Comingsoon.net is headed to the rust belt to figure out the very best examples of Midwestern movies. Check out our picks in the gallery below!
It’d be impossible to put a number to just how many films take place on the east and west coasts. New York and Los Angeles have to be the two most-mined locations in film history, no doubt. It’s not surprising—the cities are beautiful and lush and full of all kinds of great inspiration—but it’s worth considering the films of the American Midwest, for sure.
Sofia Coppola, Richard Linklater, the Coen Brothers, Terrence Malick, even David Lynch—all have found it within themselves to show some love to the Midwestern states and all their glory. From fields of wheat to podunk towns to simple country living, these are the most quintessential Midwestern films.
Midwest films
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A History of Violence (2005)
David Cronenberg is the body horror master, but that doesn’t mean he can’t handle a (mostly) straightforward drama. A History of Violence epitomizes the experience of a Midwestern small-town nobody who suddenly becomes a hero.
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American Movie (1999)
The only documentary on the list, American Movie is exactly what the title suggests (while still leaving room for surprises)—a look at the hopes and dreams of those who feel stuck in the Midwest.
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Badlands (1973)
Terrence Malick shoots nature and captures moods like no one else—his debut Badlands proved this to the world.
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Blood Simple (1984)
The first film from the Coen Brothers, Blood Simple lays everything these two are about all out on the table—Midwestern values, small-town crime, and pitch-black humor.
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Fargo (1996)
The Coen Brothers have touched on almost every part of the United States, but their best stuff seems to come out of the Midwest. Fargo is the prime example.
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Nebraska (2013)
The most recent film in this slideshow by a significant margin, Nebraska is Alexander Payne’s tribute to fathers, sons, and the bleak landscape of the northern regions of the Midwest.
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Paper Moon (1973)
Peter Bogdanovich has a lot of famous Hollywood friends, plenty of which were made while making his various films. Paper Moon might be his very best, following a man tasked with returning a young girl to her Midwestern home in the early 20th century.
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Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987)
John Hughes practically carved out an entire corner of the comedy world throughout the 80s, with one such example being Planes, Trains, and Automobiles—a Thanksgiving comedy that expertly encapsulates everything that the holiday entails to Midwestern families everywhere.
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The Straight Story (1999)
David Lynch has made a name for himself in the world of ominous, atmospheric mysteries—The Straight Story is a total departure, though. It’s a movie about family that packs a real emotional punch.
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The Virgin Suicides (1999)
Sofia Coppola perfectly captured the feel of suppressed desires and teenage feelings in Midwestern suburbia with her magnificent debut The Virgin Suicides.
