Here it is, cinephiles: The 10 best Michigan-based movies. Chosen by you

• What are the Top 10 movies set in Michigan?
• Bridge asked; readers answered. Here are the results
• Spoiler alert: ‘Holland’ didn’t make the cut

The good news is the charming city of Holland, Michigan, finally has been immortalized in film. 

The bad news, according to most viewers, is it’s “Holland,” the Nicole Kidman thriller that debuted last month on Prime Video. A sampling of reviews on the movie site IMDb: “exceptionally terrible,” “pretty bad” and “a bomb in every way.”

Ouch.

It’s perhaps unsurprising, then, that the movie didn’t get a single vote when Bridge Michigan surveyed readers to compile the ultimate list of movies set in Michigan.

We got dozens of responses. Unlike our efforts to make the ultimate playlist of the greatest songs about the Great Lakes State, the task was less agonizing, mostly because there are far fewer great Michigan movies than great Michigan songs.

Did Bridge Michigan agree with every movie? Heck no! But we believe in democracy, transparency and the wisdom of our amazing readers. 

So without further ado, the Top 10 Michigan movies based on reader votes:

1. “Gran Torino”

Clint Eastwood, in quite a departure for him, is an old and cranky autoworker retiree. He loves drinking beer, his prized Ford Torino and not much else. Cue the violence and redemption.

What makes it a Michigan movie: Everything! Filmed and set in Highland Park, the movie features immigrants, cars, old guys listening to the radio and amazing footage of Jefferson Avenue in Detroit and Lake St. Clair. The movie received the most votes among Bridge readers: “Blue collar melting pot with car as major character,” writes reader Michael R.

2. “Grosse Pointe Blank” 

John Cusack is a hitman in a crisis who reunites with his spurned sweetie in his hometown. “Great soundtrack and captures the angst of high school reunions in a very relatable way,” writes reader Susan E.

What makes it a Michigan movie: Some exterior shots. Lots of Michigan references. “It's fun to have the upscale Grosse Pointe as the location. You'd expect a plot like this to be set in a city like Detroit or Chicago,” writes Paula B.

3. “Anatomy of a Murder”

A courtroom legal drama starring Jimmy Stewart inspired by a real-life murder at the famed Lumberjack Tavern in Big Bay in the Upper Peninsula.

What makes it a Michigan movie: This may be the Michiganest Michigan movie ever! Lee K. explains:  “It’s a great movie, with a great story written by a MICHIGAN Supreme Court justice who was from the UPPER PENINSULA and was based on a real murder. It was filmed in an absolutely beautiful courtroom in MARQUETTE which was made of LOCAL SANDSTONE and a MICHIGAN Copper roof. Outdoor scenes were filmed in MARQUETTE COUNTY….  Many KEEWENAW COUNTY residents were cast as EXTRAS in the movie.”

4. “Somewhere in Time”

Hopeless romantic Christopher Reeves falls head over heels with an old-time photo of Jane Seymour. The only solution: Time-travel back to the Grand Hotel to meet her. Not as creepy as it sounds.

What makes it a Michigan movie: C’mon! Set in the Grand Hotel, the movie “highlights the crown jewel of Michigan: Mackinac Island,” writes Valerie V. “I’m sure it has drawn attention to and helped the economy of the island tremendously.”

5. “Escanaba in da Moonlight”

A love letter to deer camp and what happens when you mess with hunting traditions, written and starring the pride of Chelsea, Jeff Daniels.

What makes it a Michigan movie: Hello! Hunting camp? Trouble with DNR officers? Set and filmed around Escanaba in da UP? “Shows a slice of real Michigan with real people by Michigan people,” writes Dave B.

6. “Out of Sight”

Pulpy gangster romance about a robber-on-the-run with diamonds, drug dealers and dynamite dialogue starring George Clooney.

What makes it a Michigan movie: An iconic scene in the Renaissance Center, Detroit landmarks like Kronk Gym, written by a Michigan treasure, Elmore Leonard. “Scenes in Bloomfield Hills and Detroit pretty much explain the whole state economy,” writes Dan P.

7. “The Big Chill”

Baby Boomers doing Baby Boomer stuff, listening to ‘60s music and gathering for the funeral of a dead friend. 

What makes it a Michigan movie: They’re all University of Michigan graduates. “An MSU-UM football game on the TV, Ann Arbor vibes, Motown soundtrack, Kevin Costner's brilliant portrayal of a dead body,” writes Walt S.

8. “Reindeer Games”

Ben Affleck is an ex-convict forced to rob a casino in the Upper Peninsula or be killed. We’ve all been there.

What makes it a Michigan movie: "It's not a great movie at all! But it is very fun; it has a top notch cast, a UP-in-winter setting, late '90s over the top action scenes, and a casino heist,” writes Danny. “It's a lot to like, if nothing to love. And to my surprise, Ben Affleck's hometown of Sidnaw is not made up for the movie.” Fun fact: Sidaw is in Duncan Township, near L’Anse in the western UP.

9. “It Follows”

Living in the suburbs is tough! Especially when you acquire a supernatural demon thingy after having sex and the only way to end the possession is to pass it onto someone else by, you guessed it, having sex.

What makes it a Michigan movie: “Set in the Michigan suburbs, it captures the spirit of teenagers in suburbs well in the midst of a horror movie/social commentary,” writes Tanner V. The writer and director, David Robert Mitchell, is from Clawson, and the film features favorites like the Redford Theatre in Detroit and Clark’s Ice Cream in Berkley.

10. “8 Mile”

Eminem is an up-and-coming rapper who gets nervous, vomits mom’s spaghetti on his sweater, finds his voice and wins a rap battle. “Rags to riches story made with heart, rap and lots of soul,” writes Kathleen M.

What makes it a Michigan movie:  So much Detroit! Eminem, the Michigan Building parking garage, the Penobscot Building, New Center Stamping and more.

Honorable mention: “Road to Perdition,” “Jerry and Marge Go Large,” “Blue Collar,” “Hardcore,” “The Five-Year Engagement,” “Beverly Hills Cop,” “The Polar Express,” “Paper Lion,” “Only Lovers Left Alive,” “The Ides of March,” “Presumed Innocent” and “Don’t Look Up.”