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What Is the Best Movie Set and/or Filmed in Your State?
Yesterday in the GLoP cast there was a discussion of the best New York City film. It is not an easy choice, just as picking the best Los Angeles film or the best Chicago film isn’t easy.
Last year my wife and I traveled to every state. There were a number of things we did in every state, along with going to a church, a bar and to a movie theater. We also watched a movie that was set or filmed in that state. The DVD folder we travelled with covered most states, but not all — and sometimes we didn’t have a DVD for a state or access to a DVD player, so we needed to stream. Sometimes it was hard to pick the film because there were so many choices (see above). Sometimes, in places like Delaware and West Virginia it was difficult because the choices were so limited. And some places we felt we had no choice. We had to watch Oklahoma in Oklahoma. But we persevered, and here are the films that represented each state (and the District of Columbia):
- Nevada – Lost in America (1985)
- Arizona – Raising Arizona (1987)
- New Mexico – Silverado (1985)
- Texas – Office Space (1999)
- Oklahoma – Oklahoma (1955)
- Kansas – Elmer Gantry (1960)
- Missouri – Paper Moon (1973)
- Arkansas – True Grit (1969)
- Louisiana – Miller’s Crossing (1990)
- Mississippi – My Dog Skip (2000)
- Alabama – My Cousin Vinny (1992)
- Florida – Matinee (1993)
- Georgia – The General (1926)
- South Carolina – The Great Santini (1979)
- North Carolina – Bull Durham (1988)
- Tennessee – Starman (1984)
- Kentucky – Goldfinger (1964)
- West Virginia – A Killing Affair (1977)
- Virginia – The Littlest Rebel (1935)
- Maryland – Broadcast News (1987)
- Delaware – Clean and Sober (1988)
- Pennsylvania – Rocky (1976)
- New Jersey – The Station Agent (2003)
- New York – When Harry Met Sally (1989)
- Alaska – The Gold Rush (1925)
- Hawaii – Lilo and Stitch (2002)
- Washington – House of Games (1987)
- Connecticut – Beetlejuice (1988)
- Rhode Island – Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
- Massachusetts – The Crucible (1996)
- New Hampshire – What About Bob? (1991)
- Maine – The Iron Giant (1999)
- Vermont – Nothing Sacred (1937)
- Ohio – The Kings of Summer (2013)
- Michigan – Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)
- Indiana – Hoosiers (1986)
- Illinois – The Untouchables (1987)
- Wisconsin – Wayne’s World (1992)
- Minnesota – A Serious Man (2009)
- Iowa – Field of Dreams (1989)
- Nebraska – About Schmidt (2002)
- South Dakota – North by Northwest (1959)
- North Dakota – Fargo (1996)
- Colorado – The Prestige (2006)
- Utah – Fletch (1985)
- Wyoming – Unforgiven (1992)
- Montana – Little Big Man (1970)
- Idaho – Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
- Oregon – Meek’s Cutoff (2010)
- California – Die Hard (1988)
District of Columbia bonus – The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
So did we pick the right film for your state? Where did we go wrong?
(The states are listed in the order of our travels with the exception of D.C. which fell between Virginia and Maryland)
Published in Entertainment
They do.
Also a good choice
I think I’m going to nominate Major League, filmed at County Stadium.
Yeah, but that’s set in Cleveland.
Mr. 3000 was set in Milwaukee but it wasn’t very good (if memory serves – only saw it once when it first came out).
Another Minnesota movie my wife liked (seein’ as how it’s a formulaic RomCom — her favorite kind of movie) was “New in Town” set in New Ulm and filled with sweet Minnesota ladies having scrapbooking parties and making hot dish. (Although the New Ulm scenes were apparently filmed in Manitoba.)
Yeah, but the OP did say set in or filmed in. There’s also the fact that the Jumbotron in the movie wasn’t changed, so you still see the ads for WTMJ on it.
Sounds like more of a documentary to me.
I kind of expected to see “The Blues Brothers” for Illinois.
