The response to last week’s list has been overwhelming, due in part to very generous links from GorillaMask, Double Viking, Large Regular, Paul Katcher, and numerous other blogs and messages boards. The links have easily made this the most-read post in this blog’s history, and Ive shattered all records for visits and page views by the day, week, and month.
A few notes inspired by the comments:
– Forrest Gump takes place all over the country (DC, etc.), in addition to Vietnam, so it does not meet the 2/3rds threshold for Alabama. As for Citizen Kane, it too takes place all over the country. Dont you think I wouldve picked it if it were eligible?
– I absolutely, positively, swear to everyone reading this: except for the first scene, Fargo was set entirely in Minnesota, with the majority of the film taking place in suburban Minneapolis. I know this as well as I know the sun will come up tomorrow. And sorry to pick on NoDak, but Ulees Gold didnt take place there either (it was in the Florida panhandle.)
– Theres all sorts of debate over where The Shawshank Redemption was set, but I consider it irrelevant to this discussion because one, Im not a huge fan of the film, and two, the geographical location tends to be unimportant in a movie set almost entirely in a prison or mental hospital. One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest was omitted for the latter reason.
– One that is certainly ineligible based on my criteria- From Here to Eternity took place (and was made) before Hawaii became a state. So Blue Crush is the new choice, but only because Hawaii 5-0 was never made into a movie, and neither was the Wayne Gretzky-starring SNL sketch Waikiki Hockey.
– Donnie Darko, ostensibly set in the Virginia suburbs, was indeed better than Remember the Titans, but if you buy the Salon.com explanation, it was actually set in the tangent universe, and not in the actual state of Virginia, and therefore doesnt count.
– Im ashamed that I didnt think of South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut for Colorado, or Say Anything for Washington state. I’ll adjust the latter- trading one Cameron Crowe film for another- but not the former: BLU loses points for being animated.
– The Deer Hunter has been suggested for Pennsylvania, though I suppose theres some debate over whether it was set in Western PA or Eastern Ohio- and besides, Id say more than a third of it is set in Vietnam. As for Full Metal Jacket, about two thirds of it is in Vietnam, making it not eligible for South Carolina.
– One reader suggested Ghost Dad as the best film ever set in Washington state. Makes me wonder where Leonard Part 6 took place. As for those who picked Life of David Gale for Texas and The Postman for Oregon- very funny.
– I love Animal House as much as anyone- it was released the day I was born, so how could I not?- but I left it off the list because its geographical location is unimportant. Also, no one seems to be able to figure out exactly where it was set. And besides, theres college partying of that sort going on in every state, why restrict it to one?
– My favorite comment, of which I got several versions- I disagree with your choice, but I cant think of anything better. Damn, [my state]sucks. People said this about Utah, Missouri, North Dakota, Virginia
Stephen Silver, Writer 