by Michael Lyons
Whether you enjoy hot dogs in your backyard with a small group of friends or watching fireworks at your local park with hundreds of strangers, we all celebrate the Fourth of July in our own way.
Through the years, movies have done the same. Some films have centered entirely on Independence Day, while others have had a scene or two focused on July Fourth.
All of them make perfect viewing as we head into this holiday weekend. Here are just a few to choose from:
Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
An Independence Day movie staple, thanks mainly to Turner Classic Movies, and one of the many reasons to #savetcm! James Cagney rightly won an Oscar for his tour-de-force performance in this biopic of George M. Cohan, who was born on the third of July. To make the film just a dash more patriotic, events are changed to bit, to have Cohan born on July 4th, in a wonderfully melodramatic scene, where his father rushes through an Independence Day celebration to see his newborn son.
Then, of course, there's the "Yankee Doodle Dandy" song and dance sequence, one of the best musical numbers in film history, and, while not set on July 4th, brims with the holiday spirit.
Ben & Me (1953)
A small, often-overlooked gem from Walt Disney and his artists, this featurette tells the tale of Amos, a mouse who assists Benjamin Franklin and the other Founding Fathers in crafting the Declaration of Independence on July 4th of, 1776.
Filled with the Disney Studio's animated creativity, this is a beautiful window into opening one's mind to American history for kids of all ages.
1776 (1972)
Back to that Fourth of July in 1776, for this film adaptation of the Broadway musical based on the events leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Filled with thoughtful musical numbers that (while fictionalized) still give one pause to the diligence that went into crafting the document that provides us with all we can enjoy today.
Jaws (1975)
"You yell 'Barracuda!' everyone says, 'Huh?' 'What?' You yell 'Shark!", we've got a panic on our hands on the Fourth of July."
So says Mayor Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) to Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) in Steven Spielberg's seminal summer blockbuster about a great white shark terrorizing a small New England town.
Ironically, there is a panic on the Fourth of July when the shark attacks, sending swimmers panicking after the mayor refuses to listen to the chief. That July Fourth attack sets one of the most famous film third acts, where the Chief and marine biologist, Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss), board a boat with Captain Quint (Robert Shaw), to hunt down the shark.
Rollercoaster (1977)
George Segal plays a safety inspector tracking a terrorist, played by Timothy Bottoms, who is planting bombs on amusement park rollercoasters. Initially shown in theaters using Senssuround, a sound system that would enhance the action on screen and, in this case, make it feel like the audience was riding a rollercoaster.
The film's ending climax takes place at California's Magic Mountain theme park on the Fourth of July, seen here in all of its 70s summer movie goodness.
Miss Firecracker (1989)
Holly Hunter stars as Carnelle Scott, an unlikely contestant in a Fourth of July beauty contest held in Mississippi.
Based on a popular stage play with a supporting cast that includes Mary Steenburgen, Tim Robbins, Alfre Woodard, and Scott Glenn, this is an oft-overlooked film that provides a nice slice of small-town summer life.
Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
Not an upbeat July Fourth film, but a powerful one in every way. Tom Cruise is outstanding in the real-life story of Ron Kovic, the Vietnam veteran whose harrowing experience during the war changed him forever.
As the title states, Kovic was born on the Fourth of July. The film depicts the holiday in his small town in two different scenes: one at the beginning of the film, when he is a young boy, and another after he returns home from Vietnam and marches with other veterans in the parade, which is painful to watch.
The scenes depict the innocence lost in the story and how different the holiday can be for so many.
Avalon (1990)
Director Barry Levinson's semi-autobiographical film follows several generations of a Polish immigrant family living in Baltimore.
The patriarch of the family recalls how he first came to America, arriving on July 4th, 1914, and this beautifully crafted film returns to Independence Day again in the movie as it explores the American dream and how that has changed through the years.
Independence Day (1996)
It doesn't feel like the holiday until you've watched Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin's event movie from the summer of '96, where aliens attack (and demolish) Earth over the July Fourth weekend. For completists, the timeline for the film, from initial contact through the battle at the finale, is July 2nd through the 4th.
We’re the Millers (2013)
A well-crafted comedy from director Rawson Marshall Thurber about a smart-aleck pot dealer (Jason Sudeikis) who convinces a stripper (Jennifer Aniston), a runaway (Emma Roberts), and an innocent kid from his neighborhood (Will Poulter) to pose as an All-American family, so that they can smuggle drugs into Mexico.
This cynical, dark comedy is set against the backdrop of the Fourth of July weekend, and with its settings of RVs, campgrounds, and fireworks, this all plays out like a family road trip gone very wrong.
As you take a break from the burgers and beers in your backyard, and the booms coming from your neighbor setting off fireworks just a little too close to your house, enjoy one or all of these movies as you enjoy the holiday!
Wishing everyone a Safe and Happy Fourth of July!
Looking for more of my articles, podcasts and information about my book, Drawn to Greatness: Disney's Animation Renaissance? Head over to my website: Words From Lyons !
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