Movies and TV shows set in california
The list contains the best, new and most relevant movies set in california ordered by relevance. The recommendation service has sorted out realistic, humorous, semi serious, feel good, cult classic and entertaining films and TV shows about / with family relations, teenager, youth, coming of age, party, friendship, profanity, telephone call, car and kiss plots mostly in Drama, Comedy and Romance genres shot in USA, Germany, UK and other countries.
california
TOP 10 movies tagged as california: The Bling Ring (2013), Dope (2015), The Sure Thing (1985), Palm Springs (2020), John from Cincinnati (2007), Californication (2007), Sideways (2004), Palo Alto (2013), Inherent Vice (2014), Mildred Pierce (2011).
Best films
New films
Barbie (2023) | 6.9 | |
Wayward (2022) | 4.6 | |
Scream (2022) | 6.3 | |
Bookie (2023) | 7.4 | |
Jurassic World Dominion (2022) | 5.6 |
List of movies set in california
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Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama
Country: USA, UK, France, Germany, Japan
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
Inspired by actual events, a group of fame-obsessed teenagers use the Internet to track celebrities' whereabouts in order to rob their homes.
Style:
sexy, stylized, teen, dark comedy, absurd ...
Audience:
teens, chick flick, girls' night, teen drama, adult
Plot:
heist, youth, teenage life, celebrity, juvenile delinquency, burglary, teenage girl, high school, coming of age, greed, high society, stupidity ...
Time:
2010s, year 2013, 2000s, 21st century
Place:
california, los angeles, usa, beverly hills
Is relevant ?
89K
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min.
Story:
Malcolm is carefully surviving life in a tough neighborhood in Los Angeles while juggling college applications, academic interviews, and the SAT. A chance invitation to an underground party leads him into an adventure that could allow him to go from ...
Style:
funny, independent film, realistic, suspense, teen ...
Audience:
teens, teen drama
Plot:
teenager, coming of age, hip hop, african american, adolescence, friendship, social relations, drug, party, gang, gangster, high school ...
Time:
2010s, year 2015, 21st century
Place:
los angeles, california, indiana, harvard university, usa
Is relevant ?
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min.
Story:
Gib, a beer-guzzling slob, and Alison, an uptight Ivy-Leaguer, are an unlikely duo stuck together on a cross-country trip during Christmas break. At first they get on each other's nerves but, as time passes, they find their divergent natures ...
Style:
road movie, feel good, sex comedy, light, funny ...
Audience:
teens, date night, girls' night
Plot:
road trip, coming of age, college, on the road, couples, youth, fall in love, cross country, student life, love, high school, blonde ...
Time:
80s, 20th century, year 1985
Place:
california, usa
Is relevant ?
181K
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance
Country: USA, Hong Kong
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
When carefree Nyles and reluctant maid of honor Sarah have a chance encounter at a Palm Springs wedding, things get complicated when they find themselves unable to escape the venue, themselves, or each other.
Style:
romantic, funny, feel good, touching, captivating ...
Audience:
chick flick, date night, adult
Plot:
time loop, time travel, time, love and romance, time traveler, wedding, repeated event, dark humor, earthquake, drug use, groundhog day, family relations ...
Time:
future, 2010s, 2020s
Place:
california, palm springs california, hawaii, texas, austin texas
Is relevant ?
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 55 min.
TV show
Story:
In Imperial Beach, California, the Yosts—a dysfunctional family of surfers—intersect with two new arrivals to the community: a dim-but-wealthy surfing enthusiast and man spurned by the Yosts years ago.
Style:
realistic, serious, atmospheric, feel good, offbeat ...
Plot:
surfing, dysfunctional family, family relations, single parent, friendship, family life, family business, redemption, stranger, lifestyle, curses spells and rituals, father son relationship ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
california, usa, beverly hills, cincinnati ohio, san diego california
Is relevant ?
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 28 min.
TV show
Story:
A self-loathing, alcoholic writer attempts to repair his damaged relationships with his daughter and her mother while combating sex addiction, a budding drug problem, and the seeming inability to avoid making bad decisions.
Style:
sexy, witty, humorous, cynical, erotic ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
womanizer, lifestyle, writers, writer's life, lust, dark humor, sexual relations, family life, couples, addiction, female nudity, nudity ...
Time:
y2k, 2000s, 2010s, 21st century
Place:
california, los angeles, usa, new york
Is relevant ?
203K
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 127 min.
Story:
Two middle-aged men embark on a spiritual journey through Californian wine country. One is an unpublished novelist suffering from depression, and the other is only days away from walking down the aisle.
