Airheads (1994)

The 1994 comedy “Airheads,” starring Brendan Fraser, Steve Buscemi and Adam Sandler, was filmed around Los Angeles, California. The exterior of the KPPX Rebel Radio station, where much of the film takes place is actually located on the grounds of Fox Plaza, more famously known for it’s appearance as Nakatomi Plaza in “Die Hard.” This building sits opposite the back entrance of the main building and connects to a parking structure, in an area typically off limits to the general public.

LOCATION: 2121 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, CA 90067

The main Fox Plaza building in also seen many times in the film, such as when the band first arrives at the radio station.

Chazz, played by Brendan Fraser, unsuccessfully tries to submit a demo to Palatine Records.

LOCATION: 10635 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025

The apartment of Kayla, played by Amy Locane, can be found in Hollywood. There are limited views from the street.

LOCATION: 1600 N Bronson Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028

The Lone Rangers band lives in this apartment building overlooking Hollywood.

LOCATION: 6326 Franklin Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028

The address is listed as Franklin Ave, which is deceptive. The road is atop a hillside, separating it from the main road of Franklin Ave. You actually need to take Yucca St to Ivar Ave to access it.

The band catches a show at the famous Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood. The venue pops up again later in the film when Officer Wilson, played by Chris Farley, goes looking for Kayla.

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LOCATION: 8901 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069

Mr. Deeds (2002)

The 2002 Adam Sandler comedy “Mr. Deeds” was largely filmed in New York City, with a few scenes filmed in California.  Longfellow Deeds, played by Adam Sandler, takes Babe Bennett, played by Winona Ryder, to Bethesda Terrace and Fountain in Central Park.  This area has been seen in countless films, such as “Home Alone 2: Lost In New York,” “The Avengers,” “John Wick,” “Elf,” “Ms. 45” and dozens more.

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LOCATION: 72 Terrace Dr, New York, NY 10021 (inside Central Park)

Babe tells Longfellow she grew up in this home, which can be found in Pasadena, California.

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LOCATION: 989 S Madison Ave, Pasadena, CA 91106

The Wedding Singer (1998)

The 1998 Adam Sandler comedy “The Wedding Singer” was filmed in Southern California.  Sandler plays Robbie Hart, a wedding singer who lives with his sister at this Pasadena home.

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LOCATION: 1075 E Topeka St, Pasadena, CA 91104

Julia, played by Drew Barrymore, lives in the house in Sierra Madre.

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LOCATION: 43 Sierra Pl, Sierra Madre, CA 91024

Robbie’s grandma lives at this West Hollywood home.

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LOCATION: 1425 N Orange Grove Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90046

Robbie tries to get a job at the A.G. Bartlett Building in downtown Los Angeles.  The building is currently used for a variety of businesses and lofts.  The property has been seen in countless other films, including “Seven,” “They Live” “The Mask,” “L.A. Story,” “13 Going On 30,” “The Prestige,” “Ghost,” “Bridesmaids” and many more.  This area cannot normally be accessed by pedestrians.  However, portions are visible from the street in a couple areas through the windows.

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LOCATION: 650 S Spring St, Los Angeles, CA 90014

50 First Dates (2004)

The 2004 comedy “50 First Dates” was filmed primarily in Oahu, Hawaii, with some additional scenes filmed in Southern California.

The Hukilau Cafe, where Henry, played by Adam Sandler, first meets Lucy, played by Drew Barrymore, was a set built for the film.  Contrary to some information online, it no longer exists.  It was filmed near the Moli’i Fishpond, which is adjacent to Kualoa Ranch.  The ranch in fact owns this land and it has been featured in many films, including “Jurassic World,” “Triple Frontier,” “Snatched,” “Tears of the Sun,” “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates,” “You, Me and Dupree” and the TV show “Lost.”  There are some buildings there, but they were not used as the restaurant set, which was torn down after filming.

There are a couple ways to see this area.  The local shops near the pond, which rent their buildings from Kualoa Ranch, offer tours of their own near the water for a small fee.  However, the Premier Movie Site Tour offered by Kualoa Ranch itself stops at this area and covers it in detail, which is our recommended way to see it.  Here is a view of the general area where the cafe set was built.

