Best Movies Filmed In Minnesota
Being a best film may be a matter of individual preference, but here are the five best movies filmed in Minnesota, four of which offer scenes Minnesotans can easily identify. In making Fargo, the Coen brothers, Minnesotans themselves, avoided location-specific scenes as detracting from the message of the movie. The other four films are rich with iconic settings.
Fargo (1996)
Edina City Hall
4801 W. 50th St.
Edina, Minnesota
"Yah, you betcha," the critics liked Fargo. "One of the best films I've ever seen," said Roger Ebert. While the singsong Nordic accent and the head nodding Minnesota-nice piqued our self-consciousness, the Library of Congress deemed the film "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" in its debut year. Only six other films have been so honored. None of the footage was actually filmed in Fargo. Key filming was scheduled for the Twin Cities, but later moved to Hallock, Minnesota due to lack of snow. The Paul Bunyan statue was built and filmed in Bathgate, North Dakota. Brainerd Police Department office scenes are thanks to the generosity of Edina City Hall.
The Mighty Ducks (1992, 1994 and 1996)
Mickey's Diner
36 W. 9th Street
St. Paul, Minnesota
Mighty Duck Team Captain Charlie Conway had a mother who worked at the iconic diner and she once dated Charlie's Coach, Gordon Bombay, to the Winter Carnival. While none of the three films received critical acclaim, these films shot almost solely in Minnesota became the people's choice, grossing almost $120 million.
Grumpy Old Men (1993)
Lake Rebecca
Rockford, Minnesota
Two men trapped in a friendship of rivalry create one hilarious scene after another. One bizarre scene has an angry Max (Walter Matthau) ramming John's fish house (Jack Lemmon) while John is still in it, pushing it onto thin ice where it begins to sink. That memorable scene was created on Lake Rebecca. Grumpy Old Men is set in the fictional town of Wabasha. Minnesota's City of Wabasha celebrated its 22nd Grumpy Old Men festival this February. Just to set the record straight, there are no scenes shot in the real Wabasha, even in the follow-up Grumpier Old Men.
Purple Rain (1984)
First Avenue Club
First Avenue and 7th Street Entry
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Purple Rain excites our senses viewing a familiar First Avenue Club with Prince as The Kid and Apollonia Kotero as Apollonia. Watch a little closer and you will see $37.75 on the taximeter as Apollonia travels from the Greyhound Station to the nightclub. Locals know she could have walked across the street to get there. Maybe that is why she bailed without paying. More memorable scenes were shot in the Crystal Court at the IDS Center. First Avenue Club agreed to close from "Friday, November 26th to Tuesday, December 20th [1983] for dressing, filming and strike during our filming of 'Purple Rain'" for which the production team paid $100,000 in rent, according to a letter now archived at the Minnesota Historical Society.
Sweet Land (2005)
Milwaukee Road Railroad Depot
301 State Road
Montevideo, MN 56265
Inge arrives by train to meet Olaf Torvik, whose parents had pre-arranged would marry. She meets interesting characters at the old depot as she waits for a long time for Olaf to meet her. One humorous scene shows Olaf and his friend banging on the door late in the afternoon trying to open it to meet Inge waiting inside. The Station Master yells out to the impatient young men, "Its locked." This elegant white building with blue trim currently offices The Land Stewardship Project.
Robin Johnson was born in Annandale, Minn. and graduated from Richfield High School and then the University of Minnesota where he studied Political Science, Business and Industrial Relations. A writer for Examiner.com, he also consults with a variety of organizations and individuals helping them develop and grow. His work can be found at Examiner.com.