Style:
road movie, talky, dark comedy, sentimental, melancholic ...
Audience:
chick flick, date night
Plot:
road trip, wine, on the road, friendship, couples, vineyard, vacation, divorce, infidelity, golf, food, buddy ...
Time:
2000s, year 2004, 21st century
Place:
california, san francisco, los angeles, bay area, usa ...
Is relevant ?
31K
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min.
Story:
Palo Alto weaves together three stories of teenage lust, boredom, and self-destruction: shy, sensitive April, torn between an illicit flirtation with her soccer coach and an unrequited crush on sweet stoner Teddy; Emily, who offers sexual favors to ...
Style:
melancholic, atmospheric, serious, teen, realistic ...
Audience:
teens, teen drama
Plot:
coming of age, adolescence, older man younger woman relationship, youth, teenage life, high school, teenage girl, teenager, crush, high school life, unfulfillment, older man young girl relationship ...
Time:
year 2013, 21st century
Place:
california, palo alto california, britain, usa
Is relevant ?
110K
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 148 min.
Story:
In Los Angeles at the turn of the 1970s, drug-fueled detective Larry "Doc" Sportello investigates the disappearance of an ex-girlfriend.
Style:
surreal, neo noir, psychedelic, atmospheric, detective ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
private investigator, investigation, ex boyfriend ex girlfriend relationship, drug trade, private detective, obsession, investigator, stoner, hippie, paranoia, betrayal, police investigation ...
Time:
70s, 60s, 2010s, year 2014, 90s ...
Place:
los angeles, california, southern california, usa, beverly hills
Is relevant ?
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 336 min.
TV show
Story:
A newly divorced, uniquely independent woman struggles to carve out a new life for herself and her family in Depression-era California.
Style:
emotional, serious, costume drama, atmospheric, period piece ...
Audience:
girls' night
Plot:
housewife, single parent, tragic event, struggle, divorce, depression, friendship, ambitious, family relations, social differences, heroine, suffering ...
Time:
1930s, 1920s, year 2011, 2010s, 20th century
Place:
california, los angeles, usa, glendale california
Is relevant ?
287K
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min.
Story:
Benjamin, a recent college graduate is very worried about his future, he then finds himself in a love triangle with an older woman and her daughter.
Style:
sexual, melancholic, atmospheric, crying, erotic ...
Audience:
date night, teens, adult
Plot:
coming of age, age difference, older woman younger man relationship, wedding, adultery, forbidden love, college graduate, lovers, milf, virginity, hotel, unfaithful wife ...
Time:
60s, year 1967, 20th century
Place:
california, los angeles, usa, san francisco, bay area
Is relevant ?
203K
Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 119 min.
Story:
Chic socialite Melanie Daniels enjoys a passing flirtation with an eligible attorney in a San Francisco pet shop and, on an impulse, follows him to his hometown bearing a gift of lovebirds. But upon her arrival, the bird population runs amok. ...
Style:
surreal, psychological thriller, suspenseful, suspense, dark ...
Plot:
bird, bird attack, paranoia, disaster, killer animal, survival, animal attack, small town, creature feature, unsolved mystery, dangerous animal, murder ...
Time:
20th century, year 1963, 60s
Place:
california, san francisco, bay area
Is relevant ?
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min.
Story:
Menace II Society is a coming of age tale detailing the summer after its protagonist Caine (Tyrin Turner) graduates from high school. This is Caine's story, which details real life in today's tough inner city.
Style:
bleak, realistic, stylized, tense, hood ...
Audience:
teens, teen drama, adult
Plot:
hip hop, ghetto, african american, urban ghetto life, murder, police brutality, coming of age, street gang, friendship, organized crime, gangsta, gunfight ...
Time:
90s, year 1993, 20th century, 70s
Place:
california, los angeles, usa, south central los angeles, north america
Is relevant ?
160K
Genre: Comedy, Horror
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min.
Story:
A mother and her two teenage sons move to a seemingly nice and quiet small coastal California town yet soon find out that it's overrun by bike gangs and vampires. A couple of teenage friends take it upon themselves to hunt down the vampires ...
Style:
black comedy, scary, surprise ending, teen, gothic ...
Audience:
teens, family outing, family friendly, teen drama, adult
Plot:
vampire, small town, supernatural, single mother, goth, teenage boy, amusement park, motorcycle, vampire hunter, blood, fear, home invasion ...
Time:
80s, 20th century
Place:
california, usa
Is relevant ?
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime
Country: USA
Duration: 210 min.
Story:
A group of strangers come across a man dying after a car crash who proceeds to tell them about the $350,000 he buried in California. What follows is the madcap adventures of those strangers as each attempts to claim the prize for himself.
