4th of July

Initially published in 2021, this post has been edited for content and clarity.

“Hey guys, one more thing. This summer, when you’re being inundated with all this American bicentennial Fourth of July brouhaha, don’t forget what you’re celebrating, and that’s the fact that a bunch of slave-owning, aristocratic, white males didn’t want to pay their taxes.” – Ms. Ginny Stroud, Dazed and Confused

On July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. Every year, Americans celebrate the holiday by grilling giant slabs of meat and watching gunpowder missiles explode in the sky. Since it’s hot and humid in Michigan (and I’m not feeling particularly patriotic anyway), I’ll be spending the holiday in my cool, dry house, with a world of media at my disposal. So, what to watch on Independence Day? Here are some suggestions.

• Jaws

The OG summer blockbuster, Jaws has made people afraid to go in the water for fifty years. Made for $9 million, Jaws was released on June 20, 1975, and dominated the box office for weeks. Set around the 4th of July holiday, in the fictional Long Island town of Amity, Jaws pits police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) against Mayor Vaughn (Murray Hamilton), who is determined to keep those beaches open for the holiday no matter how many locals have to die.

Jaws is a master class in the art of building tension. Take the following scene: Brody knows the secret that no one else knows (there’s a killer shark on the loose), and we see things unfold from his perspective. Ordinarily mundane things – children playing in the water, Olivia Newton-John on the radio, a toddler singing “Do You Know the Muffin Man?” while he builds a sandcastle – take on an air of danger. And that dolly zoom is PERFECTION.

FUN FACT: “That’s some bad hat, Harry”, one of my all-time favorite movie quotes, inspired the name of Bryan Singer’s production company, Bad Hat Harry Productions, Inc.

For more on Jaws, click here:

Jaws at 50

• Zodiac

Perhaps not the most obvious choice, but Zodiac is one of the first things that came to my mind when I started working on this piece. This criminally underrated 2007 David Fincher film tells the story of one of history’s most infamous unsolved cases: the hunt for the Zodiac Killer. The film’s opening sequence takes place on July 4, 1969, and it’s a doozy. A couple named Darlene and Mike are at Lover’s Lane and are menaced by an unseen man whom Darlene seems to recognize. The gunshots begin as we hear the strains of Donovan’s “Hurdy Gurdy Man”. The sudden, shocking violence is both expected and surprising. The six-minute sequence is exquisite, and we are entirely on Fincher’s hook by the end of it.

• Hamilton

Hamilton, the Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, features actors of color portraying the predominantly white founding fathers and other historical figures. The brainchild of Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton is a unique blend of hip-hop, R&B, soul, and traditional show tunes. Yes, it’s as good as you’ve heard; I was fortunate enough to see the show live in Chicago several years ago. You can watch a filmed version of Hamilton on Disney+ or listen to the Broadway Cast Recording on Spotify (or your preferred music streaming service).

• Independence Day

This time around, the villain isn’t King George III, but a race of aliens bent on destroying humanity. Independence Day is as big and silly as Hollywood blockbusters come, 100% pure entertainment. Sometimes you just need to watch Will Smith punch an alien in the face. Plus, we get Jeff Goldblum, Harvey Fierstein, Judd Hirsch, and a president played by Bill Pullman, who delivers a stirring speech that makes us proud to be American – and human.

• Stranger Things 3

Not only was Stranger Things 3 released on July 4th (2019), but the action takes place around the holiday as well. We’re treated to more than one fireworks display – the official fireworks of the county fair, and the unofficial pyrotechnics at the Starcourt Mall. While Mike, Nancy, and the gang prepare to battle the Mind Flayer at the mall, the rest of the Wheeler family sits atop the Ferris wheel (“the best seats in the house”). When little Holly says, “Mom, the trees are moving”, we know that the show has only just begun.

