Sit back, grab some popcorn, and get ready to see the Land of the Shining Mountains on the big screen

Author: Shane Cox

*All movie art credit belongs to IMDB

5. What Dreams May Come (1998)

There is an easy way and a hard way to see Heaven. The easy way is to live in Montana.

Led by legendary actor and comedian Robin Williams, this movie showed us the true meaning of the word “soulmate”. In this romantic fantasy, William’s character travels through Heaven and Hell to rescue the soul of the woman he loves. Along the way, he will reunite with his old dog Katie and his children who tragically died in a car accident and no I’m not crying I’m just SWEATING THROUGH MY EYES OK!!! (Seriously, it is a great movie, but have a box of tissues on hand)

Some of the most beautiful shots in the movie were filmed in Glacier National Park. While shooting, Williams decided to take a break and tour the area. (Traylor, 2014) He later said:

“If it isn’t God’s backyard, He certainly lives nearby.”

RIP Robin. There will never be another like you

4. Forrest Gump (1994)

Movies and Montana goes together like peas and carrots…

Montana makes a brief yet beautiful cameo in this legendary picture. During the running sequence, the shot of Forrest running though a field of golden wheat was taken just outside Cut Bank, MT. The scene then cuts to him jogging across a stone bridge at the St. Mary Entrance to Glacier National Park. (Movie-Locations: Forrest Gump, 2020)

Though Big Sky Country is only onscreen for few seconds, it was almost left out of the movie entirely! The studio, worried that the project was going too far over budget, threatened to pull the plug in the middle of production. Hanks and Director Robert Zemeckis decided to cover the cost of shooting the iconic running scene and save what is now one of the most beloved movies of all time. (Ashton, 2020)

As if we needed another reason to love Tom Hanks

3. The Untouchables (1987)

That’s the Montana way…

Chicago is great. But when you want your protagonists to charge the bad guys guns blazing while on horseback you pack up production and go to the Treasure State.

Based on real events, the movie follows Elliot Ness as he forms a team of special agents to take down the infamous gangster Al Capone. The movie’s (arguably) best scene takes place at Hardy Bridge just outside of Great Falls. (Movie-Locations: Untouchables, 2020)

This film is criminally underrated. In fact, you should stop reading this list right now and go watch it. Go ahead, I’ll wait…

2. The Revenant (2015)

The movie that FINALLY gave poor Leo his Oscar

While the movie is set in Montana and South Dakota, most of it was filmed in Canada. However, one of the film’s most pulse pounding scenes was shot in the rapids of Kootenai Falls, just downstream from Libby. In this scene Hugh Glass (played by DiCaprio) uses the waterfall to escape from a party of pursuing Arikara hunters. (Movie-Locations: Revenant, 2020)

I just gotta say…y’all know that scene where Leo eats a raw bison liver? Yeah, that wasn’t special effects. Real Liver. Real Reaction. He also actually crawled inside of a dead horse. All I’m saying is that if DiCaprio wanted to live in Montana he would fit in around here just fine. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Honorable Mention: Return to Lonesome Dove (1993)

A Cowboy’s Odyssey

This 4-part mini-series, while technically not a movie, deserves a place on this list. The sequel to the epic adventure Lonesome Dove follows Captain Woodrow F. Call’s return from Texas to his ranch in Montana.

This series is the perfect binge watch for fans of John Wayne and Clint Eastwood movies. The filming locations span across the state and include Butte, Cardwell, Virginia and Nevada City, Laurel, and Billings. (Return to Lonesome Dove: Filming and Production, 2020)

Fun Fact: My Dad worked on the Set #2 of this movie while he was in college. He was paid $100 a day to pick up and hide barb wire fences so they were not caught on camera. He and his coworker would spend their free time hunting rattlesnakes to turn into boots and hatbands to sell to the California crew.

I’m sorry, but my Dad is cooler than your dad. 🙂

1. A River Runs Through It (1992)

I’ll never leave Montana, Brother

There is no other way to end this list than with the most iconic Montana movie of all time. While most of these entries only take advantage of the state’s amazing scenery, Montana provides the heart and soul of this beautiful story.

While the film was set in Missoula and by the Blackstone river, the scenes in town were filmed in Livingston, MT. Likewise, the fishing scenes were captured in Paradise Valley on the Yellowstone River, the Gallatin River south of Bozeman, and the Boulder River by Big Timber. (Movie-Locations: River Runs Through It, 2020)

So many elements of this movie make it special. Norman Maclean’s story was adapted by Richard Friedenberg and brought to life by director Robert Redford. The entire cast is amazing, with now legendary actor Brad Pitt standing out among the crowd.

If you were born under the Big Sky…you need to watch this movie. If you have, you know why I can’t put the feeling into words. This film reminds us where we come from. It reminds us of Home.

