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Top 5 Movies and TV Shows to Watch Over The 4th of July

If you're in the mood to celebrate our country on Independence Day, here's some stuff to watch.

By Jamie LammersPublished 3 years ago 4 min read
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This article was originally published to the movie reviewing app Stardust in summer 2019. Now that the app is officially shutting down, I figured it was time to move the articles I wrote for them onto this page. Here is the second of four of my articles for Stardust.

Author's Note: In their publication, Stardust edited my article slightly to put my honorable mentions at the end of the article, but I actually originally wrote them at the beginning. This article is formatted the way I originally wrote it and includes a longer passage for Hidden Figures that was partially deleted in their original publication.

The 4th of July is coming once again, and what better way to celebrate the declaration of America’s independence than with a day of hamburgers, fireworks and parades? If you’ve got spare time during your celebration, I recommend sitting down and watching these movies and TV shows to get you in the right mood.

Before we start, here are some honorable mentions that were either recommended to me by family and friends or that I thought of as possible candidates that didn’t quite make it:

West Side Story: The quintessential American musical with great performances and incredible music and dancing.

Jaws: I didn’t love this film the first (and only) time I watched it, but it was recommended to me as a possible movie to include, it takes place on the 4th of July, and it’s a beloved film, so I might as well include it here.

John Adams: A great show with amazing performances that takes a grounded look at the early days of our country.

Apollo 13: A fantastic film with great lead performances, but just doesn’t have the right vibe for me to call it a 4th of July watch.

Lee Daniels’ The Butler and Green Book: Both fantastic looks at racial issues in America with amazing performances (even though the former does suffer various structural issues).

Selma: A fantastic look at the resilience of the American people with an incredible, Oscar-snubbed performance from David Oyelowo as MLK.

Now, without further ado, let’s take a look at what I recommend watching this 4th of July based on filmmaking, the portrayal of American values, and, of course, quality.

5. This Is America, Charlie Brown

What better way to celebrate a day of nostalgia for our country than by looking at American history with some of the most nostalgic characters of all time? This show explores multiple events and heroes that shaped our country. It’s charming and absolutely a nostalgia pick for me.

4. The Incredibles

I wanted to include an animated movie here, and I figured Pixar would have something that fits. This film is a fast-paced, beautifully-animated adventure that portrays the life of the average American family with one special twist: they’re superheroes! If you want to see a fun animated film on Independence Day, pick this one.

3. Hidden Figures

Some family members of mine recommended I make this list more diverse because, let’s be honest, most of the films in this list do focus on white men. I refused to make this list diverse for the sake of diversity, but I wanted to acknowledge a diverse selection however I could. I watched Hidden Figures to see if it fit and I honestly believe it does. It’s a feel-good movie with fantastic performances that shows the importance of treating every American citizen as equals.

2. Stranger Things Season 3

The newest season of the hit Netflix show is coming out July 4th, and some have already mentioned they’re going to spend that day at home binge-watching the season. While I’m not going to do that, I love the first two seasons and will definitely watch the third when it comes out. If the trailer is an indication of how Season 3 will turn out, it may be the best season yet.

1. 1776

When I was asked to write this article, this movie was what came to mind. It has great music, choreography, and performances, it’s fun to watch, and what better pick for number one than a film that’s literally about the declaration of America’s independence? There are multiple versions of this movie (the one I own is the Director’s Cut Blu-ray), but whichever one you have at your disposal, please watch it for the 4th of July.

If you don’t agree with my list, that’s okay. Let me know what your favorite 4th of July films or TV shows are in the comments! Happy Independence Day, everyone!

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