Movies and TV shows set in iowa
The list contains the best, new and most relevant movies set in iowa ordered by relevance. The recommendation service has sorted out realistic, humorous, serious, feel good, independent film and touching films and TV shows about / with small town, culture clash, society, life philosophy, storytelling, mentor, catastrophe, redemption, dialogue and small town life plots mostly in Drama, Comedy and Crime genres shot in USA, France, UK and other countries.
122
TOP 10 movies tagged as iowa: A Thousand Acres (1997), Field of Dreams (1989), The Music Man (1962), What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), Michael (1996), Cedar Rapids (2011), The Last Supper (1995), Whiteboyz (1999), The Poker House (2008), Butter (2011).
Best films
New films
List of movies set in iowa
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min.
Story:
A THOUSAND ACRES is a drama about an American family who meets with tragedy on their land. It is the story of a father, his daughters, and their husbands, and their passion to subdue the history of their land and its stories.
Style:
psychological, touching, talky, realistic, serious ...
Audience:
chick flick, girls' night
Plot:
farm, child molester, dysfunctional family, shakespeare, domineering father, jealousy, tragedy, women, incest rape, incest, sex with father, father daughter sex ...
Time:
90s, year 1997
Place:
iowa, usa
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Family, Fantasy, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min.
Story:
Ray Kinsella is an Iowa farmer who hears a mysterious voice telling him to turn his cornfield into a baseball diamond. He does, but the voice's directions don't stop -- even after the spirits of deceased ballplayers turn up to play.
Style:
inspirational, feel good, sweet, sad, touching ...
Audience:
kids, family outing, chick flick
Plot:
baseball, hearing voices, regret, farmer, ghost, farm, small town, time travel, happy ending, doctor, magic realism, father son relationship ...
Time:
80s, year 1989, 20th century, 70s
Place:
iowa, minnesota, usa, boston
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Family, Musical, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 151 min.
Story:
A con man comes to an Iowa town with a scam using a boy's marching band program, but things don't go according to plan.
Style:
period piece, sentimental, entertaining, retro, aesthetic ...
Audience:
kids, chick flick, family outing, date night
Plot:
librarian, small town, dance, library, dancing, broadway, con artists, love, traveling salesman, fall in love, american history, town ...
Time:
1910s, year 1962, 20th century
Place:
iowa, indiana, america, midwest, usa
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 118 min.
Story:
Gilbert has to care for his brother Arnie and his obese mother, which gets in the way when love walks into his life.
Style:
melancholic, depressing, touching, sad, emotional ...
Audience:
teens, chick flick, teen drama
Plot:
dysfunctional family, disability, small town, mentally challenged, mental illness, self discovery, responsibility, brothers, character study, coming of age, life philosophy, life & death ...
Time:
90s, 20th century, year 1993, 70s, 60s
Place:
iowa, texas, southern usa, usa
Is relevant?
47K
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min.
Story:
Tabloid reporters are sent by their editor to investigate after the paper recieves a letter from a woman claiming an angel is living with her.
Style:
feel good, uplifting, humorous, romantic, entertaining ...
Audience:
date night, kids, family friendly, chick flick, girls' night
Plot:
angel, road trip, happy ending, fish out of water, love, death, god, dog, reporter, on the road, dancing, small town ...
Place:
iowa, chicago, illinois, usa, texas
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min.
Story:
A naive Midwesterner insurance salesman travels to a big-city convention in an effort to save the jobs of his co-workers.
Style:
light, humorous, melancholic, sentimental, entertaining ...
Plot:
insurance, happy ending, friendship, convention, justice, greed, life philosophy, adaptation, dysfunctional family, adultery, road trip, friends ...
Time:
year 2011, 21st century
Place:
iowa, usa, minnesota, wisconsin, new jersey ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min.
Story:
A group of idealistic, but frustrated, liberals succumb to the temptation of murdering rightwing pundits for their political beliefs.
Style:
black comedy, dark comedy, witty, intense, disturbing ...
Plot:
politics, satire, death, sexism, dinner, vigilante, serial killer, dark humor, murder, wine, painter, hypocrisy ...
