What to Watch While You’re Waiting for Fireworks

The Dispatch staff shares some of their favorite July 4 classics.

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In a letter to his wife Abigail, John Adams once wrote that Independence Day ought to be commemorated “with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.” If he had been around in 2021, Adams might have added another thing to his list: movies. Hollywood has produced countless tales celebrating the U.S. of A. and all that it stands for, and there are few better ways to observe July 4 than with a classic tale of patriotism and the American spirit. So if you’re looking for something to do this weekend besides barbecuing, sitting by the pool, or eating apple pie while you watch baseball, The Dispatch staff has got you covered. From comedy to drama to thriller, here are some of our favorite patriotic films and TV shows. Happy Independence Day!

Alec Dent shares his thoughts on Casablanca, available to stream on HBO Max and to rent on Amazon Prime.

July 4 is a celebration of many things, but above all else it is a celebration of freedom. Which is why it’s natural that we don’t just think of the Revolutionary War this weekend, we celebrate America’s repeated victories in the name of freedom: the Civil War, the suffragette movement, the civil rights movement, and, of course, World War II, when America saved the world from the threat of fascist domination. It’s this victory that’s captured beautifully in Casablanca—possibly the greatest of all World War II films—which shows the ideological battle of World War II in a microcosm: not on the battlefield but in a bar. 

Representing fascism: Nazi Major Heinrich Strasser (Conrad Veidt).

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  1. Avatar photo
    Ben Connelly

    Great list. Casablanca is perhaps the greatest movie of all time. Perfect ending: “Round up the usual suspects.” And many eminently quotable lines (including that one), along with one of the greatest misquoted lines, “Play it again, Sam. Play it as time goes by,” which Bergman never actually says.

    The Sandlot and Independence Day are classics. Loved that National Treasure was on the list. People love to hate it but I really enjoy that movie. I can think of few more entertaining heist/mystery movies for lovers of American history and historical sites.

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    Ken Berger

    John Adams on HBO

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  3. Bob Bell

    Yankee Doodle Dandy. Cagney dancing. Cagney dancing on the walls. Cagney dancing on the walls while singing the title tune. Watch it. Your father will thank me, your mother will thank me, your sister will thank me, and as for you, well, that will go without saying.

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    Everybody Digs Bill Evans

    Heartbreak Ridge should also be on the list.

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    Sheila M

    Our movies for the 4th of July are Jaws and Independence Day. I might add National Treasure next year. I have a fond memory of my fiance (now husband) and I seeing it for the first time in a packed 6 am showing of Independence Day on the 4th in 1996 because everything else was sold out. The crowd was rocking and it was one of my favorite movie-watching experiences.

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    Mark

    Alas, Live Free or Die Hard should be at the top of the list. It's pure 4th of July fun and includes Washington DC, a few bad guys who speak French, a car taking down a helicopter, Bruce Willis, governmental programs run amok, computer hacking, a drive through West Virginia, and CCR (Fortunate Son).

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    Tim Murphy

    If we’re going to count series TV then John Adams from HBO is a must see.

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    Paul Montagu

    Good to know about Red Oaks. I'll move it up the queue. I've seen all the others, all good.

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  9. Mary Stine

    I have to add that I also really love "1776" and "Casablanca". Casablanca is so beautifully filmed, I do not think there is a single bad shot in the whole movie. Of course, the acting is
    stellar. And then there is Ingrid Bergman, a woman so naturally beautiful and graceful on screen that she barely needs makeup.

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    Phil H

    There are several of these movies I have not seen. But of course I've seen Casablanca! The "battlefield in a bar" was memorably a "battle of the bands" with Strasser and his Nazi buddies singing a Nazi drinking song drowned by the cafe orchestra playing "La Marseillaise"!

    I always loved that scene. I've always imagined that when that scene was played in movie theaters, the crowds would stand and cheer!

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