TV-Movie Road inaccuracies that drive you crazy!

Started by Captain Jack, August 10, 2018, 02:48:47 PM

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Captain Jack

What movies or TV shows have you been unable to fully enjoy because of road inaccuracies?

Recently, I was watching "Founder". It is a documentary on Ray Kroc and the McDonald brothers, focusing on the beginnings of McDonalds. Decent flick starring Michael Keaton as Kroc.

Early on in the film, Kroc was a struggling milk-shake mixer salesman in 1954. Kroc was bouncing around the St. Louis area getting doors slammed when his office notified him that a restaurant in San Bernadino had just ordered (8) of these mixers. Curious as to why they would need so many, Kroc decides to drive out there. As he is driving in Missouri in the film, the shields, using the proper cut-out ones for the period, show "US 44". Once in Arizona and California they properly use "US 66".

While I thought it was a decent documentary, it was hard to fully enjoy it when my mind kept wondering how they could have screwed up with the US 44 thing in Missouri, yet have it right for Arizona and California. Obsessions of a road geek.


Captain Jack

Tried to delete this as I just saw the other thread. Apologies for the duplication on topics.

abefroman329

The beginning of When Harry Met Sally, when Harry and Sally are shown driving from UChicago to New York by driving south on Lake Shore Drive from somewhere south of North Avenue.

As I mentioned before, at the beginning of National Lampoon's Vacation, they're shown driving from what's likely the north suburbs of Chicago to LA by traveling on the ramp from the northbound Stevenson to southbound Lake Shore Drive.

The shot towards the end of Planes Trains and Automobiles, of the dairy truck approaching Chicago, I swear that's a matte shot.

Rothman

Totally noticed the bad signage in The Founder, too.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

txstateends

* Cannonball Run 2 had mountains on the TX/LA border.  Not little hills, but mountains.

* The only part of the movie Cedar Rapids that shows the correct city is when the insurance salesman is flying in for his convention, and the skyline appears below.  All the other exteriors are places in Michigan, where the movie was filmed >aargh<.

* A scene in an early season of "Dallas" shows a supposed FM road in TX (likely filmed in CA) with a definitely-painted FM shield in the scene.  Not quite authentic.

* In one of the "Dallas" reunion movies, a chase scene was supposed to be taking place on I-40 east of Amarillo.  The producers actually used a street in Irving for it, complete with not-so authentic "I-40" signs/poles.  In a different scene, there is a tour of a tank farm that is also supposed to be in Amarillo, but that was actually of a tank farm off of TX 183 in Irving.  Anyone familiar with either city could definitely tell the difference.
\/ \/ click for a bigger image \/ \/

GaryV

There was an old GPS commercial that showed a moose as they were passing an I-10 sign.

abefroman329

Quote from: txstateends on August 11, 2018, 01:30:44 AM
* Cannonball Run 2 had mountains on the TX/LA border.  Not little hills, but mountains.
I remember a TV show from the early 2000s or so, starring Craig T. Nelson and set in DC, where you could see some very Southern Californian mountains in the background of a scene set in DC.

Revive 755

The early scenes in the 2009 Star Trek Movie where southern California is substituted for rural Iowa.  The lack of hills and amount of sand along the shoulders are too much (Streetview of a road similar to that in the movie).  Should have been something similar to this (IA 22 east of Riverside), this (random rural road near Riverside), or this (old US 218 near Riverside).

TheHighwayMan3561

Quote from: Revive 755 on August 11, 2018, 10:19:38 AM
The early scenes in the 2009 Star Trek Movie where southern California is substituted for rural Iowa.  The lack of hills and amount of sand along the shoulders are too much (Streetview of a road similar to that in the movie).  Should have been something similar to this (IA 22 east of Riverside), this (random rural road near Riverside), or this (old US 218 near Riverside).

Also when child Kirk joyrides his stepdad's car off a massive cliff into a deep canyon-like chasm - where the F is anything remotely like that in Iowa?
self-certified as the dumbest person on this board for 5 years running

abefroman329

Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on August 11, 2018, 12:30:16 PM
Quote from: Revive 755 on August 11, 2018, 10:19:38 AM
The early scenes in the 2009 Star Trek Movie where southern California is substituted for rural Iowa.  The lack of hills and amount of sand along the shoulders are too much (Streetview of a road similar to that in the movie).  Should have been something similar to this (IA 22 east of Riverside), this (random rural road near Riverside), or this (old US 218 near Riverside).

Also when child Kirk joyrides his stepdad's car off a massive cliff into a deep canyon-like chasm - where the F is anything remotely like that in Iowa?
An old quarry?

