The United States of Movies — 51 iconic films

01 of 52

The United States of Movies

50states-movies
Illustration by Peter Oumanski for EW

Movies have touched almost every aspect of the American experience — and just about every square inch of land. EW picks the one film that best captures the spirit and story of each state.

02 of 52

Alabama

SELMA
Atsushi Nishijima/Paramount

Selma (2014)

Ava DuVernay's drama about Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) and his famed protest march uses historic locations, including the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

Related: Inside the Best Picture nominees: A deep dive into Selma

03 of 52

Alaska

Into the Wild (2007)Emile HirschFrancois DuhamelSource: Paramount Vantage
Francois Duhamel/Paramount Vantage

Into the Wild (2007)

Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch) abandons his urban life for one in nature — with tragic results. The beautiful, brutal Alaskan landscape takes center stage.

04 of 52

Arizona

MSDRAAR EC006
Everett Collection

Raising Arizona (1987)

The Coen brothers' kidnapping comedy transforms the Southwestern desert into a cartoonish world of bizarre dialects, manic chases, and a bounty hunter from hell.

05 of 52

Arkansas

TRUE GRIT, from left: Glen Campbell, John Wayne, Kim Darby, 1969
Everett Collection

True Grit (1969)

This Western, partially set in Fort Smith, follows crotchety U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn (John Wayne) and headstrong teenager Mattie Ross (Kim Darby) as they pursue her father's killer.

06 of 52

California

CHINATOWN, Jack Nicholson, 1974
Everett Collection

Chinatown (1974)

In Roman Polanski's inky noir, Jack Nicholson investigates dark deeds and darker secrets in 1930s Los Angeles. A hard-boiled masterpiece.

07 of 52

Colorado

MSDMISE EC002
Kathy Bates in 'Misery'. Everett Collection

Misery (1990)

A psychotic fan (Kathy Bates) nurses an injured novelist (James Caan) in the snowy confines and rural disquiet of her Rocky Mountains home.

08 of 52

Connecticut

THE ICE STORM, Kevin Kline, Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci, Joan Allen, 1997, TM & Copyright (c) 20t
Everett Collection

The Ice Storm (1997)

Ang Lee's glimpse into the bleak heart of WASPs in moneyed Fairfield County reveals a spiritual funk that no amount of Scotch, self-help, or key parties can cure.

09 of 52

Delaware

FIGHT CLUB (1999)Brad PittMerrick MortonFox
Merrick Morton/Fox

Fight Club (1999)

Sometimes called "the Chemical Capital of the World," Wilmington (unnamed in the film) provides the setting for this antisocial opera that rhapsodizes about explosive violence and soap products.

10 of 52

District of Columbia

ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN, Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, 1976
Everett Collection

All the President's Men (1976)

Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman play Washington Post muckrakers Woodward and Bernstein in this riveting procedural about speaking truth to power.

11 of 52

Florida

SCARFACE, Al Pacino, 1983
Universal Pictures

Scarface (1983)

Say hello to director Brian De Palma's Miami-set tale of gangsters and cocaine (and cocaine). Al Pacino stars as Cuban refugee-turned-criminal overlord Tony Montana.

Related: Al Pacino utters iconic Scarface line 35 years later in exclusive clip

12 of 52

Georgia

DELIVERANCE, Burt Reynolds, 1972
Everett Collection

Deliverance (1972)

More than just a nightmare of backwoods banjo players, this film suggests that within every upright Atlanta businessman hides a wild Appalachian hunter.

13 of 52

Hawaii

LILO & STITCH, Stitch, Nani, Lilo, 2002 (c) Walt Disney/courtesy Everett Collection.
Everett Collection

Lilo & Stitch (2002)

An alien crash-lands on rainy Kauai and learns valuable lessons about ohana and Elvis in a film that explores the meaning of sisterhood.

14 of 52

Idaho

NAPOLEON DYNAMITE, Jon Heder, Efren Ramirez, 2004 TM and ©Fox Searchlight/courtesy Everett Collectio
Everett Collection

Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

This cult classic is so Idaho, it sparked a flippin' festival there, complete with tetherball and a tater-tot-eating contest.

15 of 52

Illinois

THE BLUES BROTHERS, Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, 1980, ©Universal/courtesy Everett Collection
Everett Collection

The Blues Brothers (1980)

John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd bring the cool (and the shades) as bluesmen who burn serious rubber around the Prairie State to save their old orphanage.

16 of 52

Indiana

BREAKING AWAY, Dennis Christopher, Daniel Stern, Dennis Quaid, Jackie Earle Haley, 1979, TM & Copyri
Everett Collection

Breaking Away (1979)

Beneath the surface of this tale of a blue-collar teen and his dream of being a world-class cyclist beats the heart of a life-affirming epic about us versus them.

17 of 52

Iowa

FIELD OF DREAMS Kevin Costner
Melinda Sue Gordon

Field of Dreams (1989)

When a farmer (Kevin Costner) replaces his cornfield with a baseball diamond, the town assumes he's lost his mind. But it tees up a tearjerker about fathers, sons, and the magic of the game.

