Walking on Sunshine (2014)

Walking on Sunshine is the kind of fizzy, sun-drenched romantic musical that doesn’t ask you to believe in realism so much as surrender to pure, beachy joy: gorgeous coastal Italy, big feelings, and a soundtrack of beloved ’80s hits that keeps the movie moving like a party you’re glad you didn’t skip. It’s buoyant and unapologetically frothy, with the camera drinking in the scenery while the characters stumble through love, loyalty, and messy timing in a way that’s more playful than angsty. If you’ve ever wanted a vacation in movie form—bright colors, high energy, and sing-along familiarity—this delivers. It’s not for viewers who cringe at pop-song musical numbers or cheeky innuendo, but if you’re on the fence and want something light, warm, and relentlessly upbeat, it’s an easy yes.

Walking on Sunshine is trying to be a breezy, sun-drenched 80s jukebox rom-com where big feelings get resolved through big pop numbers, and on paper that’s a perfectly fine mission. The problem is it often feels like it’s chasing the high of better musicals without earning it, with thin plotting, rushed emotional turns, and a tone that swings between cheeky and oddly forced. If you need sharp writing, believable romance, or genuinely inventive musical staging, this will likely feel like a loud holiday postcard that never quite comes to life. Still, the Italian coastal scenery is gorgeous and the cast brings enough energy that, if you’re happy to switch your brain off and treat it as frothy background fun with familiar songs and mild innuendo, you might get a serviceable good-time out of it.