Badmovies.org Forum

Have you ever noticed that there are certin states that always get ripped on in movies.States like New Jersey, Wisconsin (my state), New York, and Texas.Now what is it about certin states that always get them ripped on.Now don't get me wrong I I don't really have a problem with Wisconsin geting made fun of, I have do have some backbone, but I do wonder what is it about my state that it gets so much flak from the movies.Admitedly I can only think of one movie off hand that makes some fun of my state, Dogma, but I know that there are others movies that do too.
So Im asking you, what do you consider to be the states that get the most fun made of them.

Well being from Iowa, my state is either regarded as heaven or the lamest place on earth.

It can be boring for those people who have no imaginations....but I kind of like it.  Most people think corn or farms when they think of Iowa.  Yes it is true that we have alot of both but there are cities here that can be fun if you know the right people and what's going on.

If I struck it rich & became a millionaire I still think I would maintain a home here.  When you're from Iowa it kind of indicates a status symbol as being somewhat pure & uncorrupted unlike some people from states like N.J., New York & California where violence & crime are rampant.  

Admit it, when meeting 2 strangers...you hear that a person is from Iowa or any of the other midwestern states & another is from New York or California, you DO form two very different opinions in your mind as to each person's upbringing & values.
Movies in general tend to portray Iowa as a very pure & special place.

At least that's how I see it.



Post Edited (11-29-03 00:36)

Well being from Iowa,

What part? I jhave a technical interview on Monday  for "Principal Financial" up there and if I get the contract I could be there for a few months.

Cedar Rapids....(eastern Iowa) we have Principal Financial here...if you're in town....e-mail me & Brother Ragnarok & I can show you a good time!

MINNESOTA!!!

e-mail me & Brother Ragnarok & I can show you a good time!

Well, I am a married man :)  Otherwise, sounds good.  I'll let you know as soon as I find out anything.

Well I meant "show you a good time" by going to various concerts.

Iowa gets lots of concerts around this time of year & I remember you saying that you were into music.

Either way...you could get to meet some fellow bad movie lovers & watch a few bad ones with us.

Be sure to let us know.

Well I meant "show you a good time" by going to various concerts.

Iowa gets lots of concerts around this time of year & I remember you saying that you were into music.

That sounds fun.    I mostly into jazz, fusion, and prog-rock, though   So finding a name concert that would interest me might be hard, but on the other hand I love sitting in a nightcleb with a jazz or blues band playing.  I'm bringing my bass, maybe find something to sit in on..

Either way...you could get to meet some fellow bad movie lovers & watch a few bad ones with us.

That would be cool.  I haven't met anyone from the board yet

Be sure to let us know.

That I will

>Admitedly I can only think of one movie off hand that makes some fun of my
>state,

Don't know if it counts as making fun, but in Lethal Tender, the main bad guy, Kim Coates, asks the hostages trivia questions about Wisconsin to win their lives. He keep pronouncing it Wis-CONNN-sin.

Never seen the movie, but thats a good example of what im talking about.But I half to ask what the hell kind of trivia question can you ask about Wisconsin.Besides Wisconsin being the home of Miller Brewing we don't have much interesting things here in Wisconsin. Just cows and rednecks.

And cheese...

Damn't I forgot cheese, how the f**k could I forget cheese.Im a cheese head after all.Damn my self, Damn my self to hell.

I think both states AND cities are made fun of in certain movies.

New Jersey seems to come up a lot as far as states go.

I think Cleveland comes up a lot as far as cities go.

Also, "the South" comes up a lot as a region.  "Oh, you must be from THE SOUTH."  (As if all the states and people from the South are exactly the same).

In my opinion, Neil Simon is the master of poking fun at New York.

Green Bay Packers - exemplify the best of the NFL
Milwaukee Breweers - exemplify the worst of MLB

Ed Gein was from Wisconsin.  So was Joe McCarthy.  

