexpected events. Filmed on the Thai island of Ko Phi Phi Le, The Beach promises gorgeous landscapes, even if the film itself gets a little dark.
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Chuck (Tom Hanks) gets stranded on a desert island when the cargo plane he's on goes down in the Pacific. With a girlfriend back at home, Chuck fights to survive, in the hopes of getting rescued from isolation. Wilson steals the show, and Hanks is in top form as a man desperately trying to stay alive against all odds.
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Trust M. Night Shyamalan to ruin a beach vacation. Filmed in the Dominican Republic, Old tells the story of a group of travelers who are thrown together on a secluded beach. However, the idyllic location hides some unexpected surprises, and people start aging much faster than they should. At least the scenery is nice.
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This joyous ABBA musical was filmed on the stunning island of Skopelos in Greece. The movie follows Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), who wants to find out who her real dad is, so she invites all three suspects to her wedding. Her mom, played by Meryl Streep, is less than pleased. Hilarity ensues.
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When Peter (Jason Segel) is dumped by his famous girlfriend Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell), he flees to Hawaii. Unfortunately, he runs into his ex and her new rock star boyfriend (Russell Brand) at the resort. But he also meets Rachel (Mila Kunis) and starts falling for her. The beautiful backdrop doesn't hurt either.
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Before they appeared in Netflix's Murder Mystery films, Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler collaborated on Just Go With It. To cover up another lie, Danny (Sandler) tells his latest love interest that he's divorcing Devlin (Aniston), with whom he shares two kids (also a lie). The blended family heads to Hawaii, where more hijinks ensue, and Nicole Kidman puts in an appearance.
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18 of the best beach movies to stream in 2023, from The Beach to Ibiza to Jaws to Cast Away. Join Jennifer Aniston in Hawaii, and enjoy our favorite beach films.