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May 20, 2007 4:24 PM Subscribe
Please help me find some good small town/quirky character movies
I'm watching "The Englishman Who Went Up A Hill But Came Down A Mountain" as I type this. Dogdad and I started talking about other movies in the same vein, and we came up with "Waking Ned Devine" "Mystery, Alaska" "Mumford" and, of course, "Local Hero"
Can the Hive help us add to the list?
I'm watching "The Englishman Who Went Up A Hill But Came Down A Mountain" as I type this. Dogdad and I started talking about other movies in the same vein, and we came up with "Waking Ned Devine" "Mystery, Alaska" "Mumford" and, of course, "Local Hero"
Can the Hive help us add to the list?
Naked, Withnil and I, Bend it Like Beckham are all such interesting and diverse slices of London it's like a small town. Babette's Feast is super that way.
posted by DenOfSizer at 4:42 PM on May 20, 2007
posted by DenOfSizer at 4:42 PM on May 20, 2007
Maybe The Matchmaker, with Janeane Garofalo. Also, Saving Grace, which is a very funny movie.
posted by diamondsky at 4:44 PM on May 20, 2007
posted by diamondsky at 4:44 PM on May 20, 2007
Men With Brooms.
posted by orange swan at 4:46 PM on May 20, 2007
posted by orange swan at 4:46 PM on May 20, 2007
Oh, and Kung Fu Hustle is about one particular apartment complex in Hong Kong, it's got great kung fu, and there's singing and dancing. But not too much.
posted by DenOfSizer at 4:47 PM on May 20, 2007
posted by DenOfSizer at 4:47 PM on May 20, 2007
Waking Ned Devine
posted by Bora Horza Gobuchul at 4:50 PM on May 20, 2007
posted by Bora Horza Gobuchul at 4:50 PM on May 20, 2007
Housekeeping
Blue Velvet
It's a Wonderful Life
Junebug
Our Town
Paradise Postponed (BBC miniseries)
Deadwood (HBO series)
Northern Exposure (TV Series)
variation: Remains of the Day (NYC cast as a small town.)
posted by grumblebee at 5:00 PM on May 20, 2007
Blue Velvet
It's a Wonderful Life
Junebug
Our Town
Paradise Postponed (BBC miniseries)
Deadwood (HBO series)
Northern Exposure (TV Series)
variation: Remains of the Day (NYC cast as a small town.)
posted by grumblebee at 5:00 PM on May 20, 2007
The Snapper
The Virgin Suicides
Ramblin' Rose
Hot Fuzz
The Village
posted by grumblebee at 5:03 PM on May 20, 2007
The Virgin Suicides
Ramblin' Rose
Hot Fuzz
The Village
posted by grumblebee at 5:03 PM on May 20, 2007
chocolat
big fish
cinema paradiso
fried green tomatoes
the ice storm
the piano
the station agent
american beauty
posted by thinkingwoman at 5:08 PM on May 20, 2007
big fish
cinema paradiso
fried green tomatoes
the ice storm
the piano
the station agent
american beauty
posted by thinkingwoman at 5:08 PM on May 20, 2007
Green For Danger
My New Gun
Vernon, Florida
Waiting For Guffman
The Good Girl
Spanking the Monkey
Me and You and Everyone We Know
"The Squid and The Whale" feels like it belongs on this list. It's set in NYC, but it's contained to a small neighborhood and deals a few with complex, quirky characters.
posted by grumblebee at 5:13 PM on May 20, 2007
My New Gun
Vernon, Florida
Waiting For Guffman
The Good Girl
Spanking the Monkey
Me and You and Everyone We Know
"The Squid and The Whale" feels like it belongs on this list. It's set in NYC, but it's contained to a small neighborhood and deals a few with complex, quirky characters.
posted by grumblebee at 5:13 PM on May 20, 2007
Fargo and Twin Peaks
posted by hot soup girl at 5:21 PM on May 20, 2007
posted by hot soup girl at 5:21 PM on May 20, 2007
IMDb has a keyword search function, dogmom. Here are the "small town" results, and here are the "small town" plus "quirky" results (about twenty for the latter).
posted by cgc373 at 5:22 PM on May 20, 2007
posted by cgc373 at 5:22 PM on May 20, 2007
On the small screen - Gilmore Girls.
posted by puritycontrol at 5:24 PM on May 20, 2007
posted by puritycontrol at 5:24 PM on May 20, 2007
grumble bee mentioned The Snapper which is really excellent... and it's also part of a loosely connected trilogy. The other two movies are The Commitments and The Van. The Snapper is side-sidesplitting funny, and The Commitments had the most commercial success. The Van is not as strong, but is still a charming little movie.