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: abefroman329 on August 11, 2018, 12:36:34 PM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on August 11, 2018, 12:30:16 PM
Quote from: Revive 755 on August 11, 2018, 10:19:38 AM
The early scenes in the 2009 Star Trek Movie where southern California is substituted for rural Iowa.  The lack of hills and amount of sand along the shoulders are too much (Streetview of a road similar to that in the movie).  Should have been something similar to this (IA 22 east of Riverside), this (random rural road near Riverside), or this (old US 218 near Riverside).

Also when child Kirk joyrides his stepdad's car off a massive cliff into a deep canyon-like chasm - where the F is anything remotely like that in Iowa?
An old quarry?

When I saw it I thought that scene was clearly a futuristic abandoned quarry or mine.  Shame about the C2 Corvette though.

jp the roadgeek

There's an episode of Family Guy where the Griffins are going to NYC, and when they're traveling through CT, it looks like they're driving on a 2 lane road through a forest.  From Quahoag (near Providence) to NYC, one would take I-95, and none of I-95 in CT looks like it goes through a forest or is 2 lanes.


In another episode where they're going to visit Cleveland down in VA, they get on the Turnpike at the beginning of the trip.  RI does not have any limited access turnpikes. 

Interstates I've clinched: 97, 290 (MA), 291 (CT), 291 (MA), 293, 295 (DE-NJ-PA), 295 (RI-MA), 384, 391, 395 (CT-MA), 395 (MD), 495 (DE), 610 (LA), 684, 691, 695 (MD), 695 (NY), 795 (MD)

jon daly

Maybe Peter was trying to clinch RI-14 and CT-14.

I'll praise the show for one accuracy. There's an establishing shot of the Providence skyline, that matches a vista I see not for from my office.

roadman65

How about Maude?  Do you really need to take the George Washington Bridge to go from NYC to Tuckahoe, NY in Westchester County?  The GWB leaves the state as well as both places being on the same side of the bridge.

Then there is Smokey and the Bandit II.  It shows  during the truck verses cops showdown scene being in the western Texas desert!  Being the Bandit was driving from Miami to Dallas, there is no desert topography on the route you would be taking in the Lone Star State to accomplish it.

In Bosom Buddies (late 80's sitcom on ABC) you see Larry Appleton driving from Madison, WI to Chicago in the first season passing beneath the Welcome to Chicago sign leaving ORD along I-190 E Bound.  Even though I-90 goes by O' Hare, it does not at all place you under that sign en route as you would have to go inside the airport to come out to experience the view of that assembly.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

Gulol

Planes, Trains and Automobiles.  The train breaks down and they have to take a bus from Jefferson City, MO to St. Louis.  Why would the bus be crossing the Mississippi River from Illinois into St. Louis as shown?

Big John

Quote from: roadman65 on August 11, 2018, 07:03:37 PM

In Bosom Buddies (late 80's sitcom on ABC) you see Larry Appleton driving from Madison, WI to Chicago in the first season passing beneath the Welcome to Chicago sign leaving ORD along I-190 E Bound.  Even though I-90 goes by O' Hare, it does not at all place you under that sign en route as you would have to go inside the airport to come out to experience the view of that assembly.
Perfect Strangers.

abefroman329

Quote from: Gulol on August 11, 2018, 07:45:36 PM
Planes, Trains and Automobiles.  The train breaks down and they have to take a bus from Jefferson City, MO to St. Louis.  Why would the bus be crossing the Mississippi River from Illinois into St. Louis as shown?
It gets worse - they're driving from St. Louis to Chicago and they get pulled over by the Wisconsin State Police.

abefroman329

Quote from: Big John on August 11, 2018, 07:54:44 PM
Quote from: roadman65 on August 11, 2018, 07:03:37 PM

In Bosom Buddies (late 80's sitcom on ABC) you see Larry Appleton driving from Madison, WI to Chicago in the first season passing beneath the Welcome to Chicago sign leaving ORD along I-190 E Bound.  Even though I-90 goes by O' Hare, it does not at all place you under that sign en route as you would have to go inside the airport to come out to experience the view of that assembly.
Perfect Strangers.
I've been watching Perfect Strangers on Hulu and this one I don't mind so much since I get to see that awesome vintage sign.

SteveG1988

Quote from: abefroman329 on August 11, 2018, 08:43:22 PM
Quote from: Gulol on August 11, 2018, 07:45:36 PM
Planes, Trains and Automobiles.  The train breaks down and they have to take a bus from Jefferson City, MO to St. Louis.  Why would the bus be crossing the Mississippi River from Illinois into St. Louis as shown?
It gets worse - they're driving from St. Louis to Chicago and they get pulled over by the Wisconsin State Police.

With that movie...the company driver was just inept and went around on the I-255 bridge (what it is called today) in 1987. "it's an easier way to get downtown" Every company in that movie is inept in some way. Rental car company has a missing car....train breaks down...etc.

