Someday, you might leave Arizona. As you cross the state line, you say “good riddance” to insanely high temperatures, crazy drivers and Rafi billboards.
But then, settled into your new home in a faraway state, you get a pang of longing: You miss the Grand Canyon State. Not enough to come back, perhaps, but looking back, there were some great things about living here: sunny skies, scenic mountains, great Mexican food at every turn.
Recently, one user in the r/Phoenix subreddit made a post: “Feeling very homesick for Arizona, any movie suggestions?” U/onthevin reports that they grew up in Arizona, moved in and out of the state several times and were currently feeling a sense of nostalgia for the place.
As always, Reddit users responded with suggestions ranging from perfect to pointless.
Courtesy of Julie Asch Kareus
Unsurprisingly, two iconic films of the 1980s were mentioned frequently: “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” (1989) and “Raising Arizona” (1987). Both movies were filmed around the Valley. In “Bill & Ted,” look for shots of the bowling alley at Rural Road and US 60, Golfland Sunsplash in Mesa, now-gone mall Metrocenter and the Circle K at Southern Avenue and Hardy Drive in Tempe, which became a Corner Market in 2021.
Other ’80s films that were mentioned include “Just One of the Guys” (1985), which includes a sequence filmed at dearly departed waterpark Big Surf, “Can’t Buy Me Love” (1987), which was set in and filmed around Tucson. “Revenge of the Nerds” (1984) was shot in Tucson, too.
More recently, you can catch glimpses of Arizona in 1994’s “Forrest Gump.” U/Glass_Shoulder4126 wrote, “That scene of Forrest Gump running through Monument Valley always got me.”
U/sage-saguaro says, “Little miss sunshine had a cool sequence of them driving through AZ.” We particularly love the shot of the Loop 101 Agua Fria Freeway/Interstate 17 interchange in the 2005 indie flick.
Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures
Here are some more great suggestions from Reddit users
“The gauntlet with Clint Eastwood. Give a great look back at Arizona and Phoenix before the great flood of population.”
— u/Wanks4Nothing
“Murphy’s Romance – an absolute fav of mine. It was filmed in Florence, Tubac, Tucson and Eloy, Arizona. With Sally Field and James Garner.”
— u/Practical_Cricket_22
“I see your Tombstone and will raise you Fire in the Sky. I go camping in that area every year and still haven’t found those Alien bastards.”
— u/Goose_Biscuits11
“Everything Must Go takes place in Scottsdale I think, there’s a scene where he drives through Papago. It’s a little slow and a little sad since it’s about a divorce but it’s interesting enough and I think it’ll hit the spot for some AZ suburb feelings.”
— u/slobs_burgers
“Hamlet 2 is set in Tucson and is such an underrated gem. It’s hilarious.”
— u/blondebruja