Movies that take place in the sun
by zerowing-1 | created - 29 Feb 2016 | updated - 2 weeks ago | PublicLots of sunshine to help you get through the winter
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1. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
PG-13 | 143 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Blacksmith Will Turner teams up with eccentric pirate "Captain" Jack Sparrow to save his love, the governor's daughter, from Jack's former pirate allies, who are now undead.
Director: Gore Verbinski | Stars: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley
Votes: 1,210,029 | Gross: $305.41M
The Caribbean (obviously!)
2. Into the Blue (2005)
PG-13 | 110 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
Four divers cross paths with drug smugglers in the Bahamas.
Director: John Stockwell | Stars: Paul Walker, Jessica Alba, Scott Caan, Ashley Scott
Votes: 79,507 | Gross: $18.47M
It's the Bahamas! Nothing but sunshine in this one!
3. White Men Can't Jump (1992)
R | 115 min | Comedy, Sport
Black and white basketball hustlers join forces to double their chances of winning money on the street courts and in a basketball tournament.
Director: Ron Shelton | Stars: Wesley Snipes, Woody Harrelson, Rosie Perez, Tyra Ferrell
Votes: 98,261 | Gross: $76.25M
L.A. and Venice Beach
4. Wimbledon (2004)
PG-13 | 98 min | Comedy, Romance, Sport
A pro tennis player has lost his ambition and has fallen in rank to 119. Fortunately for him, he meets a young player on the women's circuit who helps him recapture his focus for Wimbledon.
Director: Richard Loncraine | Stars: Kirsten Dunst, Paul Bettany, Jon Favreau, Sam Neill
Votes: 66,596 | Gross: $17.00M
London in high summer
5. The Fast and the Furious (2001)
PG-13 | 106 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Los Angeles police officer Brian O'Conner must decide where his loyalty really lies when he becomes enamored with the street racing world he has been sent undercover to destroy.
Director: Rob Cohen | Stars: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster
Votes: 419,420 | Gross: $144.53M
L.A. in summer
6. Sniper (1993)
R | 98 min | Action, Thriller, War
A veteran US Marine sniper is partnered with a rookie sniper as his spotter to take out a politician and a rebel leader in the jungles of Panama.
Director: Luis Llosa | Stars: Tom Berenger, Billy Zane, J.T. Walsh, Aden Young
Votes: 25,474 | Gross: $18.99M
Two guys schlepping their way through a Central American jungle in the middle of summer. Lotsa sun in the tropics!
7. Lost (2004–2010)
TV-14 | 5,445 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
The survivors of a plane crash are forced to work together in order to survive on a seemingly deserted tropical island.
Stars: Jorge Garcia, Josh Holloway, Yunjin Kim, Evangeline Lilly
Votes: 594,893
Filmed in Hawaii
8. White Sands (1992)
R | 101 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A small southwestern town Sheriff finds a body in the desert with a suitcase and five hundred thousand dollars. He impersonates the man and stumbles into an F.B.I. investigation.
Director: Roger Donaldson | Stars: Willem Dafoe, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Mickey Rourke, Samuel L. Jackson
Votes: 8,880 | Gross: $9.01M
In the Arizona desert. Or New Mexico. Can't remember which.
9. The Last Stand (2013)
R | 107 min | Action, Thriller, Western
The leader of a drug cartel busts out of a courthouse and speeds to the Mexican border, where the only thing in his path is a sheriff and his inexperienced staff.
Director: Jee-woon Kim | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Forest Whitaker, Johnny Knoxville, Rodrigo Santoro
Votes: 145,321 | Gross: $12.05M
The Arizona desert
10. A Good Year (2006)
PG-13 | 117 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A British investment broker inherits his uncle's chateau and vineyard in Provence, where he spent much of his childhood. He discovers a new laid-back lifestyle as he tries to renovate the estate to be sold.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Russell Crowe, Abbie Cornish, Albert Finney, Marion Cotillard
Votes: 101,344 | Gross: $7.46M
The South of France
11. Tremors (1990)
PG-13 | 96 min | Comedy, Horror
Natives of a small isolated town defend themselves against strange underground creatures which are killing them one by one.
Director: Ron Underwood | Stars: Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Finn Carter, Michael Gross
Votes: 150,463 | Gross: $16.67M
The California desert
12. Flip or Flop (2013–2022)
TV-G | Reality-TV
Christina and Tarek buy houses and then refurbish them to make a profit in California, USA. They were married but are just business partners now.
Stars: Tarek El Moussa, Christina Hall, Taylor El Moussa, Kevin Htain
Votes: 2,128
Sun-kissed Orange County!
13. Waiting to Exhale (1995)
R | 124 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Based on Terry McMillan's novel, this film follows four very different African-American women and their relationships with men.
Director: Forest Whitaker | Stars: Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, Lela Rochon
Votes: 12,190 | Gross: $67.05M
Filmed in the Phoenix area.
14. For a Few Dollars More (1965)
R | 132 min | Drama, Western
Two bounty hunters with the same intentions team up to track down a gang of outlaws led by a psychotic Mexican bandit, who is plotting an audacious bank robbery.
