# what are the quintessential "Midwestern" movies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 28, 2004, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-quintessential-midwestern-movies/266547 "2004-09-28T19:35:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Freejooky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ba8739/32.png) [@Freejooky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freejooky)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-quintessential-midwestern-movies/266547/1 "2004-09-28T19:35:02Z")
Having just moved to Chicago after 24 years on the east coast, I want to get a feel for the midwest. Since I relate to reality through artifice, this means music and movies. I have the music down, but what about movies? What are _the_ midwestern or Chicago movies? Give me the vibe. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-quintessential-midwestern-movies/266547/2 "2004-09-28T19:40:04Z")
**The Front Page The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre Running Scared The Blues Brothers** ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-quintessential-midwestern-movies/266547/3 "2004-09-28T19:43:08Z")
Hmmm… Chicago feel… John Hughes films are primarily set in the Chicago rich suburbs; Ferris Buellers Day Off, Sixteen Candles, Breakfast Club, etc. The Blues Brothers is very Chicago to me or Running Scared. Chicago is quite different than “Midwest” as a whole. Midwest movies to me are like Planes, Trains, and Automobiles or About Schmidt. ---
**Author:** ![Big\_Norse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/big_norse/32/9954_2.png) [@Big\_Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Big_Norse)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-quintessential-midwestern-movies/266547/4 "2004-09-28T19:45:01Z")
Anything with John Cusack, esp. _High Fidelity_ (_Grosse Pointe Blanke_ counts as midwest, but not Chicago) _The Untouchables_ _Adventures in Babysitting_ _Chicago_ (although, much to King Daley’s chagrin, it wasn’t filmed here) ---
**Author:** ![CBCD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@CBCD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBCD)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-quintessential-midwestern-movies/266547/5 "2004-09-28T19:45:31Z")
Meet Me in St. Louis ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-quintessential-midwestern-movies/266547/6 "2004-09-28T19:46:08Z")
It’s not a Chicago movie, but you can’t get any more midwestern than David Lynch’s _The Straight Story_. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-quintessential-midwestern-movies/266547/7 "2004-09-28T19:47:27Z")
Some other notable Chicago films: **Scarface** (the original) **Hoop Dreams Eight Men Out The Fugitive Glengarry Glen Ross** (and other David Mamet films) **Ferris Bueller’s Day Off** (and other John Hughes films) **Crime Story** (the brilliant TV series) **The Sting Robin and the 7 Hoods** ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-quintessential-midwestern-movies/266547/8 "2004-09-28T19:51:14Z")
_Breaking Away_, 1979 ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-quintessential-midwestern-movies/266547/9 "2004-09-28T19:51:43Z")
_About Last Night_ _Adventures in Babysitting_ _Chicago_ 😉 _Risky Business_ Not quite Chicago but sort of midwesty: _Wayne’s World_ _Gross Pointe Blank_ How about some TV Series: _Due South_ _Hill Street Blues_ _Oprah_ _Jerry Springer_ ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-quintessential-midwestern-movies/266547/10 "2004-09-28T19:52:24Z")
Start with “About Last Night.” Pay close attention to Jim Belushi’s character in particular. I know about 2 dozen guys like that. Pretty soon, so will you. Other good choices: “Continental Divide” (John Belushi as Royko-like muckraker who’s never been out of the city) “The Breakfast Club” (A pretty accurate look at midwest suburban teenagers—people from other parts of the country find it annoying or baffling, but if you grew up here, it rings true) “The Blues Brothers” (Lots of movies use Chicago as a backdrop, but TBB is one of the few movies that really _feels_ like Chicago) “Running Scared” (ditto) “Drop Dead Gorgeous” (Go north and west of Chicago and you soon enter conservative Lutheran territory; this movie spears that culture mercilessly) “Hoop Dreams” (Documentary of two kids and their dreams of playing pro ball; fantastic movie!) “High Fidelity” (Great snapshot of Chicago’s north side, made by a man who knows it well, John Cusack) I wouldn’t bother with “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” It’s set in Chicago, but there’s nothing terribly “Chicago” about it, if you follow me. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-quintessential-midwestern-movies/266547/11 "2004-09-28T20:07:50Z")
