June 21 marked the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year and the official start to the season filled with sun, fun and … mindless movies we all watch for that wonderful combination of escapism and movie theater-supplied air conditioning. So which summer movies in 2011 are should field service techs and managers look forward to most?

Field service encompasses an almost infinite number of industries — utility companies, medical device manufacturers, food processing, HVAC, insurance, clean tech, just to name a few. And as such, movie tastes among field service workers can run the gamut. However, we think five very different movies could hold some interest for the field service set. This isn’t a statement on which movies we think will be the best, just ones that could pique our interest a little more than the average popcorn flick do to some field service ties.

1. Cars 2

Field service workers, by and large, like to tinker with things. People who service stuff like electrical wiring or manufacturing equipment during the week are likelier than the average person to spend the weekend under the hood of a vehicle. Plus, cars (usually vans or trucks, actually) are the way most field service professionals get from job to job. An extra benefit: if you have kids, they’re probably already bugging you to take them to see Pixar’s latest offering. (Opens 6/24)

2. Captain America: The First Avenger

For superhero fans out there who also happen to work in the field, Captain America (at least in the upcoming movie version) wears a utility belt that looks like it could carry some pretty cool tools. Also,Captain America drives a “battle van” that carries a Harley Davidson motorcycle. If that doesn’t sound like a field service tech’s dream, we don’t know what does. (Opens 7/22)

3. Transformers: Dark of the Moon

You want field service in your summer movie? How about robots that transform into vehicles that provide services like Ratchet, the medic who turns into a search and rescue Hummer H2? The third installment of Michael Bay’s action series also features “The Wreckers,” a team of Autobot good guys who transform into NASCAR stock cars equipped with machine guns, who serve as mechanics who rebuild an Autobot space ship. Hey, the winner of our “Cool Tools” contest drives a truck that doubles as a power vac, so maybe field service isn’t as far away from the world of Transformers as we previously thought. (Opens 6/29)

4. Horrible Bosses

It doesn’t matter what type of field service industry (or any industry, really) you’re talking about, pretty much everyone has had at least one horrible boss in their lives. However, after taking a look at the story line — Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day are three disgruntled employees who plot to kill their awful superiors, played by Jennifer Anniston, Kevin Spacey and Colin Farrell — it’s clearly best not to take this R-rated comedy too seriously. (Opens 7/8)

5. The Smurfs

We’re a little wary of a live action/CGI Smurfs movie that doesn’t feature old school animation like the cartoon series a lot of us grew up with. However, there’s a reason to watch this movie besides keeping the kids entertained for 90 minutes: Handy Smurf, who’s voiced by Jeff Foxworthy. (Opens 8/3)

If you’re a fan of the blue collar comic who’s the nation’s preeminent expert on rednecks, check out our own Patrick Peterson’s “You Might Be a Tradesman if…” list, which takes Foxworthy’s famous comedic style and tweaks it a bit for the field service set.

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