20 Best Films for Your Labor Day Weekend Binge

A long weekend is the perfect time to plan a mini movie marathon with a mix of comfort watches, big adventure, and smart crowd pleasers. This lineup covers end of summer vibes, feel good sports stories, high energy action, and sharp mysteries, so you can pick a theme for each night or sample a bit of everything.

Each pick includes quick details you can use to plan your watch. You will find directors, key cast members, runtimes, settings, and notable accolades, plus a few production facts and location notes that make these films easy to slot into a weekend schedule.

‘Jaws’ (1975)

Steven Spielberg directs this thriller starring Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss, with a runtime of about two hours. The story follows a beach town dealing with a great white shark and features John Williams’s widely recognized score. It is based on Peter Benchley’s novel and was shot largely on Martha’s Vineyard.

The film won Academy Awards for editing, sound, and original score and was nominated for Best Picture. It became a landmark in modern blockbuster distribution and showcases early mechanical effects work with the full scale shark models built for the production.

‘Stand by Me’ (1986)

Rob Reiner adapts Stephen King’s novella and centers on four friends in Oregon on a summer trek, with performances from Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, and Jerry O’Connell. The runtime is under an hour and a half, which makes it easy to fit between longer picks. The film balances coming of age themes with a small town 1950s setting.

It received an Academy Award nomination for adapted screenplay. Filming took place in Oregon locations that double for Castle Rock, and the soundtrack uses period songs that match the story’s timeframe.

‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ (1986)

John Hughes directs this Chicago set comedy starring Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, and Jennifer Grey. It follows a high schooler who skips school for a day of city highlights, including stops at the Art Institute of Chicago and Wrigley Field. The runtime is around one hour and forty minutes.

The film features a parade sequence set to a Beatles track that became closely associated with the movie. Chicago locations are central to the production, and the script uses a fourth wall approach that stands out among teen comedies of its era.

‘Back to the Future’ (1985)

Robert Zemeckis directs this time travel adventure with Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, and Lea Thompson. The runtime lands just under two hours. The plot follows a teenager who accidentally travels to the past in a DeLorean and has to ensure his parents meet.

The movie won an Academy Award for sound effects editing and earned several other nominations. Its soundtrack features songs by Huey Lewis and the News, and the production used a mix of practical effects and optical work for the time machine sequences.

‘Do the Right Thing’ (1989)

Spike Lee writes, directs, and stars alongside Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, and Giancarlo Esposito. Set on the hottest day of the summer in a Brooklyn neighborhood, the film tracks rising tensions across one day and runs about two hours. Ernest Dickerson handles the cinematography, which uses bold color choices.

The film received Academy Award nominations for supporting actor and original screenplay. Public Enemy’s song that opens the movie set a strong musical tone, and location shooting in Bedford Stuyvesant gives the story a specific New York sense of place.

‘Jurassic Park’ (1993)

Steven Spielberg directs this dinosaur adventure featuring Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and Richard Attenborough. It adapts Michael Crichton’s novel about a theme park with cloned dinosaurs, and the runtime is just over two hours. The film blends animatronics with early computer generated imagery.

It won three Academy Awards for visual effects and sound categories. Principal photography included work in Hawaii and on soundstages, and the production’s effects pipeline became a template for large scale creature features that followed.

‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’ (2001)

Peter Jackson begins the epic adaptation with Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, and Sean Astin. The runtime of the theatrical cut is close to three hours. The story follows the formation of the Fellowship on a quest to destroy a powerful ring.

The film earned multiple Academy Awards and numerous nominations, including recognition for makeup, cinematography, and score. It was filmed across New Zealand with extensive location work and large miniature sets, and the production helped expand tourism to filming sites.

‘Knives Out’ (2019)

Rian Johnson writes and directs this modern whodunit led by Daniel Craig, Ana de Armas, Chris Evans, and Jamie Lee Curtis. The runtime is a little over two hours. The plot centers on a family gathering at a grand house where a mystery unfolds, with scenes staged around intricate interviews and timelines.

The film received an Academy Award nomination for original screenplay. Production took place primarily in Massachusetts at real mansions, and the costume design emphasizes character traits for each member of the ensemble.

‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ (2018)

This animated feature introduces Miles Morales with a voice cast that includes Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, and Jake Johnson. The runtime is just under two hours. The story explores multiple Spider People from different dimensions and uses a visual style inspired by comic printing techniques.

It won the Academy Award for animated feature. The animation team developed tooling that mimics hand drawn lines, halftone shading, and variable frame rates, which gives action scenes a distinctive rhythm.