Some other good Midwesterny-type films not yet listed: Terrence Malick’s **Badlands** and **Days of Heaven** Pare Lorentz’s documentaries **The Plow that Broke the Plains** and **The River** **The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek The Night of the Hunter Fargo Heartland The Music Man Hail the Conquering Hero Our Vines Have Tender Grapes What’s Eating Gilbert Grape A Simple Plan The Bridges of Madison County** ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-quintessential-midwestern-movies/266547/12 "2004-09-28T20:11:23Z")
_Next of Kin_ - Kentucky hills and Chicago. _Red Heat_ - Arnold Schwarzenegger as a cop from Moscow who’s in Chicago tracking down a Russian mobster, assisted by a local cop played by Jim Belushi. > [@Nonsuch](#): > > I wouldn’t bother with “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” It’s set in Chicago, but there’s nothing terribly “Chicago” about it Except for that Cubs game. ---
**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:** [September 28, 2004, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-quintessential-midwestern-movies/266547/13 "2004-09-28T20:13:47Z")
Get used to your new local political scene by watching _Night of the Voting Dead_. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-quintessential-midwestern-movies/266547/14 "2004-09-28T20:20:19Z")
An older one is _Call Northside 777_, a fact-based crime story with Jimmy Stewart, one of few movies of the era shot on location in Chicago. Also _Stir of Echoes_ has a great feel for Chicago’s working-class neighborhoods. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-quintessential-midwestern-movies/266547/15 "2004-09-28T20:25:08Z")
Henry, Portrait of a Serial Killer ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-quintessential-midwestern-movies/266547/16 "2004-09-28T20:53:28Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > _Next of Kin_ - Kentucky hills and Chicago. > _Red Heat_Except for that Cubs game. And their visit to the Sears Tower (or was that the Hancock Building? Or just some random skyscraper… Also seconding “Breaking Away.” Also give “A Christmas Story” a shot. It’s set in Hammond, Indiana, and was shot in Cleveland, Ohio. Definitely has a midwestern-town feel. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-quintessential-midwestern-movies/266547/17 "2004-09-28T20:54:20Z")
**State Fair**? **A Christmas Story** Movies that have midwestern settings/charaters but not really midwestern The main character in **Contact** was from Wisconsin **I Love Trouble** , partially set in Wisconsin **Star Trek I-VII** (Kirk was from Iowa 😉 ) For TV shows: Picket Fences was set in Wisconsin (altho in parallel dimension) That 70’s Show Happy Days Lavern & Shirley Step by Step Brian ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-quintessential-midwestern-movies/266547/18 "2004-09-28T20:54:48Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > Except for that Cubs game. And Abe Froman, the Sausage King of Chicago. ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-quintessential-midwestern-movies/266547/19 "2004-09-28T21:01:28Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > **State Fair**? > \*\*For TV shows: > Picket Fences was set in Wisconsin (altho in parallel dimension) > That 70’s Show > Happy Days > Lavern & Shirley > Step by Step “Perfect Strangers” and “Family Matters” were set in Chicago. “Roseanne” was set in the fictional town of Lanford, IL. “Third Rock from the Sun” was set in the fictional town of Rutherford, OH. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Purl_McKnittington)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-quintessential-midwestern-movies/266547/20 "2004-09-28T21:09:24Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > **State Fair**? > **A Christmas Story** > > Movies that have midwestern settings/charaters but not really midwestern > The main character in **Contact** was from Wisconsin > **I Love Trouble** , partially set in Wisconsin > **Star Trek I-VII** (Kirk was from Iowa 😉 ) The bad angels from **Dogma** were _exiled_ to Wisconsin. I guess God has a sense of humor . . . [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-quintessential-midwestern-movies/266547.md?page=2)