4.7 / 5
Cruise ships are no strangers to the Hollywood spotlight. There’s just something about a cruise ship that attracts both directors and audiences. Whether you like comedies, romances or disasters, there’s a cruise ship movie for you.
Below, we’ve listed our top picks for movies that take place on cruises. Agree? Disagree? Did we miss something? Let us know in the comments!
Speed 2: Cruise Control
Following up a smash hit like Speed is no easy feat. This sequel saw the departure of Keanu Reeves and many poor reviews. Nevertheless, it’s great mindless fun. Sandra Bullock returns to the Speed series to find herself trapped aboard a hacked cruise ship. The hacked ship is on a crash course toward a huge oil tanker. Bullock and costar Jason Patric must find a way to thwart the hackers and regain control of the ship before it’s too late. If you have two hours to kill, you could do much worse than Speed 2: Cruise Control.
Boat Trip
Looking for lighter fare? Boat Trip may be more up your alley. There are no out-of-control cruise ships found here –just a fun comedy with the likes of Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Horatio Sanz. In this film, Gooding and Sanz are down in the dumps about their love lives. They go ahead and book a cruise hoping to meet women. It turns out, however, that fate has other plans: They mistakenly find themselves aboard a gay cruise. As you can imagine, hilarity ensues. While critics weren’t kind to this film either, Boat Trip offers a nice break from the typical disaster fare.
Out to Sea
This 1997 comedy brings together a powerful comedic duo: Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. Just like Sanz and Gooding in Boat Trip, the two actors book a cruise in hopes of meeting women. They are able to get onboard free of charge – but there’s a catch. Both Lemmon and Matthau have to be dance hosts and stay in the most cramped quarters on the entire ship. Needless to say, the duo are placed in some awkward situations as they try their chops at leading the cruise’s music activities.
Poseidon (2006)
The 2006 remake of the classic film Poseidon brings the namesake ship to life with updated special effects that are sure to impress. The excitement begins when a random wave capsizes the Poseidon while its 2,000 passengers are busy celebrating New Year’s Eve. Josh Lucas and Kurt Russell star in this remake, which has them and their friends fighting toward the surface as the ship slowly sinks. If you enjoy this movie, don’t forget to catch the 1972 original as well.
Titanic
You knew this name was going to pop up sooner or later. A list of cruise films wouldn’t be complete without at least mentioning this Leonardo DiCaprio/Kate Winslet classic. Jack Dawson (DiCaprio) wins himself tickets to board the Titanic on its maiden voyage. He encounters Rose DeWitt Bukater (Winslet), who is set to marry a rich jerk. Fate brings the two together, and one of modern society’s greatest love stories is borne during an epic maritime disaster. Make sure to have some tissues handy.
