5 Great Movies That Take Place in Indiana

There have been a lot of movies made that are "set" in Indiana...some better than others. Some of the movies listed were actually shot in Indiana...and one of the films takes place in a fictional Indiana city.

I'm just gonna list these in chronological order. I'll leave it up to you to rank them, if you want.

1. Close Encounters of the Third Kind

It's one of Steven Spielberg's earlier films and it's one of the most well-known and most popular UFO/alien movies. While the movie goes all over the world, the protaganist (Richard Dreyfuss) and his family live in Muncie, Indiana.

2. Breaking Away

Probably the least known movie on this list, Breaking Away is set in Bloomington, Indiana. In a nutshell, the story follows a local kid who is obsessed with cycling. He and his buddies end up competing in the "Little 500" held annually in Bloomington. Breaking Away features some young actors who would go on to have really successful careers including Dennis Quaid (The Rookie), Daniel Stern (Home Alone) and Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen)

3. A Christmas Story

What can I tell you about this iconic holiday movie that you don't already know? I think everyone in America is familiar with Ralphie and his quest to get a Red Ryder rifle for Christmas. What you may not know is that the story is set in the fictional town of Hohman, Indiana. Ooooohhhhh fffffuuuuuddgggee!

4. Hoosiers

The name says it all. In my opinion, Hoosiers is one of the best sports movies of all time (and one of 3 sports films on this list). Hoosiers was set and filmed in several Indiana towns. I remember seeing Hoosiers in the theater and then coming home and shooting hoops in the driveway, just like Jimmy Chitwood. I swear I made every shot that day! I'm telling you if this trailer doesn't give you goosebumps you need to check your pulse.

5. Rudy

Another one of the greatest sports movies ever made! Everyone remembers this one...in between the time he spent chasing One-Eyed Willy and helping Frodo get to Mordor, Sean Austin played the real-life role of Daniel 'Rudy' Ruettiger. In Rudy we also see (probably for the first time ever) Swingers co-stars Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn. Rudy was set and filmed in South Bend, Indiana.

[Bonus] Back In The Day

Movie critics might say that Back In The Day doesn't stack up to these other Indiana-based movies, but I had to include it. You gotta give some love to Newburgh native Michael Rosenbaum (Smallville) for coming back to Southern Indiana to make this flick.