Start up the grills, open a refreshing can of your favorite beverage, and watch a bunch of explosions happen in the sky. That's right, the United States holiday the Fourth of July is right around the corner, and you know what that means? It's time to stay inside, beat the heat, and watch a bunch of movies!
But what kind of movies should you watch in order to properly celebrate the U.S.'s independence from Great Britain? Obviously, you should watch some super-rad patriotic movies that'll make you chant "USA!" over and over again.
There are plenty of movies out there that celebrate the American experience in fantastic ways, but we can't include them all, so we picked 15 of the most fun, awe-inspiring, and awesome movies about being an American to get you ready for your grillin' and chillin'.
If you're interested in more hot takes on movies, check out all of Pixar's shorts ranked, horror movies based on true stories, and horror films that are way too sick and twisted. Additionally, Top Gun--which is on this list--is being remade and Val Kilmer is joining the cast reprising his role of Tom "Iceman" Kazansky.
Top Gun (1986)
The classic Tom Cruise movie Top Gun follows students at an elite US Navy school, where the classmates are fighting to become the best. This was a fun movie for its time featuring memorable moments like Val Kilmer's "Iceman" clenching his teeth and everyone having a shirtless volleyball match. Overall, the movie embodies the spirit of competition, which will be a repeating trend on this list.
Forrest Gump (1994)
The United States' greatest export isn't a physical thing. It's the country's culture. From our movies to television shows to music, the pop culture of the U.S. has had a tremendous amount of influence on the world. Tom Hanks' starred in Forrest Gump as the titular character, which is two and a half hours of pop culture references as the backdrop of the story of the Gump living his life and finding himself involved in landmark moments in American history. He does all of this while retelling his tale to random strangers on a bus stop bench.
National Treasure (2004)
What do you get when you cross Indiana Jones with American history? Well, you get Nicolas Cage as Benjamin Franklin Gates in National Treasure. Gates is a mildly crazed treasure hunter in search of a war chest which he believes the founding fathers hid centuries prior. Of course, his adventures allow him to get into situations like stealing the Declaration of Independence and wearing magic glasses Ben Franklin made.
Stripes (1981)
In this classic Bill Murray movie, which has an insane plot, two friends find themselves in a rut. Life isn't going their way, and they're bored, so they join the Army. What follows are hijinks and tomfoolery, which Murray does best. Eventually, the characters have to become leaders in order to help out their friends. While silly, it's a movie that celebrates the American spirit and rising to the occasion.
Jaws (1975)
While Steven Spielberg's classic horror film might not scream "America" to most people, the film does take place over the Fourth of July weekend. If you're unfamiliar with the film, Jaws is about a great white shark that is terrorizing vacationers on Amity Island. A sea captain, marine biologist, and sheriff team up to take down this fish, so the vacationers can enjoy their holiday.
Rocky IV (1985)
There's only one movie on this list that delivers the cinematic beauty of a robot presenting a birthday cake and a live James Brown performance, and that's Rocky IV. In this movie, Rocky Balboa's friend, Apollo Creed, dies in the ring while fighting Soviet boxer Ivan Drago. The Italian Stallion heads to the USSR and has an epic battle with Drago. Keep in mind, this released during the tail end of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, so this was more than just a boxing movie for us in the U.S. It was the morale boost America needed. Also, it had a robot in it.
Miracle (2004)
Miracle recounts the story of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, as they took on what was thought to be the unstoppable team from the USSR. With the help of player-turned-coach Herb Brooks, played by Kurt Russell, the team overcomes the odds as viewers around the world find a reason to believe in miracles. This against-the-odds tale is full of hope and based on an unbelievably true story.
Red Dawn (1984)
Since we've already been talking about the Cold War, why not mention the 1984 classic Red Dawn? In this tale, Soviet, Cuban, and Nicaraguan troops invade a small town in Colorado after parachuting in. A group of high school students band together to fight off the invaders for the good of the country. The movie stars Patrick Swayze, Lea Thompson, Charlie Sheen, and Jennifer Grey, and it still holds up.
Independence Day (1996)
The world comes together to fight a bunch of aliens during an American holiday. ID4, as some refer to it, is a movie about invading alien forces coming to Earth and blowing up all of our favorite landmarks. Military forces around the world have to come together to find a way to defeat them. They find a way to destroy the invaders, on Independence Day, as Jeff Goldblum and Will Smith's characters use an old Mac to hack the alien mothership.
Team America: World Police (2004)
Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the guys behind South Park, presented this ridiculous Thunderbirds-esque story about a Broadway actor who becomes part of a counter-terrorism organization. Most importantly, it stars puppets. That's right, the whole movie is about super-patriotic puppets trying to kill Kim Jong Il.
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Captain America's origin story is truly the adventure of the American spirit, standing up for what's right, and taking down fascism and crazy, red-faced dudes with super-powerful weapons. Chris Evans plays a scrawny, puny man who does whatever he can to fight for justice in World War II. However, the only way he can get in is through a secret super-soldier experiment, thus becoming Captain America.
The Sandlot (1993)
While The Sandlot isn't about American troops fighting a great war or historical figures embarking on landmark moments in history, it does capture the American spirit and culture exceptionally well. The movie is set in 1962 and follows Scotty Smalls, a new kid in town who makes friends with other kids who love baseball. He doesn't know much about the sport but learns a lot after misplacing his stepfather's signed Babe Ruth baseball.
A League of Their Own (1992)
During World War II, millions of American men were drafted to fight the good fight. Back on American soil, women across the nation rose to the occasion to work in the factories across the country to keep America running. Additionally, this change in the cultural landscape applied to sports and entertainment. A League of Their Own follows the first all-women's baseball team and the rivalry between two sisters who were incredible stars of the sport. It also features Tom Hanks in one excruciatingly long urination scene.
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Undoubtedly one of the best movies about World War II--this is a quick reminder Band of Brothers was an HBO series--Saving Private Ryan follows a group of U.S. soldiers who are on a mission to take a paratrooper out of battle and return him home after his brothers are killed in battle. One of Steven Spielberg's best films, the beaches of Normandy scene is horrifying and brilliantly shot and gives the rest of us an understanding of how terrifying war can truly be.
Hidden Figures (2016)
America is a whole lot more than baseball, war, and punching Russians for killing your best friend. Hidden Figures takes place during the great space race when both Russian and the United States were trying their best to be the first to put a man into space. NASA enlists the help of a group of African-American women mathematicians who were pivotal in the mission to get astronaut John Glenn into orbit. It is truly an inspiring story that highlights the unsung heroes of the American space program.
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