What defines a film about American culture? Well, for starters, let’s begin with the people that make up this country. Many hail from immigrants who arrived at the turn of the 20th century. Many are descendants of one of the darkest times in this country’s history: slavery. Some are people who have fought in wars, grown up poor, or grown up rich, but still wanted more. Some are underdogs; some are those who rose from poverty but met their downfall from the choices that defined all that they ever knew.
American culture is full of beautiful stories, and it also has tales of tragedy. American cinema reflects the time and culture of this country. Films that date back all the way to the silent era are just as effective as films today that are keen on telling the American story. Here are 20 films that perfectly describe the culture of the United States.
20The Florida Project (2017)
The Florida Project
The Florida Projecttakes place on the streets that surround the most magical place on earth, Disney World. The movie follows six-year-old Moonee and her two best friends, who live in one of the many cheap motels that are dolled up to attract many tourists in Central Florida.
The Florida Project Is a Heartbreaking Commentary
What is more American than Disney World? And to branch off from that, what’s more American than the many homeless little boys and girls who roam the streets of Route 192 in Kissimmee, Florida?Sean Baker directed a beautiful and yet heartbreaking commentaryon poverty in America that takes place at one of the biggest tourist destinations in the country and is told through the eyes of a child. And with the leads of this movie being under ten years of age, we see how they see the best in everything, despite the fact that what they are seeing is the downside of American life.
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Related:The Most Important American Films of All Time
19Stranger Than Paradise (1984)
Jim Jarmusch directed this filmabout two New York City slackers named Willie and Eddie. The pair meet up with Willie’s Hungarian cousin, Eva. When she decides to head to Cleveland to see their aunt, Willie and Eddie decide to impulsively take a road trip out to Ohio and team back up with her, and the trio then sets out on a road trip around the country that sends them to Florida.
Why Stranger Than Paradise Is a Perfect Film About American Culture?
Stranger Than Paradisewas made for close to $100,000. The low-budget, black-and-white film is part road movie, part immigrant story, as Willie is of Hungarian descent, but notices the difference in how he has assimilated to America and how his cousin views the country. The best kind of road trip movies are the ones that show you America between California and New York. Here we see the frozen beaches of Lake Erie in Ohio. It’s an environment that most people don’t flock to, and yet, in Jarmusch’s cinematic world, there is a sense of beauty to it.
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18A League of Their Own (1992)
A League of Their Own
A League of Their Ownstars Geena Davis and Tom Hanks as player and coach for the Rockford Peaches. The Peaches are one of many teams that were created as part of an all-woman baseball league in the Midwest during World War II, as most of the men are now away fighting in World War II.
What’s More American Than Baseball?
The 1940s in America are something that was glamorized, even in a time of war. We don’t see a lot of films that look at what was going on stateside during World War II,A League of Their Owndoes, and it also gives us a glimpse into America’s past-time, baseball. The production design of this movie perfectly encapsulates what it was like in that era of the game. And to match with the comedy compliments of Geena Davis, Tom Hanks, Rosie O’Donnell, and a bit part by John Lovitz, the movie takes a real dramatic look at the tragic loss of a loved one that the war did to these women.A League of Their Ownis fictionalized with its characters, but never superficial with its message and glimpse into a real piece of history.
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17Goodfellas (1990)
Goodfellas
Goodfellastells the truestory of Henry Hill,a man with half Irish and half Italian blood who rises through the ranks of the mafia in New York. His work as a gangster began as a child. He grows up in the criminal world, only to play a key factor in bringing down his friends and colleagues later in life.
Why Goodfellas Is a Brilliant Glimpse Into American Culture
Organized crime is a key part of American history. The mafia has been part of this country for nearly a hundred years. And when you think of one of the best New York City filmmakers, most people put Martin Scorsese at the top of their list. Some argue it’s his best film, and it’s the best movie about mob life. But what makes it so American is how these stone-cold killers live. The excess lifestyle is all over this film. The money, booze, drugs, sex, and then their downfall. These characters are glorified for 90 minutes of its two-hour and 20-minute runtime, and then the slice of American dream that these wiseguys have taken a bite of goes stale.
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16Badlands (1973)
Badlandstells a story inspired by killers Charles Starkweather and Carli Ann-Fugate. Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek play the fictionalized versions of them, Kit and Holly. Two young teens leave behind their dead-end town in the Midwest and make their way up to the Badlands of Montana. Leaving a trail of crime and love for another behind them as they evade authorities.
