movies | u.s.a. | – ~ wander.essence ~

I love to watch movies set in travel destinations if I can find them. Here are some movies I’ve found set in various U.S. States (This page is a work in progress. I welcome any suggestions for movies to add to this list):

U.S. States
1. Alabama
  1. Selma (2014) ****
2. Alaska
3. Arizona
  1. Raising Arizona (1987) ****
  2. Thelma and Louise (1991) ****
  3. Grand Canyon (1991)
  4. Tombstone (1993)
  5. How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer (2005) ****
  6. 3:10 to Yuma (2007)
  7. Lucky (2017) ****
4. Arkansas
  1. Minari (2020) *****
5. California
  1. Vertigo (1958) *****
  2. The Graduate (1967) *****
  3. Duel (1971) *****
  4. Play Misty for Me (1971) ****
  5. Dirty Harry (1971) ****
  6. Heaven Can Wait (1978) ****
  7. Top Gun (1986) ****
  8. Father of the Bride (1991) ****
  9. Clueless (1995)
  10. The Parent Trap (1998) ****
  11. Erin Brokovich (2000) ****
  12. Almost Famous (2000)
  13. Life as a House (2001)
  14. Six Feet Under (2001-2005) ****
  15. The Hours (2002) *****
  16. Punch Drunk Love (2002)
  17. Crash (2004) *****
  18. Meet the Fockers (2004) ****
  19. Sideways (2004) ****
  20. Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005) *****
  21. The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
  22. Bobby (2006)
  23. Babel (2006) ****
  24. Little Miss Sunshine (2006) *****
  25. Into the Wild (2007)
  26. Milk (2008)
  27. Frost/Nixon (2008)
  28. Changeling (2008)
  29. Bottle Shock (2009)
  30. 500 Days of Summer (2009)