‘Top Gun: Maverick’ (2022)

Joseph Kosinski directs this aviation sequel starring Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, and Glen Powell. The runtime is just over two hours. Practical aerial photography plays a major role, with actors filmed inside aircraft during maneuvers.

The movie earned an Academy Award for sound and received a Best Picture nomination. The production created a training program for the cast to withstand flight conditions and used specialized camera rigs to capture cockpit angles.

‘The Devil Wears Prada’ (2006)

David Frankel directs this workplace comedy drama starring Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci. The runtime is around one hour and fifty minutes. The story follows an assistant navigating a high pressure fashion magazine environment.

Meryl Streep received an Academy Award nomination for her performance. Costume designer Patricia Field assembled an extensive wardrobe featuring major fashion houses, and New York City locations anchor the magazine world on screen.

‘Office Space’ (1999)

Mike Judge writes and directs this satire about corporate life with Ron Livingston, Jennifer Aniston, Gary Cole, and Stephen Root. The runtime is under an hour and a half. The plot focuses on software company employees dealing with management, memos, and stalled careers.

The film built a cult following after its initial release, helped by home video and cable play. It popularized references to TPS reports and the red stapler prop, which became a recognizable item associated with the character Milton.

‘9 to 5’ (1980)

Colin Higgins directs this workplace comedy starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton. The runtime is just under two hours. The story follows three office employees who respond to a difficult boss and push for better conditions.

Dolly Parton’s title song topped charts and received major award nominations. The film inspired a television series and a Broadway musical, and its office set design reflects the era’s corporate culture.

‘Hidden Figures’ (2016)

Theodore Melfi directs this historical drama about NASA mathematicians Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson, portrayed by Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monáe. The runtime is a little over two hours. The story tracks calculations and engineering work that supported early crewed spaceflight.

The film was nominated for Best Picture and earned nominations for supporting actress and adapted screenplay. It highlights real world coding, trajectory plotting, and human computer roles during the Space Task Group period.

‘Parasite’ (2019)

Bong Joon Ho directs this darkly comic thriller with a cast including Song Kang ho, Choi Woo sik, Park So dam, and Cho Yeo jeong. The runtime is a little over two hours. The story examines two families whose lives intersect in unexpected ways.

It won the Academy Award for Best Picture along with director, international feature, and original screenplay. Production relied on a purpose built house set designed to support key blocking and camera lines, which allowed precise staging throughout.

‘Ocean’s Eleven’ (2001)

Steven Soderbergh leads this heist film with George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and Julia Roberts. The runtime is just under two hours. The plot follows a team assembling to rob multiple Las Vegas casinos with synchronized plans.

Filming took place in real casino locations with cooperation from resorts on the Strip. The ensemble structure gives each specialist a defined role, and the score by David Holmes underscores the caper tone across planning and execution scenes.

‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ (2015)

George Miller returns to the wasteland with Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron. The runtime is about two hours. The story is structured as an extended chase across desert landscapes with vehicles, practical stunts, and large format cinematography.

The film won multiple Academy Awards in technical categories, including editing and production design. Principal photography occurred in Namibia and used extensive on set rigging for vehicles and wire assisted stunt work.

‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ (2014)

Wes Anderson directs this crime caper set in a fictional European nation with Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori, Saoirse Ronan, and an ensemble cast. The runtime is under one hour and forty five minutes. The plot tracks a concierge and lobby boy who become entangled in a theft and a murder case.

It won Academy Awards for production design, costume design, makeup and hairstyling, and original score. The film employs shifting aspect ratios to denote different timelines and uses miniature models for exterior hotel shots.

‘Remember the Titans’ (2000)

Boaz Yakin directs this sports drama starring Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Wood Harris, and Ryan Hurst. The runtime is just under two hours. The story follows a newly integrated high school football team and coaching staff in Virginia.

The film uses period music to place the events within its setting and shot game sequences with attention to play calling and field geography. Production made use of locations around the Richmond area to stand in for the school and community.

‘The Nice Guys’ (2016)

Shane Black directs this buddy mystery set in Los Angeles with Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling. The runtime is just under two hours. The plot follows an unlikely pair of investigators tracing a missing person case that expands into a larger conspiracy.

The production recreates seventies Los Angeles through costuming, signage, and classic cars sourced by the art department. The script blends detective story beats with physical comedy and uses practical stunt work for several set pieces.

Share your own Labor Day weekend picks in the comments and let everyone know what you are watching.