10 Great Movies Filmed In Michigan

Whether you’re from the great state of Michigan or have ever visited, you may be wondering about some of the movies filmed in Michigan. When we think of cinema and filming locations, our mind often turns to California and Hollywood. While filmmakers can recreate many settings and locations in a Hollywood film studio, sometimes a fabricated scene just won’t cut it. How can you blame them? Michigan is a naturally beautiful state with various environments and ideal shooting locations in rural and urban areas.

If, while reading this list of movies filmed in Michigan, you’re inspired to make a trip to Michigan, there’s no better place to start searching for rental locations than on Peerspace. As the world’s largest online marketplace for rentals, all you have to do is search your location or destination and see what crops up. Each listing also includes high-def photographs of each site, upfront pricing, a detailed description, and past user reviews. Before you even book, you’ll find the exact setting you’re looking for, regardless of your renting purposes. 

But for now, let’s get on to our list of great movies filmed in Michigan.

1. 8 Mile (2002)

They could have filmed this portrayal of the rapper Eminem’s early life and rise to stardom nowhere other than his hometown of Detroit. The film captures Eminem’s childhood as he struggles to make his way in the world and establish himself as one of the best-selling rappers of all time. At times tragic, the film still manages to capture the optimism and drive of a young Eminem. Filmmakers starkly contrast his travails and successes against a backdrop of a washed-out Detroit of the early 1990s.

They filmed this drama on location adds a whole other dimension to the story and gives the film a sense of realism that they could not otherwise communicate on a film set. If you’re a fan of the movie or the rapper, visiting the birthplace of this international sensation gives you insight into his early life.

2. Catfish (2007)

A pseudo-documentary directed by Ariel Schulman later turned the film into a television series of the same name. It follows his brother Nev as he searches for love online and stumbles upon a woman he thinks is his perfect match. However, her suspicious behavior drives the brothers to find out more about this mystery woman.

While the movie’s first half takes place in New York City, the brothers travel to Michigan, where the mystery woman supposedly lives. Pursuing her identity, the two brothers travel to Gladstone, Michigan, where they come face to face with the reality of Nev’s would-be lover. Full of suspense and drama, this film takes us into this woman’s life and Gladstone and shows us a side of rural Michigan we might not usually get to see.

3. Gran Torino (2008)

Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino takes us back to Detroit, Michigan, where Walt Kowalski’s protagonist is an aging man in a rapidly changing world. This drama traces Kowalski’s conflict with the modern world and his longing for the Detroit of the past.

Belonging to a generation who saw Detroit as one of the car-manufacturing capitals of the world, he now lives in a new world. Detroit now has a stark absence of that former industry and lost the many jobs and financial security it provided to Detroit residents. It takes viewers through suburban Detroit, where we see the vestiges of what the city once was.

4. It Might Get Loud (2009)

A documentary directed by Davis Guggenheim, It Might Get Loud is not only one of the great movies filmed in Michigan. It’s an essential film for any classic rock music lover. The documentary follows Jack White, The Edge, and Jimmy Page — three very different guitar players belonging to different eras, but each with a significant impact on the music of their generation.

Guggenheim travels to Detroit, the childhood home of Jack White. As in Gran Torino and 8 Mile, the film exposes us to a post-industrial Detroit. As in 8 Mile, Jack White communicates the importance of this setting to his music career.

5. The Karate Kid (2010)

A remake and adaptation of the film of the same name, this film follows the trajectory of a child’s unexpected rise into the world of karate. The remake does introduce new elements to the story and is partly set in Detroit, where Jaden Smith’s character (Dre Parker) spends his early childhood. Although Dre Parker eventually moves to Beijing, where he becomes seriously engaged in karate, the movie nonetheless grounds his identity in Detroit.

6. Need For Speed (2014)

Need For Speed is an action-thriller directed by Scott Waugh that takes us into the world of cars and racing. Many of the film’s scenes occur outside of Michigan. So it is appropriate that a racing movie would take the viewer on a trip to Detroit, famously nicknamed Motor City for its high concentration of auto-manufacturers.

Michigan State Troopers pursue the protagonists in a high-speed chase in the film. They also filmed it around Campus Martius Park in downtown Detroit. In fact, the racing scene loops the city’s famous landmarks, making good use of the Motor City’s skyline to create a compelling scene full of action and suspense.

7. This Must Be The Place (2012)

This Must Be The Place is a film directed by Paulo Sorrentino featuring award-winning actors Sean Penn and Frances McDormand. Sean Penn plays Cheyenne, a successful rock musician who has become jaded with his wealth during his retirement in Dublin, Ireland.

Estranged from his father and desiring to make amends, Cheyenne travels to the United States to pursue a relationship with him. The Michigan towns of Bad Axe, Ubly, Kinde, and Sterling Heights are all film locations in Cheyenne’s search for meaning through middle America. 

8. Roger & Me (1989)

A documentary classic, Michael Moore’s Roger & Me follows Moore’s pursuit of Roger B. Smith, the then-chairman of GM Motors. In a bid to save on labor costs, Smith had laid off thousands of auto-workers in Flint, Michigan, replacing them with underpaid migrants.

The documentary also captures the struggle of skilled laborers in a rapidly changing Michigan, as the auto industry changes to meet the demands of a globalizing world. 

9. The Evil Dead (1981)

An instant classic for horror fans, Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead gripped audiences with its supernatural imagery and suspenseful story-telling. The film follows five Michigan State Students, including the legendary Bruce Campbell in his debut role.

The students travel to an isolated cabin in the rural Tennessee countryside. And while there, they are plagued by horrors and supernatural phenomena that seem to possess the very ground they stand on. Their vacation quickly becomes a nightmare as the five students struggle to survive the hellish ordeal. Although set in Tennessee, this is one of the craziest movies filmed in Michigan for sure.

10. Transformers (2007)

Although filmed in the same city as 8 Mile, this action-packed franchise presents a different portrayal of Detroit. And where else could they have filmed the Transformers movie? The film also revolves around highly advanced cars that transform into mechanical, humanoid superheroes.

By choosing to film in Detroit, the director clearly wanted to pay homage to the technological advances this city has contributed to the auto industry. 

Bonus: Dream Girls (2006)

Dreamgirls is the 2006 movie starring Beyonce, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Hudson, and Eddie Murphy. It chronicles the thriving American R&B music scene while following the ups and downs of Detroit girl group, The Dreams. The film was critically praised and garnered several awards, including Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy.

While the principal photography took place on soundstages in Los Angeles, second unit footage took place in Detroit. All the better to film Motown in Motown!

Movies filmed in Michigan: conclusion

These are just a handful of the amazing movies filmed in Michigan. Remember, if you need amazing locations for your film production (or really, any personal or professional project on your agenda), then check out Peerspace. We make it easy to book production-worthy spaces in cities across the globe. Check out our website to find out what we have on offer near you!

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