A very cool, viral TikTok video has been making the rounds showing a plethora of films set in various Iowa towns. Full disclosure: just because a movie was set in a location doesn’t mean it was filmed there. No less, Iowa is obviously not the first place most people think of when it comes to the setting of major motion pictures, so this kind of Midwestern representation is still welcome in my book.
I decided to look at each of the films in the aforementioned TikTok video. Below you’ll find the film’s trailer, and a brief rundown of the plot and the actors in the film. I’ll also include a link to the respective film’s JustWatch page, a website dedicated to telling you where a film/TV show can be streamed.
Star Trek (2009), Riverside, IA:
Star Trek is an inclusion on this list with an asterisk. If you’re not aware, Captain James T. Kirk (famously played by William Shatner in the original series) was born in Riverside, IA; on March 22nd, 2233, to be specific.
Every year, TrekFest is held in Riverside, IA to commemorate the significance. A younger version of Captain Kirk would later go on to be played by Chris Pine across a new trilogy of films, beginning with J. J. Abrams’ Star Trek in 2009…