Great Films Located in the Garden State

New Jersey – what is this place? I don’t know. There was a time when I planned to leave, but those ideas dissolved and now I’m here for the duration. I’ve visited other places, tasted their terrible pizza, and watched people enjoy the way I pronounce certain words. There is nothing quite like this state – except for certain parts of Pennsylvania and New York. Life in New Jersey sometimes feels like the tang of a pork roll sandwich on a Sunday morning, pleasurable, yet melancholic.

To nourish my Garden State soul, I’ve compiled a list of films that take place in or within our borders. Some are more acclaimed than others, but they all speak of our existence as the perpetual underdog that must fight, or work on our day off, in order to survive. I hope you enjoy them. If you want to recommend any movies to our patrons, contact Andrew at the Lawrence Branch HQ Reference Desk or put the titles in the comments!

Atlantic City (1981)

ISBN: 9780792179146

A smalltime, aging Mafia hood falls in love with a clam bar waitress, and they share the spoils of the big score against the backdrop of a changing Atlantic City.

A Beautiful Mind (2001)

ISBN: 9780783261430

Dramatic biography of John Nash, a mathematical genius, who made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But the handsome and arrogant Nash soon found himself on a painful and harrowing journey of self-discovery. After many years of struggle, he eventually triumphed over his schizophrenia, and finally, late in life, received the Nobel Prize.

The Station Agent (2003)

ISBN: 9780788853661

A young man inherits a train station in rural New Jersey and moves there for a life of quiet solitude. He soon finds friendships and a sense of belonging that he never expected, and never thought he wanted.

Clerks (1994)

ISBN: 9780788853371

A deadpan comedy about a day in the life of two nowhere-bound convenience and video store clerks and the two eccentric drug dealers who constantly loiter outside the stores.

The Wrestler (2008)

UPC: 024543574996

Back in the late '80s, Randy 'The Ram' Robinson was a headlining professional wrestler. Now, decades past his prime, he barely gets by working small wrestling shows in VFW halls and as a part-time grocery store employee. He faces health problems that may end his wrestling career and is attempting to come to terms with his life outside the ring.

Lean on Me (1998)

ISBN: 9780790738567

This is the fact-based story of high school principal Joe Clark, who armed himself with a bullhorn and a Louisville Slugger and slammed the door on losers at Eastside High in Paterson, New Jersey.

On the Waterfront (1954)

ISBN: 9780767804271

An ex-fighter gets a job working on the gang-ridden waterfront under a crooked gangster boss.

Paterson (2016)

UPC: 191329008683

Paterson is a bus driver in the city of Paterson, New Jersey - they share the name. Every day, Paterson adheres to a simple routine: he drives his daily route, observing the city as it drifts across his windshield and overhearing fragments of conversation swirling around him; he writes poetry into a notebook; he walks his dog; he stops in a bar and drinks exactly one beer. He goes home to his wife, Laura. By contrast, Laura's world is ever changing.

The King of Marvin Gardens (1972)

ISBN: 9780767827980

Gritty story of small-time losers and big-time dreamers in Atlantic City.

Cinderella Man (2005)

ISBN: 9780783269917

During the Great Depression, an everyday common-man hero, James J. Braddock, was to become one of the most surprising sports legends in history. With the Depression going strong in the early 1930s, the impoverished ex-boxer was seemingly as broken-down and out-of-luck as the rest of America. Driven by love and determination, he returned to the ring.

- Andrew, Lawrence Headquarters Branch