References

Ashton, W. (2020, January 2). Forrest Gump: 10 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About The Classic Tom Hanks Movie. Retrieved from Cinema Blend: https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2487844/forrest-gump-10-behind-the-scenes-facts-about-the-classic-tom-hanks-movie

Movie-Locations: Forrest Gump. (2020). Retrieved from Movie-Locations: https://www.movie-locations.com/movies/f/Forrest-Gump.php

Movie-Locations: Revenant. (2020). Retrieved from Movie-Locations: http://movie-locations.com/movies/r/Revenant.php

Movie-Locations: River Runs Through It. (2020). Retrieved from Movie-Locations: http://movie-locations.com/movies/r/River-Runs-Through-It.php

Movie-Locations: Untouchables. (2020). Retrieved from Movie-Locations: http://movie-locations.com/movies/u/Untouchables.php

Return to Lonesome Dove: Filming and Production. (2020). Retrieved from IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106112/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_5

Traylor, A. (2014, August 11). Remembering Robin Williams in Montana: His Visit to Glacier National Park. Retrieved from 107.5 Zoo FM: https://1075zoofm.com/robin-williams-montana/#:~:text=Remembering%20Robin%20Williams%20in%20Montana%3A%20His%20Visit%20to%20Glacier%20National%20Park&text=Scenes%20from%20the%20film%20’What,was%20directed%20by%20Vincent%20Ward

1. The Office

With 9 Seasons of awkward, stress inducing comedy, the office comes in at number 1 on my list. This extremely quotable and relatable series on Netflix has been my go-to show for as long as I can remember. Even though I have gone through the entire series about 100 times, I still find myself looking forward to sitting down and binging 5-10 episodes after classes.

From the rivalry between Dunder Mifflin’s top salesmen, Dwight and Jim, to the extremely inappropriate yet effective antics of the “World’s Best Boss” Michael Scott, the office is a timeless classic that many will miss when it leaves Netflix at the end of this year. However, NBC will be picking up this incredible series on its own streaming service at the beginning of 2021 so there is no need to worry.

For those who have never heard of the office, it can be tough to get into. When I introduced the office to one of my friends, they didn’t understand why Michael Scott was so awkward and intrusive and why Dwight took his job as a paper salesman so seriously. However, after a couple episodes, they finally realized that LITERALLY the entire show is one continuous joke and since then, have gone through the series at least 5 times. If you’re ever looking for a new show to run through, need a good laugh, or want to get a little emotional and shed some tears, the office is the show for you.

2. Breaking Bad

Breaking Bad follows Walter White, a 50-year-old high school chemistry teacher who was recently diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer. Missing out on making a fortune from the company he helped create, Gray Matter, Walt resorts to drastic measures in order to pay for his chemo treatments and to help set up his family for the future. Accompanied by his former student, Jesse Pinkman, Walt begins manufacturing methamphetamine in an RV in the middle of a desert in New Mexico.

At the beginning, Walt is a mild-mannered family man with only one goal, bring in as much money as possible to help his family before he goes. While providing for his young family remains his main goal throughout the entire series, Walt slowly becomes less of a mild-mannered family man and transforms into a drug kingpin known as Heisenberg. Having won countless awards for his performance as Walter White and being called one of the most iconic TV characters of all time, Bryan Cranston is by far the star of the show. He will not only play with your head, but your heart as well, whether that be due to his problems with his family down the line or from the times Heisenberg goes out of his way to protect the ones he cares about.

Personally, I could go on and on about this incredible show, but then there would be no need for you to watch it! So, I will leave you with this. With 5 seasons of drama, and meth, infused action, Breaking Bad is one of the greatest shows of all time which is a title it will hold for a very long time. From the slow but steady transition of Walt to Heisenberg to the quotable yet heart throbbing actions of Jesse Pinkman, Breaking Bad is a must watch.

3. Formula 1: Drive to Survive

My final pick for shows on Netflix that you have to watch is Formula 1: Drive to Survive. While there are plenty of other shows that could fill this spot, I believe that this docuseries doesn’t get the credit it deserves. My first two picks were well-known shows that have received endless amounts of praise, but this docuseries on the Formula 1 2018 World Championship needs more attention. Documentaries are already a niche section of Netflix and attaching a sport that not a lot of people know about makes it that much harder to get people interested, so here’s my pitch.

Formula 1 is the peak of motorsport. The cars, drivers, teams, equipment, and sponsors are all the best in the world, and not to hate on NASCAR, but Formula 1 is worlds beyond what any NASCAR team could dream of. In total, there are 10 teams in Formula 1 with two cars and drivers to accompany them. These teams will only spend months developing their cars before competing in 22 Grand Prix races all over the world. The thing that I love the most about Formula 1 is how the race weekend is structured. On Thursday and Friday, the teams break out their cars, set up their paddocks, and begin practicing on the track to test their car and engine setups. Saturday is for Qualifying, which means drivers are pushing their cars to the limit in order to extract milliseconds out of their lap times so they can get as close to the front row as possible. Finally, the day everyone has been waiting for, Sunday; Race day. After the race, teams break down all their equipment and ship off to the next country for the next race.

The Formula 1: Drive to Survive docuseries goes behind the scenes so we can see what it takes to bring this spectacle of motorsport to life. While the first season only features 8 of the teams, excluding Ferrari and Mercedes, Season 2, which is set to come out on February 28th, 2020, will include all 10 teams. If you want to learn about what it takes to set up a Formula 1 team, what goes through the driver’s head before, during, and after races, and what Formula 1 is as a whole, then Formula 1: Drive to Survive is the docuseries for you.

– Eric Mott

Category: Watch

Top Five Movies Filmed in Montana