Forrest Gump (1994), It's a Wonderful Life (1946), There Will Be Blood (2007), Fargo (1996), The Last Picture Show (1971), Heartworn Highways (1976), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), Days of Heaven (1978) ... Let's take a look at the ranked list of the best Americana movies.
Storyline: Young Pud is orphaned and left in the care of his aged grandparents. The boy and his cantankerous old grandfather become inseparable friends. But Gramps is concerned for his grandson's future and wary of a scheming relative who seeks Pud's custody. One day Mr. Brink--an agent of Death--arrives to take Gramps "to the land where the woodbine twineth." Through a bit of trickery, Gramps confines Mr. Brink, and thus Death, to the top of an old apple tree, giving Gramps extra time to resolve issues about Pud's future.—Thomas McWilliams <tgm@netcom.com>
Plot Keywords: boy, grandfather grandson relationship, orphan boy, orphan, orchestral music score, afterlife, americana ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: St. Louis 1903. The well-off Smith family has four beautiful daughters, including Esther and little Tootie. 17-year old Esther has fallen in love with the boy next door who has just moved in, John. He however barely notices her at first. The family is shocked when Mr. Smith reveals that he has been transfered to a nice position in New York, which means that the family has to leave St. Louis and the St. Louis Fair.
Plot Keywords: love, moving, 1900s, snowman, corset, marriage proposal, turn of the century ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Trudy Kockenlocker, a small-town girl with a soft spot for American soldiers, wakes up the morning after a wild farewell party for the troops to find that she married someone she can't remember--and she's pregnant. Norval Jones, the 4-F local boy who's been in love with Trudy for years, tries to help her find a way out of her predicament. Trudy complicates matters further by falling for Norval, and events snowball from there.—James Meek <james@oz.net>
Plot Keywords: cooking, farce, fight, flashback, flat tire, friendship, gas ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: A down-on-his-luck farmer makes a deal with the devil for seven years of prosperity. When Mr. Scratch comes to collect, orator and hero of the common man Daniel Webster comes to the rescue.—Little Pine Weasel <kristinat@cerritos.edu>
Plot Keywords: redemption, rags to riches, pact, farm, demon, courtroom, americana ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Ten years in the life of Abraham Lincoln, before he became known to his nation and the world. He moves from a Kentucky cabin to Springfield, Illinois, to begin his law practice. He defends two men accused of murder in a political brawl, suffers the death of his girlfriend Ann, courts his future wife Mary Todd, and agrees to go into politics.—Ed Stephan <stephan@cc.wwu.edu>
Plot Keywords: 1830s, judge, lawsuit, lost love, marriage, pie, prologue ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: An unknown middle-aged batter named Roy Hobbs with a mysterious past appears out of nowhere to take a losing 1930s baseball team to the top of the league in this magical sports fantasy. With the aid of a bat cut from a lightning struck tree, Hobbs lives the fame he should have had earlier when, as a rising pitcher, he is inexplicably shot by a young woman.
Plot Keywords: baseball, 1930s, motivational, baseball bat, athlete, based on novel, rise and fall ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Woody Allen's sentimental reminiscence about the golden age of radio. A series of vignettes involving radio personalities is intertwined with the life of a working class family in Rockaway Beach, NY circa 1942.
Plot Keywords: 1940s, radio broadcasting, new year's eve, rabbi, extended family, radio, new york city ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: It's the proverbial end of the summer 1962 in a small southern California town. It's the evening before best friends and recent high school graduates, Curt Henderson and Steve Bolander, are scheduled to leave town to head to college back east. Curt, who received a lucrative local scholarship, is seen as the promise that their class holds. But Curt is having second thoughts about leaving what Steve basically sees as their dead end town. Curt's beliefs are strengthened when he spots an unknown beautiful blonde in a T-bird who mouths the words "I love you" to him. As Curt tries to find that blonde while trying to get away from a local gang who have him somewhat hostage, Curt may come to a decision about his immediate future. Outgoing class president Steve, on the other hand, wants to leave, despite meaning that he will leave girlfriend, head cheerleader and Curt's sister, Laurie Henderson, behind. Steve and Laurie spend the evening "negotiating" the state of their relationship. Meanwhile...
