# What is your quintessential Your Town movie? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 9, 2009, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-quintessential-your-town-movie/520640 "2009-12-09T21:37:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-quintessential-your-town-movie/520640/21 "2009-12-10T01:27:51Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > I don’t mean a movie that’s set in your town or filmed in your town but a movie that you watch and go ‘yeah, they sure got My Town right’. **Dirty Harry** then, for the aforementioned house thing, and since the geography is relatively accurate, and almost no San Francisco movie lifts a finger to do so. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-quintessential-your-town-movie/520640/22 "2009-12-10T01:29:16Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Probably **Welcome to Collinwood**. I haven’t seen that one yet. I’ll have to check it out. I was going to say “Major League”, even though most of the baseball scenes were filmed in Milwaukee and not Cleveland. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-quintessential-your-town-movie/520640/23 "2009-12-10T01:37:51Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > I don’t mean a movie that’s set in your town or filmed in your town but a movie that you watch and go ‘yeah, they sure got My Town right’. Well, your first choice was a pretty good one. I’m not from NYC, but I worked for a railroad for several years, and TToP1-2-3 remains the only film I’ve ever seen where I believed the actors could be railroad employees. As for the film that from my standpoint best fits your criteria, though, it _WAS_ filmed and set in my hometown. That would be _Slap Shot_. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-quintessential-your-town-movie/520640/24 "2009-12-10T01:50:10Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > I don’t mean a movie that’s set in your town or filmed in your town but a movie that you watch and go ‘yeah, they sure got My Town right’. In that case, since I didn’t grow up in a town and thus going with my childhood, it would be a tossup between SPENCER’S MOUNTAIN and THE LION IN WINTER. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-quintessential-your-town-movie/520640/25 "2009-12-10T02:20:55Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > Wisconsin Death Trip I know the book. Was there a movie? ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-quintessential-your-town-movie/520640/26 "2009-12-10T02:42:03Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > I know the book. Was there a movie? [Yup](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0210389/). ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-quintessential-your-town-movie/520640/27 "2009-12-10T05:04:38Z")
MADISON starring Jesus & Lil’ Anakin. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-quintessential-your-town-movie/520640/28 "2009-12-10T05:06:39Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > MADISON starring Jesus & Lil’ Anakin. I read on down. Biggirl later disqualified this. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-quintessential-your-town-movie/520640/29 "2009-12-10T05:11:47Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > _The Blues Brothers_. It shows the real Chicago. None of that Ferris Beuller crap. Preach it brother!!! ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-quintessential-your-town-movie/520640/30 "2009-12-10T05:24:05Z")
There isn’t a movie that nails Atlanta, really. I suppose maybe **Driving Miss Daisy** nails it the way it was 40 years ago, but I really wouldn’t know. Before my time. A movie that nailed my 1970s Southern high school experience was **Dazed and Confused**. I recognized all of those characters. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Shroud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/439d5e/32.png) [@The\_Shroud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Shroud)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-quintessential-your-town-movie/520640/31 "2009-12-10T06:03:18Z")
Hmm, let me know if anyone thinks of anything for Sacramento. For my adopted town of New York and Upper West Side neighborhood, I’ll go with a movie I saw recently, _The Lonely Guy_. ---
**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:** [December 10, 2009, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-quintessential-your-town-movie/520640/32 "2009-12-10T06:37:11Z")
Singles. ---
**Author:** ![Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abby_Emma_Sasha)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-quintessential-your-town-movie/520640/33 "2009-12-10T08:44:06Z")
_Peyton Place_. Really. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-quintessential-your-town-movie/520640/34 "2009-12-10T10:26:48Z")
Well, taking the OP literally, [Sylvia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvia_%282003_film%29) was partially filmed in the fishing village where I grew up (though it wasn’t set there), and [Scarfies](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarfies) was directed by a friend of mine in the town I subsequently lived in. But neither are those are about “my people”. I haven’t found a movie that speaks to me at that level. You’d need to find me a movie set in a small sleepy town in New Zealand where nothing major ever happens, and life is only a minor and unremarkable struggle. Unfortunately, not really a movie worth making. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-quintessential-your-town-movie/520640/35 "2009-12-10T11:52:27Z")
It almost pains me to say it, but _Buffalo 66_ does a good job of capturing the feel of Buffalo NY with its supporting characters and general atmosphere. I didn’t believe someone could pick up the nuances of the local accent until Anjelica Huston opened her mouth, it was amazing. Vincent Gallo comes off as a tool, but he really is a tool and he really is from Buffalo, so I guess that’s the sad truth as well. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-quintessential-your-town-movie/520640/36 "2009-12-10T13:40:58Z")
Well, **Synecdoche, New York** is one of the few to feature Schenectady, though it gets very little right other than the name. For my home town, it’s the upcoming **The Romantics** , since it was shot there last month (my mom and dad got to meet Tom Cruise). **Quick Change** has a nice view of New York City in its time period. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-quintessential-your-town-movie/520640/37 "2009-12-10T13:44:41Z")
For me the quntissential NYC movie was the original **King Kong** , but maybe that’s just me. None of the films set in Boston or Cambridge seem to me “quintessential”. They’re not famous enough or iconic enough, or emphasize the city itself enough and embody its soul. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-quintessential-your-town-movie/520640/38 "2009-12-10T13:57:34Z")
Flikken Maastricht (“Cops Maastricht” ). [Youtube compilation.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwmZz84NYTM&feature=fvst)A Dutch national cop show/social soap set in my hometown Maastricht. Did wonders for our image. Quite often I had to detaour some street because they were shooting another episode. The show cheats a bit though; they will often glue the most photogenic streets together, so that during a chase they will round a corner and be on the other side of the city. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-quintessential-your-town-movie/520640/39 "2009-12-10T14:10:38Z")
The only movie I know that is ostensibly set near me is _Heathers_. While it was set in the fictional town of Westerburg, it’s loosely based on Westerville, OH–the neighboring suburb to the one where I went to HS. And while some things were similar (the jocks were actually pretty accurate, frighteningly), needless to say it really wasn’t very close. Honestly, how many movies are set in Columbus? Generally people want to stay awake through movies. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-quintessential-your-town-movie/520640/40 "2009-12-10T15:42:21Z")
Tons of movies are set in Los Angeles but _China Town_ and _Mulholland Drive_ really capture a certain feeling for me. As for my teen years, _Fast Times at Ridgemont High_ pretty much nails it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-quintessential-your-town-movie/520640.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-quintessential-your-town-movie/520640.md?page=3)