Netflix Queue | Queue's Queue Summer Hits
This image reads ‘Summer Hits.’ The letters are block-like, made up of turquoise blue sky and palm trees. Above, it reads Queue's Queue.

The Queue team share their favorites for your summer queue.

4 June 20218 min read

Whoever said there “ain’t no cure for the summertime blues” didn’t have Netflix. Big budget blockbusters, coming-of-age classics, and beach-set series abound. Here are Queue’s staff picks for the best of the season. *

The movie poster for Mystic Pizza. The three women fill the blurred screen. Julia Roberts stands in the foreground with a big smile and big hair. Lili Taylor wears a wedding dress, and Annabeth Gish stands behind her. The image is happy and nostalgic.

Mystic Pizza (1988)

“A slice of heaven” is the perfect summation of this classic — if for nothing else than the recognizable faces in some of their first big breakout moments on screen. It was audiences’ introduction to Julia Roberts nuclear star power, Lili Taylor’s raspily delivered comedic chops and Annabeth Gish’s wise-beyond-her-years presence as the younger, not-to-be-left-behind sister. The 80s wardrobe alone might draw you into this seaside pizza parlor-set coming of age dramedy, but stay for the tight, just over 90-minute story. The cast also features a svelte, post-Full Metal Jacket Vincent D’Onofrio and the debut of blink-and-you-miss-him Matt Damon cast as, what else, a smug “preppy.”
–Krista S.

A smiley face drawn in the sand with the title below. The waves creep from abve about to wash it away.

Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened (2019)

Sun, sand, money, models, and something called Magnises: Billy McFarland had a dream (or a delusion) that he could create the most exclusive, luxurious music festival experience in history. By the time it all fell apart, the scam had roped in journalists, celebrities, employees, and influencers alike. Between hordes of ripped-off rich millennials flirting with Lord of the Flies-style disaster and interviews with bitter festival consultants and software engineers, baked into FYRE is an underrated ingredient for the perfect summer movie: schadenfreude. And Ja Rule gets off scot-free!
–Lily M.

Grace and Frankie sit on a beige couch with multi colored pillows, making silly pouting faces. There are books, reading glasses, and candlestick holders in front of them, and they are dressed in their quintessential, although very different, style.

Grace and Frankie (2015-)

Grace and Frankie is a witty comedy that reminds me of the friends that I hope to grow old with. Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin are an iconic duo and the series shows the rollercoaster journey of friendship and relationships, in a more seasoned period of life. It’s inspiring that it’s never too late to try something new, like launch a vibrator business? Or fall in love? Between Grace’s sophistication and Frankie’s carefree spirit, the series is a light watch for a lazy day.
–Morgan J.

A movie poster of The Pelican Brief with Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington. Both actors look at a computer screen with concerned expressions. The poster has a sepia tone, and the title floats in the background.

The Pelican Brief (1993)

For a summer plagued by the return of 17-year locusts, there’s nothing better than a movie that opens with the ominous buzz of cicadas. Shot with the haze of inescapable humidity, The Pelican Brief has just as many stars (Julia Roberts, Denzel Washington, Stanley Tucci, Sam Shepard) as it does anxious twists. Added bonus: it moves from New Orleans to New York City to Washington, D.C., giving you a cinematic summer road trip.
–Jenny C.

In a field lit from above by fireworks, 5 teens look up to the sky. One, as she holds another character’s hand, looks back at the camera with a sinister expression. The title reads below in white.

Stranger Things Season 3 (2019)

After two very intense seasons, Stranger Things masterminds Matt and Ross Duffer decided to brighten things up — literally — with a colorful, summer-set storyline fueled by young love and raging hormones. (Even Sheriff Hopper is feeling the heat, sporting Hawaiian shirts that would make Magnum P.I. jealous.) But this being Hawkins, Indiana, it isn’t long before the fun-in-the-sun spirit gets turned upside down thanks to the malevolent entity known as the Mind Flayer, which begins possessing the locals. Definitely not cool.
–Gina M.

The movie poster for About Time. Rachel McAdams and Domhnall Gleeson fill the shot, smiling in the rain. McAdams wears a red gown, and Gleeson wears a suit.