Time:
20th century, 90s
Place:
iowa, usa
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: France, USA
Duration: 92 min.
Story:
In a virtually all-white Iowa town, Flip daydreams of being a hip-hop star, hanging with Snoop Doggy Dogg and Dr. Dre. He practices in front of a mirror and with his two pals, James and Trevor. He talks Black slang, he dresses Black. He's also ...
Style:
realistic, not serious, humorous, hood, cynical ...
Plot:
hip hop, small town, friendship, follow your dream, fish out of water, teenage life, urban, culture clash, gangster, youth, misfit, small town life ...
Time:
year 1998, 90s
Place:
iowa, chicago, usa
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min.
Story:
Agnes and her two sisters struggle through a day in a home overrun by gamblers, thieves, and johns.
Style:
realistic, serious, emotional, rough, dark ...
Audience:
teen drama
Plot:
coming of age, interracial rape, rape, poverty, defloration, dysfunctional family, female protagonist, pimp, family in crisis, sister sister relationship, teenage girl, prostitute ...
Time:
70s, 20th century
Place:
iowa, usa
Is relevant?
23K
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
An adopted girl discovers her talent for butter carving and finds herself pitted against an ambitious local woman in their Iowa town's annual contest.
Style:
sweet, humorous, black comedy, dark comedy, melancholic ...
Audience:
chick flick, teens, girls' night
Plot:
small town, contests and competitions, food, infidelity, mentor, satire, dialogue, family relations, social relations, championship, blind ambition, dysfunctional family ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
iowa, usa, california
Is relevant?
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 109 min.
Story:
The Earth is invaded by alien parasites aka "slugs" that ride on people's backs and control their minds. A trio of American government agents attempt to thwart this.
Style:
scary, cerebral, suspense, futuristic, epic ...
Plot:
alien invasion, evil alien, alien, alien contact, mind control, ufo, deadly creature, space and aliens, monster, brutality, justice, parasite ...
Time:
year 1994, 90s
Place:
iowa, usa, washington d.c.
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min.
Story:
Farm boy Daryl Cage's parents ship him off to the big city to live with his brother, hoping he will have a better life there. After a baggage mixup at the airport, Daryl finds himself in possession of a drug cache, which a ruthless drug dealer ...
Style:
neo noir, exciting, serious, realistic, rough ...
Audience:
teens, boys' night
Plot:
frame up, murder, airport, chase, punk rock, fish out of water, police, bus, heroin, criminal, manic pixie dream girl, club ...
Time:
80s
Place:
los angeles, iowa, new orleans, usa, venice beach california
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
Genre: Biography, Drama
Country: UK, France, USA
Duration: 112 min.
Story:
A retired farmer and widower in his 70s, Alvin Straight learns one day that his distant brother Lyle has suffered a stroke and may not recover. Alvin is determined to make things right with Lyle while he still can, but his brother lives in ...
Style:
road movie, feel good, touching, cult classic, visual ...
Audience:
family outing, kids, teens
Plot:
road trip, old age, brother brother relationship, elderly man, on the road, small town, senior citizen, determination, aging, family feud, illness, highway ...
Time:
year 1999, 90s, 20th century
Place:
iowa, mississippi, nebraska, usa, wisconsin
Is relevant?
474
Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min.
Story:
A cautionary tale of love, crime, fantasy and addiction that follows two young Iowan lovers who decide to go into the "batch" business - cooking their own methamphetamine - only to watch it burn a searing hole in their lives.
Style:
realistic, serious, rough, bleak, disturbing ...
Plot:
addiction, drug abuse, drug addiction, drug addict, pregnancy, rape, drug dealing, life is a bitch, society, misfit, love and romance, tragic love ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
iowa, usa
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Romance, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min.
Story:
A young girl is on top of the world until a tragic accident dashes her hopes and dreams of becoming a world-class figure skater. Only with the help of those who love her can she prove to the world -- and herself -- that she still has the potential ...
Style:
touching, emotional, sentimental, teen, serious ...
