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Oftentimes, we turn to cinema for escapism. To seek a feeling that feels warm and familiar, so we can just hunker down with a cup of coffee and get lost in a world so beautiful and simple it makes us forget about our own problems for a few hours. Such is the magic of small-time life when it is depicted on the silver screen. They provide a place to slow down, self-reflect, observe human nature, and connect with something genuine.
Small towns are known to breed beautiful and unparalleled eccentricities because people have nowhere to hide. The proximity allows everyone to see the good, the bad, and the different in one another. There is comfort in knowing and being known, in sailing the same boat through life’s many seasons. And cinema captures all this in a charming and poignant way.
The simplicity of small-town settings allows filmmakers to home in on crazy adventures, soft dramas, and modest dangers underneath the daily mundanity. So, if you are yearning for stories stuffed with a kind of uncomplicated wisdom that only emerges from time and traditions, turn to these quintessential films that capture the beauty of small towns. Because despite being unremarkable, they hold a magic worth seeking.
25 Sweet Home Alabama (2002)
Melanie is a big fashion designer with unusual roots. She has a perfect life and is ready to get engaged to the most eligible bachelor in town, but her seemingly perfect future gets too complicated when an old flame Jake, the man she married in high school, steps back into her life. Sweet Home Alabama is set in the backwater town of Pigeon Creek, Alabama, and the movie features flashbacks that reveal Melanie’s life growing up – trapped between liking the simplicity but secretly wanting more. From her spirited family to her crazy friends, her life was far from dull. Despite towers of ambition and apparent chaos, the Andy Tennant film manages to portray lives filled with joy, heartache, and colorful personalities shaped by Southern values and community ties.
24 It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
Allowing a glimpse into Bedford Falls, a quintessential American small town, through the eyes of Geoge Bailey, a man desperately wishing he had never been born, It’s A Wonderful Life celebrates the mere act of existing and contributing trivially to society. As an angel shows Bailey what the world, especially his town, would be like had he never been alive, he witnesses the deep impact of small and simple good deeds and realizes the importance of human connection. Frank Capra imbues the film with the magic of a small town and a caring community to show that life lies not in grand dreams but in the difference one ordinary person can make through selfless giving.
23 What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)
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Set against the endless stretches of road that tie together the fictitious town of Endora, Iowa, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape follows Gilbert, stuck caring for his developmentally disabled brother, Arnie, and overweight mother, Bonnie, in a place where 'nothing ever happens.' His dull and uninspiring routine is upended by a traveling free spirit named Becky, who he falls in love with. Her fresh outlook on life challenges his assumptions while the movie reminds us, through a newcomer’s eyes, how our capacity for joy and wonder is right under our noses if only we choose to really see. With phenomenal performances from Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, Juliette Lewis, and Darlene Cates, the movie is a deep and tragic tale of reality.
22 The Virgin Suicides (1999)
The Virgin Suicides is set in 1970s suburban Grosse Pointe, Michigan, where five beautiful yet mysterious teenage Lisbon sisters become the talk of their sleepy town after the youngest attempts suicide. Through the eyes of the neighborhood boys who obsess over the girls, we witness the stifling conformity and expectations placed on women right from the age of adolescence. Ultimately, all five sisters meet tragic ends. From the outside, the movie offers picturesque views, but upon close inspection, one realizes the painfully monotonous and suffocating breeding in the girls, a deep yearning for something more.
21 Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995)
An exploration of the complexities and pain of growing up as the middle child in a dysfunctional family through the eyes of an awkward middle school girl named Dawn Weiner, Welcome to the Dollhouse revolves around her life as she desperately tries to fit in at school and at home while the ruthless social system of childhood constantly walks over her and rejects her. Dawn feels like an outsider in the idyllic suburban town and at every step of her life, is faced with the nerve-wracking world of cruelty for the misfits who don't meet expectations. The movie, in all its honesty, is a tragicomedy that resonates with the audiences and evokes empathy in them.
20 Notting Hill (1999)
Starring the king and queen of ‘90s romance is this classic movie where a chance encounter between Julia Roberts' Anna Scott, a movie star character, and shopkeeper William Thacker, played by Hugh Grant, opens an enchanting door into the ups and downs of star-crossed love. Set against the charming and quirky backdrop of West London’s Notting Hill, a neighborhood that clings very dearly to its village-like community feel, their beautiful relationship shows how impossible it is to build intimacy when life orbits in the spotlight, and the other remains grounded in simplicity and stability. Notting Hill has given many fans the dream of owning a bookshop and hoping their once-in-a-lifetime romance will walk through the door and into their lives. After all, if two people are meant for each other, no fame or fortune can ultimately keep them apart.