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LOCATION: 49-243 Kuukama St, Kailua, HI 96734

Here is a small sign nearby marking it as the filming location.

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It is a challenge to find the house of Lucy and even more of a challenge to photograph it.  The easiest way to pinpoint the general area is to find the Waikane Store on Kamehameha Hwy, located at 48-377 Kamehameha Hwy, Kaneohe, HI 96744.  There is an unnamed road sitting right beside the store, which leads to Lucy’s house.  However, where the road dead ends, you still can’t see the house very well.  Here instead is an aerial view of the property.

The pier, known as Waikane Pier, also appeared in the TV show “Lost.” Only remnants of it exist now. Further out in the water, you can see a small island known as Mokolii, which can also be seen in the film.  It is a popular photo spot for tourists.

LOCATION: 48-373 Kamehameha Hwy, Kaneohe, HI 96744 (GPS coordinates: 21°29’34.1″N, 157°50’50.6″W)

The road where Henry keeps finding creative ways to stop Lucy can be found on Kualoa Ranch.  Countless other films have shot in this area, ranging from “Jurassic Park” to “Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle” to “Windtalkers.”  If we have one complaint about the Kualoa Ranch tours (which are otherwise great), even on their Premier Movie Site Tour, they drive through this area rather quickly and do not stop.  This makes getting decent photographs a challenge.

LOCATION: Kualoa Ranch, 49-560 Kamehameha Hwy, Kaneohe, HI 96744

Later in the film, Lucy is admitted to the Callahan Institute for Brain Injuries.  This was filmed at the Cabrillo Beach Bath House in San Pedro, California.  The same location was famously featured in the film “Face/Off.”

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LOCATION: 3800 Stephen M White Dr, San Pedro, CA 90731

The Cabrillo Beach Bath House interiors were also used in the film.  The staff is very friendly there and welcoming to the public, so don’t hesitate to visit.

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Grandma’s Boy (2006)

The 2006 Adam Sandler produced comedy “Grandma’s Boy” filmed around Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley.  Alex, played by Allen Covert, lives here with his friend Josh.

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LOCATION: 918 E Edgeware Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90026

Dante, played by Peter Dante, lives in this Burbank home.

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LOCATION: 5104 Ledge Ave, Burbank, CA 91505

Jeff, played by Nick Swardson, lives in this Toluca Lake home.

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 LOCATION: 4649 Sancola Ave, Toluca Lake, CA 91602

The office scenes were filmed at Los Angeles Center Studios in Downtown Los Angeles. This area, in spite of certainly appearing to be a public street, is actually behind gates and part of the studio. The address of the studio itself is on S Bixel St, but this particular area is near S Beaudry Ave. You can see the area from some public spots, such as near the intersection of W 6th St / S Beaudry Ave, but it only offers a side view from a distance. The studio has been used in hundreds of productions, with this particular area appearing in the films “Frailty,” “Wrath Of Man” and “Inspector Gadget,” just to name a few.

LOCATION: 450 S Bixel St, Los Angeles, CA 90017 (the address of the studio complex is S Bixel St, but this spot is closer to 451 S Beaudry Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90017)

Grandma Lilly’s home can be found in the Angelino Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, just across the street from the houses from Michael Jackon’s “Thriller” music video and the TV show “Charmed” (this house was also used in the film “Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo”).

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LOCATION: 1324 Carroll Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90026

The boys grab a bite at the original Tommy’s hamburgers, a popular and long-running L.A. establishment.

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LOCATION: 2575 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90057

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Samantha, played by Linda Cardellini, lives at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.  While the address is on S Grand Ave, the side seen in the film faces S Olive St near Pershing Square.

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LOCATION: 506 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90071 (rear entrance facing S Olive St)

Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2002 romantic drama, like many of his films, was shot largely around the Valley, north of Los Angeles, where the filmmaker grew up.  However, some key sequences also took place in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The film begins at Eckhart Auto Body in Chatsworth, CA, where Barry, played by Adam Sandler, houses his offices. The owners are very friendly to fans of the film, so don’t hesitate to approach them if you visit.

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LOCATION: 10101 Canoga Ave, Chatsworth, CA 91311

The view when Lena, played by Emily Watson, approaches and introduces herself.

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Standing at the driveway, looking to your left out onto Canoga Ave, you’ll see the spot where the car crashes at the beginning of the film.

