Location and real University and town it is based on.

It is Oxford, MS and OLE MISS... I read a review or two that equated this to Alabama... well no... it was even filmed in Oxford (my hometown) the drive-in place is now McAlister's Deli (founded in Oxford) and the Lyceum is featured in the movie as well. The governor re-enactment scene was of Paul B. Johnson, Jr.'s (who Johnson Commons [the dining hall] is named after) role attempting to prevent James Meredith from enrolling at Ole Miss in 1962 during his tenure as Lt. Governor of Mississippi, which later enabled his election as Governor in 1964. The town and state are full of cultural history, the past was awful to say the least but the movie gives a somewhat hopeful (even if a small ounce of it) ideal of what Southern college towns were like then and that not everyone then and definitely not everyone now is a complete idiot. Growing up in Oxford in the 1990's was completely different, yes my parents and grandparents told us about how awful it used to be but my friends and I never really say race as an issue...