By OLIVIA TICE
If there existed an award for the decade with the most slightly cheesy summer romance dramas, it would most definitely go to the 80s. I mean sure, you might be working three jobs in your hometown that’s 1,000 miles from the nearest coast, and you may never join Swayze on stage or order a drink from Tom Cruise, but these films are sure to get you riled up for summer flings, flip flops, tan legs and warm nights. It’s almost May, classes are as good as over, Ithaca teased us with a few 70 degree days and suddenly we’ve all defrosted and gained back the lifeblood of 20-somethings eager for beer, green grass and good times. If you need a little Netflix motivation during the study period, or you’re like me and just really enjoy young McDreamy, keep your head up until June and enjoy a little blast from summer’s past.
Dirty Dancing (1987)
Can you say steamy backroom dancing on hot summer nights? If that doesn’t do it for you, Patrick Swayze should seal the deal. I love this movie because it’s not only uplifting (Nobody puts baby in a corner, right?) but it captures a sense of reckless passion that comes out in all of us on dusky July nights in vintage cars, doing things that Daddy probably would not approve of.
Cocktail (1988)
Tom Cruise plays a bartender who moves to Jamaica and falls in love. Booze, beaches, slick Cruise pick-up lines and sultry waterfall scenes color this classic 80s drama, not to mention it has a kick-ass soundtrack. It’ll make you itchy to get your toes in the sand and a margarita in your hand.
Loverboy (1989)
Pizza, sex and Patrick Dempsey. In one of his earliest roles, Dempsey plays a college failure looking to make an extra buck over the summer. He gets a job as a pizza delivery boy, and let’s just say his female customers receive a little more than just pizza, if you know what I mean. This hilarious flick features Kirstie Alley clad in a leather dress, and, at the very least, it might make you feel a little optimistic about having a shitty summer job.