Movies like Summer Vacation (2018)
The best movies like Summer Vacation (2018) are Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021), Forced Vacation (2025) and People We Meet on Vacation (2026). If Summer Vacation hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Summer Vacation
Quick picks
- Highest ratedNational Lampoon's Vacation (1983)7.1/10 from 1,839 votes
- NewestSpa Weekend (2026)Released 2026
- In FrenchForced Vacation (2025)Also in French
Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021)
The story of best friends Barb and Star, who leave their small midwestern town for the first time to go on vacation in Vista Del Mar, Florida, where they soon find themselves tangled up in adventure, love, and a villain’s evil plot to kill everyone in town.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisForced Vacation (2025)
Following a booking error, two families who are complete opposites, as well as a somewhat snobbish publisher and the influencer he wants to publish, are forced to share a sublime vacation home. The culture clash is immediate, between incompatible habits and strong personalities. Yet, despite the tensions and misunderstandings, this forced vacation takes an unexpected turn and turns out to be an adventure full of surprises and laughter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPeople We Meet on Vacation (2026)
Poppy's a free spirit. Alex loves a plan. After years of summer vacations, these polar-opposite pals wonder if they could be a perfect romantic match.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSpa Weekend (2026)
Four lifelong friends escape to a luxury spa retreat to reconnect, unwind and rediscover themselves, but their weekend of relaxation soon turns into a series of wild adventures and bad decisions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHe's Out There (2018)
On vacation at a remote lake house, a mother and her two young daughters must fight for survival after falling into a terrifying and bizarre nightmare conceived by a psychopath.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisHead Above Water (1996)
Judge George brings his young wife, Nathalie, to a remote island for a vacation. But while George accompanies their only neighbor -- Nathalie's childhood friend Lance -- on a fishing trip, Nathalie spends time with her ex, Kent. When Kent ends up dead the next morning, Nathalie tries to hide the evidence before her husband gets home. After the body is found, the events of the previous night unravel, with unexpected revelations.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Simple Favor (2018)
Stephanie, a dedicated mother and popular vlogger, befriends Emily, a mysterious upper-class woman whose son Nicky attends the same school as Miles, Stephanie's son. When Emily asks her to pick Nicky up from school and then disappears, Stephanie undertakes an investigation that will dive deep into Emily's cloudy past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOtherhood (2019)
Feeling forgotten on Mother's Day, three best friends leave the suburbs and drive to New York City to surprise their adult sons.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThat Touch of Mink (1962)
Cathy Timberlake is en route to a job interview when a car transporting businessman Philip Shayne covers her in mud. He sends his assistant, Roger, to apologize, but upon meeting Cathy, Roger knows that she would be a suitable match for his boss. Despite their mutual attraction, Cathy and Philip want different things. Philip wants a fling, while Cathy wants a marriage. As they travel to exotic locales, their differing motivations are put to the test.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCurve (2016)
Clinging to a smooth, curved surface high above a sentient abyss, a woman tries to cover the few feet back to safety without losing purchase and falling to her death.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSomething Wild (1986)
A free-spirited woman "kidnaps" a yuppie for a weekend of adventure. But the fun quickly takes a dangerous turn when her ex-con husband shows up.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHappy Easter (1984)
Chronic serial womanizer Stephane Margelle drops his wife Sophie off at the airport so she can go away for Easter weekend. He immediately picks up beautiful young Julie, who has just had a fight with her married boyfriend. He gets her back to his apartment and is preparing for a sexy weekend, when his wife suddenly returns home. He makes up a bizarre, on-the-spot, spur-of-the-moment story that the gorgeous girl is actually his long-lost daughter. Julie plays along, but this leads to a whole series of increasingly ridiculous lies and comical situations (such as when her real mother shows up).
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisJudy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer (2011)
Third-grader Judy Moody sets out to have the most thrilling summer of her life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisSex Appeal (2022)
Avery, a teenager with a tendency towards perfectionism, enlists her friend Larson to help her prepare for her first time with her long-distance boyfriend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNational Lampoon's Vacation (1983)
Clark Griswold is on a quest to take his family to the Walley World theme park for a vacation, but things don't go exactly as planned.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDon't Bother to Knock (1952)
An airline pilot pursues a live-in babysitter at his hotel and gradually realizes she is not as stable as perhaps she should be.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNot Without Hope (2025)
A group of friends' fishing boat capsizes off the coast of Mexico and they're left alone stranded at sea and struggling for survival.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Nice Girl Like You (2020)
Lucy Neal is thrown for a loop when she is accused of being too inhibited by her ex-boyfriend. In an effort to prove him wrong, Lucy creates a rather wild to-do list that sends her on a whirlwind and surprising journey of self-discovery, friendship, and new love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisMr. Bones (2001)
A medicine man is sent looking for the son of his tribal king, and brings back an American golfer and a host of goons intent on keeping him in the golf tournament.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGalveston (2018)
After a violent encounter, Roy finds Rocky and sees something in her eyes that prompts a fateful decision. He takes her with him as he flees to Galveston, an action as ill-advised as it is inescapable.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Summer Vacation?
The closest matches to Summer Vacation are Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021), Forced Vacation (2025) and People We Meet on Vacation (2026). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Summer Vacation?
Start with Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021), the closest match to Summer Vacation.
What is the highest-rated movie like Summer Vacation?
National Lampoon's Vacation (1983), rated 7.1/10 by 1,839 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Summer Vacation?
Spa Weekend (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there French movies like Summer Vacation?
Yes: Forced Vacation (2025) and Happy Easter (1984).
How are movies similar to Summer Vacation chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Summer Vacation, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.