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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
The Beastmaster — filmed in rural Southern California
Good choice.
fast times at ridgemont high.
A scene from Dominic and Eugine was filmed in my neighbor’s pasture across from our farm in PA. It stared Jamie Lee Curtis and Tom Hulce. I don’t think it was a hit but it was a pretty good movie. For anyone who has seen it, the scene I a referring to is the picnic scene when the dog gets killed. It was directed by Mike Farrell from MASH fame. I meet him and he apologized for interrupting our peace and quiet. Jamie Lee was a snot.
For California, how about E T, Oceans 11, Stargate (the movie) or Outbreak?
100s of movies get made in or about California every year.
Here’s your barrel, here’s some fish and here’s an unlimited supply of ammunition.
Ive never fished in a barrel of bullets before…
Demaratus (View Comment):
For contemporary California, I don’t know; it’s a much harder call. Someone should propose something set in the last twenty-five years or so. Maybe “Clueless”? Or “The Breakfast Club” or something else like that from the eighties or nineties?
The Breakfast Club, like the majority of John Hughes films, was set and filmed in Illinois.
VIRGINIA: Part of Rules of Engagement was shot within walking distance of our house. My husband was just watching Turn and recognized Williamsburg, where we were married (I went to school down there).
Finally, a decent West Virginia film in Logan Lucky. (Much of it takes place in North Carolina as well, but there are a number of good North Carolina films.)