Audience:
teens, chick flick, kids, girls' night
Plot:
figure skating, blindness, disability, small town, women, love story, olympics, ice skater, winter olympics, blind character, skating, tragedy ...
Time:
year 1978, 20th century, 70s
Place:
iowa, usa
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min.
Story:
Reverend Brooks leads the town in a contest to stop smoking for a month, But some tobacco executives don't want them to win, and try everything they can to make them smoke. If townspeople don't go nuts, from wanting a cigarette, or kill ...
Style:
parody, semi serious, realistic, offbeat, witty ...
Plot:
church, reverend, drug, clergy, contest, satire, small town, mass hysteria, addiction, silly humor, social relations, disorder ...
Time:
year 1971, 70s, 20th century
Place:
iowa, usa
Is relevant?
4K
Genre: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 82 min.
Story:
Tanner and Matt are two Midwest men in their late twenties savoring the scotch and entertainment of their beloved hometown of Waterloo, Iowa. Tanner has to decide to accept a job offer in Chicago, or remain in his hometown. Matt has to pull himself ...
Style:
realistic, rom com, humorous
Plot:
male bonding, bromance, male friendship, small town, everyday life, self discovery, machismo, personal growth, slice of life, loyalty, job offer, identity ...
Time:
2010s
Place:
iowa, midwest, chicago
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min.
Story:
Two brothers who are forced off their farm in the debt stricken mid-west become folk heroes when they begin robbing the banks that have been foreclosing on farmers.
Style:
road movie, independent film, realistic, serious, bleak
Plot:
cornfield, farmer, mobster, terrorism, foreclosure, folk hero, on the run, arson, bank, small town, brothers, social relations ...
Time:
50s, 1950s
Place:
iowa, usa, midwest, soviet union, ussr
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min.
Story:
Romantic comedy. A small town teenager's angst about sexual inexperience drives a comic quest for love and understanding on a birthday to end all birthdays.
Style:
semi serious, realistic, humorous, touching, funny ...
Plot:
farce, affection, looking for love, teenage life, matchmaking, couples, love and romance, youth, small town, singleness, self discovery, first love ...
Time:
20th century, 21st century
Place:
iowa, usa, china, midwest, wisconsin
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, War
Country: USA
Duration: 147 min.
Story:
In March 1970, a U.S. Army officer arrived at the Iowa farm of Peg and Gene Mullen and informed them that their son Michael had been killed in Vietnam by "friendly fire." Their determined attempts to learn more about the circumstances of ...
Style:
emotional, bleak, melancholic, intense, tragic
Plot:
vietnam war, friendly fire, family drama, grief, loss, cover up, parents, empathy, investigation, bereavement, corruption, justice ...
Time:
70s, year 1970
Place:
iowa, vietnam
Is relevant?
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min.
Story:
Personal injury attorney Stuart Pepper faces the challenge of his young career when he takes on a controversial case of wrongful death in small town Iowa. Kevin Thacker's body was found in the alley outside the Marshalltown Police Department ...
Style:
thought provoking, realistic, serious, disturbing, suspenseful ...
Plot:
mysterious death, corruption, investigation, legal, rivalry, law enforcement, legal action, dishonesty, life is a bitch, small town life, truth, suspicion ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
iowa
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min.
Story:
Authentic drama of United Airlines flight 232 from Denver to Chicago. The DC-10 crashed during an emergency landing at Sioux City Gateway Airport on July 19, 1989. 184 people survived, partly thanks to the ground rescue workers who had 40 minutes to ...
Style:
realistic, serious, suspenseful
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
air disaster, aviation, airplane, airplane accident, fire brigade, aeroplane, emergency, firefighter, rescue, plane crash, disaster, heroic mission ...
Time:
80s
Place:
iowa
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min.
Story:
Soul-touching and moving, TWO WAYS HOME compassionately follows Kathy (Tanna Frederick), a woman newly diagnosed with bipolar disorder who is released from prison on good behavior and returns to her country home in Iowa to reconnect with her ...
Style:
emotional, sincere, heartbreaking, sentimental, touching ...
