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Error(s) in 'Something Wild' ? HELP PLEASE

posted 18 years ago by skybridge999
18 replies | jump to latest

An observation and a question about "Something Wild" -- which is a great movie.

Observation: When the 2 couples leave the class reunion and buy beer at the convenience store, that's an error because beer can be purchased only at a "Beer Distributor" or at a bar in the State of Pennsylvania.

Question: In one of Roger Ebert's books, when reviewing "Something Wild," he writes this film shows a road trip from New York City to Florida. When I watch this film, I see them in Virginia, then they drive farther (south?) but I don't believe the film specifies how much farther (south?) they drive, or any state line they might cross after Virginia's.

Florida is mentioned as a filming location in the credits. But Florida could be "doubling" for other states pictured in the film. I never see any obvious tropical scenery in the film (palm trees and such).

Am I missing something?

[–] McGonigle 18 years ago

You're correct in that the film never specifies where (if anywhere) they go beyond Virginia. Ebert was mistaking a filming location for a location in the story.

Perhaps the laws were different regarding beer sales in the 80s? Or it may just be that convenience store beer sales are common in so many states that the filmmakers just made a mistake.

Hey, I'm trying to eat my lunch!

[–] skybridge999 18 years ago

The laws were the same in the 1980s in Pennsylvania as today. I guess the filmmakers just made a mistake since most states' beer laws aren't so archaic.

It would have been difficult to film that scene in a typical Pennsylvania beer distributor; a building with little more than a walk-in refrigerator and a clerk. Additionally, beer distributors in Pennsylvania close at about 9 p.m. The 2 couples would had to have left the class reunion before sundown (during the summer months). I guess the scene could've been filmed in a bar.

As for my question, I always figured Roger Ebert made a mistake. Thanks.

Does anybody else see any hints of a state farther south than Virginia? Police cars, signs along the road, etc.?

"I try to think and nothing happens" -- Curly of The Three Stooges

[–] ranmel 16 years ago

I used to live in Pittsburgh, but I moved away when I found out it was ILLEGAL to buy a six pack! (You have to buy beer a CASE at a time at a 'Beer Distributer' store!)

I definitely don't miss those Pennsylvania liquor laws!

[–] fuzzyproductions 14 years ago

(Three years later) Yes, you can only buy cases of beer at the distributors, however, you can buy a six pack at any bar in the state. You seriously moved for that reason?!

But in regarding the initial post...I watched the movie for the first time in ages last night. I thought the exact same thing about the goof for buying beer in a convenience store in PA. LOL Never has it been legal.

We have finally up'ed it a notch this year that beer and wine can now be purchased at Giant Eagle grocery stores.

[–] DJ-Ren 14 years ago

As a Canadian, I'm blown away by the "liquor sales laws" in the States I've been in. Specifically...

1) In the few states I've been in, it seems you can buy booze ANYWHERE! 7-11, the gas station, the post office, Wal-Mart - like, wow! You might be able to buy rubbing alcohol at some of those kinds of stores in Canada, but anything else and you're talking about a LIQUOR STORE. A "building with it's own entrance completely removed from any other stores, and without any connection to any other store" (like, you MUST be made to leave the "other store", go outside, and enter the liquor store through it's own entrance from the outside)(BTW, the only reason I remember it like this is because Alberta is one of the few provinces where the GOVERNMENT doesn't own all liquor stores... but it used to, until we got a super-right wing premier that privatized liquor stores, made Casinos legal, made "live peep shows" legal, all kinds of "sin if you want to" regulations. Because of this, the big grocery stores like Safeway wanted to have an "American-style" ability to sell liquor. No dice.)

2) Your booze is so CHEAP! I realize that the main reason for this (and why some states have higher booze prices than others) is TAXES! Yeah, it's pretty much a knee jerk reaction in Canada - if the government needs money in a hurry, they raise "sin taxes" on booze and cigarettes.

