Highest-Rated Movies about 'Southern California', Sort by Popularity

Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (1979), Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003), Gun Crazy (1950), Point Break (1991), The Reckless Moment (1949), The Founder (2016), We Bought a Zoo (2011), The Salton Sea (2002) ... Let's take a look at the ranked list of the best Southern California movies.

#2. Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)

Storyline: Of the cities in the world, few are depicted in and mythologized more in film and television than the city of Los Angeles. In this documentary, Thom Andersen examines in detail the ways the city has been depicted, both when it is meant to be anonymous and when itself is the focus. Along the way, he illustrates his concerns of how the real city and its people are misrepresented and distorted through the prism of popular film culture. Furthermore, he also chronicles the real stories of the city's modern history behind the notorious accounts of the great conspiracies that ravaged his city that reveal a more open and yet darker past than the casual viewer would suspect.—Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com)

Plot Keywords: film critic, narrator, filmmaker, fascinating, mellow, creative, southern california ...

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#3. Gun Crazy (1950)

Storyline: Since he was a child, Bart Tare has always loved guns. After leaving the army, his friends take him to a carnival, where he meets the perfect girl; Annie, a sharp-shooting sideshow performer who loves guns as much as he. The 2 run off and marry, but Annie isn't happy with their financial situation, so at her behest the couple begins a cross-country string of daring robberies. Never one to use guns for killing, Bart's dragged down into oblivion by the greedy and violent nature of the woman he loves.

Plot Keywords: sharpshooter, pacifist, newlywed, reporter, sheriff, sister, cool ...

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#4. Point Break (1991)

Storyline: In Los Angeles, California, a gang of bank robbers call themselves The Ex-Presidents. commit their crimes while wearing masks of ex-Presidents Reagan, Carter, Nixon, and Johnson. The F.B.I. believes that the members of the gang could be surfers, and send young Agent Johnny Utah undercover at the beach to mix with the surfers and gather information. Utah meets surfer Bodhi, and gets drawn into the lifestyle of his new friend.

Plot Keywords: undercover agent, fbi agent, bank robber, surfer, love interest, leader, gutsy ...

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#5. The Reckless Moment (1949)

Storyline: In the charming community of Balboa 50 miles from Los Angeles, middle-class housewife Lucia Harper travels to Los Angeles to meet scoundrel, Ted Darby. Her seventeen year-old daughter Beatrice is in love with Ted. He asks for money to leave Bea, but Lucia refuses to give any. Bea does not believe her mother when told and during the night she sneaks out to the boat garage to meet Ted who admits that Lucia told the truth. Bea pushes him and Ted falls to his on an anchor. The next morning, Lucia finds the body and assumes that Bea has killed her lover. She decides to get rid of the corpse and puts it in her boat and dumps it far from home. When the police find Ted, a stranger, Martin Donnelly, visits Lucia to blackmail her on behalf of his partner, Nagel who has several letters Bea had written to Ted. Donnelly wants $5000 for the letters. The desperate Lucia tries to raise the amount. Martin falls in love with Lucia and tries to help her too. The dangerous Nagel wants to receive the amount at any price.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Plot Keywords: wife, daughter, boyfriend, gangster, murder suspect, police officer, dark ...

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#6. The Founder (2016)

Storyline: 1954. Having worked as a salesman most of his adult life, Ray Kroc has been a hustler in most senses of the word. That hustling has made him the target of derision among certain circles for peddling what have ended up being more novelty or faddish than useful products, but it has also placed more than a comfortable roof in Arlington Heights, Illinois over his and his wife Ethel's heads. Ethel, however, wishes that he placed as much effort into being at home with her than he is in selling, his current job of peddling five-spindle milkshake makers for Prince Castle which has him constantly on the road going from one drive-in restaurant to another. It is because of the beefs he has with the whole drive-in experience (bad food, bad service) in constantly eating at such establishments while on the road that he becomes enthralled with the concept of McDonald's Restaurant in San Bernardino, California, it owned and operated by brothers Richard McDonald and Maurice McDonald - Dick and Mac. ...

Plot Keywords: salesman, brother, small-business owner, wife, confident, gripping, shocking ...

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#7. We Bought a Zoo (2011)

Storyline: Benjamin has lost his wife. In a bid to start his life over, he purchases a large house that has a zoo. This is welcome news for his daughter, but his son is not happy about it. The zoo is in need of renovation and Benjamin sets about the work with the head keeper, Kelly, and the rest of the zoo staff. But, the zoo soon runs into financial trouble. The staff must get the zoo back to its former glory, pass a zoo inspection, and get it back open to the public.

