Spring Breakmovies are a unique beast. In many ways, the genre is an offshoot of thebeach party movies from the 1960s. The beach movies of the 1960s were simple, fun, and represented All American values. The Spring Break movie, truthfully, hailing more from the 1980s than the ’70s, are similar in that their characters are looking for fun and a good time. However, Spring Break films have a devilish side. Yes, when you have a Spring Break movie, you may expect to see some sex.
Spring Break movies are, at their heart, party films and tap into the youth culture of feeling like the party will never end. As students in school and college normally celebrate Spring Break, the genre of films tends to be aimed at and centered on characters in high school and college. Like theparty movie, who doesn’t want to have Spring Break even when it’s out of season? These movies last because they are part comedy, part fantasy, but always a good time. Quite simply, Spring Break is a state of mind that we all want to be in.
Update June 18, 2025: The summer season is about to begin this Memorial Day weekend, but that doesn’t mean the Spring Break feeling has to go away. This list has been updated with even more films that capture that Spring Break vibe.
So, as summer starts to rear its glorious, glowing head from around the corner, spring is in full bloom, and these films are ever more topical. With their different plots and interesting take on the human condition, what could be better than a list that attempts to put them all in one place? So put on the suntan lotion, lay out by the pool, and take a look at the best Spring Break movies of all time.
18From Justin to Kelly (2003)
Alright, before anyone clicks on something else because you can’t believe this horrible movie is on ANY list, you have to hear us out. Timing is everything. HadFrom Justin to Kellybeen made as Justin and Kelly were competing onAmerican Idoland then been released right after the show, this movie would’ve made bank. As a result, when it came out many months later, it felt like an also-ran.
Related:Best Movies to Watch With Your Kids During Spring Break
In this musical (what else could it be?), Justin (Justin Guarini) arrives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for Spring Break with his friends. He quickly meets Kelly (Kelly Clarkson). Justin falls for Kelly instantly, but Kelly’s jealous friend, Alexa (Katherine Bailess), does everything she can to keep them apart. Young people having fun in the sun, misunderstandings of the heart, and musical numbers to boot, this movie has all the hallmarks of a Spring Break movie, and while it doesn’t make it good, it at least makes it part of the genre.
17Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise (1987)
Shortly after beating the jocks in the Alpha Beta fraternity in the first film, the nerds of Tri-Lamba head to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to attend a national fraternity convention inRevenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise. Sadly, Alpha Beta is also in attendance and wants to settle the score. Now the nerds have to fight to be on the beach. ARevenge of the Nerdsfilm set on a beach in Florida just gives off Spring Break vibes, even if it isn’t directly about Spring Break.
16Mardi Gras: Spring Break (2011)
Audiences know exactly what they are going to get by the title of this movie,Mardi Gras: Spring Break. It’s dumb and campy, with loads of grotesque humor, sex, drugs, and drinking. Mardi Gras and Spring Break do not fall at the same time, but hey, who’s even paying attention to that? Carmen Electra makes her appearance in this teenage/young adult movie and fulfills the dreams of these teenagers. It will show you the raunchiest angles of Spring Break with no strings attached.
15Dirty Grandpa (2016)
Right before Jason Kelly (Zac Efron) walks down the aisle and into a lifetime of happiness with his soon-to-be wife, his horribly mannered ex-Army Lieutenant Colonial grandpa (Robert De Niro) wants to take a Spring Break trip to Florida with his favorite grandson.Dirty Grandpaisn’t your average Spring Break movie, but it’s a good one filled with inappropriate De Niro moments, beautiful scenery, and some good old-fashioned grandpa/grandson bonding before the grandson becomes officially a man with his own life. De Niro is no stranger to making movies excellent with his hilarious acting, and this is one of those must-watch De Niro movies.
13The Malibu Bikini Shop (1986)
InThe Malibu Bikini Shop, two goofball college graduate brothers inherited a failing bikini shop and decide to do whatever they must to get it hopping with bikini girls. They go to enormous heights to bring in business and end up attracting the wrong kind of attention. One brother wants to have a successful business, while the other just wants hoards of women in and out of bikinis in his life and shop. The title alone is one of the most Spring Break-sounding movies.
11Spring Break (1983)
What makesSpring Breaksuch a seasonal film is the fact that it has some cool guys showing some not-so-cool guys how to have a good time. This is a classic plot device of this genre. When Stu and O.T. show up in Fort Lauderdale for a great Spring Break, they discover that their motel room has been double-booked. Never people to walk away from a good time, they take up with the bookish Nelson and Adam. Suddenly, the odd couple turns into the “bod” couple as these guys search out girls, girls, more girls… and beer.
10The Beach Girls (1982)
Again, the 1980s comes through in this tale of beach fun,The Beach Girls. When Sarah’s (Debra Blee) Uncle Carl (Adam Roarke) invites her to stay at his beach house for the summer, she, of course, brings her college friends Ginger (Val Kline) and Ducky (Jeana Tomasina). They talk Sarah into throwing a huge party, and soon the neighbors are upset. Uncle Carl comes back to yell at the girls but soon joins in the fun. Okay, this may not 100% be a Spring Break film, but come on, when the vibe is there, and you have that Spring Break feel, sometimes you just have to go with it.
9The Real Cancun (2003)
Reality TV gets into the mix with this movie,The Real Cancun, as 16 young Americans head to Cancun, Mexico. While there, they indulge in copious amounts of sex and booze. Taking place over the course of 11 days, the students, all in the classic roles of ladies' man, party girl, and virgin, are stalked by cameras as they drink more than anybody should and try to bed down with as many members of the opposite sex as circumstances allow. Sure, the fun of this film is sort of stilted by the Reality TV vibe (as you’re getting your party on, you don’t really want to think about real life, do you?) But it gets a lot right and was sort of a precursor to films likeSpring Breakers.