Oh, and then there's The Station Agent
posted by kimdog at 5:36 PM on May 20, 2007
Oh, and then there's The Station Agent
posted by kimdog at 5:36 PM on May 20, 2007
Funny Farm and seconding Vernon, Florida and The Station Agent.
posted by Frank Grimes at 5:46 PM on May 20, 2007
posted by Frank Grimes at 5:46 PM on May 20, 2007
If you liked Local Hero, pretty much anything by Bill Forsyth. Watch "Comfort & Joy" at Christmastime.
posted by sixpack at 5:56 PM on May 20, 2007
posted by sixpack at 5:56 PM on May 20, 2007
Two charming seaside tales on opposite sides of the globe: The Secret of Roan Inish and Whale Rider
posted by rob511 at 5:56 PM on May 20, 2007
posted by rob511 at 5:56 PM on May 20, 2007
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dreams House
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 5:59 PM on May 20, 2007
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 5:59 PM on May 20, 2007
The Straight Story (1999, David Lynch - not what you'd expect!)
posted by starman at 6:04 PM on May 20, 2007
posted by starman at 6:04 PM on May 20, 2007
La grande séduction / Seducing Dr. Lewis. The gag is very similar to the one in "Waking Ned Devine."
posted by Orinda at 6:07 PM on May 20, 2007
posted by Orinda at 6:07 PM on May 20, 2007
In the Paul Newman/small town in upstate New York canon:
Slapshot
Nobody's Fool
posted by psmealey at 6:13 PM on May 20, 2007
Slapshot
Nobody's Fool
posted by psmealey at 6:13 PM on May 20, 2007
You might be interested in this book: Small Town American in Film, by Emanuel Levy.
posted by dog food sugar at 6:18 PM on May 20, 2007
posted by dog food sugar at 6:18 PM on May 20, 2007
Oh, you could also try In the Bedroom, though its view of small-town coastal life struck me as bothersomely outsiderish in a way I couldn't quite put my finger on.
Maybe it was the presentation of lobstering as a hobby. For well-off people. Who speak with faked accents.
posted by Orinda at 6:21 PM on May 20, 2007
Maybe it was the presentation of lobstering as a hobby. For well-off people. Who speak with faked accents.
posted by Orinda at 6:21 PM on May 20, 2007
More upstate New York, and if you watch the others that psmealey so rightly suggested, you won't want to miss: Empire Falls
posted by vers at 6:42 PM on May 20, 2007
posted by vers at 6:42 PM on May 20, 2007
Nthing The Station Agent and What's Eating Gilbert Grape. While we're on pre-titanic Leonardo DiCaprio, This Boy's Life.
The Spitfire Grill was good. Nthing The Good Girl.
I have to disagree with the Shipping News. I LOVED the book but hated the movie. I thought they took the life out of it. I can honestly say that I'm not one of those people who insists on movies being identical to the books that spawned them. I just thought the Shipping News missed the spirit of the book. I didn't get a sense that the director was a fan of the book at all.
Big Night
Chocolat
The Full Monty
Napoleon Dynamite
A River Runs Through It
Sling Blade
Pieces of April isn't strictly small town, but it seems like it could go here.
Circle of Friends
posted by jiiota at 7:04 PM on May 20, 2007
The Spitfire Grill was good. Nthing The Good Girl.
I have to disagree with the Shipping News. I LOVED the book but hated the movie. I thought they took the life out of it. I can honestly say that I'm not one of those people who insists on movies being identical to the books that spawned them. I just thought the Shipping News missed the spirit of the book. I didn't get a sense that the director was a fan of the book at all.
Big Night
Chocolat
The Full Monty
Napoleon Dynamite
A River Runs Through It
Sling Blade
Pieces of April isn't strictly small town, but it seems like it could go here.
Circle of Friends
posted by jiiota at 7:04 PM on May 20, 2007
David Byrne's True Stories.
posted by mykescipark at 7:05 PM on May 20, 2007
posted by mykescipark at 7:05 PM on May 20, 2007
The Motel
American Splendor. This is another not-exactly-small-town movie, but it has that feel. And it's absolutely excellent and a joy to watch.
posted by jiiota at 7:09 PM on May 20, 2007
American Splendor. This is another not-exactly-small-town movie, but it has that feel. And it's absolutely excellent and a joy to watch.
posted by jiiota at 7:09 PM on May 20, 2007
Any movie based on a Carson McCullers story.