Plot Keywords: journalist, son, daughter, zookeeper, widower, pretty woman, amusing ...

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#8. The Salton Sea (2002)

Storyline: After the murder of his beloved wife, Danny Parker is set adrift in a world where nothing is as it seems. On his journey he befriends slacker Jimmy the Finn and becomes involved in rescuing his neighbor Colette from her own demons. Danny is antagonized by undercover narcotics agents and sadistic dealer Pooh-Bear.

Plot Keywords: drug addict, drug dealer, cop, musician, husband, friend, suspenseful ...

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#9. No Down Payment (1957)

Storyline: The marital difficulties of four couples living in a southern California housing development become intertwined. Among the unhappy couples are ne'er-do-well Jerry Flagg and his long-suffering wife Isabelle, flirtatious Leola Boone and her sadistic husband Troy, hard working Herman Kreitzer and his understanding wife Betty, and newlyweds Jean and David Martin.—Daniel Bubbeo <dbubbeo@cmp.com>

Plot Keywords: housewife, used car salesman, sexpot, veteran, alcoholic, husband, dark ...

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#10. Lords of Dogtown (2005)

Storyline: A fictionalized take on the group of brilliant young skateboarders raised in the mean streets of Dogtown in Santa Monica, California. The Z-Boys, as they come to be known, perfect their craft in the empty swimming pools of unsuspecting suburban homeowners, pioneering a thrilling new sport and eventually moving into legend.

Plot Keywords: skateboarder, surfer, slacker, manager, mother, friend, offbeat ...

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#11. The Chumscrubber (2005)

Storyline: The Chumscrubber starts out with Troy, a normal teenager who supplies "feel good" pills to everyone in his high school (this way he spreads happiness all around). But when his friend Dean pays him a visit, Dean discovers Troy has hanged himself in his bedroom during one of his mother's pool parties. After the death, three local teens: Billy, Lee, and Crystal, want what's left of Troy's stash of pills and they know that Dean is the only one who knows where they are. But when Dean refuses to get the pills, the three teens kidnap Dean's little brother, until they realize they've kidnapped the wrong kid.

Plot Keywords: high-school student, drug dealer, younger brother, mother, father, police officer, offbeat ...

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#12. Gidget (1959)

Storyline: Due to an accident while swimming in the sea, Francis meets the surfer Moondoggy. She's fascinated of his sport and starts to hang out with his clique. Although they make fun of her at first, they teach her to surf. Soon she's accepted and given the nickname "Gidget". But it's hard work to become more than a friend to Moondoggy.—Tom Zoerner <Tom.Zoerner@informatik.uni-erlangen.de>

Plot Keywords: teenager, teen girl, surfer, father, mother, amusing, charming ...

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#13. Lifeguard (1976)

Storyline: Rick is in his 30s, but still works full-time as a lifeguard on the beaches of Los Angeles, California. He enjoys the fun of it, but even more, the silent moments. However, when he meets his divorced high school girlfriend and her five-year-old son at their fifteen year class reunion, he considers switching to a more "serious" job.—Tom Zoerner <Tom.Zoerner@informatik.uni-erlangen.de>

Plot Keywords: lifeguard, old flame, friend, son, beach bum, calm, tender ...

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#14. Night of the Comet (1984)

Storyline: It's the first comet to buzz our planet Earth in 65 million years, and everyone seems to be celebrating its imminent arrival. Everyone except Regina Belmont, and her younger sister Samantha, two Valley Girls who care more about fashion trends than celestial phenomena. But upon daybreak, when the girls discover that they are the only residents of Los Angeles whom the comet hasn't vaporized or turned into a zombie, they would do what all Valley Girls do - they go shopping. However, with the help of a friendly truck driver, the girls save Earth and escape from flesh-eating zombies and blood-seeking scientists in hot pursuit.

Plot Keywords: teen girl, sister, survivor, boyfriend, zombie, scientist, amusing ...

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#15. Tortilla Flat (1942)

Storyline: Danny inherits two houses so Pilon and his lazy, impoverished friends move in. One of them, Pirate, is saving money which Pilon hopes to steal till he learns it is being saved to buy a gold candlestick for St. Francis. When one of the houses burns down and Danny is hurt fighting, Pilon makes an effort to make life better for his friend.—Ed Stephan <stephan@cc.wwu.edu>

Plot Keywords: homeless person, poor person, migrant worker, drunk, beautiful woman, uplifting, witty ...

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