# One day movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 7, 2004, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-day-movies/228017 "2004-02-07T18:56:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-day-movies/228017/41 "2004-02-09T20:55:27Z")
A somewhat obscure movie from 1979 called [_Scavenger Hunt_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079858/) comes to mind. In this movie a game tycoon dies and, as stated in his will, the family is to divide into teams and is sent out on a scanvenger hunt to obtain the items without purchase (many of them would be hard to obtain without buying them). Most of the action takes place over the course of one afternoon. Steven Spielberg’s made -for-TV movie [_Duel_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067023/) (1971) also takes place in one day as an innocent motorist is continually antagonized by a truck driver. ---
**Author:** ![monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monster)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-day-movies/228017/42 "2004-02-09T21:54:13Z")
**Falling Down** takes place in one day, right? ---
**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:** [February 9, 2004, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-day-movies/228017/43 "2004-02-09T23:13:25Z")
> [@Achernar](#): > > I heard that the play _Othello_ takes place over the course of 24 hours, so any movie versions of that might qualify. I don’t think so. Othello travels to the war, and Desdemona follows him. There’s other indications the action lasts a few weeks. ---
**Author:** ![HeatMiser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecd19e/32.png) [@HeatMiser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeatMiser)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-day-movies/228017/44 "2004-02-10T03:21:29Z")
I believe _Dude, Where’s My Car?_ qualifies, although my memory of the movie is oddly fuzzy and incomplete. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-day-movies/228017/45 "2004-02-10T05:09:54Z")
**Working Girls** –not the Mike Nichols movie, but the one directed by Lizzie Borden about a really gruelling workshift at a brothel. ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-day-movies/228017/46 "2004-02-10T06:29:43Z")
**One Fine Day**. It’s right there in the title. Since someone mentioned **Groundhog’s Day** , I’ll mention **12:01**. A made for TV movie based and named after the short story that Groundhog’s Day was based on. But in both movies, the very end of it takes place on the next day. ---
**Author:** ![Quint](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/76d3ee/32.png) [@Quint](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quint)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-day-movies/228017/47 "2004-02-10T09:05:58Z")
> [@KeithT](#): > > **Dr. Strangelove** is nearly real-time; at the opening of the film, General Ripper orders the B-52 fleet into Plan R from its failsafe points two hours beyond the Soviet targets. An excellent double bill for this would be [Fail Safe](http://www.destgulch.com/movies/fsafe/), which also qualifies as per the OP. Strikingly similar to Strangelove, 'tho without the comic element to the madness. ---
**Author:** ![threeorange](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@threeorange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threeorange)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-day-movies/228017/48 "2004-02-10T11:41:46Z")
IIRC, [Miracle Mile](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097889/) takes place over less than a 24-hour period. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-day-movies/228017/49 "2004-02-10T12:35:44Z")
In the animated world “Alice in Wonderland” “Peter Pan” “Spirited Away” I think “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” makes it. Although on this I’m a bit fuzzy. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-day-movies/228017/50 "2004-02-10T12:36:54Z")
[QUOTE=Fern Forest] “Spirited Away” [QUOTE] I was 0.08 seconds away from stopping myself from making this entry. It takes place over the course of several days. ---
**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:** [February 10, 2004, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-day-movies/228017/51 "2004-02-10T13:44:33Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > blah blah blah White Cast blah blah blah OK Clearly I mean to put this in a different thread. Sorry abou that. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-day-movies/228017/52 "2004-02-10T20:18:45Z")
Jeepers Creepers 2 (and most other cheesy horror films) Donny Darko Labyrinth …and on and on, I’m sure. ---
**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:** [February 10, 2004, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-day-movies/228017/53 "2004-02-10T22:06:20Z")
> [@FilmGeek](#): > > Jeepers Creepers 2 (and most other cheesy horror films) > > Donny Darko > > Labyrinth > > …and on and on, I’m sure. Can’t give you **JC2** , because of the last scene in the film. “23 Years Later”, remember? And **Donnie Darko** is a little hard to figure, because of the way it’s structured, but the film shows many different nights and days, which I feel puts it out of the running. I hereby add **Meet The Feebles**. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-day-movies/228017/54 "2004-02-10T23:06:11Z")
> [@FilmGeek](#): > > Donny Darko Donny Darko takes place over the course of about 28 days, but… At the end, loop ends and returns to the first day. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-day-movies/228017/55 "2004-02-10T23:14:04Z")
> [@SuperNova](#): > > "Forest Gump.’ Forest Gump doesn’t fit. It may begin with him waiting for the Bus in Atlanta, but it ends with him waiting for the Bus outside his home, with his Son going off to school for the first time. Apparently some time has passed between the two incidents. ---
**Author:** ![ioioio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ioioio/32/316_2.png) [@ioioio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ioioio)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-day-movies/228017/56 "2004-02-10T23:27:10Z")
[Night on Earth](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/6303614353/qid=1076455100/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-2020895-0718364?v=glance&s=video) [Mystery Train](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0792844033/qid=1076454986/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-2020895-0718364?v=glance&s=dvd) Both amazing flicks. ---
**Author:** ![PigArcher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@PigArcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PigArcher)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-day-movies/228017/57 "2004-02-11T01:00:03Z")
_Magnolia_, directed by PT Anderson > [@snorlax](#): > > I’m pretty sure _Dazed and Confused_ takes place over the course of one day and night. That makes three Richard Linklater films on this list. (_Before Sunrise_ and _Slacker_ are the others. ) I count 6: Slacker Dazed and Confused Before Sunrise SubUrbia Waking Life Tape ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-day-movies/228017/58 "2004-02-11T04:57:00Z")
You’re all right about Donny Darko, of course… I was thinking of the same day and night… How about Goonies, to redeem myself. That’s all one day, right? ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-day-movies/228017/59 "2004-02-11T12:11:47Z")
> [@FilmGeek](#): > > How about Goonies, to redeem myself. That’s all one day, right? I was going to suggest that but then I remembered that one night they went into the attic and found the medallion. So day one Chunk witnesses car chase. Night one they find the medallion. Day 2 they go to the place. Night 2 they find the ship. Day 3 they escape. Right? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-day-movies/228017.md?page=2)