# Nitpick the 50 states' movies -- especially your own **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 4, 2014, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-the-50-states-movies-especially-your-own/692366 "2014-07-04T21:05:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-the-50-states-movies-especially-your-own/692366/81 "2014-07-06T01:54:17Z")
Pennsylvania boy checking in. Deer Hunter way before Groundhog Day. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-the-50-states-movies-especially-your-own/692366/82 "2014-07-06T02:00:47Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > Pennsylvania boy checking in. Deer Hunter way before Groundhog Day. How about _1776_? ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-the-50-states-movies-especially-your-own/692366/83 "2014-07-06T02:13:42Z")
I’ve never seen Meet Me In St. Louis, so I don’t know if it would be more appropriate Missouri film than Waiting For Guffman. My immediate preference would be for Winter’s Bone over Guffman, since it’s a better film. I’m not sure if Winter’s Bone specifies Missouri, rather than just “The Ozarks”, but most reviewers who mention a state say Missouri. Of course neither film shows Missourians in a good light, but that doesn’t matter to me. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-the-50-states-movies-especially-your-own/692366/84 "2014-07-06T02:23:55Z")
In my experience, _Oklahoma!_ is a realistic representation of life in the state. Seriously, lots of singing, corn as high as an elephant’s eye, barnyard ballet, etc… ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-the-50-states-movies-especially-your-own/692366/85 "2014-07-06T02:45:57Z")
Iowa should be\* The Music Man\*. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-the-50-states-movies-especially-your-own/692366/86 "2014-07-06T03:37:56Z")
> [@Baal\_Houtham](#): > > I’ve never seen Meet Me In St. Louis, so I don’t know if it would be more appropriate Missouri film than Waiting For Guffman. > > My immediate preference would be for Winter’s Bone over Guffman, since it’s a better film. I’m not sure if Winter’s Bone specifies Missouri, rather than just “The Ozarks”, but most reviewers who mention a state say Missouri. > > Of course neither film shows Missourians in a good light, but that doesn’t matter to me. I support your choice with two thumbs up! For the same reason I like _Walking Tall_ and _Sling Blade_ and others in the same vein: real life. Not the Hollywood version of “let’s make everybody want to sing and dance.” _Winter’s Bone_ is why I believe \*\* Jennifer Lawrence\*\* has the potential to be her generation’s **Meryl Streep** if she keeps her eye on the prize. ETA: That’s not a dig at you, **AH** , because I just now saw your thing about _Oklahoma!_ ---
**Author:** ![crucible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@crucible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crucible)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-the-50-states-movies-especially-your-own/692366/87 "2014-07-06T12:15:59Z")
I can’t think of Michigan movies without first considering ‘Roger and Me’ ---
**Author:** ![crucible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@crucible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crucible)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-the-50-states-movies-especially-your-own/692366/88 "2014-07-06T12:21:56Z")
All this talk about Chicago Suburbs…Aurora, for example…is really just a big suburb. The real second city of Illinois is my birthplace, Peoria. No one ever wrote a song about Aurora. CHORUS 1: Oh, how I wish I was in Peoria, Peoria tonight! Oh, how I miss the goils in Peoria, Peoria tonight! Oh, you can pick a morning Gloria (Yes, yes!) Right off the sidewalks of Peoria. Oh, how I wish I was in Peoria, Peoria tonight! full lyrics…[http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=29894](http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=29894) ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-the-50-states-movies-especially-your-own/692366/89 "2014-07-06T12:26:05Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > North by Northwest instead of Terrence Malik’s Badlands. > > What About Bob instead of Our Town > > Field of Dreams instead of anything by William Inge. > > Giant by Edna Ferber instead of something by Larry McMurtry, Cormac McCarthy, Horton Foote. > > Etc., etc. I’m not going to disagree with you. I just want to say that “The Town” (not “Our Town”) has become one of my most favorite movies. The female lead was played by Rebecca Hall and she was very memorable. Very beautiful. If anyone else appreciated her performance, I’d like to suggest you try A Bag of Hammers (2011) She has a large part and does a good job. There is one scene where she plays a wait staff in a pancake restaurant where they force the wait staff to greet patrons by doing a silly dance where they have to wiggle their hips and smile. If you like Rebecca Hall, I think you will remember that scene for many years to come. It’s not exactly a great film. But it was plenty entertaining and she did a fine job. ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-the-50-states-movies-especially-your-own/692366/90 "2014-07-07T14:05:09Z")