19 The Half of It (2020)
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The Half of It dropped as an incredible coming-of-age queer story on Netflix back in 2020. And while it remains underseen, the movie has a lot of things going for itself. Set in Squahamish, a sleepy town in Washington state, it follows the unlikely friendship between Ellie Chu, a studious Chinese-American teenager, and Paul, a sweet yet dumb jock who hires her to help woo the most popular girl in school. Turns out, Ellie is also harboring feelings for this girl, and what follows is an astonishingly beautiful turn of events. Their tight-knit community comes alive through eccentric characters who become like family to Ellie, helping fill the void left by her own. Ultimately, the warm, fuzzy story shows how easy it is to feel alone in this world, yet how simple it is to reach out to hold someone’s hand and feel less alone.
18 Stand by Me (1986)
Four Oregon boys, Gordie, Chris, Teddy, and Vern, set out on a journey to find the dead body of a missing boy who was hit by a train while plucking blueberries in the wild, having the greatest adventure of their young lives along the way. Stand by Me is a film that beautifully captures the boys’ precise knowledge of their small town, of back roads, hiding spots, and eccentric people they’ve known all their lives. In a way, it reminds us of our own time exploring our hometown and finding unique spots to hang out, the best places to eat cheap at. Their close friendship, built over years of going around exploring every nook and cranny, is a testament to the safety found in boyhood camaraderie. Moreover, if you think about it, the dead kid also acts as a metaphor for childhood itself – gone but never forgotten.
17 Gone Girl (2014)
Directed by David Fincher, Gone Girl is a spectacular psychological thriller based on the 2012 Gillian Flynn novel of the same name. The plot goes something like this – when Amy suddenly disappears on her fifth wedding anniversary, all eyes fall on her seemingly perfect husband, Nick as the prime suspect. The couple living in the picture-perfect town of North Carthage, Missouri, soon became the center of a perfect crime. The community they once shared turned against them overnight, exposing fault lines long hidden. The media ripped their privacy off by interfering with questions and accusations. As layers slowly peel away, we watch the stars Ben Affleck, Neil Patrick Harris, Rosamund Pike, and Tyler Perry deliver jaw-dropping performances with a sharp commentary on presentation versus reality.
16 The King of Staten Island (2020)
The King of Staten Island is a comedy-drama that follows Scott, a 24-year-old who is stuck in the past after losing his firefighter father at a young age. He spends his days smoking weed and dreaming of becoming a tattoo artist while living with his mother on Staten Island. When she starts dating a firefighter, Scott’s issues come to a head. Written and directed by Judd Apatow and starring Pete Davidson, this semi-autobiographical film offers an insightful and rather comical look at how trauma caused during childhood can make it difficult for an individual to fully transition into a stable, functional adult. From old friends to family to kids in the neighborhood, all act as a source of support to Scott and help him grow. Because at the end of the day, Staten Island is the only home Scott knows.
15 A Walk to Remember (2002)
Landon is a rebellious teenager who gets into trouble for messing with a kid at school and is forced to join the school play as the lead. He seeks the help of Jamie, the preacher’s daughter, to practice lines with and soon finds himself falling for her, not having the slightest clue that she is suffering from leukemia and only has a little longer to live. Despite being complete opposites, Landon and Jamei’s unlikely romance has a transformative power that restores Landon’s faith and allows him to discover a resilience and depth he never knew he had. On the other hand, Jamie tries to fulfill all her wishes in the time she has. Set against the picturesque coastal backdrop of Beaufort, North Carolina, A Walk to Remember reveals how small towns quietly shape us through their pace of life.
14 Scream (1996)
After the slasher subgenre found its footing and gained popularity in the ‘70s and ‘80s, the decade that followed blessed fans with Scream. In the Wes Craven film, a teenager named Sidney Prescott, who a year after her mother’s murder, becomes the target of a mysterious killer in a mask terrorizing her small town of Windsor. As more people die, a web of secrets and motives unravels from Sidney’s traumatic past, exposing fear and darkness residing beneath the town’s grounds. The movie acts as a parody of cookie-cutter slasher movies while also capturing the tensions that can build in any community when a danger so ominous makes itself comfortable. There are threats and suspicious, strong emotions of tear and anger, and a burning desire for revenge driving the neighbors together and drawing them apart. Overall, Scream offers a wildly entertaining, jumpy thriller ride.
13 Minari (2020)
Minari is a semi-autobiographical film directed by Lee Isaac Chung that follows a Korean immigrant family that moves to a rural Arkansas in search of the American dream in the 1980s. The father dreams if starting a farm to provide a better life for his wife and children and the wife and grandmother support in every way possible. Though outsiders to the strange and rugged Ozarks, they find allies in the small-town life and its simple pleasures, prejudices, and challenges. Connecting to the land through growing Minari - an herb with deep significance to their Korean roots - becomes a source of resilience and hope for the family. Shot beautifully and anchored by a remarkable performance by Steven Yeun, the film radiates a sense of calm, belonging, and tranquility as the family assimilates to a new culture while holding onto their own identity.
