Name 5 American movies that an expat should see before coming to the USA.
 

What are five movies that you would recommend to a new immigrant as being essential for understanding American life, culture, etc? I'll take a stab but wondering what other ones people would recommend?

1) Mr. Smith Goes to Washington - An American's idealistic view of government.
2) The Godfather - Just because.
3) Forrest Gump - A walk through recent American history.
4) One of the following: The Natural, Rudy, Field of Dreams or Hoosiers -- the idealistic dreams of sport in America.
5) Avalon - A nice story of immigrants to America adjusting to life as the country changes.

Bonus #1
Animal House. - The scenes and quotes from this movie are classic and frequently worked into conversations.

Bonus #2
If you have kids, any one of the following: Breakfast Club, Risky Business, American Pie or Fast Times at Ridgemont High--all about the lighter side of being a teenager in the USA.

Re: Name 5 American movies that an expat should see before coming to the USA.
 

Oh, this is fun! I'll do ten.

1. Dazed and Confused: the best and likely most authentic American high school movie ever made. The primary actors look a little old for high school, but a lot of this is accurate.
2. John Adams (miniseries): brings to life a critical phase in America's history and serves as a good introduction to many of the key personalities involved in the early days.
3. Hoop Dreams: an essentially perfect documentary of two young, talented black basketball players that follows them for years. So much truth in this.
4. LA Story: the most perfect satire of the west coast I've seen. A fairly gentle movie but captures the ridiculousness and appeal of California.
5. Red River: in the running as the best western ever made. One of the all-time great evocations of myth of the American west.
6. Jaws: not only one of the great adventure movies of all time, also captures seaside New England just about perfectly.
7. The African Queen: Humphrey Bogart's character in this movie is the most American man I think I've ever seen on film, or at least American men as we would like to see ourselves.
8. Office Space: terrific satire of the America workspace, also everyone will be constantly quoting this so you should probably see it.
9. Sin Nombre: not set in America, but tackles some of the situation south of the border really well. Unforgettable.
10. Smokey and the Bandit: it's mostly awful, it's terribly dated, it's a stereotype of stereotypes, it's kind of sexist... but it's also fun, ridiculous escapism that somehow works. Has there ever been a more American movie? Also, Jackie Gleason is terrific in this and apparently it was Alfred Hitchcock's secret guilty pleasure.

Re: Name 5 American movies that an expat should see before coming to the USA.
 

1) American Graffiti (cruising the strip)
2) Porkys (My favorite american high school movie)
3) Slap Shot (Ice Hockey sendup. The Hanson Brothers !! )
4) Two-Lane Black Top (On the highway Drag Racing 70's style)
5) Home for the Holidays (Understanding Thanksgiving)

Re: Name 5 American movies that an expat should see before coming to the USA.
 

I know it's not 5 but...

Blues Brothers.
Uncle Buck.
Philadelphia.
Born in the USA
Stripes
Godfather series.
Rocky series
The French Connection
Rambo series
Magnolia
Chinatown
Glengarry Glen Ross
12 Angry Men
American Graffiti
Swingers
Napoleon Dynamite
The Big Short

Re: Name 5 American movies that an expat should see before coming to the USA.
 

Talladega nights

Re: Name 5 American movies that an expat should see before coming to the USA.
 

Raise you a DodgeBall and Zoolander.

Re: Name 5 American movies that an expat should see before coming to the USA.
 

Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Groundhog Day (especially if you are moving to PA)

Re: Name 5 American movies that an expat should see before coming to the USA.
 

I assume that this is tongue in cheek as 90 percent of Hollywood movies bear little or no resemblance to real life

Re: Name 5 American movies that an expat should see before coming to the USA.
 

Green Card ?

Re: Name 5 American movies that an expat should see before coming to the USA.
 

My first decade in NYC could be pretty well summed up by the fascinating documentary "The Bronx is Burning," and the movies "Summer of Sam," 'Do the Right Thing," and "Saturday Night Fever"!

Re: Name 5 American movies that an expat should see before coming to the USA.
 

John Q - John Quincy Archibald takes a hospital emergency room hostage when his insurance won't cover his son's heart transplant.

Re: Name 5 American movies that an expat should see before coming to the USA.
 

No Country for Old Men
Fargo
O Brother Where art thou
Raising Arizona
The Graduate

Re: Name 5 American movies that an expat should see before coming to the USA.
 

The movie that sticks in my mind is "Easy Rider". I hope I won't be in trouble for suggesting it for the list!

Re: Name 5 American movies that an expat should see before coming to the USA.
 

Good one. I can't believe i forgot it. We watch it often enough or we listen to the soundtrack!

Re: Name 5 American movies that an expat should see before coming to the USA.
 

I'm delighted that you're a fan, too. I only saw it once, when it was new, but it made as big an impression on me as all but a very few other films.

I used to be keen on Westerns, in my youth. "High Noon" still sticks in my mind - one of the last of the black-and-whites, was it? I think I must have seen that at boarding school! The most memorable Western of all, though, was - and remains, in my mind - "Butch Cassidy..." Even better than "Cat Ballou" - and by god doesn't that name confirm my senior status. I thought Jane Fonda was the sexiest thing in jeans!