  31. My Sister’s Keeper (2009)
  32. Easy A (2010)
  33. The Kids Are All Right (2010) ***
  34. Larry Crowne (2011) *****
  35. Hangover Part II (2011)
  36. We Bought a Zoo (2011)
  37. Just Go With It (2011)
  38. Drive (2011)
  39. Chasing Mavericks (2012)
  40. Blue Jasmine (2013) ***
  41. The Call (2013) ****
  42. If I Stay (2014)
  43. Wild (2014) ****
  44. San Andreas (2015)
  45. Steve Jobs (2015) *****
  46. McFarland, USA (2015)
  47. Concussion (2015) ****
  48. Straight Outta Compton (2015)
  49. 20th Century Women (2016) ****
  50. La La Land (2016) ****
  51. The Founder (2016)
  52. Home Again (2017) ****
  53. Lady Bird (2017) *****
  54. Bumblebee (2018)
  55. Free Solo (2018)
  56. First Man (2018)
  57. The Sisters Brothers (2018)
  58. Echo in the Canyon (2018) ***
  59. The Biggest Little Farm (2018) ****
  60. Winchester (2018)
  61. Bird Box (2018)
  62. Destination Wedding (2018)
  63. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2015-2019) ***
  64. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
  65. The Dirt (2019)
  66. The Intruder (2019)
  67. Ford v Ferrari (2019)
  68. Captain Marvel (2019)
  69. Wine Country (2019)
  70. Us (2019)
  71. Together Together (2021) ****
6. Colorado
  1. Support Your Local Sheriff (1969) ****
  2. Jeremiah Johnson (1972) ****
  3. City Slickers (1991) ***
  4. Bowling for Columbine (2002) ***
  5. About Schmidt (2002) ****
  6. Our Souls at Night (2017) ****
7. Connecticut
8. Delaware
9. District of Columbia – Washington, D.C.
  1. A Few Good Men (1992) *****
10. Florida
  1. The Palm Beach Story (1942)
  2. The Yearling (1946)
  3. The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)
  4. Goldfinger (1964)
  5. Cool Hand Luke (1967)
  6. The Heartbreak Kid (1972)
  7. Night Moves (1975)
  8. Caddyshack (1980) ****
  9. Body Heat (1981) *****
  10. Scarface (1983)
  11. Miami Vice (TV Series 1984-1989) *****
  12. Cocoon (1985)
  13. Summer Rental (1985)
  14. Edward Scissorhands (1990) ***
  15. Miami Blues (1990)
  16. Apollo 13 (1995)
  17. Bad Boys (1995)
  18. The Birdcage (1996)
  19. Ulee’s Gold (1997)
  20. The Truman Show (1998)
  21. There’s Something About Mary (1998)
  22. Armageddon (1998)
  23. Out of Sight (1998)
  24. Sunshine State (2002)
  25. Out of Time (2003) (Denzel Washington)
  26. Monster (2003)
  27. Aquamarine (2006)
  28. Marley and Me (2008) ***
  29. Dolphin Tale (2011)
  30. Magic Mike (2012)
  31. Spring Breakers (2013)
  32. Moonlight (2016) ****
  33. The Florida Project (2017) ****
  34. Doctor Sleep (2019)
  35. One Night in Miami… (2020) ****
11. Georgia
  1. I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)
  2. Gone With the Wind (1939) *****
  3. Song of the South (1946)
  4. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (1968)
  5. Deliverance (1972) *****
  6. Summer of My German Soldier (1978)
  7. Murder in Coweta County (1983 TV Movie)
  8. The Atlanta Child Murders (1985)
  9. Sherman’s March (1985)
  10. Driving Miss Daisy (1989) *****
  11. Riverbend (1989)
  12. Glory (1989)
  13. Sudie and Simpson (1990 TV Movie)
  14. Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) *****
  15. Dutch (1991)
  16. Rambling Rose (1991)
  17. Cape Fear (1991)
  18. The Neon Bible (1995)
  19. Andersonville (1996)
  20. The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)
  21. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997) ****
  22. The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000)
  23. Catch Me If You Can (2002)
  24. Undertow (2004)
  25. Ray (2004)
  26. The Dukes of Hazzard (2005)
  27. Idlewild (2006)
  28. Facing the Giants (2006)
  29. American Blackout (2006)
  30. Sherman’s March (2007 TV Movie)
  31. The Joneses (2009)
  32. The Last Song (2010)
  33. Footloose (2011) ****
  34. Richard Jewel (2019)
12. Hawaii
13. Idaho
14. Illinois
  1. Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)
  2. Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940)
  3. Ordinary People (1980) ****
  4. The Blues Brothers (1980) *****
  5. Risky Business (1983) ****
  6. The Breakfast Club (1985) ****
  7. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) ****
  8. Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) ****
  9. Home Alone (1990) ****
  10. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
  11. Inventing the Abbotts (1997)
  12. Mean Girls (2004)
  13. Christmas with the Kranks (2004)
  14. Man of Steel (2013)
  15. For Grace (2015) ****
  16. The Accountant (2016)
15. Indiana
  1. Columbus (2017) ***