Them going to wisconsin... Del has a crappy sense of direction, and also wanted to hang out with Neil longer, so he took a roundabout route to get into Chicago, go up to what is today i-43 and come back down. I could see a deleted scene "Del...WHy THE HELL ARE WE IN WISCONSIN!?!?!"


Now realworld.... the 1st is that it is a good establishing shot of St Louis for people who have never been there, so i can use my suspension of disbelief to get around that one. And the 2nd..they probably had a Wisconsin state police costume in some closet they pulled out for the scene because they couldn't find the right one. It's like how in Animal house they use a Tennessee flag because they could not find a big enough Pennslyvania state flag, and the TN flag was the most generic one they could find in the right size.
Roads Clinched

I55,I82,I84(E&W)I88(W),I87(N),I81,I64,I74(W),I72,I57,I24,I65,I59,I12,I71,I77,I76(E&W),I70,I79,I85,I86(W),I27,I16,I97,I96,I43,I41,

vdeane

The Steven Universe episode Mr. Greg has Steven, Greg, and Pearl take a trip to Empire City (equivalent of NYC).  When they leave and head back into Jersey, they're on a rural two-lane road like one would find leaving the Hudson Valley, even though real-world travel from NYC to New Jersey would be over a bridge and the area would be very urban.  Of course, the geography of Steven Universe is very different, so it's possible the Hudson doesn't exist there and/or the state line/development patterns might be different.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

bing101

There was a movie mentioned on a different thread where there was a scene where a road was on I-95 in Florida but the road was really near I-110 or I-710 in Los Angeles.

Roadrunner75

They're not depicting real roads or a real town, but in the original Halloween it seems like they are driving a good distance to go a couple blocks.  If I recall correctly, the Jamie Lee Curtis character gets picked up by her friend to go to their babysitting jobs across the street from each other.  In the beginning of the movie, Curtis walks a short distance from her house to the "Michael Myers" house.  Later in the movie, the Donald Pleasance character is at the Michael Myers house and looks down the street to see the car Michael stole parked near the house where the babysitters are.  So JLC's house and the babysitting jobs are within a couple of blocks of each other at most, yet they drove all over town to get there.  Only something a roadnut would notice.

Side note:  I noticed this and explained the above to a nice young woman I just met at a Halloween party while some of us sat down to watch the movie later that night.  Despite this, my other blabbing on about road issues here and there and detours to check out new road construction, we've been married over 14 years and have a little 9 year old future roadnut.  So go ahead and take them on a detour over the new 95/PA Turnpike ramps - but maybe wait until the second date at least.

Revive 755

#22
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 11, 2018, 01:07:54 PM
Quote from: abefroman329 on August 11, 2018, 12:36:34 PM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on August 11, 2018, 12:30:16 PM
Quote from: Revive 755 on August 11, 2018, 10:19:38 AM
The early scenes in the 2009 Star Trek Movie where southern California is substituted for rural Iowa.  The lack of hills and amount of sand along the shoulders are too much (Streetview of a road similar to that in the movie).  Should have been something similar to this (IA 22 east of Riverside), this (random rural road near Riverside), or this (old US 218 near Riverside).

Also when child Kirk joyrides his stepdad's car off a massive cliff into a deep canyon-like chasm - where the F is anything remotely like that in Iowa?
An old quarry?

When I saw it I thought that scene was clearly a futuristic abandoned quarry or mine.  Shame about the C2 Corvette though.

Could be a major expansion of the quarry near the I-80/I-380 interchange.  Google AerialOr a future expansion of the quarry near Keota.

abefroman329

Quote from: Revive 755 on August 12, 2018, 01:32:39 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 11, 2018, 01:07:54 PM
Quote from: abefroman329 on August 11, 2018, 12:36:34 PM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on August 11, 2018, 12:30:16 PM
Quote from: Revive 755 on August 11, 2018, 10:19:38 AM
The early scenes in the 2009 Star Trek Movie where southern California is substituted for rural Iowa.  The lack of hills and amount of sand along the shoulders are too much (Streetview of a road similar to that in the movie).  Should have been something similar to this (IA 22 east of Riverside), this (random rural road near Riverside), or this (old US 218 near Riverside).

Also when child Kirk joyrides his stepdad's car off a massive cliff into a deep canyon-like chasm - where the F is anything remotely like that in Iowa?
An old quarry?

When I saw it I thought that scene was clearly a futuristic abandoned quarry or mine.  Shame about the C2 Corvette though.

Could be a major expansion of the quarry near the I-80/I-380 interchange.  Google AerialOr a future expansion of the quarry near Keota.[url]
Anything is possible in futuristic sci-fi. Between now and the events of Minority Report, they repealed the ban on buildings taller than 13 stories in DC.

cwf1701

How about a 2-lane I-25 in Doctor Who? The real life version of the road is 4 lanes at the sign for Truth or Consequences NM.



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