SANTA FE ON FILM

Dating back more than a century, into the black-and-white era, New Mexico has been the backdrop of innumerable films and, more recently, television series. But the Land of Enchantment is frequently cast as another place: Texas, the Afghan deserts, Mars. Ideal Home, a new comedy starring Paul Rudd, is an exception, making Santa Fe both its setting and a part of the story. Some other films and series that have put the City Different in the story:

The Tao of Steve: The 2000 rom-com, both set and filmed in Santa Fe, follows Donal Logue as a schlub with a preternatural knack for wooing women. Director Jenniphr Goodman lived with the man who inspired Logue’s character for 18 months in Santa Fe, according to a 2000 interview.

Twins: The 1988 comedy starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito sends the main characters to Santa Fe and other points in Northern New Mexico to find their mother, who lives in an art colony.

Better Call Saul: Although Santa Fe is never seen in this second-season arc, Jimmy McGill, the sleazy Albuquerque-based lawyer hero of the AMC Breaking Bad prequel, tries to go legit for a time and takes a job at a plush (fictional) Santa Fe law firm, Davis & Main.

Grace and Frankie: The Emmy-winning Netflix series follows Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin as they navigate the dissolution of their respective marriages — after their husbands reveal they are in love with each other. Tomlin’s character escapes to Santa Fe for a time to pursue her work as an artist.