16. Iowa
17. Kansas
  1. Somebody Somewhere (2022-2024) *****
18. Kentucky
  1. The Story of Sea Biscuit (1949)
  2. Raintree County (1957)
  3. Harland County, U.S.A. (1976)
  4. Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980)
  5. Stripes (1981)
  6. In Country (1989)
  7. Fire Down Below (1997)
  8. The Insider (1999)
  9. Sea Biscuit (2003)
  10. Elizabethtown (2005)
  11. Dreamer (2005)
  12. Secretariat (2010) ****
  13. Tammy (2014)
  14. Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)
  15. Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)
  16. American Animals (2018)
19. Louisiana
20. Maine
21. Maryland
  1. Baltimore
    1. Marnie (1964)
    2. Diner (1982)
    3. Tin Men (1987)
    4. The Accidental Tourist (1988) ****
    5. Avalon (1990)
    6. He Said, She Said (1991) ***
    7. Sleepless in Seattle (1993) ***** (Fells Point)
    8. Homicide: Life on the Streets (1993-1999)
    9. Liberty Heights (1999)
    10. The Sum of All Fears (2002)
    11. The Wire (2002-2008)
    12. Hairspray (2007)
    13. He’s Just Not That Into You (2009) ***
    14. Putty Hill (2010)
    15. I Used to Be Darker (2013)
    16. The Shape of Water (2017) ****
22. Massachusetts
  1. Now, Voyager (1942)
  2. The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
  3. The Boston Strangler (1968)
  4. The Out of Towners (1970)
  5. The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973)
  6. The Verdict (1982)
  7. Good Will Hunting (1997) *****
  8. The Boondock Saints (1999)
  9. Mystic River (2003) ****
  10. The Departed (2006)
  11. Gone Baby Gone (2007)
  12. 21 (2008)
  13. The Town (2010)
  14. The Fighter (2010)
  15. The Social Network (2010)
  16. Shutter Island (2010) ***
  17. Ted (2012)
  18. Infinitely Polar Bear (2014)
  19. The Equalizer (2014)
  20. Spotlight (2015) *****
  21. Black Mass (2015)
  22. Manchester by The Sea (2016) ****
  23. Patriots Day (2016) (Boston Marathon bombing)
  24. Stronger (2017) (Boston Marathon bombing)
  25. Pieces of a Woman (2020)
  26. CODA (2021) *****
  27. The Perfect Couple (TV Miniseries 2024) ****
23. Michigan
  1. Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
  2. Paper Lion (1968)
  3. Blue Collar (1978)
  4. Somewhere in Time (1980)
  5. Mr. Mom (1983)
  6. RoboCop (1987)
  7. The Rosary Murders (1987)
  8. Roger & Me (1989)
  9. Bird on a Wire (1990)
  10. Home Improvement (1991-1999)
  11. Hoffa (1992)
  12. The Crow (1994)
  13. The Road to Wellville (1994)
  14. Grosse Point Blank (1997)
  15. Out of Sight (1998)
  16. American Pie (1999)
  17. Freaks and Geeks (TV series 1999-2000)
  18. The Virgin Suicides (2000)
  19. Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002)
  20. 8 Mile (2002)
  21. 8 Simple Rules (TV series 2002-2005)
  22. Four Brothers (2005)
  23. The Upside of Anger (2005)
  24. Dreamgirls (2006)
  25. Semi-Pro (2008)
  26. Gran Torino (2008) *****
  27. Vanishing on 7^th Street (2011)
  28. The Five Year Engagement (2012) (Ann Arbor)
  29. Searching for Sugar Man (2012) ****
  30. Sparkle (2012)
  31. Love and Honor (2013) (Ann Arbor)
  32. Battle Creek (TV series 2015)
  33. Destined (2016)
  34. Detroit (2017)
  35. Charmed (TV series 2018-Present)
  36. Saved by the Barn (Docu-series 2020-Present)
24. Minnesota
  1. The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-1977) *****
  2. Little House on the Prairie TV series (1974-1982)
  3. Coach (1989-1997) *****
  4. Grumpy Old Men (1993)
  5. Fargo (1996) ***
  6. Beautiful Girls (1996)
  7. Feeling Minnesota (1996)
  8. A Simple Plan (1998)
  9. Little House on the Prairie TV miniseries (2004)
  10. North Country (2005)
  11. A Prairie Home Companion (2006)
  12. Juno (2007) ****
  13. A Serious Man (2009)
  14. New In Town (2009)
  15. Thin Ice (2011)
  16. Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter (2014)
  17. Fargo (2014-Present) ***
  18. Wilson (2017)
25. Mississippi
  1. One Mississippi (TV Series 2015-2017) ****
26. Missouri
  1. Up in the Air (2009) ****
  2. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) *****
27. Montana
  1. Little Big Man (1970) ****
  2. The Horse Whisperer (1998) ****
28. Nebraska
  1. The Indian Runner (1991)
  2. O Pioneers! (1992) ***
  3. My Antonia (1995)
  4. Boys Don’t Cry (1999)
  5. About Schmidt (2002) ****
  6. Peacock (2010)
  7. The Descendants (2011)
  8. Nebraska (2013) ***
  9. Take Me to the River (2015)
  10. Downsizing (2017)
  11. Tully (2018) ***
  12. Bless This Mess (2019-2020) ***
29. Nevada
  1. Pay It Forward (2000) ****
