MovieChat Forums > Zero Effect (1998) Discussion > Question for Portlanders

Question for Portlanders

posted 19 years ago by kayeanna77
11 replies | jump to latest

Ok, so I know that this was primarily filmed in Portland, OR and recognized pretty much every place in the film (I've lived in Portland for the last two years). But, one place I can't figure out and it's driving me crazy!

The diner that Zero and Gloria have the malt states that it's called Jacks Diner. But, I'm unable to find a Jack's Diner anywhere. Now, I know sometimes they change the actual name of the real diner for the movie and it's possible that this diner isn't here in Portland and was actually one of the California locations. If anyone who lives in Portland (or wherever) knows where this diner is, I'd greatly appreciate the info.

Thanks!

The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance -- Socrates

[–] cracklebox 18 years ago

The Diner you're talking about is in Forest Grove, OR on 22nd and Main. Actually it used to be. It was Ford's, a 50's style burger joint which was remodeled for the movie and lasted a couple years thereafter, but eventually shut down. It became a taqueria for a while and for a few years now has been Presler's, a sort of pub style restaurant and no longer resembles what you see in the movie. Also, as a side note, the guy cooking in the background in that scene actually worked there. He might have been the owner, but I'm not sure.

[–] kayeanna77 18 years ago

Thanks so much for the response! It's sad that it's no longer around, though

The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance -- Socrates

[–] fakeaccount-7 18 years ago

Ford's is now downtown next to Backspace on NW 5th Avenue.

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] enkidou4 18 years ago

While we're on the subject, why don't they do more movies in cool cities like this? I abolutely LOVE the portland sceneries in the move, my personal favs are when Arlo and Zero stand on a roof and watch Stark switch the cars and then Zero shows the keys he's found in the couch.

99% of contemporery american movies happen in either New York or Los Angeles. It's BOOORIINNG. Seeing Pittsbourgh (sp?) is refreshing. But why don't they use other cities? New Jersey in Kevin Smith's movies is great. What about the rest of america?

[–] moromay 18 years ago

Well, remember that many of Gus Van Sant's early and best movies were filmed here in Portland. He wanted to make all of his films here, but it didn't work out material-wise.

There are many movies that are filmed in other places, but when films are written by the same bunch of people, and those people live in NY or LA; well, that is where/what they know.

Any movie that is not about the city is filmed in the "rest of America" (some of which is called Canada).

; ) .....monica

[–] OrangeRazor 17 years ago

I'm also from a city that doesn't attract the movie-filming crowd too often (Louisville, Kentucky) so when Cameron Crowe started filming "Elizabethtown" I was practically gaga over the whole thing. Then I finally saw the film...and realized that it would probably be a while before anyone came to film anything else in Kentucky. So sad.

Still, it was very nice to see my hometown on the big screen, even though they got soooo many locations wrong in the film. One part of it was actually filmed about 3 miles from my house! Crazy stuff I tell ya...crazy stuff.

[–] moromay 18 years ago

Men of Honor wasn't fabulous, but it wasn't crap. It actually surprised me and turned out better than I expected. Some of the perfomances were excellent (Michael Rapaport especially) and it was filmed here in Portland. Some of Old Town was played as New York City...so even though you may have been fooled, it was good ole Portland!

....monica

[–] niblet_511 18 years ago

The guy cooking was, in fact, the owner. He had been trying to sell the place for quite a while. A little while after the movie came out, he succeeded. The new owners drove the place into the ground (and that's not just my opinion).

*sigh* I used to love that place.

Anything happens to my daughter, I got a .45 and a shovel. I doubt anybody would miss you.

[–] gschrick 17 years ago

That diner scene was shot in another 50's-style burger joint located in NW Portland. I know because I lived a couple of blocks from the location, and they had the street blocked-off for a couple of nights to shoot the scene. I was looking to connect up again with the crew since I had worked on the film for a couple of days earlier in their schedule. (I was the "Man with Bag" - the red herring blackmailer leaving the bag in the bathroom at what Portlanders know as the NW Children's Theater building.) I used to patronize that 50's diner when I lived in NW Portland, but it was definitely the location for the movie shoot. There were several 50's burger joints in the late 90's in town, and I remember someone saying that there was a very similar place in Forest Grove, but the film was shot in NW. Sorry, cracklebox....

[–] moromay 17 years ago

No gschrick, I'm sorry to tell you that you are wrong. I was Jake Kasdan's assistant and also an extra in the diner scene. (I'm the waitress that crosses with the tray in the opening scene --a push in to gloria and zero). It WAS filmed at Ford's in Forest Grove. We filmed in NW Portland a couple of times, but not at a diner. Perhaps we were near the diner you are talking about? Or we used it as a staging area? We filmed in an apartment in NW for Gloria's apartment. We also did some outside scenes in NW. Our biggest outside scene was at the NW Service center (the scene you were in). There we used a crane!

A shout to enkidou4, that scene you love was the first one we filmed.

: )

....monica