I was rewatching the Rodney Dangerfield classic “Back to School” the other day. For those unfamiliar with the movie, Rodney’s character attends the fictional Great Lakes University, which is really UW-Madison. Here’s a look at that movie and two others for the real and fake Madison venues:
Movie: “Back to School”
Summary: Despite being a successful business person, Rodney Dangerfield goes to college to get his degree.
Real Madison venues include: Bascom Hill, Memorial Union, Lake Shore area
Fake Madison venues include: The outdoor natatorium, the bar where Rodney sings “Twist and Shout”
Fake places could be … : That natatorium could never exist in a climate with winter weather! The bar could be the first floor of State Street Brats if it had a stage for live music.
Movie: “The Prince and Me”
Summary: The Prince of Denmark attends UW to meet women.
Real Madison venues: None
Fake Madison venues include: The one worth noting is the movie’s version of the Memorial Union’s Der Rathskeller, or “The Rat” for short. Here, Paige introduces Eddie to Leinenkugels beer and the football team yells “Minnesota sucks! Wisconsin rules!” This Rathskeller is huge and seems to be the place to hang out. It’s also very dark.
Fake place could be … : Perhaps if you combined the real Der Rathskeller with the Kollege Klub and the now-closed Crave (for the lighting), you could get this movie version.
Movie: “The Last Kiss”
Summary: Zach Braff’s character falls for a UW-Madison student (Rachel Bilson)
Real Madison venues include: State Capitol, Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Memorial Union, Bascom Hall
Fake Madison venues include: The bar where Izzy works, the outdoor cafe where Jacinda Barrett and Blithe Danner eat, Rachel Bilson’s dorm
Fake places could be … : The bar could be Brocach. If the Agora in Fitchburg had a restaurant, it could pass as that outdoor cafe. Meanwhile, the dorm could be a bigger, older Tripp Hall.
Agree? Disagree? What are your thoughts?
Tags: movies
