I’m starting a series that looks at the biggest, best, or most successful movies set in every state! I’ll go through the list alphabetically, so let’s start with Alabama!
Even though Alabama doesn’t usually pop into people’s minds as a place where many movies are set, there are quite a few movies set here.
These are listed in order of their Rotten Tomatoes score.
Selma (2014): 99% Fresh
Selma is a 2014 historical drama film directed by Ava DuVernay, based on the history-making 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches led by Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo). The film focuses on the events leading up to the marches and the obstacles faced by King and other civil rights leaders as they fought for equal voting rights for African Americans.
The film depicts the violent attacks on the protestors by law enforcement, including the infamous Bloody Sunday incident on the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
The film received critical acclaim for its powerful performances, incredible direction, and relevance to contemporary social issues. It also starred Carmen Ejogo as Corette Scott King and Tom Wilkinson as President Lyndon B. Johnson.
After watching the film, you should consider visiting the National Voting Rights Museum in Selma, Alabama, which documents both past and present fights for civil rights.
The Miracle Worker (1962): 96% Fresh
The Miracle Worker is a 1962 biographical drama film about the childhood of Helen Keller, directed by Arthur Penn, based on William Gibson’s play.
The film stars Anne Bancroft as Annie Sullivan, a teacher hired to work with the deaf and blind Helen Keller, played by Patty Duke. Sullivan uses unconventional methods to teach Keller, including sign language and strict discipline, and gradually breaks through to the isolated child.
The film explores the relationship between the two women and the challenges they face in communicating with each other. Both Bancroft and Duke delivered powerful performances in their roles, and Bancroft won an Academy Award for Best Actress.
Helen Keller was born and raised in Tuscumbia, Alabama. You can visit Ivy Green, Helen Keller’s birthplace, which is now a museum dedicated to the late writer, scholar, and activist.
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962): 93% Fresh
To Kill a Mockingbird was directed by Robert Mulligan and based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee. The film stars Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch, a white lawyer defending a Black man in a racially charged small town in Alabama. The movie is one of the most critically acclaimed movie set in Alabama. It won several Academy Awards, including Best Actor and the equivalent of today’s Best Adapted Screenplay.
The film is set in the 1930s during the Great Depression and revolves around the trial of Tom Robinson (Brock Peters), a Black man accused of raping a white woman. Atticus Finch is appointed to defend Robinson and faces intense opposition he faces from the white community in Maycomb County, Alabama.
Atticus is a widowed father of two children, Scout (Mary Badham) and Jem (Phillip Alford). The story is told through the eyes of Scout, who observes the events around her with a child’s innocence and curiosity. She and Jem are fascinated by their mysterious neighbor, Radley (Robert Duvall), who has not been seen in public for years. The trial of Tom Robinson becomes a central part of their lives as they watch their father fight for justice and confront the prejudices of the society they live in.
Harper Lee and Truman Capote (who was the inspiration for Jem) were raised in Monroeville, which is the inspiration for the fictitious town of Maycomb.
Fried Green Tomatoes (1991): 75% Fresh
Kathy Bates stars as Evelyn Couch, a bored housewife who strikes up an unlikely friendship with an elderly woman, played by Jessica Tandy. Through Tandy’s character’s stories, we see the lives of two other women, played by Mary Stuart Masterson and Mary-Louise Parker, whose lives parallel Evelyn’s.
The movie is set near Birmingham, with plotlines in both the 1920s and 1980s. Much of the story takes place at the Whistle Stop Cafe in the fictional Whistle Stop, Alabama.
That said, the movie was filmed in Georgia. Tourists can visit the Whistle Stop Cafe in Juliette, Georgia.
Big Fish (2003): 75% Fresh
Ewan McGregor plays young Edward Bloom, a larger-than-life storyteller who weaves tall tales about his life to his skeptical son, played by Billy Crudup. As the two reconcile, we see the fantastical worlds and eccentric characters that are part of Bloom’s life, including Albert Finney as the older version of Bloom.
Tim Burton’s production studio built the town of Spectre, Alabama on a small island outside of Milbrook, Alabama called Jackson Lake Island. Today, visitors can tour and explore the abandoned film set. You can reach out to the Jackson Lake Island Facebook page or just show up and follow the instructions on the gate. Admission is $5/day for adults and $3/day for children 10 years and younger. Children 2 and under are free. You can camp on-site for $15 per person.
Forrest Gump (1994): 71% Fresh
Tom Hanks stars as Forrest Gump, a simple man with a kind heart who unwittingly becomes a part of some of the most significant events in American history. Along the way, he meets memorable characters played by Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, and Sally Field.
Over the course of the movie, Forrest witnesses or participates in the following events:
- The integration of the University of Alabama, where he meets Governor George Wallace.
- The Vietnam War, where he serves as a soldier and meets Lieutenant Dan, Bubba, and Jenny.
- The anti-war protests and the hippie movement, where he becomes a nationally recognized figure.
- The Watergate scandal, where he unwittingly helps expose the conspiracy.
- The Ping Pong Diplomacy between the United States and China.
- The outbreak of the AIDS epidemic.
- The launch of the Apple computer company.
- The fall of the Berlin Wall.
Forrest was born and raised in Greenbow, Alabama, which is a fictional town. Most of the movie was filmed in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia.
More Movies Set in Alabama
Although those movies are some of the most successful and critically acclaimed movies set in Alabama, that is certainly not a comprehensive list.
In addition to those movies, the following films are all set completely or partly in Alabama:
- Space Camp (1986)
- The Grass Harp (1995)
- The Tuskegee Airmen (1995)
- Crazy in Alabama (1999)
- The Rosa Parks Story (2002)
- Sweet Home Alabama (2002)
- Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)
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