12 Three Billboards Outside Ebbington, Missouri (2017)
After her daughter is sexually assaulted and murdered and the case remains neglected and unsolved, Mildred Hayes rents three billboards demanding action from the town's chief of police. Her fight for justice exposes long-simmering tensions beneath Ebbing’s false mask and creates a riff between those who wield mad power and those without a voice. While some rally behind Mildred, others cannot condone her methods. Three Billboards Outside Ebbington, Missouri is a crime drama that watches as the cracks in a town’s polite veneer widen upon finding kindred spirits in unlikely corners. The film, based on a true crime, acts as a piercing commentary on society’s tolerance of injustice, showing how a single act of defiance in an insignificant town can sometimes spark the change so desperately needed.
11 American Beauty (1999)
American Beauty is a black comedy-drama film that revolves around Lester Burnham, a frustrated suburban father who begins to question the emptiness of his life after becoming infatuated with his daughter's teenage friend, Angela. Set against the backdrop of the seemingly pastoral 1990s American town of Torrance, the film acts as a critique of the mundanity, sameness, and consumerism that plagues modern life. Lester’s midlife crises awaken him to the beauty that often goes unnoticed – from rose petals blowing in the wind to the hypocrisy of middle-class life. Even a repressed neighborhood like his own can hold the potential to bestow joy and wonder. In the end, American Beauty satirizes the perception of physical beauty in a way that is honest and thought-provoking.
10 CODA (2021)
Set in Gloucester, on the northeast coast of Massachusetts, this Best Picture winner centers around the life of Ruby Rossi, a child of deaf adults and the only hearing member in her family of four, struggling to choose between pursuing her passion for singing and her family’s deep and unfaltering reliance on her to communicate with the hearing world. Her lively fishing town provides opportunities for growth and self-discovery as she bonds with new friends and a music teacher who believes in her talent. From sprawling groves to fishermen's brawls, CODA is filled with elements that accurately represent small-town life. Besides, sign language acts as a beautiful form of expression within her tight-knit community, and it never falls short of resonating the heavy emotions that make the movie a masterpiece
9 Halloween (1978)
On a dark Halloween night in 1963, young Michael Myers brutally kills his teenage sister. Fifteen years later, he escaped from an asylum and returned to his little Illinois hometown to continue his killing spree and spread terror across town. As it turns out, Haddonfield is unprepared for the unspeakable evil that upends the life of people living on peaceful streets and hanging out on front porches without worry. But only through banding together, sharing information, protecting neighbors, and confronting Michael as one can they hope to survive this night of horror. Halloween is a classic horror film directed by John Carpenter that is appreciated by fans for its tension-building, gore, disturbingly violent scenes, and solid jump scares.
8 Let It Snow (2019)
Let It Snow is a heartwarming romantic comedy that follows a gathering winter storm swirling around Grace, who, despite being new to town, finds herself entangled in a romantic web involving her high school friends. The movie is set during Christmas in a picturesque Midwestern town so naturally, the visuals are pretty. Moreover, the film offers a lighthearted take on the interconnected lives of teenagers trying to make sense of their feelings, of blossoming love and fading friendships, and an identity that probably won’t be the same once the Christmas morning sun rises. The snow acts as a unifying agent, trapping the residents indoors to rely on each other for company and warmth. In a way, the movie reminds you of life in a snow globe world – slow and sparkly, with Christmas carols being sung together, sharing hot cocoa, and the true spirit of being “home for the holidays.”
7 Fargo (1996)
The Coen brothers bring a story set against the snowy backdrop of Fargo, North Dakota. The film follows the story of Jerry, a car salesman who hires two criminals to kidnap his wife to extort money from her wealthy father. Things quickie go south and caught up in the mix is a very pregnant police chief. The ideal simplicity of Fargo lies in its world-building as it finds acceleration in greed, blind ambition, and darkness hidden deftly in the heart of the most ordinary people. But as their worlds collide through violence, the movie uncovers how easy it is for good intentions to go terribly wrong when people lose sight of their humanity. The 1996 black comedy crime film is quite underrated to date, but it has won itself a TV show adaptation primarily written by Noah Hawley, which has garnered quite the audience.
6 Promised Land (2012)
An environmentalist and a salesman arrive in the struggling rural town of McKinley, hoping to purchase drilling rights from the residents. As they court the community, secrets emerge that call into question their motives and the true costs of “progress.” Promised Land is a wonderful film by Gus Van Sant that features cast farming landscapes of Pennsylvania's dairy country. It also highlights the tensions between industry and agriculture that dare to form a crack in the fabric of the townspeople. Matt Damon and John Krasinski deliver powerful performances as sincere leads trying to drive a decision imposed by economic self-interest on a community that sustains through deeper values. As the citizens grapple with both the seductive promises and potential harm of these “outsider” solutions, the film poses an important question – what it more important, money or a simple life truly worth living?