Director: Sergio Leone | Stars: Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Gian Maria Volontè, Mara Krupp
Votes: 274,570 | Gross: $15.00M
15. A Fistful of Dollars (1964)
R | 99 min | Action, Drama, Western
A wandering gunfighter plays two rival families against each other in a town torn apart by greed, pride, and revenge.
Director: Sergio Leone | Stars: Clint Eastwood, Gian Maria Volontè, Marianne Koch, Wolfgang Lukschy
Votes: 232,589 | Gross: $14.50M
16. Real Steel (2011)
PG-13 | 127 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
In the near future, robot boxing is a top sport. A struggling ex-boxer feels he's found a champion in a discarded robot.
Director: Shawn Levy | Stars: Hugh Jackman, Evangeline Lilly, Dakota Goyo, Anthony Mackie
Votes: 355,491 | Gross: $85.47M
17. The Sound of Music (1965)
G | 172 min | Biography, Drama, Family
A young novice is sent by her convent in 1930s Austria to become a governess to the seven children of a widowed naval officer.
Director: Robert Wise | Stars: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Eleanor Parker, Richard Haydn
Votes: 260,951 | Gross: $163.21M
Salzburg, Austria during summer
18. Phenomenon (1996)
PG | 123 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
An ordinary man sees a bright light descend from the sky, and discovers he now has super-intelligence and telekinesis.
Director: Jon Turteltaub | Stars: John Travolta, Kyra Sedgwick, Forest Whitaker, Robert Duvall
Votes: 83,774 | Gross: $104.64M
Northern California in summer
19. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
Approved | 178 min | Adventure, Western
A bounty hunting scam joins two men in an uneasy alliance against a third in a race to find a fortune in gold buried in a remote cemetery.
Director: Sergio Leone | Stars: Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef, Aldo Giuffrè
Votes: 810,926 | Gross: $6.10M
20. Thelma & Louise (1991)
R | 130 min | Adventure, Crime, Drama
Two best friends set out on an adventure, but it soon turns around to a terrifying escape from being hunted by the police, as these two women escape for the crimes they committed.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen
Votes: 173,023 | Gross: $45.36M
Takes place in Arkansas but actually filmed in rural So Cal. Plenty of the movie also takes place in the Arizona desert.
21. Premium Rush (2012)
PG-13 | 91 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
In Manhattan, a bike messenger picks up an envelope that attracts the interest of a dirty cop, who pursues the cyclist throughout the city.
Director: David Koepp | Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Shannon, Dania Ramirez, Sean Kennedy
Votes: 118,467 | Gross: $20.28M
NYC in the middle of summer. The sun doesn't go down until 9pm in this movie.
22. Point Break (1991)
R | 122 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
An F.B.I. Agent goes undercover to catch a gang of surfers who may be bank robbers.
Director: Kathryn Bigelow | Stars: Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Gary Busey, Lori Petty
Votes: 202,172 | Gross: $43.22M
Surf, sand, and sun in L.A.
23. Property Brothers at Home (2014– )
TV-G | Documentary, Reality-TV
The Property Brothers Jonathan and Drew Scott embark on their biggest challenge yet: Completing a massive renovation of their Las Vegas home just in time for the Scott family reunion.
Stars: Drew Scott, Jonathan Silver Scott, J.D. Scott, Linda Phan
Votes: 296
In Las Vegas
24. Royal Pains (2009–2016)
TV-PG | 42 min | Comedy, Drama
An unfairly discredited but brilliant ER doctor winds up working with his younger brother in the Hamptons as a concierge doctor to the uber-rich and ultra-elite.
Stars: Mark Feuerstein, Paulo Costanzo, Reshma Shetty, Brooke D'Orsay
Votes: 23,279
Filmed on location n the Hamptons during summer
25. Grease (1978)
PG | 110 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
Good girl Sandy Olsson and greaser Danny Zuko fell in love over the summer. When they unexpectedly discover they're now in the same high school, will they be able to rekindle their romance?
Director: Randal Kleiser | Stars: John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, Jeff Conaway
Votes: 300,430 | Gross: $188.76M
Southern California during summer.
26. The Smurfs (2011)
PG | 103 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
When the evil wizard Gargamel chases the tiny blue Smurfs out of their village, they tumble from their magical world into New York City.
Director: Raja Gosnell | Stars: Hank Azaria, Katy Perry, Jonathan Winters, Neil Patrick Harris
Votes: 96,697 | Gross: $142.61M
New York in the summer
27. House Hunters Renovation (2012– )
TV-G | 44 min | Reality-TV
Watch people buy homes that are fixer upper and then turn them into their dream home.
Stars: Andromeda Dunker, Mollie Ranize, Kelli Ellis, Michele Fleury
Votes: 258
All the properties in this series are in the L.A. area and lots of the filming takes place outside, in the sun!
28. Get Shorty (1995)
R | 105 min | Comedy, Crime, Thriller
A mobster travels to Hollywood to collect a debt, and discovers that the movie business is much the same as his current job.