3) Your booze (specifically, your beer) has such a LOW alcohol content! Unless you're drinking some import or some beer that's specifically using its "9.9% Alcohol by volume"-type thing as a sales tactic, you guys are drinking 2% beer! Beer doesn't TOUCH a Canadian shelf unless it's five (or more) percent! An example - they introduced Budwieser up here some 15-20 years ago. Now, Budweiser is one of the most well-known "brands" on Earth (the others are Marlboro and Coca-Cola), but nobody in Canada was buying it. Turns out that Budweiser manufactured for America was simply being imported to Canada - along with all its "watered-down goodness". So they started making Bud specifically for sale in Canada, complete with a massive marketing blitz of billboards, TV ads, magazine ads, etc., etc., with a simple, short slogan - "Budweiser - Now 5%!!".
And then it started selling!

"I am insane... and you are my insanity" - James Cole, 12 Monkeys

-ak

[–] acrum 18 years ago

This was filmed in my hometown of Tallahassee, Florida. It was a big deal because not much goes on around here.

[–] diarmaid_blah_blah 18 years ago

When Audrey kicks Charlie out of the car just after they screw over Ray, he says "I'm in the middle of Virginia!!"

[–] glendafl76 18 years ago

It was also filmed in Quincy, FL where I am from. You are right, it was a huge deal. The convenience store where they bought the beer actually burned down about a year later. The scene at the convenience store where the guys are rapping outside was remodeled just for the movie; by the way, there is no hotel across the street from that particular convenience store as it may show in the movie.

[–] Kurtz9791 18 years ago

They didn't flat out say they were in Florida, but you do see a Seminoles logo right before that Italian Restuarant scene.

That is a real restuarant by the way. I ate there after an FSU game last October. I just watched this film for the first time and was shocked to see the restuarant I ate at.

[–] skybridge999 18 years ago

I know a lot of the film was filmed in Florida from the closing credits, the question is: does the story ever say they got farther south than Virginia?

[–] TeaBunny 18 years ago

After they leave the mom's house they go to her HS reunion the same night and it's in PA.

------------------------
"Love means never having to say you're ugly." - the Abominable Dr. Phibes

[–] skybridge999 18 years ago

Diarmaid wins the prize!!!!! When M.G. kicks Charlie out of the car after he rescues her from Ray, he says, "I'm in the middle of Virginia"

CASE CLOSED

[–] Katz5 17 years ago

It was filmed in Florida (panhandle, which looks more like Georgia than the rest of Florida) but that part was set in Virginia.

The plot had Charlie and Lulu driving from New York City to PA and then south--to some unknown destination. Virginia made sense as it was still close enough to New York City for Charlie to drive back there and Ray to follow them.

I live in Virginia and there were no Tenneco gas stations around in VA in the 80s. That was a service station all over Florida, however.

Human Beings...Wow

[–] samayres 17 years ago

"Lighten up, Charlie".

[–] Ghost_seekr 16 years ago

Skybridge999 Something wild was filmed in my hometown of Quincy, FL which is in north florida and NOT in Havana Florida which is about 15 miles NE of Quincy. North Florida is not Palm Trees we are about 15 miles South of the Georgia line. The building where the class reunion was held is the Swano Club the old country club. The drain where the gun was thrown is South of town next to the power plant. The convenience store in question where the beer was purchased "was" down town Quincy, but burned down several years later. The movie theater they stopped in front of was the old theater where we as kids hung out in the mid to late 70's to watch all the B rated movies.

[–] Night_Train_Express 14 years ago

At least one scene was definitely shot in Havana. When they pull up to the store to buy new clothes, there is a sign for Havana Auto Parts. I doubt they would have had a Havana Auto Parts in Quincy. Being that Tallahassee, Quincy, and Havana are relatively close together, it was easy to film in all three.

Climb aboard...

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] maxtshea 7 years ago

Ray took off for NYC in the middle of the night and arrived in NYC as the sun was coming up. It takes about 5.5 hours of Interstate driving to get to NYC from Richmond, VA. Whereas, it takes 16 hours of Interstate driving to get from Tallahassee to NYC. Thus, I always assumed Ray took off from Virginia, not Florida. But, whatever, it's the movie's artistic license. Maybe Ray drove 200 mph the whole way from Florida in that little economy car he stole. Who knows?

Error(s) in 'Something Wild' ? *HELP PLEASE*

Error(s) in 'Something Wild' ? HELP PLEASE