18 of 52

Kansas

THE WIZARD OF OZ, Judy Garland, 1939
Judy Garland in 'The Wizard of Oz'. Everett Collection

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Dorothy Gale might go over the rainbow but she discovers that there's no place like the Sunflower State.

19 of 52

Kentucky

MSDCOMI EC001
Everett Collection

Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)

This rags-to-riches biopic tracks how country-music legend Loretta Lynn (Sissy Spacek) became the voice of her ol' Kentucky home.

20 of 52

Louisiana

A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando, 1951
Everett Collection

A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

New Orleans is a city eternally preserved in the liquidy black-and-white lust of Tennessee Williams' pinnacle drama.

21 of 52

Maine

CIDER HOUSE RULES, Tobey Maguire, 1999
Tobey Maguire in 'Cider House Rules'. Everett Collection

The Cider House Rules (1999)

Lasse Hallström directs the John Irving novel, where "princes of Maine and kings of New England" come of age in apple orchards beneath Yankee blue skies.

22 of 52

Maryland

HS_03420F.JPG
David James/New Line

Hairspray (2007)

Perky, plus-size Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) fights for acceptance (and dance fame) in this song-filled redo of John Waters' 1988 homage to his beloved Baltimore.

23 of 52

Massachusetts

THE DEPARTED, Leonardo DiCaprio, 2006. ©Warner Bros./courtesy Everett Collection
Everett Collection

The Departed (2006)

Martin Scorsese's Oscar winner dives into Boston's underbelly. Matt Damon stars as a police department mole, Leonardo DiCaprio as a cop undercover in the local Mob.

24 of 52

Michigan

Dreamgirls
David James/Paramount

Dreamgirls (2006)

Set against Detroit's Motown scene, this adaptation of the Broadway musical follows the Dreams as they navigate the highs and lows of stardom.

25 of 52

Minnesota

FARGO, Frances McDormand, 1996"
Frances McDormand in 'Fargo'. Everett Collection

Fargo (1996)

Despite bearing the name of a North Dakota city, the Coen brothers' northerly noir is quirky Minnesota to its core. Yah.

26 of 52

Mississippi

Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger investigate a murder in a scene from the movie
Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger in 'In the Heat of the Night'. Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images

In the Heat of the Night (1967)

Norman Jewison's tinderbox Best Picture winner centers on a Black Northern police detective (Sidney Poitier) investigating a murder in Sparta, Miss.

27 of 52

Missouri

Gone Girl (2014) Ben Affleck -- exclusive EW.com image
Merrick Morton/20th Century Fox

Gone Girl (2014)

David Fincher's exquisite adaptation of Gillian Flynn's thriller captures a landscape so expansive, a woman could vanish into it.

28 of 52

Montana

A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT, Brad Pitt, 1992. (c)Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection.
Everett Collection

A River Runs Through It (1992)

Director Robert Redford makes the big skies and clear waters of 1920s Missoula, Mont., every bit as striking as a young Brad Pitt.

29 of 52

Nebraska

NEBRASKA
Merie W. Wallace/Paramount

Nebraska (2013)

A delusional father, a depressive son, a road trip to Lincoln: What could go wrong? Alexander Payne's meditation on the past offers an unlikely vision for the future.

30 of 52

Nevada

Hangover
Frank Masi/Warner Bros

The Hangover (2009)

What happens in Vegas doesn't stay in Vegas after three friends awake with no memory of the world's wildest bachelor party.

31 of 52

New Hampshire

OUR TOWN, from left: Martha Scott, William Holden, 1940
Everett Collection

Our Town (1940)

The film of Thornton Wilder's American classic visits Grovers Corners, where a young couple and their families face love, life, and loss.

32 of 52

New Jersey

Natalie Portman and Zach Braff in 'Garden State'
Natalie Portman and Zach Braff in 'Garden State'. K.C. Bailey

Garden State (2004)

No mobsters or housewives here: South Orange son Zach Braff showcases Joisey's eclectic spirit in this offbeat comedy about an actor's unconventional homecoming.

33 of 52

New Mexico

GAS FOOD LODGING, Ione Skye, Fairuza Balk, Brooke Adams, 1992
Everett Collection

Gas Food Lodging (1992)

The dusty streets and striated skies of a small desert town provide the backdrop for this tale of two lonely girls and their waitress mother.

34 of 52

New York

MSDDOTH EC004
Spike Lee, Danny Aiello in 'Do the Right Thing'. Everett Collection

Do the Right Thing (1989)

On a hot day in Brooklyn, tensions simmer, boil, and explode. Spike Lee's masterpiece is a panoramic portrait of New York City at its best and worst: every neighborhood a city, every block a universe.

35 of 52

North Carolina

JUNEBUG, Amy Adams, 2005, (c) Sony Pictures Classics/courtesy Everett Collection
Everett Collection

Junebug (2005)

This beguiling drama glows with precise local details and mysterious characters, and Amy Adams' gentle star-making performance.

36 of 52

North Dakota

THREE FACES WEST, Sigrid Gurie, John Wayne, 1940
Everett Collection

Three Faces West (1940)

This Dust Bowl saga was overshadowed by The Grapes of Wrath, but star John Wayne, playing a proud farmer, delivers flag-waving sermons worthy of this state.

