# Movies list for a kid going to Scotland for Uni **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 19, 2015, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-list-for-a-kid-going-to-scotland-for-uni/715413 "2015-03-19T19:29:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-list-for-a-kid-going-to-scotland-for-uni/715413/21 "2015-03-20T08:46:05Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > Get him to watch **Still Game** which is the funniest sitcom I’ve ever seen. I was going to mention this, and its previous sketch based show “Chewin the fat”, which has a lot of scottish references… ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-list-for-a-kid-going-to-scotland-for-uni/715413/22 "2015-03-20T08:49:59Z")
> [@Lord\_Mondegreen](#): > > Well, since we’ve covered two of the early '80s Bill Forsyth movies, we might as well go for the third. There was one I was going to mention because I thought it was a Bill Forsyth movie, but turns out it isn’t, but is a similar style and around the time: [Restless Natives](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089904/?ref_=nv_sr_1) A couple of teenagers drive around scotland on a motorbike and rob the tourists with novelty toy items. Yet do it politely and become folk heros, just taking some valuables. Good fun… To the music of Big Country, a long forgotten but good scottish band… ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-list-for-a-kid-going-to-scotland-for-uni/715413/23 "2015-03-20T08:52:45Z")
One more obscure, and not fully scottish (got a welshman in it): [Absolutely](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Absolutely-Everything-DVD-Peter-Baikie/dp/B0015B04J0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426841478&sr=8-1&keywords=absolutely) Late 80’s, early 90’s pythonesque comedy, a lot of Scottish humour including a scottish poet who hates the english, who writes anti english poetry and goes to the border with England to shout abuse… ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-list-for-a-kid-going-to-scotland-for-uni/715413/24 "2015-03-20T09:03:09Z")
[Breaking the waves](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115751/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1). A sad but good drama about a woman on a scottish island… A couple of excellent cult ones with Evan McGregor, filmed in between his big roles: [Young Adam](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289635/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_38) The story of a man working on the river and murder in Glasgow in the 60s. [Perfect Sense](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1439572/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_17). A tale of the end of the world, set in Glasgow, where the world ends one sense at a time (taste first, smell next etc). Absolutely EXCELLENT. Various ones: [The big man](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099136/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1), starring Liam Neeson and Billy Connolly. [Filth](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1450321/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) (another Irvine Welsh (trainspotting) adaptation with James Macavoy. Ken Loach does a bunch of them, but they can be pretty grim, such as [My name is Joe](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Name_Is_Joe) ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-list-for-a-kid-going-to-scotland-for-uni/715413/25 "2015-03-20T09:47:35Z")
[Angel’s Share](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1924394/) is probably the most upbeat Ken Loach movie. Good on urban vs rural Scotland. Velvet Soup was a [brilliant](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1CoQgX3b3U) sketch show from c.2001. More recently Burnistoun showcases good Scottish humour - including this on the [difficulties Scots face making themselves understood](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAz_UvnUeuU). And a definite must, from some of the same team: [Insane Fight Club](http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01qv39d) ---
**Author:** ![Scougs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scougs/32/3158_2.png) [@Scougs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scougs)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-list-for-a-kid-going-to-scotland-for-uni/715413/26 "2015-03-20T11:22:29Z")
Some may scoff, but I would also recommend Highlander. The scenes shot at Eilean Donan Castle, Glencoe and the white sands of Morar would make anyone want to visit there. Local Hero is another excellent choice, but be aware the village and the beach which appear adjacent in the film are actually filmed on opposite coasts of the country - Camusdarach beach and the village of Pennan. I have no idea if you can get hold of it in the States, but I would also recommend the TV adaptations of the [Rebus](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebus_%28TV_series%29) series of books. Set and filmed in Edinburgh, they give a pretty good overview of the city. Well, with maybe a little more murder than actually happens here. Anything you want to know about Edinburgh as a potential destination for a student, ask away. ---
**Author:** ![Double\_Foolscap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85e7bf/32.png) [@Double\_Foolscap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Double_Foolscap)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-list-for-a-kid-going-to-scotland-for-uni/715413/27 "2015-03-20T11:38:19Z")
[Doomsday](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0483607/). The last act of _Skyfall_. ---
