After getting to spend a few days in Wabasha, Minnesota (about an hour southeast of the Twin Cities) and I find it is still easy to tell that they filmed Grumpy Old Men here roughly 20 years later. Throughout the town there are still a large amount of themed items whether it’s little expensive trinkets, benches or signs many of them even seem freshly made and maintained. The seeming popularity of this movie in this town of 2500 has got me wondering a few different things:

Does this town still make money off of a film made here in 1993? I doubt it can be earning that much money for the locals based on the movie not ever being rated that high and happening so long ago. On the other hand it probably helps having any additional tourism draws that they can produce in addition to being a little old town along the Mississippi River.

All other movies made in Minnesota don’t seem to have the holding power or local continuing advertisement as Grumpy Old Men and Wabasha. Of all the films like Fargo, Iron Will, or even the Mighty Ducks, there only seems to be a plaque at best or only memories in the locals minds of something quirky that happened.

Do you like the movie Grumpy Old Men? Would you travel to someplace like Wabasha for your undying love for the film even 20 years after it was first released? Should more places capitalize on productions made in the area or the towns they happen in?