37 of 52

Ohio

HEATHERS, from left: Winona Ryder, Kim Walker, Lisanne Falk, Shannon Doherty, 1988, © New World/cour
Everett Collection

Heathers (1989)

From slushies at the convenience store to explosives in the school gym, this jet-black comedy exposes the horror lurking under the surface of suburban Sherwood.

38 of 52

Oklahoma

OKLAHOMA!, Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones, Charlotte Greenwood, 1955, TM & Copyright (c) 20th Century
Everett Collection

Oklahoma! (1955)

Take a ride in your surrey with the fringe on top for this adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein's 1943 musical, featuring the catchiest anthem for a state ever written.

39 of 52

Oregon

MSDSTBY EC032
Wil Wheaton, Jerry O'Connell, Corey Feldman, and River Phoenix in 'Stand by Me.'. Everett Collection

Stand by Me (1986)

The Stephen King story was set in Maine, but Rob Reiner's adventure about four friends searching for a dead body finds wonder in Oregon's green woods and wild rivers.

40 of 52

Pennsylvania

Sylvester Stallone in 'Rocky'
Sylvester Stallone in 'Rocky'. Everett Collection

Rocky (1976)

Few visitors can resist sprinting up the 72 steps outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art because of Sylvester Stallone's testament to a blue-collar state that stands tall.

41 of 52

Rhode Island

THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK, from left: Jack Nicholson, Cher, 1987, © Warner Brothers/courtesy Everett C
Everett Collection

The Witches of Eastwick (1987)

Director George Miller brings demented mayhem to RI's pastoral estates and historic churches — with an assist from a devilish Jack Nicholson.

42 of 52

South Carolina

THE BIG CHILL, JoBeth Williams, Tom Berenger, 1983, (c) Columbia/courtesy Everett Collection
Everett Collection

The Big Chill (1983)

In Lawrence Kasdan's baby-boomer classic, seven college friends reunite in an antebellum mansion for a funeral, and to examine what happened to their 1960s ideals.

43 of 52

South Dakota

BADLANDS, Martin Sheen, Sissy Spacek, 1973
Everett Collection

Badlands (1973)

Terrence Malick's films are steeped in nature, telling stories born from the land. The same is true of his first film: a hazy, bleak rehashing of the American dream.

44 of 52

Tennessee

NASHVILLE, Karen Black, 1975
Everett Collection

Nashville (1975)

In his epic latticework set in the state's capital, director Robert Altman celebrates Nashville as the essence of America's thumping, generous, crazy heart.

45 of 52

Texas

GIANT, James Dean, 1956
Everett Collection

As big and wide as the state it portrays, George Stevens' generation-spanning family saga strides across a Lone Star landscape of cattle barons and oil tycoons.

46 of 52

Utah

127 Hours (2010)James FrancoChuck ZlotnickSource: Fox Searchlight
Chuck Zlotnick/Fox Searchlight

127 Hours (2010)

Amid a topography so gorgeously spooky and remote it might as well be Mars, Aron Ralston (James Franco) must save himself when his arm is trapped by a boulder — a testament to nerve and endurance.

47 of 52

Vermont

DEAD POETS SOCIETY
Everett Collection

Dead Poets Society (1989)

Although shot in Delaware, the Robin Williams gem about a passionate teacher at a prestigious prep school captures the rebellious nature of this New England state.

48 of 52

Virginia

SHENANDOAH, James Stewart, 1965
Everett Collection

Jimmy Stewart stars as a widower who wants nothing to do with the Civil War, until his son is apprehended by Union troops and he's forced to battle his conscience.

49 of 52

Washington

Twilight
Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart in 'Twilight'. Deana Newcomb/Summit

Twilight (2008)

The supernatural teen romance put the town of Forks on the map. Under perpetually gloomy Pacific Northwest skies, Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) finds forbidden love with gentleman vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson).

50 of 52

West Virginia

OCTOBER SKY, Chris Owen, William Lee Scott, Jake Gyllenhaal, Chad Lindberg, 1999, (c)MCA/courtesy E
Everett Collection

October Sky (1999)

You can almost taste the coal dust in this story of future NASA engineer Homer Hickam Jr. (Jake Gyllenhaal), who grew up in a mining town in the state's lower cradle — and discovered the only way out was up.

51 of 52

Wisconsin

Film Title: Bridesmaids
Universal

Bridesmaids (2011)

Friendships are tested when down-on-her-luck Milwaukee baker Annie (Kristen Wiig) is drafted to be the maid of honor for lifelong bestie Lillian (Maya Rudolph). Cue the Wilson Phillips.

52 of 52

Wyoming

Film Title: Brokeback Mountain
Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal in 'Brokeback Mountain.'. Kimberly French/Focus Features

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

Director Ang Lee's gut-wrenching love story may have been shot in the towering Canadian Rockies, but the rugged hearts of its heroes — two ranch hands (Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal) who embark on a doomed romance — are pure Wyoming.

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