Style:
road movie, humorous, funny, slapstick, hilarious ...
Audience:
family outing, kids
Plot:
treasure hunt, on the road, car chase, race, treasure, road trip, chase, greed, money, competition, twists and turns, disorder ...
Time:
60s, year 1963, 20th century, year 1916
Place:
california, usa
Is relevant ?
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
Follows a group of high school students growing up in southern California, based on the real-life adventures chronicled by Cameron Crowe. Stacy Hamilton and Mark Ratner are looking for a love interest, and are helped along by their older classmates, ...
Style:
teen sex comedy, feel good, humorous, funny, sex comedy ...
Audience:
teens, girls' night, date night, teen drama, adult
Plot:
high school, coming of age, teenager, teenage pregnancy, stoner, unwanted pregnancy, friendship, youth, high school life, shopping mall, sex scene, loss of virginity ...
Time:
80s, 20th century
Place:
california, usa, los angeles, southern california
Is relevant ?
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min.
Story:
Bill McKay is a candidate for the U.S. Senate from California. He has no hope of winning, so he is willing to tweak the establishment.
Style:
political, witty, realistic, cynical, thought provoking ...
Plot:
politics, election, american politics, father son relationship, campaign, satire, candidate, idealism, political campaign, underdog, political rally, president ...
Time:
20th century, 70s, year 1972
Place:
california, usa, san francisco, san diego california
Is relevant ?
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, UK, France, Germany
Duration: 107 min.
Story:
Years after walking away from her past as a teenage private eye, Veronica Mars gets pulled back to her hometown - just in time for her high school reunion - in order to help her old flame Logan Echolls, who's embroiled in a murder mystery.
Style:
exciting, light, melancholic, intense, entertaining ...
Audience:
chick flick, teens, teen drama
Plot:
amateur detective, private detective, who done it, murder, investigation, female protagonist, storytelling, secrets, twists and turns, justice, brutality, police investigation ...
Time:
2010s, year 2014, 21st century
Place:
california, usa
Is relevant ?
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min.
Story:
An aging, down-on-his-luck ex-minor leaguer coaches a team of misfits in an ultra-competitive California little league.
Style:
inspirational, intense, talky, humorous, feel good ...
Audience:
teens, kids, family outing, teen drama
Plot:
baseball, underdog, youth, baseball coach, coach, childhood, competition, unlikely friendships, sport team, motorcycle, human spirit, contests and competitions ...
Time:
20th century, year 1976, 70s
Place:
california, usa, san francisco, los angeles
Is relevant ?
179K
Genre: Biography, Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 128 min.
Story:
The story of California's first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk, who became an outspoken agent for change, seeking equal rights and opportunities for all. His great love for the city and its people brought him backing from young and ...
Style:
thought provoking, political, realistic, touching, sincere ...
Plot:
gay, politics, homosexuality, protest, homosexual, murder, gays and lesbians, discrimination, male homosexuality, politician, biopic, gender ...
Time:
70s, 2000s, year 2008, 20th century, year 1973 ...
Place:
san francisco, california, new york, america, bay area ...
Is relevant ?
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min.
Story:
A family loaded with quirky, colorful characters piles into an old van and road trips to California for little Olive to compete in a beauty pageant.
Style:
road movie, feel good, funny, melancholic, independent film ...
Audience:
teens, chick flick, girls' night, kids, family friendly ...
Plot:
road trip, dysfunctional family, on the road, nothing goes right, loser, gay, obsessive quest, family relations, escapades, journey, suicide attempt, coming of age ...
Time:
year 2006, 2000s, 21st century
Place:
california, arizona, los angeles, nebraska, albuquerque new mexico ...
Is relevant ?
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family, Romance, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min.
Story:
Corey (Fred Savage) refuses to let his emotionally disturbed younger brother Jimmy (Luke Edwards) be institutionalized, and the two run away together. They soon join forces with a resourceful girl (Jenny Lewis), who notices that Jimmy has a special ...
Style:
road movie, touching, melancholic, intense, sentimental ...
Audience:
kids, teens, family outing, teen drama
Plot:
childhood, video game, competition, on the road, child, children, teenager, kids and family, underdog, computer game, family relations, siblings relations ...
Time:
80s, year 1989, 20th century
Place:
california, nevada, utah, usa, reno nevada
Is relevant ?
Genre: Adventure, Family, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 115 min.
Story:
After a gentle alien becomes stranded on Earth, the being is discovered and befriended by a young boy named Elliott. Bringing the extraterrestrial into his suburban California house, Elliott introduces E.T., as the alien is dubbed, to his brother ...