Plot Keywords: rock 'n' roll, car, california, street racing, pink panties, shaving cream, drive in restaurant ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: On a wild and rain-swept late-November evening, somewhere at an empty stretch of road outside Ohio's merry Denton, the blissfully-affianced, prudish, and boringly innocent young pair of Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick) and Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon) find themselves stranded on their way to visit an ex-tutor. Instead, the couple will inadvertently unearth the cross-dressing Dr. Frank-N-Furter's (Tim Curry's) spooky lair of inexhaustible oddities, just in time to partake in the out-of-this-world mad scientist's proud unveiling of his latest, delightfully extravagant, and most daring creation - the ultimate male and the perfect sex symbol: the flaxen-haired, Rocky Horror (Peter Hinwood). But, little by little, as the effervescent transgressive force gobbles up whole the unsuspecting visitors of the night, Brad and Janet slowly begin to embrace the potent fascinations of seduction, while an idolized Rocky roams free in the mansion. Who can interrupt man's union with the absolute pleasure?
Plot Keywords: dancer, dancing, based on stage musical, church, dark and stormy night, freezer, male underwear ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: In the post-war, the alcoholic and bitter veteran military and former writer Dave Hirsch returns from Chicago to his hometown Parkman, Indiana. He is followed by Ginnie Moorehead, a vulgar and easy woman with whom he spent his last night in Chicago that has fallen in love with him. The resentful Dave meets his older brother Frank Hirsh, who owns a jewelry store and is a prominent citizen of Parkman that invites him to have dinner with his family. Dave meets his sister-in-law Agnes that hates him since one character of his novel had been visibly inspired on her, and his teenage niece Dawn. Frank introduces the school teacher Gwen French to him and Dave feels attracted by the beautiful woman that is daughter of his former Professor Robert Haven French and idolizes his work as writer. However, his unrequited love with Gwen drives Dave back to the local bar where he befriends the professional gambler Bama Dillert and meets Ginnie again with the Chicago's mobster Raymond Lanchak that was her former lover and has followed her from Chicago. The unconditional love of Ginnie for Dave leads to a tragedy in the calm Parkman.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Plot Keywords: indiana, based on novel, alcoholism, homecoming, midwest, soldier, veteran ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: A little girl comes to a town that is embattled by feuds and intimidated by her aunt. By the time she must leave, she has transformed the community with her indominatable will to see the good side of even the worst situations and bring it out for the betterment of all.—Kenneth Chisholm <kchishol@execulink.com>
Plot Keywords: disability, transformation, reverend, physician, mayor, love, invalid ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Harry is a retired teacher in his 70s living in the Upper West Side of New York City, where his late wife and he raised his children, where he's lived all of his life. When the building, in which he lives, is torn down to make way for a parking garage, Harry and his beloved cat Tonto begin a journey across the U.S., visiting his children, seeing a world he never seemed to have the time to see before, making new friends, and saying goodbye to old friends.—Gary Dickerson <slug@mail.utexas.edu>
Plot Keywords: stock market, retirement, manhattan new york city, widower, violin, traveling salesman, taxi ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Across The Universe is a fictional love story set in the 1960s amid the turbulent years of anti-war protest, the struggle for free speech and civil rights, mind exploration and rock and roll. At once gritty, whimsical and highly theatrical, the story moves from high schools and universities in Massachusetts, Princeton and Ohio to the Lower East Side of Manhattan, the Detroit riots, Vietnam and the dockyards of Liverpool. A combination of live action and animation, the film is paired with many songs by The Beatles that defined the time.
Plot Keywords: song, title directed by female, pantyhose, female stockinged legs, black pantyhose, vietnam war, near death experience ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Thrilled by a performance she sees at a fair, Sonora (Gabrielle Anwar) tries to land a spot as a daredevil who rides horses off of high dives. With the help of Al Carver (Michael Schoeffling), whose father runs the show, she works toward her goal. An injury to star rider Marie (Kathleen York) paves her way, and she finds herself on the diving platform. Her life looks complete now that she and Al are in love, but she is about to be thrust into the most trying time of her life.—Kacey M.
Plot Keywords: based on true story, great depression, farm, father son relationship, fear, georgia, jealousy ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: The Maclean brothers, Paul and Norman, live a relatively idyllic life in rural Montana, spending much of their time fly fishing. The sons of a minister, the boys eventually part company when Norman moves east to attend college, leaving his rebellious brother to find trouble back home. When Norman finally returns, the siblings resume their fishing outings, and assess both where they've been and where they're going.
Plot Keywords: fishing, father son relationship, americana, brother brother relationship, coming of age, self discovery, teenager ...
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