When the Sundance Film Festival rolls around, it's hard not to reflect on the rich and vibrant role that Utah has played in cinema. From the westerns of John Ford to Ari Aster's horrifying debut Hereditary (2018), we've got a plethora of famous set pieces in our own backyard.
It all got me thinking of the most memorable local restaurants that I've caught on the silver screen. Sure, I love the scenic vistas of Lake Powell and the vast, windblown plane of the Bonneville Salt Flats, but I can't help but get a little giddy when I see proof that I've visited a restaurant that's been in the pictures. So, as we celebrate our love for all things cinema, let's take a stroll down memory lane for some of the most memorable Utah restaurant appearances on film.
Movie buffs of a certain age no doubt remember how prominent Utah was in Dumb and Dumber (1994), Peter Farrelly's raunchy Jim Carrey vehicle. Among the famous Utah landmarks featured in the film, the swanky French restaurant La Caille makes an appearance. The posh exterior of this classic Utah restaurant is used to portray the home of Mary Swanson (Lauren Holly) for a brief scene where Lloyd Christmas (Carrey) daydreams about returning her lost briefcase. Anyone who has visited La Caille knows about its classic European aesthetic, and the familiar shape of its front door is used to marvelous effect as an ethereal Mary appears amid a flock of live doves.
Digging a bit deeper into Utah's cinematic history, there are a few notable spots that were featured in past Sundance Film Festival selections. It's impossible to talk about local filmmaking without bringing up SLC Punk! (1998), James Merendino's legendary love letter to Salt Lake's 80s punk scene. There are plenty of great set pieces here–who could forget perhaps the best cinematic use of The Great Salt Lake when Mark (Til Schweiger) tries to sink a stolen car in our famous body of water? Restaurant-wise, there is a scene where Stevo (Matthew Lillard) and Bob (Michael Goorjian) visit Millie's Burgers, whose timeless fast food diner aesthetic fits in perfectly with the 1980s setting. I wonder how many Millie's Glaciers were consumed during that day's shoot?
The legacy of SLC Punk! has continued to permeate our local dining and bar culture, as Proper Brewing Co. released its popular SLC Pils for the film's 25th anniversary in 2023. Fans of the film will recognize the blue mohawked profile of Stevo right there on the can.
Another Sundance film that shot heavily in Utah was the Biblical archaeology satire Don Verdean (2015). While not as beloved as Jared Hess's Sundance debut Napoleon Dynamite (2004), Don Verdean dug into the same bag of tricks to showcase oddball characters doing oddball things. Midvale's The Belgian Waffle & Omelet Inn had a brief moment in the spotlight, as the backdrop for Don (Sam Rockwell) and his over-eager assistant Carol (Amy Ryan) to discuss the cutthroat Biblical artifact trade over breakfast. As someone who has spent many late nights on those vinyl seats plowing through pancakes and Garbage Hash, I couldn't help but wonder if Sam Rockwell had parked his butt in the same booth where I parked mine.
At this point, I have a few honorable mentions to throw out; these are restaurants that were used in films but have since closed their doors. Let's kick this off with another under-the-radar Sundance Film called Brigsby Bear (2017). The film follows the exploits of James Pope (Kyle Mooney), a recluse who was raised in a bunker in the middle of nowhere, so we get plenty of establishing shots in the Uinta Mountains. When Pope eventually reconnects with society, one of his stops is Kozy Cafe in Echo, Utah. With its proximity to a motel and gas station, Kozy Cafe is the perfect small-town backdrop for Pope's quest to write the conclusion to a phony TV show from his childhood. New ownership tried to make a go at bringing Kozy Cafe back to life in the early 2000s, but the restaurant has been closed for some time now.
Penny's Cafe in Stockton is another small-town cafe that is no longer operating, but it saw some action in Christopher N. Rowley's Bonneville (2006). This road movie about a trio of Mormon ladies follows recently widowed Arvilla (Jessica Lange) and her friends Margene (Kathy Bates) and Carol (Joan Allen) as they drive from Idaho to California as a way to commemorate the loss of Arvilla's husband. As it turns out, you can't make a sweeping Western road film without a stop at a small-town cafe, and Penny's was lucky enough to get that particular role in Bonneville.
Horror nerds will also recognize Penney's Service Station from Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988), which eventually became Penny's Cafe when new owners transformed the garage and convenience store into a neighborhood diner in the early 2000s.
I'll keep an eye on this year's releases to see if any other local eateries get their five minutes of fame.