The 7 Best Firework Scenes In Movies

YOU MADE IT! You crunched through the fall, slogged through the winter, waited patiently through the spring, and now, finally, summer has arrived! That's right, it's Memorial Day, a.k.a. you don't have to be at work today, a.k.a. welcome to the best season of the year (or worst, if you live in a humid area and don't have air conditioning... my fellow New Yorkers feel me).

Even if you're past the age when you get to have a summer break, you have to admit, there is something really special about summer. Life moves simultaneously very quickly and very slowly. Rooftop parties bring the promise of good times and new friends. If you're single, a summer fling may be on the horizon, and if you're not, you're excited to see which of your friends has the most salacious gossip of the season. Picnics, BBQs, brunches on the sidewalk, beach parties, summer getaways... and, like the punctuative reminder that you're young and alive, fireworks.

Whether they're the end to a Fourth of July celebration or the night cap on an unforgettable summer wedding, fireworks are as uniquely a summer sound and sight as cicadas, fireflies, children complaining about having to wear sunscreen, and children whining about sunburns because they didn't wear sunscreen.

In honor of the start of summer, here are some of our favorite firework scenes from movies.

Manhattan

Start watching the above clip 3 minutes in. As a proud New Yorker, the site of the Manhattan skyline, coupled with that music, and those gorgeous, black and white fireworks manages to choke me up every time.

The Great Gatsby

No Jay Gatsby party would be complete without fireworks! After all, if you're trying to attract a woman living across a river, you're going to need to get her attention somehow.

Meet Joe Black

Did you feel like crying today? What if I told you you could stare at a young Brad Pitt while you did so? Without giving too much of the plot away, Meet Joe Black culminates in a final goodbye set against the backdrop of a gorgeous display of fireworks.

V For Vendetta

Remember how subversive you thought this movie was in high school? Well, it doesn't exactly hold up, but the fireworks set against the 1812 Overture are still morbidly beautiful.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Who said fireworks were for outdoor use only? Fire marshalls? Well, no one told Fred or George Weasley! Knowing how things turn out for them makes this scene somewhat bittersweet, doesn't it?

The Sandlot

One of the best movies about being young and having big dreams, this particular scene really captures the excitement and possibility of summers as a kid.

Adventureland

Adventureland is about Kristen Stewart and a cute, pale boy who is in love with her, only this time, instead of a vampire, it's a teenager with a crappy summer job. In this scene, the sparks, both literal and figurative, fly.

Happy summer, guys!

Image: Warner Bros.