About Time (2013)

About Time’s Cornwall England paradise is the perfect summer backdrop for this eclectic mix of characters. Amidst impeccable gardens and abundant pastries, they flit from lush grass tennis court, to beach-side tea party, to outdoor film screening (rain or shine). Nothing can go wrong in this blissful summer spot — not even when a sunbathing Charlotte (Margot Robbie) asks protagonist Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) to apply her sunscreen.
–Brookie M.

The movie poster for Stand By Me. The poster is divided into two halves: the top half features the four actors standing together with their arms around each other. Beneath them run their names. The bottom half is a still from the movie: the four boys stand on the train tracks with their packs, surrounded by green grass, with a vast blue sky in the background.

Stand By Me (1986)

“Do you guys wanna go see a dead body?” This is the burning question that kicks off an unforgettable coming-of-age tale following four boys on a two-day mission across post-war Oregon. Based on a novella by Stephen King, directed by Rob Reiner, and financed in large part by Norman Lear, Stand By Me established the careers of Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell, River Phoenix and Wil Wheaton, and its soundtrack of girl groups, doo-wop, and soul signaled a nostalgia boom for golden oldies including the 1961 Ben E. King title track, which reached number 9 on the Billboard charts 25 years after its release. The film was also nominated for a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar thanks to lines like this one, delivered by narrator Richard Dreyfuss just before the end credits roll: “I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?”
–Bill K.

A poster for The Great British Baking Show. In blue and white tea cups are delicious chocolate creations. Two sticks of cinnamon sit in the foreground.

The Great British Baking Show (2010-)

The pastel bunting and green pastoral setting of The Great British Baking Show have become quintessential sights of summer. Pour yourself a cold Pimm’s and settle in to gorge yourself on the tray bakes and petit fours baked lovingly by charming British plumbers, school teachers, and retirees, all hoping to get a Paul Hollywood handshake — or at the very least get Mary Berry a little drunk. You’ve probably already watched all the seasons, but does that really even matter? Start anew with collection one and have a second summer fling with Richard the Carpenter. No one said you can’t go back for seconds!
–Maddie S.

A poster for Dark City Beneath the Beat. A man stands in a colorful shirt, yellow hat, and sunglasses, playing the trombone.

Dark City Beneath the Beat (2020)

Many of us haven’t missed eating out, shopping, or commuting to the office as much as we have longed for that unnameable collective energy of dancing with others (sans distancing). Cue this TT the Artist-created (and Issa Rae-backed) documentary on Baltimore’s electric club scene that intersperses compelling interviews with gorgeously styled musical scenes featuring serious Baltimore talent. Meticulously produced and chock-full of earworms, Dark City Beneath the Beat will be your summer soundtrack.
–Miranda T.

A poster for Raising Victor Vargas. Victor Rasuk wears a blue tank top. The woman behind him wears a red shirt and jeans. The sky is dark and stormy, and they seem to be standing on a roof.

Raising Victor Vargas (2002)

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to grow up in New York City, or spend a sweltering summer on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, or you’d like a reminder of what it was like when you were finding yourself and finding love all at the same time, you need to watch Raising Victor Vargas. Victor, played with just the right amount of youthful bravado by then-newcomer Victor Rasuk (you can see him all grown up on The Baker and the Beauty, also on Netflix) is looking for love, a break from the heat, and for his grandmother to kindly not kick him out of the apartment. The movie harkens back to a time when independent films were actually independent; the intimacy and real-life settings dictated by lack of budget along with the undiscovered (and affordable) actors bestow upon this film an authenticity and singularity that’s priceless.
–Blaine Z.

A boy with his shirt unbuttoned fills this poster, his hair swept in the wind, his expression serious. In the background are two other boys and a girl, standing on a sock. The sky is cloudy, and the predominant color is yellowish tan.

Outer Banks (2020-)

For this Coastal North Carolina native, Outer Banks delivered the perfect blend of a beach town escape with high stakes criminal activity to get anyone in the mood for an uninhibited summer adventure. Strap in and get ready for a choppy ride with the hometown Pogues, the locally bestowed name for those who live on the “wrong” side of the island, as they navigate the waters of their ocean-side haven through natural disaster, missing fathers, police corruption, and teenage love triangles.
–Ryan S.

*Queue's Queue: Summer Hits watchlist is based on titles available in most regions as of June 4, 2021.

Opening photo by Omkar Dattatray Dabetwar