30. New Hampshire
  1. The Moon’s Our Home (1936)
  2. Our Town (1940)
  3. Northwest Passage (1940)
  4. The Devil & Daniel Webster (1941)
  5. The Whistle at Eaton Falls (1951)
  6. The Last Detail (1973)
  7. The Europeans (1979)
  8. On Golden Pond (1981) *****
  9. The Hotel New Hampshire (1984)
  10. The Good Son (1993)
  11. The War Room (1993)
  12. Affliction (1997)
  13. Mr. Deeds (2002)
  14. The Brown Bunny (2003)
  15. Live Free or Die (2006)
  16. The Sensation of Sight (2006)
  17. Disappearances (2006)
  18. What Goes Up (2009)
  19. Before I Sleep (2013)
  20. In Your Eyes (2014)
  21. Hedgehog (2017)
31. New Jersey
  1. The Station Agent (2003) *****
32. New Mexico
  1. The Painted Stallion (1937)
  2. Stagecoach (1939)
  3. Santa Fe Trail (1940)
  4. The Leopard Man (1943)
  5. Leave Her to Heaven (1945)
  6. The Cisco Kid and Old New Mexico (1945)
  7. Sundown in Santa Fe (1948)
  8. Four Faces West (1948)
  9. Albuquerque (1948)
  10. Ace in the Hole (1951)
  11. Cattle Drive (1951)
  12. High Noon (1952)
  13. The Duel at Silver Creek (1952)
  14. Hondo (1953)
  15. Salt of the Earth (1954)
  16. The Left-Handed Gun (1958)
  17. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
  18. Chisum (1970)
  19. Silverado (1985)
  20. The Milagro Beanfield War (1988)
  21. Gas Food Lodging (1992)
  22. Infinity (1996)
  23. The Tao of Steve (2000) ***
  24. American Waitress: New Mexico (2002)
  25. The Missing (2003)
  26. Off the Map (2003)
  27. Little Miss Sunshine (2006) *****
  28. In the Valley of Elah (2007)
  29. Taos (2008)
  30. Appaloosa (2008)
  31. Swing Vote (2008)
  32. Sunshine Cleaning (2008)
  33. Georgia O’Keefe (2009) ****
  34. Crazy Heart (2009) ****
  35. Oppenheimer (2023) *****
33. New York
  1. Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) ****
  2. Serpico (1973) ****
  3. Taxi Driver (1976) ****
  4. Tootsie (1982) ****
  5. Big (1988) ***
  6. When Harry Met Sally (1989) *****
  7. Serendipity (2001) ****
  8. Mad Men (TV series (2007-2015) *****
  9. Fading Gigolo (2013) ****
  10. Learning to Drive (2014) ****
  11. Sully (2016) *****
  12. Succession (TV series 2018- ) ****
  13. Unorthodox (TV Mini-series 2020) *****
  14. In the Heights (2021) ****
34. North Carolina
35. North Dakota
  1. Fargo (1996) ***
  2. Lewis and Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery by Ken Burns (1997) *****
  3. Wooly Boys (2001) ***
  4. Flight of the Red Tail (2009)
  5. White Earth (2013)
  6. The Overnighters (2014)
  7. Welcome to Leith (2015)
  8. Bravetown (2015) ****
  9. A Different American Dream (2016)
36. Ohio
  1. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
  2. WKRP in Cincinnati (TV series 1978-1982)
  3. Rain Man (1988) ***
  4. Fresh Horses (1988)
  5. Little Man Tate (1991)
  6. The Mighty (1998)
  7. Traffic (2000)
  8. The Ides of March (2011)
  9. The Avengers (2012)
  10. Miles Ahead (2015)
  11. Carol (2015) **
  12. Marauders (2016)
  13. Inconceivable (2017)
  14. Hillbilly Elegy (2020) ****
  15. Little Fires Everywhere (TV Mini-Series) (2020) *****
37. Oklahoma
  1. Stillwater (2021) ****
38. Oregon
  1. Lean on Pete (2017) ***
39. Pennsylvania
  1. Flashdance (1983) *****
  2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) ****
  3. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015) ****
40. Rhode Island
41. South Carolina
  1. Conrack (1974)
  2. The Great Santini (1979) ****
  3. The Big Chill (1983) *****
  4. The Lords of Discipline (1983)
  5. Glory (1989)
  6. The Prince of Tides (1991) *****
  7. The Fugitive (1993)
  8. Forrest Gump (1994) *****
  9. Bastard Out of Carolina (1996)
  10. G.I. Jane (1997)
  11. The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000)
  12. The Patriot (2000)
  13. Rules of Engagement (2000)
  14. The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (2002)
  15. Cold Mountain (2003) ****
  16. Radio (2003)
  17. The Notebook (2004) ****
  18. The Secret Life of Bees (2008) ****
  19. Dear John (2010)
  20. Accidental Love (2015)
42. South Dakota
  1. Badlands (1973)
  2. Dances with Wolves (1990) ****
  3. Incident at Oglala: The Leonard Peltier Story (1992) ***
  4. Thunderheart (1992)
  5. Lakota Woman (1994)
  6. Crazy Horse (1996)
  7. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2007)
  8. Imprint (2007)
  9. The Revenant (2015)
  10. Songs My Brothers Taught Me (2015)
  11. The Rider (2018)
43. Tennessee
  1. Nashville (TV Series 2012-2018) *****
44. Texas
  1. The Texas Rangers (1936)
  2. The Lone Ranger (1938)
  3. Man of Conquest (1939)
