Road Trip!
Summer is officially here! This is the time of year to relax, slow down a little bit and spend time with friends and family. Summer is also a great time for road trips with family and friends, and HPU Libraries has some great film options to get you in the mood for a good old-fashioned road trip. Here are our top 5 recommendations for films to watch before (or during) your next road trip!
Hughes, 2023
Harry (Jeff Daniels) and Lloyd (Jim Carrey) are just two down on their luck, less-than intelligent guys who must cross the country to return a briefcase left at an airport by the beautiful Mary Samsonite (or was it Swanson?) while facing challenges such as angry truckers, assassins, and driving halfway across the country…in the wrong direction. This cult classic spawned two sequels and is 90s comedy at its finest.
Sicari, 2010
After being blacklisted by the airline set to take them to Los Angeles, Peter Highman (Robert Downey Jr.) and wannabe actor Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis) must travel together to get Peter home before his wife gives birth to their first child. Simple enough, right? Well, not quite. Along the way, the duo must contend with car accidents, drug dealers, and the weirdest coffee you will ever see. Due Date, directed by Todd Phillips (Joker, The Hangover) has an all-star cast and is a heart-warming, gut-busting buddy comedy you don’t want to miss!
D23, 2025
After a family tragedy, the only thing that over-protective clown fish, Marlin (Albert Brooks) wants to do is to protect his only son, Nemo from an ocean swimming with danger (see what we did there?). Marlin’s life is flipped upside down when Nemo is taken by divers to P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney, and Marlin must travel across the sea to bring his son home safely. Along the way, Marlin meets Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), a big-hearted, yet forgetful, blue tang and the pair will face sharks, whales, jellyfish, and the most tubular currents you have ever seen!
HC Movie Reviews (2021)
All Katie Mitchell (Abbi Jacobson) wants to do is go to college and connect with people with the same interests and quirks as her. All Rick Mitchell (Danny McBride) wants is one last chance to connect with Katie like he used to before she leaves home. When Rick cancels Katie’s flight to college in favor of driving her across country to school, things don’t seem like they can get any worse…right? Try taking a road trip across the country while scores of robots are trying to take over the world, and only you and your family can stop them. The Mitchell’s vs. the Machines sports an all-star cast, side-splitting jokes, and a gorgeous animation style brought to you by the makers of Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse.
IMDb (2006)
What sounds better than a summer backpacking trip in beautiful Brazil? Unfortunately for this group of backpackers, anything is better than what they are about to face. After a bus crash leaves them stranded in rural Brazil, Alex (Josh Duhamel), Pru (Melissa George), and Bea (Olivia Wilde) will have to fight for their lives to avoid falling prey to the sinister dealings that await them. Guaranteed to do for backpacking what Jaws did for going to the beach, Turistas is a gritty, white-knuckling roller coaster ride to the very finish.
These are only some of the great movies you will find at HPU Libraries! With over 12,000 movies to choose from, there is something for everyone to enjoy. If you are looking for more fun road trip movies to choose from, why not try films like Midsommar, The Muppet Movie, The Hangover or Vacation, a reboot of the classic road trip disaster film. You can also take a look at some of our streaming movie collection to find even MORE films to watch. Whatever your taste in film is, HPU Libraries has you covered. Click here to learn more about our movie collection and, if you have any questions, just ask a librarian. Have a great summer!
-Blog Post by Bryan Nicholls, Evening Librarian
References
D23. (2025). Finding Nemo (Film) [Image]. Disney. https://d23.com/a-to-z/finding-nemo-film/
Erbland, K. (2012). National Lampoon’s Vacation [Image]. Film School Rejects. https://filmschoolrejects.com/30-things-we-learned-from-the-national-lampoons-vacation-commentary-3dfa615dc05d/
HC Movie Reviews. (2021). The Mitchells [Image]. HC Movie Reviews. https://hcmoviereviews.wordpress.com/2021/05/03/the-mitchells-vs-the-machines/
Hughes, Z. (2023). Lloyd on the Runway [Image]. Medium. https://zachonleadership.medium.com/dealing-with-the-ups-and-downs-of-leadership-05c0533a5802
IMDb. (2006). Turistas [Image]. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454970/?ref_=mv_close
Sicari, J. (2010). Robert Downey Jr. & Zack Galifianakis Star in “Due Date” [Image]. Wicked Local. https://www.wickedlocal.com/story/old-colony-memorial/2010/11/12/film-review-put-due-date/40871748007/