Where in New England is this? - Beautiful Girls (1996) Discussion

[–] 14 years ago

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[–] sweettooth616 14 years ago

It's actually based off of the town Needham, Massachusetts. The screenwriter grew up there.

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[–] 14 years ago

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[–] Naughty-God 14 years ago

The film actually doesn't make a point of the town's name, and I've seen this movie countless times and still don't find the name of the location front and center like other movies (Gross Pointe Blank, Stranger than Paradise, Doc Hollywood). It also stands out to many who live in Massachusetts that there's WAY TOO MUCH snow, which in fact throws many people off, as well as native Minnesotans who say that the setting looks familiar to them.

It's also not a real place, so the general viewer isn't going to relate to the town like they would New York City, Chicago, or Eerie Pennsylvania.

(¯`i´¯)´·¸.)‹^›

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[–] 14 years ago

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[–] Naughty-God 14 years ago

I already addressed the points in your oft-repeated response. If you can't come up with anything new then you have no case.

(¯`i´¯)´·¸.)‹^›

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[–] 14 years ago

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[–] Naughty-God 14 years ago

The location is a fictional town (Knights Ridge) in Mass., but the movie is actually filmed in different Minnesota locales. New York City is the only authentic locale utilized for the movie.

(¯`i´¯)´·¸.)‹^›

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[–] dhshoops2001 14 years ago

Actually Michael Rappaport's character mentions "the Cape" (Cape Cod) at one point....watching it now actually...there are a few other Boston references sprinkled throughout if memory serves, Channel 38, Red Sox etc etc.

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[–] indieinvestment 13 years ago

I am a "west coaster" so excuse my lack of knowledge about the East but how do we know it is set in Mass? For some reason I always thought upstate New York. I guess because the movie begins in New York City. I mean, if Willy was a musician from a small town and needed to move to the city to work, why not Boston if the movie is set in Mass? I know NYC is where actors go to make it but Willy is a musician and Boston has a thriving music/college/club scene? Right?

Rule #76: No excuses. Play like a champion.

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[–] dbdolan 13 years ago

There are other mentions around the board about Mass. references, but a quick list is:

Tim Huttons Celtics jacket.
Many Boston Globe boxes around town.
Channel 38 (a real station in EMass) movie marathon.
There are more.

NYC? A lot more jobs for musicians there vs. Boston. Only 3 hours drive or so vs. 1 hour, say, from Worcester or other suburbs west of Boston. Not a lot more distance for a large difference in population and job opps for a musician.

My two cents.

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[–] dunbar7 13 years ago

On the other hand, there are plenty of things in the movie that tell you it was definitely NOT filmed in the Boston area. Some already mentioned too much snow. Here are a few others.

A Minnesota state flag hanging over the post office during the first crane-shot.

A Schmidt's Beer sign hung above The Johnson Inn.

A place called The Johnson Inn. (Just for reference, the "Johnson" section of the St. Paul, MN phone book is about 80 pages long). In Boston, it would probably be something a little more Irish.

Ice fishing...in Boston? Same with squeaky snow.

"She's, like, a biscuit older than me..."

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[–] cowgoesmoo 12 years ago

You can also add the "Food and Fuel" coffee mug on the dashboard of Michael Rapaport's snow plow. F&F is a convenience store unique to Minnesota.

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