There Is No Place Like Home

Dorothy said it best, there is no place like home.  Do you ever watch a movie and think, "Man, I wished I lived there?"  Sometimes the setting, scenery, and location of a movie makes it feel more real.  Here are some of my favorite movies where I think the location scout got it just right:


Home Alone

pic courtesy of Huffingtonpost.com

KEVIN!!!  Every time I watch this movie it makes me feel all warm inside.  Maybe it's because it reminds me of Christmas, maybe it's because this was one of the most popular movies of my childhood, but I always think about the warmth of the house in this film.  Even when the family is all together and acting nuts, because isn't that what happens during the holidays, or when Kevin is fighting off the bad guys, it's as if the house is it's own character.  The steps, that Kevin booby traps, the den that plays the movie with the gun shot soundtrack, it was Kevin's fortress and kept him safe.  Sure a movie can be shot all over the place but a majority of the scenes were shot in one home in Illinois, enjoy the trailer heavily featuring one of the best houses in movie history!

The Family Stone

photo courtesy of hookedonhouses.net

Prodigal son, Everett returns home at Christmastime with his uptight Manhattan girlfriend.  As she gets to know the family everyone wonders what they see in this less than endearing woman.    The casting in this film is great, (a secret career choice I would love to have!), the writing is great, and it takes the audience on a journey that makes all the emotional turmoil and judgements make sense, have your tissues ready!  But again I find myself drawn to the backbone of the film, the house.  Particularly the dining room table and kitchen where the storyline unfolds and relationships are tested.  This home feels lived in with a history that will hold for generations to come.

The Goonies

photo courtesy of thegoonies.org

How could the Goonies house not be in this list?  It's what they are fighting for, their homes!!  Set in a landscape that is certainly foreign to me living in Suburban New Jersey, but that's what makes it so magical.  Oregon was as far from where I lived as possible but that is what movies do, take you on a journey in a far away land where kids can become heroes, and learn some valuable life lessons along the way.  While most of the film was set outside of the house, how can you not remember the Truffle Shuffle.  According to recent articles if you go and visit there is a sign outside that says, "Goonies on foot welcome!"

Sleeping With the Enemy

photo courtesy of hookedonhouses.net

There are 2 houses in this movie, one that is so cold it freezes your blood and the other that is so cozy it warms it back up again.   You start the film on a beach house in Cape Cod, scary classical music, and a housewife who looks a little tense.  Then you realize she lives in a life of fear, getting beaten by her abusive husband.  The house matches the vibe: bare, cold, too perfect to really be lived in.  However according to Hooked On Houses.net only a facade was built for exterior shots.  Cut to Laura (played by Julia Roberts) escaping to Iowa to be closer to her mother, whose in a home, and to be free of her husband who thinks she's dead.  Unfortunately he is too smart for that, follows her there, reeks some havoc, and ultimately meets his demise.  But her Iowa house is everything the Cape Cod is not, it's country-style, cute, cozy, vintage and breathes life back into the shell of a woman she has become, plus having a cute next door neighbor helps!

Adore

Set in New South Wales Australia and again, brilliantly casted to be believable, this is a provocative movie about mothers and sons.  The story is compelling and a little creepy as two best friends fall in love with each other's sons.  I won't ruin the film since it's fairly new and I just recently watched it.  But the back drop setting in this film is breathtaking and indulgent much like the characters themselves.  And the houses each set of families live in aren't in my scope of real-life living but much Adored (Ha...Get it!)

Home is where the heart is right?  What are some of your favorite movie houses in this story from a video store!

Movies For Grown Ups!

While I love reliving my youth through film I also love movies for or from a different generation to mine. I wrote an essay once in high school that was about living in a different era.  I chose the 60's because my mom and aunt had so many fun stories about growing up in that time and down at the Jersey Shore!  I also like to live through other people's experiences whether fictional or real life stories.  Here are some of my favorite movies for a different generation:

Defending Your Life

I love the concept of this movie!  Written, directed and starring Albert Brooks also featuring the amazing Meryl Streep, this movie takes us to the afterlife.  Imagine having to justify your entire life and decisions you have made, to either move on to heaven, or get sent back to earth to figure it all out again?  Seeing events on screen and being on trial like skeletons being let out to haunt you even though you are dead.  But what if, while in "Judgement City" you meet your soulmate?  Only to find out she's practically perfect and you are not.  So do they get to go to the after life together or not?  Watch and see!

Calendar Girls

This movie is certainly near and dear to my heart since this is the part of England that my  husband comes from! It is a true story about a group of women who throw caution to the wind in the name of charity.  It stars virtually every British actress, except Dame Judi Dench (she's in this list though, don't worry!) that you should know and love!  When one woman's husband dies of Leukemia, her friend has the risque idea to have woman from the Knapely Branch of the Women's Institute pose nude for a calendar to raise funds.  Not only do characters Chris (Played by Helen Mirren) and Annie (Played by Julie Walters) have a hard time convincing the women to pose, they have to go up against the entire congregation of the Women's Institute in London to get the calendar produced and distributed. This movie is well written and directed, you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll love Yorkshire, but most importantly you'll be entertained!



Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont

Such an endearing film and again strikes a chord for me since my grandma is now living out her golden years in a wonderful care facility.  But I couldn't imagine her not having family there to visit and support her.  Well in this movie Mrs. Palfrey has all but been abandoned in a London Retirement Hotel until she takes a tumble outside a young man's apartment.  Mrs. Palfrey and the young man, Ludovic Meyer (Played by Rupert Friend) strike up a friendship and find they have more in common with each other than people of their own age.  Based on a novel written by Elizabeth Taylor, this movie has stayed with me since I first watched it and continues to be at the top of my suggestion list.






Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

Set in London prior to World War 2 this film details the life and times of Miss Pettigrew (Played by Frances McDormand), a down-on-her-luck governess who capitalizes on an employment opportunity to be the social secretary for American actress-singer Delysia Lafosse (Played by Amy Adams).  Immediately Miss Pettigrew is thrown into Delysia's chaotic love life and experiences some troubles of her own.  This movie takes place over the course of 24 hours and has so many plot twist and turns that it will make your head spin, but in a good way.  I can't help but watch this movie when I see it's on and get sucked right into a different time when things were both simpler and more complicated, plus the fashion is pretty cool!  Also has a pretty awesome soundtrack with many of the stars as featured artists.





The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

How could I have this list without a Judi Dench film!  Well, last but certainly not least, an exotic adventure in India! Being marketed as a premier retirement hotel in India, Sonny (Played by Dev Patel) tries his best to run this dilapidated hotel but with little success.  All of the patrons have come here for many different reasons that soon become apparent to the audience.  Featuring the amazing Maggie Smith and Penelope Wilton, most loved from Downton Abbey, as well as Bill Nighy, this film speaks to a generation that is not of my own.  But is heartfelt, real, and gives a voice to those looking to leave the hustle and bustle of the real world behind.  Love, love, loved this film and think you will too!






So whether this appeals to you because you are of a certain age or because you like to watch good movies, these will not disappoint!  For the younger set of souls out there, it may just make you appreciate your youth a little longer, and love your mother/fathers, and grandparents a little more! Enjoy this older and sophisticated story from a video store!