Style:
sentimental, feel good, sad, inspirational, sweet ...
Audience:
family outing, kids, family friendly, teens, girls' night ...
Plot:
alien, friendship, childhood, children, coming of age, ufo, extraterrestrial, space and aliens, friendly alien, boy, chase, child protagonist ...
Time:
20th century, 80s, future, year 1982, 90s
Place:
california, usa, persia, los angeles
Is relevant ?
255K
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller
Country: USA, Australia
Duration: 114 min.
Story:
In the aftermath of a massive earthquake in California, a rescue-chopper pilot makes a dangerous journey across the state in order to rescue his estranged daughter.
Style:
exciting, suspenseful, suspense, intense, serious ...
Audience:
teens, chick flick, boys' night
Plot:
disaster, natural disaster, catastrophe, survival, forces of nature, end of the world, danger, tsunami, earthquake, father daughter relationship, happy ending, daughter ...
Time:
2010s, year 2015, 21st century
Place:
california, san francisco, los angeles, peru, usa ...
Is relevant ?
Genre: Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min.
Story:
Two girls from the Valley wake up to find that a passing comet has eradicated their world and left behind a mysterious red-dust and a pack of cannibal mutants. With the help of a friendly truck driver, the girls save the earth from a villainous ...
Style:
scary, black comedy, apocalyptic, parody, suspenseful ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
post apocalypse, zombie, end of the world, disaster, mad scientist, survival, teenager, radio station, dystopia, sister sister relationship, zombie attack, post apocalyptic ...
Time:
80s
Place:
california, los angeles, usa, san diego california
Is relevant ?
Genre: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 119 min.
Story:
Two recently laid-off men in their 40s try to make it as interns at a successful Internet company where their managers are in their 20s.
Style:
funny, motivational, light, inspirational, humorous ...
Audience:
teens, chick flick, boys' night, girls' night, adult
Plot:
workplace, starting over, new job, career, computers and web, rivalry, boss and employee, fish out of water, middle aged, lifestyle change, underdog, staff ...
Time:
year 2013, 2010s, 21st century
Place:
california, san francisco, usa
Is relevant ?
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 158 min.
Story:
Ruthless silver miner, turned oil prospector, Daniel Plainview moves to oil-rich California. Using his adopted son to project a trustworthy, family-man image, Plainview cons local landowners into selling him their valuable properties for a pittance. ...
Style:
serious, suspense, disturbing, cerebral, epic ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
oil, greed, character study, ambition, capitalism, money, rise to the top, rivalry, visceral, psychopath, religion, business ...
Time:
20th century, 1900s, 1910s, 1920s, 19th century ...
Place:
california, texas, los angeles, america, persia ...
Is relevant ?
Genre: Comedy, Family, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 129 min.
Story:
Hayley Mills plays twins who, unknown to their divorced parents, meet at a summer camp. Products of single parent households, they switch places (surprise!) so as to meet the parent they never knew, and then contrive to reunite them.
Style:
touching, feel good, sweet, light, sentimental ...
Audience:
kids, family outing, teens, pre-teens, preschool
Plot:
twins, divorce, summer, summer camp, family life, sisters, women, teenage girl, childhood, mischievous children, parents and children, youth ...
Time:
year 1961, 60s
Place:
california, massachusetts, boston, monterey california
Is relevant ?
170K
Genre: Biography, Drama, Sport
Country: USA, Germany
Duration: 136 min.
Story:
Based on a true story, in which Richmond High School head basketball coach Ken Carter made headlines in 1999 for benching his undefeated team due to poor academic results.
Style:
inspirational, motivational, touching, hood, feel good ...
Audience:
teens, boys' night, kids, family outing, teen drama
Plot:
basketball, teacher, high school, mentor, teachers and students, underdog, athlete and trainer, life philosophy, athlete's life, human spirit, dedicated educator, sport team ...
Time:
20th century, 90s
Place:
california, new jersey, usa, san francisco, sacramento california
Is relevant ?
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 122 min.
Story:
A modern nightmare nearly becomes reality in this tension-filled story about an "incident" at a nuclear power plant. Jane Fonda stars as Kimberly Wells, an ambitious TV reporter covering a story on energy sources, who is present at the ...
Style:
suspenseful, suspense, tense, political, psychological ...
Plot:
reporter, radiation, journalism, power plant, politics, investigation, disaster, nuclear, media, nuclear power, environmental, corruption ...
Time:
70s, 20th century, year 1979
Place:
california, usa, los angeles, pennsylvania
Is relevant ?
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