• Born on the Fourth of July

There’s no greater freedom guaranteed by our Constitution than the freedom of speech; it is the First Amendment, after all. Ron Kovic, born on July 4, 1946, returned from his second tour of duty in Vietnam paralyzed from the chest down. He became a staunch anti-war activist, and his 1976 memoir of the same name became the basis for this Oliver Stone film. Starring Tom Cruise (in his first Oscar-nominated role) as Kovic, Born on the Fourth of July was a commercial and critical success, becoming the tenth-highest-grossing film of 1989 and earning eight Oscar nominations (it won two awards: Best Director and Best Film Editing).

• John Adams

The 2008 HBO miniseries John Adams, starring Paul Giamatti as the second POTUS/Founding Father and Laura Linney as his wife Abigail, was the recipient of five Primetime Emmy Awards and eight Creative Arts Emmys. Though it deviates somewhat from the David McCullough source biography (and history), the series is grounded by three Emmy-winning performances from Giamatti, Linney, and Tom Wilkinson (Benjamin Franklin).

• A League of Their Own

Baseball is the quintessential American sport, and while many fine films have been made about baseball, the most patriotic baseball film also happens to be my favorite. A League of Their Own tells the story of the women of the AAGPBL (All-American Girls Professional Baseball League), who performed their patriotic duty while the men of baseball were off fighting in World War II. The League, founded in 1943 by Philip K. Wrigley, was real, and although the film is fiction, many of the characters were inspired by the women of the actual league. A League of Their Own, directed by Penny Marshall and starring Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Madonna, Rosie O’Donnell, and Tom Hanks, is a delight. There’s humor and heart in every frame, and the baseball sequences are thrilling.

FUN FACT: Penny Marshall insisted that the cast all be able to actually play ball. USC assistant coach Bill Hughes was brought in as an adviser, and the actors spent three months at baseball camp to prepare for the shoot. Many cast members were injured: Anne Ramsay, who plays Helen Haley, broke her nose, and the bruise seen on Alice’s (Renée Coleman) leg in the film was real.

• Yankee Doodle Dandy

A musical biography of entertainer and songwriter George M. Cohan, Yankee Doodle Dandy stars James Cagney as Cohan, the father of American musical comedy and the composer of such patriotic hits as “Over There”, “A Yankee Doodle Boy”, and “You’re a Grand Old Flag”. The film was a huge financial success and was nominated for eight Academy Awards, winning three, including Best Actor for Cagney (it lost Best Picture to Mrs. Miniver). If you only know Cagney from gangster movies like The Public Enemy, you’re in for a treat.

• National Treasure

Historian, cryptologist, and treasure hunter Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicolas Cage) is searching for a Freemason treasure that includes a map hidden on the back of the Declaration of Independence. Improbable plot aside, National Treasure is silly, family-friendly fun with a terrific supporting cast that includes Sean Bean, Diane Kruger, Harvey Keitel, and Christopher Plummer.

• 1776

Based on the 1969 Tony-winning musical, 1776 is a fictionalized account of the Second Continental Congress and the events leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. With music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards, the film starred many of the Broadway musical’s original cast, including William Daniels, Ken Howard, Howard da Silva, and John Cullum.

FUN FACT: The exteriors for 1776 were filmed at Warner Bros. studios. The fountain seen during the musical number “The Lees of Old Virginia” is the same one featured in the opening credits of Friends.

• The Sandlot

Another family-friendly option, The Sandlot is a coming-of-age baseball film with both laughs and heart. Film critic Roger Ebert described it as a summertime version of A Christmas Story, an apt comparison. The film wasn’t a massive success, but it found its audience on home video. You can stream The Sandlot on Disney+ and Hulu.

FUN FACT: The Sandlot is the source of one of the most iconic movie quotes of the 1990s.

• I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)

Hot off the runaway success of his first developed screenplay, Scream, Kevin Williamson adapted Lois Duncan’s YA novel, I Know What You Did Last Summer. With an absurdly attractive young cast and inspiration from the “Hookman” urban legend, IKWYDLS was a box office success and spawned a media franchise. In fact, the fourth movie is slated for release later this month.