Paris, Texas
U-Turn
The Man Who Wasn't There
posted by rhizome at 7:14 PM on May 20, 2007
Paris, Texas
U-Turn
The Man Who Wasn't There
posted by rhizome at 7:14 PM on May 20, 2007
Babe
Fly Away Home
In America
Bottle Rocket
Roxanne
Ghost World
I know I'm pushing my luck here, but also Raising Arizona.
posted by jiiota at 7:20 PM on May 20, 2007
Fly Away Home
In America
Bottle Rocket
Roxanne
Ghost World
I know I'm pushing my luck here, but also Raising Arizona.
posted by jiiota at 7:20 PM on May 20, 2007
Powwow Highway. Gary Farmer (from Dead Man) is awesome in this.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 7:36 PM on May 20, 2007
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 7:36 PM on May 20, 2007
Welcome to Woop Woop
and one of my all-time faovrites, the timeless Le Roi de coeur
aka "King of Hearts"
posted by buggzzee23 at 7:53 PM on May 20, 2007
and one of my all-time faovrites, the timeless Le Roi de coeur
aka "King of Hearts"
posted by buggzzee23 at 7:53 PM on May 20, 2007
How about "To Wong Foo: Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar"?
or the vastly superior Australian drag queen movie, "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert".
Though not set in a town, exactly, "A Prarie Home Companion" has a simliar feel to the movies I think you're describing. Quirky ensemble cast, cozy feeling, homespun, folksy (but intelligent) humor, etc.
Widow's Peak is a good one based on your enjoying the "Englishman".
Practical Magic, while God Awful, fits the description.
But perhaps one of the best ever small-town quirkfests ever filmed is The Witches of Eastwick. You'll never look at cherries the same way again.
posted by Lieber Frau at 10:19 PM on May 20, 2007
or the vastly superior Australian drag queen movie, "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert".
Though not set in a town, exactly, "A Prarie Home Companion" has a simliar feel to the movies I think you're describing. Quirky ensemble cast, cozy feeling, homespun, folksy (but intelligent) humor, etc.
Widow's Peak is a good one based on your enjoying the "Englishman".
Practical Magic, while God Awful, fits the description.
But perhaps one of the best ever small-town quirkfests ever filmed is The Witches of Eastwick. You'll never look at cherries the same way again.
posted by Lieber Frau at 10:19 PM on May 20, 2007
You can't get much quirkier or smaller-town than Gummo, but it, uh, might not be exactly what you're looking for.
posted by squidlarkin at 10:33 PM on May 20, 2007
posted by squidlarkin at 10:33 PM on May 20, 2007
Robert Altman's Cookie's Fortune. Not his best work but very, very good. I felt all warm and fuzzy after watching it.
posted by brundlefly at 10:53 PM on May 20, 2007
posted by brundlefly at 10:53 PM on May 20, 2007
not a movie but one of my favorite tv shows, Northern Exposure, you can get the dvd's and they are great
movie wise I say "who's afraid of Virginia Woolfe"
posted by travis08 at 11:02 PM on May 20, 2007
movie wise I say "who's afraid of Virginia Woolfe"
posted by travis08 at 11:02 PM on May 20, 2007
buggzzee23 said The Dish, which is a good suggestion. It made me think of The Castle, which probably also fits the bill.
posted by robcorr at 1:04 AM on May 21, 2007
posted by robcorr at 1:04 AM on May 21, 2007
I always loved Beautiful Girls- great performances from Timothy Hutton as a guy returning to his small home town, Matt Dillon and a young Natalie Portman.
posted by Rufus T. Firefly at 4:17 AM on May 21, 2007
posted by Rufus T. Firefly at 4:17 AM on May 21, 2007
"The Last Picture Show" and "The Year My Voice Broke" are also good examples of small town life, I think.
posted by h00py at 5:18 AM on May 21, 2007
posted by h00py at 5:18 AM on May 21, 2007
Many excellent selections here, but there are quite a few that miss the mark. Tony suburbs with sophisticated residents like New Canaan (Ice Storm) and Grosse Pointe (GPB), as well as the fictitious towns featured in American Beauty and Garden State are not at all "small towns" as the OP posted the question.
posted by psmealey at 7:27 AM on May 21, 2007
posted by psmealey at 7:27 AM on May 21, 2007
Why isn't the small town in "American Beauty" a small town?
posted by grumblebee at 8:26 AM on May 21, 2007
posted by grumblebee at 8:26 AM on May 21, 2007
I can't believe I forgot about "Breaking Away"! It was filmed in the small town I grew up in, Bloomington Indiana. (It was a small town back then, anyway.)
posted by grumblebee at 8:28 AM on May 21, 2007
posted by grumblebee at 8:28 AM on May 21, 2007
Why isn't the small town in "American Beauty" a small town?