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld | Stars: Gene Hackman, Rene Russo, Danny DeVito, John Travolta
Votes: 89,074 | Gross: $72.08M
L.A. What more can you say?
29. Japanese Story (2003)
R | 106 min | Drama, Romance
Against the background of an Australian desert, Sandy, a geologist, and Hiromitsu, a Japanese businessman, play out a story of human inconsequence in the face of the blistering universe. ... See full summary »
Director: Sue Brooks | Stars: Toni Collette, Gotaro Tsunashima, Lynette Curran, Matthew Dyktynski
Votes: 6,757 | Gross: $0.65M
In the Australian Outback.
30. Tomorrow, When the War Began (2010)
R | 104 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
When their country is invaded and their families are taken, eight unlikely teenagers band together to fight.
Director: Stuart Beattie | Stars: Caitlin Stasey, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Lincoln Lewis, Deniz Akdeniz
Votes: 32,025
Takes place in the Australian countryside during the summer.
31. Casino Royale (2006)
PG-13 | 144 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
After earning 00 status and a licence to kill, secret agent James Bond sets out on his first mission as 007. Bond must defeat a private banker funding terrorists in a high-stakes game of poker at Casino Royale, Montenegro.
Director: Martin Campbell | Stars: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright
Votes: 694,410 | Gross: $167.45M
A bunch of it was filmed in the Bahamas and Italy. Lotsa sun.
32. The Getaway (1994)
R | 115 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
An ex-con and his devoted wife must flee from danger when a heist doesn't go as planned.
Director: Roger Donaldson | Stars: Alec Baldwin, Kim Basinger, Michael Madsen, James Woods
Votes: 19,645 | Gross: $16.10M
33. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
R | 137 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A cyborg, identical to the one who failed to kill Sarah Connor, must now protect her ten year old son John from an even more advanced and powerful cyborg.
Director: James Cameron | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick
Votes: 1,173,625 | Gross: $204.84M
Set in L.A. in the middle of summer
34. Top Gun (1986)
PG | 109 min | Action, Drama
As students at the United States Navy's elite fighter weapons school compete to be best in the class, one daring young pilot learns a few things from a civilian instructor that are not taught in the classroom.
Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Tom Cruise, Tim Robbins, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer
Votes: 502,397 | Gross: $179.80M
Filmed in San Diego, which has even better weather than L.A.
35. Jerry Maguire (1996)
R | 139 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
When a sports agent has a moral epiphany and is fired for expressing it, he decides to put his new philosophy to the test as an independent agent with the only athlete who stays with him and his former colleague.
Director: Cameron Crowe | Stars: Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., Renée Zellweger, Kelly Preston
Votes: 286,952 | Gross: $153.95M
36. Soul Surfer (2011)
PG | 112 min | Biography, Drama, Family
Bethany Hamilton, a professional surfer, loses her left arm in a shark attack. Unwilling to pay attention to the gravity of her situation, Bethany decides to get back into the ocean and surf again.
Director: Sean McNamara | Stars: AnnaSophia Robb, Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt, Carrie Underwood
Votes: 52,887 | Gross: $43.85M
Hawaii
37. King Richard (2021)
PG-13 | 144 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
A look at how tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams became who they are after the coaching from their father Richard.
Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green | Stars: Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Jon Bernthal, Saniyya Sidney
Votes: 136,209
Tennis in L.A. and Florida.
38. Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
PG-13 | 130 min | Action, Drama
After thirty years, Maverick is still pushing the envelope as a top naval aviator, but must confront ghosts of his past when he leads TOP GUN's elite graduates on a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those chosen to fly it.
Director: Joseph Kosinski | Stars: Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller, Val Kilmer
Votes: 696,035 | Gross: $718.73M
San Diego!
39. Burn Notice (2007–2013)
TV-PG | 44 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A spy recently disavowed by the U.S. government uses his special ops training to help others in trouble.
Stars: Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar, Bruce Campbell, Sharon Gless
Votes: 79,154
Miami
40. Ford v Ferrari (2019)
PG-13 | 152 min | Action, Biography, Drama
American car designer Carroll Shelby and driver Ken Miles battle corporate interference and the laws of physics to build a revolutionary race car for Ford in order to defeat Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966.
Director: James Mangold | Stars: Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Jon Bernthal, Caitríona Balfe
Votes: 473,825 | Gross: $117.62M
Filmed entirely in sunny L.A.
41. For All Mankind (2019– )
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
In an alternative version of 1969, the Soviet Union beats the United States to the Moon, and the space race continues on for decades with still grander challenges and goals.
Stars: Joel Kinnaman, Michael Dorman, Wrenn Schmidt, Krys Marshall
Votes: 68,996
Takes place in Houston and Florida but filmed in Southern California
42. Don't Worry Darling (I) (2022)
R | 123 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
While her husband leaves home everyday to work in a top secret facility, a young 1950s housewife begins to question her life when she notices strange behavior from the other wives in the neighborhood.
Director: Olivia Wilde | Stars: Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Chris Pine, Olivia Wilde
Votes: 146,688 | Gross: $45.31M
Filmed in the Mojave Desert
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