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Coastal grandmother movies are a cashmere cardigan, a home-cooked meal, a big white house, bossa nova music, and an ocean view...
The coastal grandmother aesthetic has been blowing up on TikTok lately, especially since summer is in full swing! It is probably best exemplified by Diane Keaton's character in the movie Something's Gotta Give. She plays Erica Barry, a successful playwrite who meets her daughter's much older boyfriend and starts to fall in love with him. The movie is set in the Hamptons during summertime and Erica's home is coastal grandmother goals! Comforting textiles, clean lines, neutral colors, and classy music are all a part of the coastal grandmother aesthetic. Bonus points for an ocean view! I've put together a list of movies that will give you all the coastal grandmother energy you need.
Not only is the coastal grandmother aesthetic about traditional decor, light and bright interiors, a coastal town, and clean/comfy/simple style, but it's also about bossa nova music playing by a candle-lit dinner, endless summer days, and funny/heartwarming stories about love. The 2000's really had this style down with movie soundtracks that included Nora Jones and Stevie Wonder, and rom-coms that were realistic and sweet. Here is a list of movies that have coastal grandmother energy:
If there is one movie that has fueled the coastal grandmother aesthetic trend, it would probably be Something's Gotta Give. The movie is about Erica Barry, a successful 50-something divorcée who owns a gorgeous Hamptons home and Harry Sanborn, a successful 60-something who exclusively dates younger women. When Erica's daughter brings Harry as her date to the Hamptons, Erica and Harry start to fall for each other.
Erica's style is very coastal grandmother chic. Her classic Hamptons home is light and bright, with a beautiful beach view. She wears a lot of cardigans and sun hats, too! The movie is very endearing and has a warm and fuzzy vibe that is at the heart of every coastal grandmother movie!
Wedding Crashers is about two best friends who crash weddings in order to meet girls with no strings attached. It's a classic Owen Wilson/Vince Vaughn movie with lots of laughs.
Wedding Crashers reminds me of the coastal grandmother aesthetic because the setting is very coastal and traditional, and the film has a lot of heartwarming (and funny) moments.
The Notebook is one of my favorite movies of all time! It's about Allie and Noah who fall in love in Seabrook, South Carolina in the 40's as kids. Her parents don't approve and they get ripped apart until many years later when they meet again.
This movie has that traditional Southern summer vibe and gorgeous white houses. Plus, it will break and heal your heart over and over again.
In You've Got Mail, Meg Ryan's character owns a small bookshop that is at risk to be swallowed by a much bigger corporate bookshop owned by Tom Hanks' character. In real life they hate each other, but they don't know that they've been romantically messaging each other online.
I am an absolute sucker for a good Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks movie, especially when it's set in 90's New York. I can't really explain why this movie is coastal grandmother only because there are no coasts or grandmothers anywhere to be found, but the story is just so cute you'll see why the warm and cozy vibes match the rest of the movies on this list.
The Parent Trap is about twins that are separated at birth and meet each other at summer camp years later! They then hatch a plan to switch places and try to make their divorced parents get back together.
Elizabeth James in the movie is so elegant and she gives off successful coastal grandmother vibes! If you've seen the movie, you'll know what I'm talking about!
Diane Keaton embodies the coastal grandmother aesthetic to a tee so if you liked Something's Gotta Give, try First Wives Club. It's about three friends who seek revenge on their ex-husbands for leaving them for younger women.
This one is super funny and all the goofy antics remind me so much of the good-natured movies about the middle-aged experience (like Something's Gotta Give)!
The Holiday is a Christmas movie about two women from different countries who decide to swap houses after each experiencing relationship problems at home. Something that the coastal grandmother movie genre does so well is explore how women experience relatable predicaments and the humor that follows.
This movie is perfect to watch if you want to get in the holiday spirit - coastal grandmother style!
Home Again is about a woman recently separated from her husband who lets 3 young filmmakers stay in her home. This movie is about learning how to navigate a new time in life and finding yourself again.
Reese Witherspoon's character in this movie has the most gorgeous house and it gives me Something's Gotta Give vibes.
Book Club is another Diane Keaton movie about a group of friends who decide to read 50 Shades of Grey and it inspires them to take action in their love lives!
I love movies about friendships and rediscovering parts of yourself you thought you'd lost.
Safe Haven is another movie based on the Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name. It's about a woman named Katie who moves to a small town in North Carolina because she's running away from a secret.
This movie will make you want to move to North Carolina ASAP!
One director that seems to make a lot of movies with the coastal grandmother aesthetic is Nancy Meyers. Several of her movies are included on this list. Her films typically have a strong and relatable female heroine who is experiencing a type of personal challenge in their lives.
It's Complicated is about a divorced couple who end up falling back in love with each other. The only problem is he's remarried to another woman.
The Big Wedding is another Diane Keaton movie about a divorced couple who must pretend that they don't hate each other for their son's upcoming wedding!
This movie has a star-studded cast and there are lots of funny antics, very typical of a coastal grandmother film!
Something Borrowed is about a girl who is in love with her best friend's fiancé. Well, it's a little more complicated than that...she loved him first, but she has to decide whether to pick her best friend or the love of her life!
This movie has a very coastal grandmother beach house scene and all over coastal grandmother energy!
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