> [@chicagowhitesox1173](#): > > Illinois has tons of good movies to choose from. > > Home Alone > Risky Business > The Sting > Waynes World > The Breakfast Club > Ferris Buellers Day Off > Midnight Run > The Untouchables > Eight Men Out > Candyman > Halloween > Childs Play > Blues Brothers > Planes Trains and Automobiles > Weird Science > The Fugitive > A few Batman movies > One of the Superman movies > Spiderman > Meet the Parents > > Looking at this list makes me wonder if there’s movies made downstate now None of those films are contestable. If you thought of Mary Tyler Moore as Laura Petrie or Mary Richards, she has a gigantic “fuck you” waiting in _Ordinary People_. And she wasn’t even the best performer. _Ordinary People_ should be a film school study, at every institution. It outclasses every movie you’ve listed here collectively, except, maybe, _Meet the Parents_. Correction, including _Meet the Parents_. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-the-50-states-movies-especially-your-own/692366/91 "2014-07-07T14:42:09Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > I’m happy to have the Coen brothers’ _ **Fargo** _ on the list, but i’d put it in for Minnesota, considering that the vast majority of the story takes place there, and most of the movie was also filmed there. They would’ve had to change the name to _Brainerd_. California: I’m okay with _American Graffiti._ The love/hate relationship between San Francisco and everywhere else in the state (which everywhere else in the state doesn’t seem to be aware of…) makes any movie hard to pin down as being definitively California. At least _American Graffiti_ is innocuous enough that it could be about any town just a short trip from the city, whatever the local city is. I’m also glad they didn’t pick _Kalifornia._ ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-the-50-states-movies-especially-your-own/692366/92 "2014-07-07T14:46:51Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > \<\< snipped \>\> > > I’m also glad they didn’t pick _Kalifornia._ “Put your titty up, Adele.” ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-the-50-states-movies-especially-your-own/692366/93 "2014-07-07T14:55:14Z")
Wisconsin should have been the documentary. “American Movie” and I’ll fight anybody that says otherwise. “IT’S ALRIGHT! IT’S OK! YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO LIVE FOR!” ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-the-50-states-movies-especially-your-own/692366/94 "2014-07-07T15:01:44Z")
> [@crucible](#): > > Or, maybe, something about small town Ohio love for Football! Can’t find a great example, though there have been a number of excellent documentaries. > > Bye Bye Birdie was about a small town in Ohio, filmed in Ohio. How about Major League? ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-the-50-states-movies-especially-your-own/692366/95 "2014-07-07T15:21:40Z")
Not for nothing, I always thought _The Fugitive_ worked well as something of a microcosm of Illinois. In the beginning of the movie, in scenes dealing with the train crash and its aftermath, you really get a sense of what some of the more unsavory portions of downstate Illinois can be like, particularly in the winter. Yes, I know that the “downstate” scenes were filmed in North Carolina, but parts of downstate Illinois, particularly _way_ down south, do actually look like that. Then you get to the Chicago portion of the movie, which shows Chicago’s grandiosity and also its underbelly. Related: The site of the train wreck scene is still there, and you can walk right up to it and look around if you want. In North Carolina. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/AJWdMm8J0lc/maxresdefault.jpg "The Fugitive Train Wreck Remains - LEFT TO ROT") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJWdMm8J0lc) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-the-50-states-movies-especially-your-own/692366.md?page=4)