Films and TV shows that feel like Cruel Summer by Bananarama

A sun-baked, restless anthem about summer heat turning to loneliness and tension, danceable on the surface and yearning underneath.

1. The Karate Kid (1984): The song plays in the film as Daniel LaRusso's hard summer in a new town unfolds, so it's the obvious first pick.
2. Cobra Kai (2018): It continues the Karate Kid rivalry with 80s needle drops and the same underdog tension.
3. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982): A mall, pool and part-time job picture of early-80s teenage restlessness.
4. Valley Girl (1983): It has the same year, new wave soundtrack and a love story across social lines.
5. Adventureland (2009): A summer job, a bittersweet crush and a 1980s soundtrack give it the same ache.
6. Stranger Things (2016): Its third season is a sweaty 1985 summer at the mall, full of synths and teen unease.
7. Dirty Dancing (1987): A summer of first love and heartbreak, with an 80s pop-dance pulse.
8. Cruel Summer (2021): This thriller shares the title and is about a dark 90s summer that changes a small town's teenagers.