Plot:
mental illness, mother daughter relationship, bittersweet, mental health, family drama, bipolar disorder, character study, little girl, honest, life philosophy, fighting illness, real world ...
Place:
iowa
Is relevant?
636K
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: Germany, USA
Duration: 127 min.
Story:
The fate of the galaxy rests in the hands of bitter rivals. One, James Kirk, is a delinquent, thrill-seeking Iowa farm boy. The other, Spock, a Vulcan, was raised in a logic-based society that rejects all emotion. As fiery instinct clashes with calm ...
Style:
futuristic, entertaining, visually stunning, epic, exciting ...
Audience:
teens, kids, family friendly, boys' night, adult
Plot:
space travel, star trek, space opera, spacecraft, time travel, heroic mission, heroes, space and aliens, teamwork, alien, space wars, human versus alien ...
Time:
future, year 2009, 24th century, 23rd century, 2000s
Place:
san francisco, iowa, bay area, space western
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
TV show
Story:
Invasion Iowa is a television series that aired on Spike TV beginning on March 29, 2005, on ITV4 beginning on 3 November 2005 and The Comedy Channel in April 2007. The series depicts events from September 2004, in which William Shatner played a hoax ...
Style:
mockumentary, captivating, satirical, semi serious, feel good ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
deception, satire, hoax, filmmaking, small town, countryside, con trick, hidden camera, awkwardness, culture clash, social experiment, embarrassment ...
Place:
iowa, midwest
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, History, Musical, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min.
Story:
Chautauqua manager Walter Hale and his loyal business manager struggle to keep their traveling troupe together in small town America.
Style:
psychotronic, semi serious, realistic, humorous
Plot:
elvis presley, music, love, lecture, investigation, labor union, artists and showbiz, workplace, ambition, performer's life, nothing goes right, society ...
Time:
20th century, 1920s, year 1969
Place:
iowa
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min.
Story:
An irreverent and refreshing take on the queer world of sex, lust and unrequited love. Lanky, blue haired Jackson, record store employee and poet, is in love with most of the men in his life! A refreshing departure from the typical gay love story, ...
Style:
sexy, realistic, semi serious, humorous, erotic ...
Audience:
date night
Plot:
gay, gays and lesbians, unrequited love, gay erotica, sex toy, male pubic hair, male nudity, infidelity, gay lead character, death of friend, lgbt, fall in love ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
iowa, mojave desert, california, usa, los angeles
Is relevant?
5K
Genre: Drama, Sport
Country: USA, Dominican Republic
Duration: 114 min.
Story:
Sugar is a 2008 sports drama film directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. It follows the story of Miguel Santos, a. k. a. Sugar (Algenis Perez Soto), a Dominican pitcher from San Pedro de Macorís, struggling to make it to the big leagues and pull ...
Style:
atmospheric, touching, sentimental, realistic, entertaining ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
baseball, immigrant, athlete, culture clash, follow your dream, rags to riches, fish out of water, american dream, against the odds, character study, rookie, hopes ...
Time:
year 2008, 21st century
Place:
iowa, africa, new york, puerto rico, kansas ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Family
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min.
Story:
13-year-old Sam Steele Jr. forms his own private detective agency to emulate his father, Des Moines detective Sam Steele, and helps track down a jewel thief.
Style:
semi serious, humorous, captivating, feel good, realistic ...
Audience:
kids
Plot:
youth, save the day, young heroes, investigation, amateur detective, heroes, best friend, family relations, escapades, danger, parents and children, coming of age ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
iowa, usa
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 119 min.
Story:
True story of Kent Stock, who in the early 90's, gives up a job and ditches his wedding plans to take over as head coach as the Norway High School baseball team. Kent must win over his players and convince them and himself that he can fill ...
Style:
realistic, sentimental, touching, sincere, historical drama ...
Audience:
kids
Plot:
baseball, hopes, high school sports, coach, sport team, small town, ambition, against the odds, one last chance, youth, human spirit, rivalry ...
Time:
year 2007, 90s
Place:
iowa, usa
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