Finding Purpose in America
One of Terrence Malick’s earliest pictures, where you may see the inner workings as to why he became such an iconic art house director. Yes, it’s inspired by real-life murderers from back in 1958. But when you boil it down, it’s about two young people who always come up short on finding meaning in purpose, something that is a theme in a lot of great American films. Plus, the work Malick puts into his shots is on full display here. The American Midwest never looked better. Those flyover states sure do have appeal to them in the landscape, as the movie was filmed in southeastern Colorado.
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15Apollo 13 (1995)
Directed by Ron Howard,Apollo 13is a nail-biter of a film that stars Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, and Bill Paxton and is about the true story of the 1970 lunar mission that risked the lives of the astronauts on board the ship. The ship drifted 200,000 miles from Earth, nearly lost in space, and would never return if they did not take action.
Another Step For Mankind
You can do a quick Google search prior to watching the film to spoil the ending of the film, but that still won’t take away the tense fear in this movie. From a technical point of view, this may be Ron Howard’s best film. But from a stance on this being about the U.S.A. and the cultural impact, we should all be grateful to have this film available to watch. A true event that happened and could have turned into a horrific thing. It’s a testament to the space program we have created in this country and also a testament to how, when something tragic is at play in this country, Americans have been known to find ways to band together for the greater good.
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14There Will Be Blood (2007)
There Will Be Blood
There Will Be Bloodis Paul Thomas Anderson’s masterpiece about a turn-of-the-century businessman named Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day Lewis) who discovers oil in the field of a small California town. Daniel uses his mute son to portray a family image to the religious town, but the preacher of the local church (Paul Dano) suspects his darker motives.
What AboutThere Will Be Blood is About American Culture?
Greed. It’s all about greed in this.There Will Be Bloodearned Daniel Day Lewis a Best Actor award at the Oscars in early 2008. The character he plays is a cutthroat businessman in the west who puts up a facade that he is a good man, but in the end, it is his greed that corrupts him to his core. America is built on robbing people of their land and property. It’s on full display here, especially in the “I Drink Your Milkshake” scene. The history of the U.S. has a lot of bloodshed and vindictive sides to it, andThere Will Be Bloodputs that on full display.
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13Field of Dreams (1989)
Field of Dreams
Field of Dreamsis about a farmer in Iowa named Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner). He constantly hears a voice telling him, “If you build it, they will come.” The voice urges him to tear a section of his crops down and build a baseball diamond. And from there, ghosts of long-dead baseball players show up to play a game of pickup ball. But the mystery of it all doesn’t stop there.
If You Build It, They Will Come
It’s America’s past-time showing up on this list again. However, baseball isn’t the only thing aboutField of Dreamsthat gets it on this list. The Americana feel of the movie has earned its place in U.S. cinema history. But it’s also a touching tale of an estranged father and son coming together one more time to “have a catch.” With a climactic scene that makes grown men cry,Field of Dreamstakes you from the farm fields of Iowa to the stands of Fenway Park in Boston, and back again. It’s a journey of a movie that leaves you in very high spirits.
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12Philadelphia (1993)
Jonathan Demme’s 1993 film,Philadelphia, stars Tom Hanks as a lawyer who is on the rise in his firm. He somewhat keeps his life private from his upper-class bosses, as he is gay and learns that he has contracted HIV. When word gets out, he is fired from his firm for unclear reasons. He enlists the help of another lawyer, Joe Miller (Denzel Washington), to sue the firm for discrimination.
A Heartbreaking Realization
Philadelphiamakes the list for multiple reasons. The city of brotherly love is felt in the tone of the film, and it is also a brilliant story about the AIDS virus, something that was still prominent at the time the film was made. Themes of discrimination and homophobia are all over this movie. Even among the two protagonists, Washington’s character at first is apprehensive about Hank’s character asking him to be his lawyer. He utters homophobic slurs in his home, but in an organic way, he finds a way to overcome them and take on the case. A touching soundtrack and a sensitive portrayal by Tom Hanks make for a tear-jerking story that is as American as it gets.
11The Graduate (1967)
The Graduate
The Graduatestars a young Dustin Hoffman named Benjamin, who is a recent college graduate. Like most people at that time of their lives, he’s lost with not a lot of direction at the moment. And he oddly finds himself in the middle of a love triangle with an older woman and her daughter.
Why The Graduate Is an American Classic
The Graduate really was a sign of things to come with where movies were headed in the late 1960s and into the 1970s. There isn’t anything more American than a coming-of-age story, and Dustin Hoffman perfectly encapsulates that time in a young man’s life quite well. The ending of The Graduate deserves a lot of praise. Every film that has a wedding breakup scene owes a pretty penny to The Graduate. But what the rip-offs don’t do is nail what really happens in the famous end scene, because as Benjamin and Elaine (Kathrine Ross) get on the bus to runaway together, reality begins to set in about what they’ve done.