**Author:** ![MickNickMaggies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/59ef9b/32.png) [@MickNickMaggies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MickNickMaggies)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-list-for-a-kid-going-to-scotland-for-uni/715413/28 "2015-03-20T11:40:07Z")
Oh, goodness, if we’re doing **Rebus** , then **Taggart**! It’s Glasgow, yeah.,.but I love it. And, of course, the beach run at the start of **Chariots of Fire** is St Andrews (though the film isn’t set there). ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-list-for-a-kid-going-to-scotland-for-uni/715413/29 "2015-03-20T12:47:00Z")
> [@Scougs](#): > > Some may scoff, but I would also recommend Highlander I scoff. I tried watching it a few years ago and its unwatchable… Ok, so its got a Scotsman pretending to be Spanish and a Frenchman pretending to be a Scot, but only bits of it, the flashbacks, are supposed to be in Scotland… Isn’t it all getting a bit off topic when its things like “well, that wee bit is in scotland, but the rest of the film isn’t?”. I thought it was about scottish films… And thinking about it, The film Perfect Sense is wonderful. Forget that its set in Scotland, its wonderful, sad and poignant. A bit high concept, but hell it works… ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-list-for-a-kid-going-to-scotland-for-uni/715413/30 "2015-03-20T14:42:29Z")
“The Illusionist” - It’s animated, but the drawings of Edinburgh are beautiful. Have a [look](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSgNZ6R5Rbg). ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-list-for-a-kid-going-to-scotland-for-uni/715413/31 "2015-03-20T15:02:21Z")
[Death Watch](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081182/?ref_=ttpl_pl_tt) is pretty good; it’s set in the future mainly in Glasgow but there’s a road trip to some unidentified part of the west coast. **Brond** was a 3 part thriller set in Glasgow; opening section [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWT0i4ZKTVU). he main character’s a student in Glasgow. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-list-for-a-kid-going-to-scotland-for-uni/715413/32 "2015-03-20T15:10:11Z")
Whisky Galore. ---
**Author:** ![Scougs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scougs/32/3158_2.png) [@Scougs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scougs)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-list-for-a-kid-going-to-scotland-for-uni/715413/33 "2015-03-20T15:40:09Z")
> [@Smid](#): > > I scoff. I tried watching it a few years ago and its unwatchable… Ok, so its got a Scotsman pretending to be Spanish and a Frenchman pretending to be a Scot, but only bits of it, the flashbacks, are supposed to be in Scotland… > > Isn’t it all getting a bit off topic when its things like “well, that wee bit is in scotland, but the rest of the film isn’t?”. I thought it was about scottish films… > > And thinking about it, The film Perfect Sense is wonderful. Forget that its set in Scotland, its wonderful, sad and poignant. A bit high concept, but hell it works… Highlander has more genuine Scottish scenery than Braveheart. And about as much genuine Scottish history 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-list-for-a-kid-going-to-scotland-for-uni/715413/34 "2015-03-20T15:45:28Z")
**Brigadoon**. Totally authentic. Although now I’ve got “Donny Mooooost, Doooonny Mooost” stuck in my head. Damn you, Seth McFarlane! ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-list-for-a-kid-going-to-scotland-for-uni/715413/35 "2015-03-20T22:29:42Z")
Has Macbeth been mentioned yet? ---
**Author:** ![GreenElf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-list-for-a-kid-going-to-scotland-for-uni/715413/36 "2015-03-21T05:19:18Z")
The Wicker Man (soundtrack includes Robert Burns’ “Corn Rigs”). And scenes in Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and other well-known movies were filmed in Scotland. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-list-for-a-kid-going-to-scotland-for-uni/715413/37 "2015-03-21T05:58:06Z")
> [@Algher](#): > > Already planned viewings: > > - Braveheart “Nothing says Scotland like a millionaire Australian antisemite.” William Wallace was the Marshal of Scotland, uniting all the clans against foreign aggressors was the mans job, he wasn’t some scrubby farmer. He was a noble, he would have been dressed in plate mail with plenty of banners and gold leaf in every battle, which by the by are all silly in the movie. But, hey, watch it for the learning. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-list-for-a-kid-going-to-scotland-for-uni/715413/38 "2015-03-21T13:18:37Z")
Dog Soldiers ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-list-for-a-kid-going-to-scotland-for-uni/715413/39 "2015-03-21T13:34:09Z")
> [@Ms\_Boods](#): > > Dog Soldiers Shhhhhhh! We try and not let visitors know about our werewolf infestation! ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-list-for-a-kid-going-to-scotland-for-uni/715413/40 "2015-03-21T13:39:42Z")
Although it’s set in Swansea, Wales, and not Scotland, [Twin Town](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120394/) has the quirkiness and grit of a Scottish ‘realistic’(ish) film. And there’s [The Full Monty](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119164/?ref_=nv_sr_1) which is set in Sheffield, England and is also a gritty, working class comedy. Both are funny and kind of realistic. Although they’re set in different countries, we aren’t all that different. Jocks don’t go to work wearing a kilt and playing the bagpipes, Taffs don’t ride to school on a sheep and eating leaks, and Limeys don’t ride horses to work, wearing a top hat and saying tally ho. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-list-for-a-kid-going-to-scotland-for-uni/715413.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-list-for-a-kid-going-to-scotland-for-uni/715413.md?page=3)