06 Dec And here’s to you, Mrs. Robinson

Recently I watched the new Pixar movie Inside Out (2015) which told the story of a young girl, Riley, whose father got a job in San Francisco and they had to move there from her childhood home in a small town in Minnesota. Riley has to get used to the steep hills, the small houses and the many weird habits of San Franciscians such as eating strangely healthy things as broccoli on their pizzas. I guess I have noticed that many movies are set in San Francisco, but I have never really thought about it in the same way before. What is it about this city that makes it to be such a great backdrop for films?

For children’s movies there are some honorable mentions that need to be remembered. Movies such as Megamind (2010), The Sister Act movies (1992-1993), George of the Jungle (1997), Dr Doolittle (1998) and who can forget Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)?

Maybe you are more into dramatic movies. The old classic The Graduate (1967) is supposed to be in San Francisco, although many scenes are actually shot in LA.  Harold and Maude (1971) was set in the Bay area and many scenes were shot here. The tearjerkers The Pursuit of Happiness (2006) and Milk (2008) was also set in this beautiful city. Sequences of Interview with the Vampire (1994) were set in San Francisco. What is kind of surprising considering how booming the tech industry is around here, is how very little of The Social Network (2010) was actually shot in San Francisco.

San Francisco has also been a popular setting for horror movies. The Master of Suspense, film director Alfred Hitchcock loved Northern California and shot some of his movies and scenes from others in San Francisco Bay area. Among these are The Birds (1963) and Vertigo (1958).

It has also set the scene for several of my childhood romantic comedies such as Boys and Girls (2000), The Wedding Planner (2001), The Princess Diaries (2001), Serendipity (2001), The Sweetest Thing (2002) and Nine Months (1995).

What is your favorite movie with San Francisco as a backdrop? If you cannot think of any there are plenty of books and blogs describing all the films that are set in San Francisco and the Bay area in general. Get the popcorn poppin’; it’s time for a movie night!