# Atypical settings for movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 11, 2005, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atypical-settings-for-movies/284285 "2005-01-11T22:29:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atypical-settings-for-movies/284285/41 "2005-01-13T00:18:26Z")
**Me, Myself and Irene** took place somewhere in Rhode Island. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atypical-settings-for-movies/284285/42 "2005-01-13T00:33:52Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > I think the film was _French Kiss_, with Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline. Toronto played a small role. > > Ryan plays a woman from Toronto who flies to France for some reason. The film begins in her family’s Toronto home, with Dad watching the Maple Leafs playing hockey (hey, in Canada, hockey is on TV 24/7/365, dont’cha know :rolleyes: ). Naturally, Ryan flies Air Canada to France, where most of the film takes place. > > But why Toronto? Except for the Air Canada product placement, there is really no reason for Ryan to be Canadian, or from Toronto. She might as well have been from Pittsburgh, Denver, or Boston, for all her Canadian-ness had to do with the plot. Actually, Meg Ryan’s character _was_ from the US, but was living in Canada because her fiancee was Canadian. It was actually a plot point, as she was in the process of applying for Canadian citizenship and wasn’t supposed to leave the country. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atypical-settings-for-movies/284285/43 "2005-01-13T00:47:16Z")
> [@Evil Captor](#): > > Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil was set in Savannah, Georgia, which was a major character in the film. Yeah, I’ve heard that. To be perfectly honest, the Jim Williams thing was grossly overrated and overhyped. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atypical-settings-for-movies/284285/44 "2005-01-13T02:22:45Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > Yeah, I’ve heard that. > > To be perfectly honest, the Jim Williams thing was grossly overrated and overhyped. Well, I thought the movie was too gay. “Sharky’s Machine” a Burt Reynold’s P.I. film, was set in and filmed in Atlanta. The town of Northfield, Minn., as portrayed in the movie “The Long Riders” was portrayed by the little town of Parrott, Georgia. South Georgia, to be exact. You wonder how they kept the palmetto bushes out of the scenes. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atypical-settings-for-movies/284285/45 "2005-01-13T06:05:26Z")
> [@Evil Captor](#): > > Well, I thought the movie was too gay. Ain’t no such thing. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atypical-settings-for-movies/284285/46 "2005-01-13T16:22:29Z")
> [@Odinoneeye](#): > > The exception was 8 Mile, which while not a very interesting film, it was fun to look for buildings I recognize. (I actually live about a mile from the trailer park depicted in the film) That reminds me, I grew up about a mile from the barn in _Days of Thunder_. It was still there the last time I was back home, but it’s surrounded by housing developments now and so old and decrepit it looks like a bad thunderstorm could flatten it. I doubt it will be there much longer. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atypical-settings-for-movies/284285/47 "2005-01-13T17:38:50Z")
Most of Stephen King’s books (and by extension, most of the movies based on his books) are set in Maine. If Steve is to be believed, Maine must be the creepiest, most haunted-ass state in the union. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atypical-settings-for-movies/284285/48 "2005-01-13T18:09:26Z")
_Blair Witch Project_ set about 10 miles from our old place in the Blue Ridge. And, most unusually, some horror film who’s name I haven’t been able to track down…set in my new home town of Marietta, Ohio… **and filmed in my house**. The house was empty at the time so the owners (having no luck selling) allowed the film crew to rent it for a month or two for filming. If anyone can help me track down the name of the film I’d be much appreciative. No one in town remembers. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atypical-settings-for-movies/284285/49 "2005-01-13T18:53:39Z")
I can think of three movies with at least a scene or two in NJ: \*Garden State (that one’s sort of a gimme, though) \*12 Monkeys, though their geography is horribly, horribly off. (Thirty seconds off of the B. Franklin bridge does _not_ get you into open farmland _or_ the Pine Barrens…) \*Being John Malkovich. Featuring the ditch on the side of the Turnpike! And _National Treasure_ had some nice scenes of Philadelphia, including Reading Terminal Market, which rocked. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atypical-settings-for-movies/284285/50 "2005-01-13T19:20:37Z")
> [@Jonathan Chance](#): > > If anyone can help me track down the name of the film I’d be much appreciative. No one in town remembers. What year was it? Or what year did you move into your house if you’re not sure. You might check the library for copies of the local paper in that year. There must have been a mention. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atypical-settings-for-movies/284285/51 "2005-01-13T20:10:26Z")
> [@Jonathan Chance](#): > > _Blair Witch Project_ set about 10 miles from our old place in the Blue Ridge. > > And, most unusually, some horror film who’s name I haven’t been able to track down…set in my new home town of Marietta, Ohio… **and filmed in my house**. The house was empty at the time so the owners (having no luck selling) allowed the film crew to rent it for a month or two for filming. > > If anyone can help me track down the name of the film I’d be much appreciative. No one in town remembers. Phone number of the Marietta, Ohio Tourism and Visitor’s board: 1-800-288-2577 Google is yer friend, indeed. ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atypical-settings-for-movies/284285/52 "2005-01-13T20:29:43Z")
The original version of [**The Blob**](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051418/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9YmxvYnxodG1sPTF8bm09b24_;fc=2;ft=17;fm=1) was filmed in my hometown of Downingtown, PA, a suburb of Philadelphia. Also, **Casablanca** is atypical. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atypical-settings-for-movies/284285/53 "2005-01-13T20:46:32Z")
