DESERT DUPES
10 MOVIES SET IN ARIZONA THAT WEREN’T FILMED HERE
The thrill of seeing a movie set in Arizona wanes when it’s clear it was filmed anywhere but the Grand Canyon State. • Shots of barren desert landscape can be indistinguishable, easily mimicking Arizona’s terrain even though they were filmed elsewhere. • Why? It comes down to money. • Arizona spent more than $23 million on movie production subsidies when the state offered filmmakers tax incentives between 2005 and 2010. But attempts to revitalize that enterprise have been rejected by lawmakers in recent years. Meanwhile other states, such as New Mexico, enchant producers with financial inducements. • With so many places doubling for the Grand Canyon State — including this year’s real estate horror-comedy “Arizona,” filmed in New Mexico — we’ve compiled a list of 10 movies that were set here, yet Arizona isn’t even a stand-in.
‘Only the Brave’ (2017)
The harrowing “Only the Brave” explores the lives of the Granite Mountain Hotshots killed during the Yarnell Hill fire. Starring Josh Brolin, Jennifer Connelly and Miles Teller, this story of heroism, sacrifice and survival is seared into recent Arizona history. But the movie was filmed entirely in New Mexico, save for a fleeting shot of downtown Prescott.
“I wish they would have filmed it here,” said Gov. Doug Ducey, who is not a fan of a specialty tax break for filmmakers. “Of course, we always want to bring industry here.”
‘Spare Parts’ (2015)
A feel-good retelling of the real-life Carl Hayden Community High School robotics team’s David-and-Goliath victory in 2004 is at times melodramatic and thrilling. The film, starring George Lopez and Jamie Lee Curtis, was filmed in New Mexico but does feature some establishing shots of Phoenix.
‘We’re the Millers’ (2013)
The makeshift family of misfits assembled by Jason Sudeikis’ small-time pot dealer is as phony as a scene depicting the Tucson International Airport. An eagle-eyed Reddit user called out the Southwestern-style locale as none other than the Albuquerque International Sunport.
‘Cowboys & Aliens’ (2011)
Set in the alien-ridden dusty town of Absolution, in the Arizona territory, a hodgepodge of genres converge in this sci-fi Western starring Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig. Though many would say Arizona certainly has its experiences with extraterrestrial visitors, we think New Mexico has us beat. Roswell, anyone? “Cowboys & Aliens” was filmed in and around Santa Fe, including Bonanza Creek Ranch.
‘3:10 to Yuma’ (2007)
When a captured outlaw (Russell Crowe) is scheduled for trial, it’s up to a struggling rancher (Christian Bale) to ensure the criminal gets on the train to Yuma in a battle of the wills. The 2007 remake of a lauded 1957 Elmore Leonard Western had New Mexico’s Bonanza Creek and Ghost ranches double for southern Arizona.
‘Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion’ (1997)
Before grabbing your “business woman’s special” at some sleepy roadside diner, pay close attention to Romy and Michele (Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow) during their high school days at Tucson’s (fictional) Sagebrush High. With distant green vistas looming in the background and not a cactus in sight, it’s clear this is actually Valencia High School in Santa Clarita, California.
‘Wyatt Earp’ (1994)
A biopic on the Old West lawman, Kevin Costner’s 1994 box office flop arrived in the wake of the Arizona-set “Tombstone” that focused on the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Unlike the ensemble 1993 film, “Wyatt Earp” didn’t film in the “town too tough to die” but at New Mexico’s Ghost Ranch.
‘Thelma and Louise’ (1991)
The image of this dedicated duo (Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon) accelerating their sky-blue 1966 Ford Thunderbird over the edge of the Grand Canyon is one of those unmistakable, immortal pieces of cinema. But that wasn’t the Grand Canyon. The finale was filmed in Moab, Utah.
‘Pump Up the Volume’ (1990)
A post-”Heathers” Christian Slater portrays a disconnected Phoenix high school student who anonymously establishes his own shortwave radio show to rebel against the injustices of youth. Though some Gen Xers would love to say it’s a quintessential Arizona flick, the movie was shot around Santa Clarita, Calif.
‘It Came From Outer Space’ (1953)
When an otherworldly spaceship topples into the rocky outskirts of Sand Rock, Arizona, it’s up to a stargazer to get to the bottom of its unexpected arrival. The fictional Sand Rock, described as a “nice town knowing its past and sure of its future” was brought to life in several California towns and the Mojave Desert. It would be more than four decades before we’d really get some extraterrestrial love.