New Jersey is probably the only one that has gotten to a punchline level.  Usually regions of the country are made fun of in the movies, not so much individual states, although FARGO is definitely a two-hour long joke about Minnesota.  

As far as regions go, the Midwest and South are probably the most lampooned.

My home state, Oklahoma, has a musical named after it so I guess we got off fairly easily, though we also got that movie KEYS TO TULSA, which looked nothing like Tulsa.  But TEX, THE OUTSIDERS, and RUMBLE FISH were all filmed in Tulsa, as was UHF!

From this side of the Pond:

New York, New York: Urban Hell, but exciting.
Maine: where Stephen King's stuff is set.  Best avoided.
The South: filled with extras from Deliverance. Talk funny.  Not keen on outsiders.
Texas: like The South, but more so.  Illegal not to carry a gun in this state.
Chicago: all residents are members of The Mob.  Except those who are police.
California: aka the rest of America.  Consists of Beaches and Urban Hells.
Los Angeles/San Francisco: Apart from the name, completely identical.
Utah/Omaha/Nevada:  Big Empty States.  Major export is desert, or ICBM's.
Las Vegas:  See Chicago, but with sand.
The Rockies: series of films about boxing
Atlanta: legendary city beneath the sea.
Florida: Population consists of Cuban gangsters or pensioners, or both.
New Mexico: like Mexico, but with better designers.

Apologies to anyone I failed to insult!

Chicago: all residents are members of The Mob. Except those who are police.

Sometimes they're both

Los Angeles/San Francisco: Apart from the name, completely identical.

In San Fransisco, the hills are covered with asphault.    In Los Angeles, the hills are filled with silicon

Florida: Population consists of Cuban gangsters or pensioners, or both.

I don't think Cuban gangsters live long enuogh to collect  a pension

New Mexico: like Mexico, but with better designers.

Pretty much :)  We'd take offense if we weren't taking a siesta

>But I half to ask what the hell kind of trivia question can you ask about Wisconsin.

As I recall, the questions weren't really that specific to Wisconsin, he just picked a state and asked questions that he knew the guy couldn't answer, like what is the size in sqaure feet, what is the population etc. When the guy couldn't asnwer them, he killed him.

Don't like to put down anything, but I must admit that New Jersey is the butt of most "state" jokes. I live in New Jersey.

North Dakota. Particularly Fargo.  Funny just because it is.

ASHTHECAT wrote:

> Well being from Iowa, my state is either regarded as heaven or
> the lamest place on earth.
>
> It can be boring for those people who have no
> imaginations....but I kind of like it.  Most people think corn
> or farms when they think of Iowa.  Yes it is true that we have
> alot of both but there are cities here that can be fun if you
> know the right people and what's going on.
>
> If I struck it rich & became a millionaire I still think I
> would maintain a home here.  When you're from Iowa it kind of
> indicates a status symbol as being somewhat pure & uncorrupted
> unlike some people from states like N.J., New York & California
> where violence & crime are rampant.  
>
> Admit it, when meeting 2 strangers...you hear that a person is
> from Iowa or any of the other midwestern states & another is
> from New York or California, you DO form two very different
> opinions in your mind as to each person's upbringing & values.
> Movies in general tend to portray Iowa as a very pure & special
> place.
>
> At least that's how I see it.
>

>
> Post Edited (11-29-03 00:36)

Here, here.  Couldn't agree more.

IOWANS UNITE!!  

Slightly off subject - You know why Iowa doesn't have a professional football team?

Because if we got one, Minnesota would want one, too.

jmc wrote:


>
> New Jersey is probably the only one that has gotten to a
> punchline level.  Usually regions of the country are made fun
> of in the movies, not so much individual states, although FARGO
> is definitely a two-hour long joke about Minnesota.  
>

You know, that's funny, since the entire movie takes place in North Dakota.

But the characters aren't from there.

ASHTHECAT wrote:  "uncorrupted unlike some people from states like N.J., New York & California where violence & crime are rampant. "

Violence and crime are "rampant"?  Ash, time for you to do a little travelling.