Necessary attributes of "Small towns" such as the ones in Englishman and Local Hero, are a level of rural insularity, self-sufficiency and an essence of being lost in time that sophisticated American bedroom communities lack. The town in American Beauty, while I suppose it could have been anywhere, seemed to be overwhelmingly populated by urban city slickers whose day-time lives existed elsewhere.
posted by psmealey at 8:42 AM on May 21, 2007
Necessary attributes of "Small towns" such as the ones in Englishman and Local Hero, are a level of rural insularity, self-sufficiency and an essence of being lost in time that sophisticated American bedroom communities lack. The town in American Beauty, while I suppose it could have been anywhere, seemed to be overwhelmingly populated by urban city slickers whose day-time lives existed elsewhere.
posted by psmealey at 8:42 AM on May 21, 2007
Well, if you live in New York, "American Beauty" FEELS like a small town. The people in it actually care about what goes on in the house next door.
posted by grumblebee at 8:45 AM on May 21, 2007
posted by grumblebee at 8:45 AM on May 21, 2007
There's no doubt it shares attributes in common, grumblebee, but the examples the OP gave were definitely of a specific type of small town. Quirky, "trapped in time" places that existed outside the fabric of any external urban area. Suburbs can't really exist as standalone entities.
posted by psmealey at 8:48 AM on May 21, 2007
posted by psmealey at 8:48 AM on May 21, 2007
If you want to keep the Welsh theme going (albeit in a totally different experience), I'd strongly recommend Twin Town.
It's not for those who dislike colourful language or violence, though.
posted by Lionel d'Lion at 8:58 AM on May 21, 2007
It's not for those who dislike colourful language or violence, though.
posted by Lionel d'Lion at 8:58 AM on May 21, 2007
Running with scissors (quirky characters, yes - small town, maybe not...shrug)
About Schmidt
Me and you and Everyone we know
The Station Agent
posted by puddleglum at 9:03 AM on May 21, 2007
About Schmidt
Me and you and Everyone we know
The Station Agent
posted by puddleglum at 9:03 AM on May 21, 2007
A Simple Curve
The Rage in Placid Lake
Monster Thursday
Wilby Wonderful
Marion Bridge
All available here and, I think, from Netflix.
posted by bricoleur at 10:11 AM on May 21, 2007
The Rage in Placid Lake
Monster Thursday
Wilby Wonderful
Marion Bridge
All available here and, I think, from Netflix.
posted by bricoleur at 10:11 AM on May 21, 2007
Response by poster: Oh My!
I went away for a day, and when I checked in, there were all of these lovely responses! I suspect that I will be wearing out my DVD player over the next few weeks. And, to the debate as to whether or not American Beauty counts- for my purposes.... it sort of counts. I counts in the sense that there are just enough characters that we get a bit of backstory about all of them, and while they may live in the "big city" they are isolated enough into their own world. It doesn't count in that I am looking for more of the small town feel of things. Like The Full Monty. The town itself wasn't a charachter in that movie, but it had that small town feel to it where everyone seems to know each other and be in each other's business.
Thank you again, Hive! I knew you you wouldn't let me down!
posted by dogmom at 1:08 PM on May 21, 2007
I went away for a day, and when I checked in, there were all of these lovely responses! I suspect that I will be wearing out my DVD player over the next few weeks. And, to the debate as to whether or not American Beauty counts- for my purposes.... it sort of counts. I counts in the sense that there are just enough characters that we get a bit of backstory about all of them, and while they may live in the "big city" they are isolated enough into their own world. It doesn't count in that I am looking for more of the small town feel of things. Like The Full Monty. The town itself wasn't a charachter in that movie, but it had that small town feel to it where everyone seems to know each other and be in each other's business.
Thank you again, Hive! I knew you you wouldn't let me down!
posted by dogmom at 1:08 PM on May 21, 2007
My two cents: American Beauty is not what I would consider a small town movie. It's an explicit dissection of suburbia. Small town America and Suburban America are two very, very different things!
posted by Lieber Frau at 8:33 PM on May 21, 2007
posted by Lieber Frau at 8:33 PM on May 21, 2007
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posted by Paragon at 4:28 PM on May 20, 2007