Thinkstock / Maggie Vaughn / Shepherd Express
Hollywood it ain’t, but local movie-making is indeed a minor part of Milwaukee’s history. Any Milwaukeean worth their weight in Blatz knows that the classic baseball flick Major League was filmed primarily in and about town. And most probably recall the few weeks Johnny Depp spent in town making the Dillinger biopic Public Enemies. But there are some lesser-known known examples of the Cream City on the big screen out there. So, let’s take a look…
A Family of Cops (1995)
Plot: One of the last films to star world-class badass Charles Bronson, this cop drama was a made-for-TV affair and a rare example of a movie filmed and set in Milwaukee. Bronson plays a grumbly Milwaukee detective whose carefree daughter (exposed bra straps and vodka in the afternoon) wakes up next to the dead body of some random hookup from the night before. She asserts her innocence on the long walk of shame to jail while Bronson tries to solve the crime. Daniel Baldwin, who was once arrested for running naked through the halls of a hotel screaming “BALDWIN!,” plays one of Bronson’s sons. John Vernon (Dean Wormer!) plays Milwaukee’s mafia boss.
Charles Bronson and Baldwin, approaching the St. Paul Bridge, upbound on the Milwaukee River.
How Milwaukee is it? Very Milwaukee! Perhaps the most Milwaukee film ever made, save for American Movie. Written by Milwaukee native Joel Blasberg, there are throw-away lines referencing the Third Ward and Summerfest and a shot of a guy in a Comedy Sports shirt. Someone even sports a jacket with that god-awful mid-'90s Brewers logo. Much of the action takes place downtown, with many shots of the river and nearby buildings. My favorite scene is, of course, the interrogation Bronson and Baldwin do aboard the venerable Iroquois tour boat—which I talked about last week—as it cruises past the Third Ward.
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Is it worth watching? Very much so for the local content, not so much for anything else. Bronson is old, like, really old, and doesn’t show much of the brutal panache that made the Death Wish series so fun. It was still popular enough to be followed by two sequels (!!), neither of which have anything to do with Milwaukee. Your best bet to find a copy is via used DVD—I have three for some reason.
Mr. 3000 (2004)
Plot: Probably the best-known film on this list, this sports comedy tells the story of fictional Brewers legend Stan Ross (Bernie Mac), who comes out of retirement when it is discovered he was accidentally credited twice for three hits, pushing him out of the 3,000 hit club. The plot is exceedingly dumb and I won’t get into my quibbles about it here, but most of the movie involves Ross trying to get into shape and swat three more hits at the age of forty-something on a Brewers team that mostly wants nothing to do with him. Paul Sorvino plays the Brewer manager, Angela Bassett plays a reporter and local boy Chris Noth plays a Brewers executive.
Bernie Mac as Stan Ross. Bored Brewers fans as themselves.
How Milwaukee is it? Kinda Milwaukee. The Brewers get a lot of screen time, obviously, but the ties are mostly superficial. Mac mentions Robin Yount and Cecil Cooper in a scene, but he mispronounces Waukesha in another (wah-KEE-sha). One scene does involve a fat guy on a bar stool dropping Miller Lite bottles on the ground, which lands pretty close to home.
Is it worth watching? Well, more watchable than the actual Brewers this year, but that doesn’t say much. While Mac is always entertaining, he doesn’t get much to work with here. My sister and I were actually at one of the nights of filming at Miller Park. They passed out pennants and foam fingers for people to wave while they filmed the baseball scenes. Have you EVER seen a fan waving a pennant during the action of a baseball game? Why do they always do that in the movies? Anyway, if you do watch it, please look for me. I’m the pink speck next to the somewhat smaller pink speck.
This card was given away at the stadium during the overnight filming session. Spoiler alert: It does NOT impress women.
No God, No Master (2013)
Plot: When prominent New Yorkers start receiving explosive packages in the mail, a federal agent (David Strathairn) investigates the matter. In a stunning departure from more formulaic crime dramas, the Strathairn character crosses his superiors by doing what he feels is right, not what the bosses tell him. Also, he is haunted by the memories of a dead partner—who he could have saved!!!
How Milwaukee is it? This is a weird one, as Milwaukee stands in for 1919/1920 New York City. The old Pabst Brewery plays some factories, the block of Brady Street just east of the Up and Under plays the Upper East Side, and Michigan Street plays Wall Street. There are many recognizable city landmarks, but knowing them tends to detract from the movie itself. So, it’s not Milwaukee at all, while still being totally Milwaukee.
“Milwaukee playing New York City in No God, No Master. This is in an alleyway looking south across Michigan Street at the Chamber of Commerce and Mitchell buildings.”
Is it worth watching? The movie went into production right after the state repealed a movie tax credit that would have saved the producers $500,000—a full tenth of the total budget. After filming was completed, it sat for three years while post-production money was raised. This is all to say that this was a very ambitious film with a very limited budget, so I hate to get too snarky about it. Nonetheless, it doesn’t really work for me on any level aside from a local curiosity.
Chump Change (2000)
Plot: A semi-autobiographical film about an actor returning to Milwaukee from Hollywood. He is sued by Merv Griffin, has a screenplay that becomes a hot commodity and hangs out with John Waters mainstay Traci Lords. The cast list is impressive for such an under-the-radar movie: Tim Matheson, Jerry Stiller, Abe Vigoda and the always delightful Fred Willard. Also, it has dick jokes.
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How Milwaukee is it?As Milwaukee as a cold MGD on Christmas morning! As Milwaukee as getting stuck behind a downtown bridge! As Milwaukee as ignoring the Bucks! The main character is named Milwaukee Steve. Many scenes were filmed in the city and you can see many local landmarks like the Mitchell Park Domes, the Lakefront and the Holler House. Legend has it that Lords even donated one of her bras to the bar’s ceiling.
Is it worth watching? It’s a “masterpiece” and the “best comedy in recent memory,” per the exceedingly generous Amazon reviews. It’s neither of those, but it has its moments. It’s available via the usual sources on a feature-loaded DVD.
Check out Matthew J. Prigge’s website here. Listen to WMSE every weekday at 7:40 a.m. and 5:40 p.m. to hear his What Made Milwaukee Famous radio show!