Right now I'm feeling persecuted for living in California.  Seriously, it's really embarassing. We're getting pretty slammed with jokes right now.  

That said, I live with a devout Texan.  This has allowed me to "hear it" EVERY time someone says "texas" with the slightest hint of ANYTHING in their voice.  My husband would therefore say that Texas is the most made fun of state.


PS: I wasn't born here... it isn't my fault.

"That said, I live with a devout Texan. This has allowed me to "hear it" EVERY time someone says "texas" with the slightest hint of ANYTHING in their voice. My husband would therefore say that Texas is the most made fun of state."

At risk of setting some people off, I find this to be totally true.  I've known a fair share of Texans in my time and without exception, they have all been EXTREMELY touchy when it comes to anyone disparaging their state.  Without a doubt the most defensive group I can think of.  I've never been to Texas so I can't offer any theories as to why, but it comes across as insecurity.

I myself hail from New Jersey - and it seems to me that NJ is the most made fun of, but that could be that I just notice it more.  But I also try to have a sense of humor about it (when people ask me "what exit?", I say with a perfectly straight face "Eleven").  I guess it beats being from some state like New Hampshire or South Carolina that nobody ever even thinks about.

Yeah, it isn't very hard to offend a Texan.  My husband goes on and on about how great the "country" of texas is and how everyone else is just jealous that they weren't born there blah, blah, blah.  

When I asked him why he moved away if it is so great, he said he had to forage out to spread the good word of Texas to all that don't know it.

Yeah.  I married him knowing this.

That's okay Kory.  I knowingly married a central New Yorker.  They have no overbearing personality traits, but have you ever heard a central New York accent?  Nails on a chalkboard, man.

I pity you, like you pity me.  Such is life.

I think pretty much any southern state is made fun of often because of their southern accent. I hate it when people think other people are stupit because they speak with a accent.

I hate it when people think other people are stupit

Probably just a slip...but it is funny...

People in states bordering Texas hate Texans for that very attitude....but any state that produces Joe Bob Briggs is okay with me.  I'm just jealous of any state that doesn't have state income tax.

I'm from Oklahoma and in this part of California [where I'm living now] I hear a lot about "Okies."  When I was a kid one of our teachers essentially told us if anyone outside of Oklahoma ever called us an Okie we should punch 'em out....

>Have you ever noticed that there are certin states that always get ripped on in movies.States like New Jersey, Wisconsin (my state), New York, and Texas?

Yes, I have noticed a trend in that particular area.  I think it is either the opinions of the screen writer or the film maker that are projected in the films you mentioned.

I for one, am sick of them taking stabs at Arizona and portraying us as a bunch of dumb yokels. What about the big cities, traffic, smog and over poulation?

What about the big cities, traffic, smog and over poulation?

You're *bragging* about thatt?  I live in the Desert SouthWest  to *avoid* that

Hey, I live in Arkansas. When I was in Navy bootcamp my company commander seemed downright surprised that I actually had a couple of  brain cells.

I have lived in Texas twice, first time out  ignorance and the second time out of desperation  and to feed my family.  When I was in Dallas back in '79 I told the guys in the office that I knew why so many people wore those cowboy boots.  " It's deep down here!"

They have that new show on Fox with Paris Hilton and  Lionel Ritchie's kid staying with a farm family in Arkansas. That' s all we can hear on radio and tv right now.

No brag.. jus fact...

Exit 9 here Eirik!
Jersey is by far the most ripped on state in movies.  The city of Hoboken alone is mentioned numerous times, despite it being a cool place to go (my guess is the way it just rolls off the tongue, plus it sounds slightly comical).  I don't take offense to the Jerz bashing though. . while certain areas of the Turnpike might smell a tad, and certain areas are a veritable DMZ, it's crowded, and the shore water frightens we occassionally, it's a great state to live in!