@drewinwisconsin When I first saw The Blues Brothers I said, “How stupid! That movie was just blues music and car crashes.” Then I saw it again and said, “Blues music and car crashes. Huh.” and then I saw it a third time and said, “That movie is all blues music and car crashes! Awesome!”
I had written about that film already.
Yes. and it is really a mannequin and he had no sexual purpose for doing so. it is a good-natured movie about community.
Of course not. She had a very strict religious background and had just returned from the mission field.
It is about Georgia. Who cares where it was filmed?
One is a great epic and one is a romp around an unopened 285.
Now, I much rather watch Smokey and the Bandit than GWTW, but in terms of impact on the culture and power and money made, GWTW has it.
Every time I watch Gone With the Wind, I like it less.
Last time I watched it (which was the first time my wife watched it all the way through) I concluded that there wasn’t a single likeable character in the entire movie except Mammy.
Mammy rocks.
Culture? Every kid wanted to be The Bandit. I never heard of anyone reminiscing about being Rhett Butler. I bet cash money there were more Matchbox cars of that 285 sold than a pair of Rhett’s ears to wear. Plus, CBs are still going strong. Added bonus: There ain’t any pompous know it all that can say,”I thought the book was better.”
Smokey & The Bandit whoops GWTW. Hands down.
Oregon — Sometimes a Great Notion
That said, GWTW is an extremely well-done movie. I watch it more just to gape in awe at the beautiful cinematography.
For FL, I ‘d submit that the Netflix series Bloodlines is the best FL locale. Okay, it’s longform TV, not a movie. But still, the FL Keys were the set. Iconic local locations, dive bars, dive shops, bait shops are all prominently and well highlighted.
plus I think two, maybe three of my kids were extras. The cast and crew couldn’t have been nicer; they punctured a lot of my carefully husbanded stereotypes about H’wood film people. (A lot of filming occurred on my street, so this isn’t a one-off comment.
Tennessee — Thunder Road
Best movie set in Arizona – Gunfight at the OK Corral (1957). It was also filmed in Arizona, at Old Tucson. Nothing says Arizona like Wyatt Earp.
Hanging my head in shame – how could I forget my old schoolmate.
What about Key Largo?
Texas — The Outlaw Josie Wales.
What about Spring Break?
I keep trying to like this and am not usually obtuse about shows that are liked by many. But I’m not getting there, although I keep watching because I like the Keys. It’s dark–not just emotionally dark (that too), but often literally dark. For some reason, the cinematography just doesn’t do it for me in capturing the feel that I get from the Keys.
There’s a Denzel Washington film set in the Keys, Out of Time, that is not high art, but is pretty entertaining.
The ‘Verse — Serenity. Oops. Sorry, not a state.
Kentucky – Stripes
No offense to everyone, but most of these are pretty lame. Oregon was the location for… Animal House, in Eugene at the University of Oregon. Okay, thank you, thank you very much. No use continuing after this entry.
Being from the Lower Slower Eastern Shore of Maryland, I want to give a shout out to two movies filmed in the “Coolest Small Town in America” – Runaway Bride and Tuck Everlasting.
IN this category I have the winner, the best film made in Alberta, shot near Brooks, Longview, High River and Drumheller.
The winner is: Clint Eastwood’s “Unforgiven”.
For filming in Calgary. I think Superman III is the best known. But all of the Superman movies with Christopher Reeve had parts shot in Alberta. Barons, Alberta stood in for Smallvile and the Kent farm was filmed near Blackie, Alberta.
Filmed in Georgia…. “The boys are thirsty in Atlanta and there’s beer in Texarkana…” Jerry Reed – such an underappreciated talent; and Jackie Gleason…a master!
California has it’s share of films, so I’ll go to two films depicting the cities/towns:
Bullitt: San Francisco (McQueen)
Play Misty for Me; Carmel/Monterey (Eastwood)
For Nevada and Las Vegas: Ocean’s Eleven (Sinatra)
(yeah I know, but I’m older than most of you. They do reflect the areas very well)