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At the driveway entrance is where the harpsichord is dropped off.

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Barry and Lana have dinner at this table at Le Petit Chateau in North Hollywood, which has since permanently closed.  However, we were able to visit while it was still open. The specific table could be found through the main entrance, on the opposite side of the wall.  There was a painting and plaque on the wall above the center of the table.

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LOCATION: Le Petit Chateau, 4615 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91602

Barry excuses himself to the bathroom, where he quickly proceeds to destroy it, after Lana repeats an embarrassing story about him that his sister told her.  The scene really was filmed inside the actual restaurant’s bathroom, which has changed only slightly since filming.

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Barry is confronted by a staff member here and subsequently gets kicked out of the restaurant for destroying their bathroom.

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Barry and Lana make their way out of the restaurant through this entrance way.

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The couple then walks out of the restaurant, which is seen in a night shot.

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Elsewhere in the the Valley, in Sherman Oaks, you’ll find Barry’s apartment.

LOCATION: 14926 Moorpark St, Sherman Oaks 91403

The reverse view out onto Moorpark St. is where Dean Trumbell’s men crash into Barry and Lana’s car.

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Dean Trumbell’s men force Barry to withdraw money from this ATM machine in Woodland Hills. These ATM shots (day and night) are provided courtesy of Christian Hernandez at Boogie Sights.

LOCATION: 19858 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills, CA 91364

Here is the same location at night.

Barry is seen running from Dean Trumbell’s men past this building, which was a Fosters Freeze at the time. These shots of the building and street out front (day and night) are all also provided courtesy of Christian Hernandez.

LOCATION: 19762 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills, CA 91364

Here’s an image of the same building at night.

Barry continues running onto Ventura Blvd, in front of the same building.

Here is the same area at night.

Barry decides to travel to Hawaii to be with Lena. He is seen arriving at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu.

LOCATION: 300 Rodgers Blvd, Honolulu, HI 96819

The payphone where Barry calls his sister was a deceptively difficult location to track down. While clearly filmed on Kalākaua Ave, the main strip of Waikiki, the area had been remodeled in the years since filming took place, thus pinpointing the exact spot proved to be a challenge. We enlisted the expertise of Reel News Hawaii who, much to our appreciation, successfully identified it. Here is what the area looks like now.

LOCATION: 2270 Kalākaua Ave Suite 104, Honolulu, HI 96815 (since remodeled)

Barry meets Lena at the Royal Hawaiin Hotel in Waikiki. Barry enters from this area.

LOCATION: Royal Hawaiian Hotel, 2259 Kalākaua Ave, Honolulu, HI 96815

Lena enters from the opposite hall.

Barry and Lena embrace for their kiss in this spot, with the backdrop of Waikiki behind them, which was immortalized on the movie poster.  The hotel has been featured in numerous films, such as “Big Eyes,” “From Here To Eternity,” “Goin’ Coconuts” and “Gidget Goes Hawaiian,” as well as such TV shows as “Mad Men,” “Hawaii Five-O,” “T.J. Hooker,” “Charlie’s Angels” and more.

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The Mai Tai Bar, located on the grounds of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, is where Barry and Lena enjoy a meal together in the film, with the band singing and the Diamond Head peak in the background at sunset.  The railing next to the tables is the same one seen in the film. This is very close to the above image where the pair kiss.

LOCATION: 2259 Kalākaua Ave, Honolulu, HI 96815

Lena’s hotel scenes, where she walks the hallways with Barry, were filmed at the Kahala Hotel & Resort. These Kahala Hotel shots are provided courtesy of Christian Hernandez at Boogie Sights.

LOCATION: 5000 Kahala Ave, Honolulu, HI 96816

Near the end of the film, Barry supposedly travels to Utah to confront Dean Trumbell at his mattress store.  The real building can be found in Pamona.

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LOCATION: 390 W Foothill Blvd, Pomona, CA 91767

Last, but not least, we leave you with a quick shot of Paul Thomas Anderson and Adam Sandler discussing the film.

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Related articles: Hard Eight (1996)Boogie Nights (1997)Magnolia (1999)There Will Be Blood (2007)The Master (2012)Inherent Vice (2014), Licorice Pizza (2021)