  4. Boom Town (1940)
  5. Death Rides the Plains (1943)
  6. The Whispering Skull (1944)
  7. Duel in the Sun (1946)
  8. Branded (1950)
  9. Night Stage to Galveston (1952)
  10. Lone Star (1952)
  11. The Searchers (1956)
  12. The First Texan (1956)
  13. Old Yeller (1957) *****
  14. The Magnificent Seven (1960)
  15. The Alamo (1960)
  16. Hud (1963)
  17. Seven Days in May (1964)
  18. The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)
  19. For a Few Dollars More (1965)
  20. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966) ****
  21. True Grit (1969) ****
  22. The Last Picture Show (1971) ****
  23. The Getaway (1972)
  24. The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972)
  25. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
  26. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) ****
  27. Smoky and the Bandit (1977) ****
  28. Days of Heaven (1978)
  29. Lone Wolf McQuade (1983)
  30. Tender Mercies (1983)
  31. Paris, Texas (1984)
  32. Places in the Heart (1984)
  33. The Trip to Bountiful (1985)
  34. Pancho Barnes (1988 TV Movie)
  35. The Thin Blue Line (1988)
  36. Lonesome Dove (TV miniseries 1989) *****
  37. JFK (1991)
  38. Return to Lonesome Dove (1993)
  39. A Perfect World (1993)
  40. Greater Tuna (1994)
  41. The Good Old Boys (1995 TV Movie)
  42. Lone Star (1996)
  43. Bottle Rocket (1996)
  44. Waco: The Rules of Engagement (1997)
  45. The Newton Boys (1998)
  46. Varsity Blues (1999)
  47. Office Space (1999)
  48. All the Pretty Horses (2000) ****
  49. Miss Congeniality (2000) ****
  50. The Good Girl (2002)
  51. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
  52. The Life of David Gale (2003)
  53. Secondhand Lions (2003)
  54. Friday Night Lights (2004) ****
  55. Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
  56. The Alamo (2004)
  57. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005)
  58. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)
  59. No Country for Old Men (2007) ***
  60. Towelhead (2007)
  61. A West Texas Children’s Story (2007)
  62. Mouth of Caddo (2008)
  63. W. (2008)
  64. The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club (2009)
  65. American: The Bill Hicks Story (2009)
  66. Crazy Heart (2009) ****
  67. Whip It (2009)
  68. Mao’s Last Dancer (2009)
  69. True Grit (2010) ****
  70. Bernie (2011)
  71. Django Unchained (2012)
  72. The Imposter (2012)
  73. Parkland (2013)
  74. The Lone Ranger (2013)
  75. Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
  76. Uncertain (2015)
  77. Jackie (2016) ****
  78. Logan (2017)
  79. The Highwaymen (2019)
  80. News of the World (2020) ***
  81. Yellow Rose (2020)
45. Utah
  1. The Electric Horseman (1979)
  2. Footloose (1984) *****
  3. Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade (1989)
  4. 127 Hours (2010) ****
46. Vermont
  1. Nothing Sacred (1937)
  2. The Trouble with Harry (1955)
  3. Those Calloways (1965)
  4. The Gift of Love: A Christmas Story (1983)
  5. September (1987)
  6. Baby Boom (1987) ****
  7. Sweet Hearts Dance (1988)
  8. The Wizard of Loneliness (1988)
  9. Funny Farm (1988)
  10. Johnny Tsunami (1999)
  11. What Lies Beneath (2000)
  12. State and Main (2000)
  13. Super Troopers (2001)
  14. Spinning Into Butter (2007)
  15. Northern Borders (2013)
  16. Ten Thousand Saints (2015)
  17. Moonlight in Vermont (2017)
47. Virginia
48. Washington
49. West Virginia
50. Wisconsin
  1. Happy Days (Milwaukee) (1974-1984) *****
  2. The Blues Brothers (Milwaukee) (1980) *****
  3. Major League (Milwaukee County Stadium) (1989)
  4. Wayne’s World (Milwaukee) (1992)
  5. Tommy Boy (Milwaukee) (1995)
  6. The American President (Milwaukee) (1995)
  7. Contact (Milwaukee) (1997) *****
  8. That 70s Show (Point Place, Wisconsin) (1998-2006)
  9. Dahmer (2002)
  10. The Prince & Me (University of Wisconsin) (2004)
  11. The Godfather of Green Bay (Marinette) (2005)
  12. Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (Wisconsin Lake) (2005)
  13. The Last Kiss (Madison) (2006)
  14. Michael Clayton (Milwaukee) (2007)
  15. Lars and the Real Girl (2007) ****
  16. Away We Go (Madison) (2009)
  17. Public Enemies (Columbus, Milwaukee) (2009)
  18. Bridesmaids (Milwaukee) (2011)
51. Wyoming
  1. Continental Divide (1981) ****
  2. Lean on Pete (2017) ****
  3. Land (2021) ***

U.S. Territories

American Samoa
Guam
Northern Mariana Islands
Puerto Rico
U.S. Virgin Islands

General USA:

Nomadland (2020) *****

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