> [@Jonathan Chance](#): > > _Blair Witch Project_ set about 10 miles from our old place in the Blue Ridge. Burkittesville, is a bit further then 10 miles, but not a whole lot. I grew up in the area. I believe they filmed it in the Black Hills park right near where I live now. Frederick, MD has been in a couple of movies because of Fort Detrick. Though I’m pretty sure they’ve never filmed there and the movies look nothing like the place. ---
**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atypical-settings-for-movies/284285/54 "2005-01-13T22:18:58Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Hmmm, care to elaborate? I can’t imagine NY State even coming close to CA in diversity. California has ocean (subdivided into islands, different kinds of beaches; rocky, sandy, etc.), mountains, urban areas, sweepings plains/grasslands, rolling hills, almost tropical looking areas, deserts, and huge forests. The parts of NY I’ve been to have, well, lots of trees . . . And WA state I think has every type of land/geography aside from Tundra in a tighets package (milage wise). Oceans with various beach types, the sound, mountains (both barren and wooded), deasers, forests, plains, rainforest, rivers and lakes ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atypical-settings-for-movies/284285/55 "2005-01-13T23:04:02Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Ever seen _The Whole Nine Yards_? It is set in Montreal, and Montreal does indeed play itself, but one character’s Quebecoise wife sounds like she’d be more at home walking down the Champs Elysees rather than Rene Levesque Boulevard. Well, whaddya expect? She was played by Roseanna Arquette. The accent of the local actress cast as her mother was bang-on, though. _Super Troopers_ was set in upstate Vermont. Actually, it’s the only movie I can think of that’s set in _any_ part of Vermont. Lynda “Wonder Woman” Carter played the governor, whch was pretty cool in itself. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atypical-settings-for-movies/284285/56 "2005-01-14T00:50:46Z")
Seems nobody mentioned these 2 movies at least _set_ in **Boston** : **The Friends of Eddie Coyle** and **The Thomas Crown Affair** And since someone mentioned this city, the Marx Brothers did “ **A Night In Casablanca** ”. For an _extremely_ atypical location how about “ **Monster That Challenged The World** ” ? I believe that is only 1 of 2 movies that is set around the **Salton Sea**. I’ll let some clever Doper post the _other_ movie set in that location. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atypical-settings-for-movies/284285/57 "2005-01-14T00:55:43Z")
> [@wolf\_meister](#): > > I’ll let some clever Doper post the _other_ movie set in that location. Maybe [Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0438327/)?? If documentaries count, that is. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atypical-settings-for-movies/284285/58 "2005-01-14T01:19:16Z")
Revenge of the Nerds was filmed on the UA (Arizona) campus, which was cool. They even used UA hats and logos, and changed the school name to Adams College (the logo being a stylized A, it works out well). San Diego has more of a movie history than you’d think. The most recent example I can think of is Traffic, which was filmed in both La Jolla, a rich haven of lawyers, academians, doctors and cocaine dealers; and the San Diego [County]-Baja California border. More movies film there than are set there, although the Union-Tribune did a story on it a few years ago. Can’t find it, although I did find that “That '80s Show” was set in San Diego but filmed in LA. “Law & Order: Crime and Punishment” is apparently set in San Diego, as well, or was at some point. That recent movie from the Grisham book about a gun tort case was set in New Orleans. Can’t remember the name. French[wo]men masquerading as French-Canadians seems to be a common theme here. Is it really that difficult to find Quebecois folk in theatre? I can certainly see that it would be easy to find Francs, I guess. Garden State (which I just saw today; great movie) was, of course, based in New Jersey. Wasn’t part of Dogma based in New Jersey, as well? > [@Ludovic](#): > > Upstate NY? The only ones I can think of are Road Trip and one scene in Mars Attacks! Both of which were played mainly for the rural/college town humor value. Canadian Bacon. (Well, depending on how loosely you define the word ‘movie’.) > [@Cisco](#): > > Hmmm, care to elaborate? I can’t imagine NY State even coming close to CA in diversity. California has ocean (subdivided into islands, different kinds of beaches; rocky, sandy, etc.), mountains, urban areas, sweepings plains/grasslands, rolling hills, almost tropical looking areas, deserts, and huge forests. The parts of NY I’ve been to have, well, lots of trees . . . I was thinking the same thing–California is more geographically diverse, I’m sure. But I believe that New York is up there, because I remember Maryland being pretty diverse. I only lived there until age 11, so I can’t really elaborate. > [@Alessan](#): > > M. Night Shamalamadingdong Is it that tough to remember Shyamalan? Shee-uh-mall-un. It’s not that difficult. > [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > The Score (with Robert DeNiro, Edward Norton, and Marlon Brando) was set somewhere in Canada–Toronto, I think. Oh yeah? I’ve heard a couple of those movies are set somewhere in the United States. ---
**Author:** ![Fionn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fionn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fionn)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atypical-settings-for-movies/284285/59 "2005-01-14T01:38:15Z")
_Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy_ was released last year and set in San Diego. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atypical-settings-for-movies/284285/60 "2005-01-14T03:34:33Z")
**Tapioca Dextrin** Wow, that makes a third Salton Sea movie (if we wish to include documentaries). Anyway, the movie I was thinking of is [The Salton Sea](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0235737/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9c2FsdG9uIHNlYXxodG1sPTF8bm09b24_;fc=2;ft=20;fm=1) A film from 2002 starring Val Kilmer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atypical-settings-for-movies/284285.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atypical-settings-for-movies/284285.md?page=4)