Films and music videos shot in Venice – The Oarsman

We all know about it Fatthe 1978 film musical, which was partially filmed at Venice High School. However, Venice has also been a filming location for many other films and music videos. I checked several of them.

Some of the projects were shot in Venice, such as Alesso's “Cool” music video and the film Nightmare on Elm Streetare omitted from the list. Venice has many cameo appearances in various projects, not all of which could be taken into account.

Also, “Cool” is terrible and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.

Films:

Fat

It's not surprising Fat is first on my list. It's the Platonic ideal of a Venice High School movie. The Myrna Loy statue appears in the opening scene.

This film is a source of pride for the people of Venice. There is probably nothing I can comment on that hasn't been noted by previous generations of students. It's a good film with catchy songs that sticks to the PG-13 line surprisingly often.

In total, Fat is a visually appealing look at a time when all the high school cliques had tailored jackets. I can understand why it is practically required material for teachers and students alike.

Matchstick men

It's everyone's favorite actor: Nicolas Cage. And this time he plays a con artist.

Matchstick men It's a little hard to concentrate at first as it's a color palette of dishwater and occasional transitions into Powerpoint scenes. But the further the story progresses, the more nervous and unpredictable she becomes – similar to her protagonist Roy (Nicolas Cage). Venice appears as his daughter's high school.

If you like movies with twists and Nicolas Cage, you'll probably like this Matchstick men. It may be a close second, but I definitely enjoyed it.

Whatever it takes

I like a good early 2000s romantic comedy. Whatever it takes is a romantic comedy from the early 2000s, but it's not good. It doesn't even work as a guilty pleasure unless you enjoy rampant misogyny in your films.

A character exists solely to be an object of desire for the main character, and no effort has been made to give them even a hint of personality. Many more scenes show us exactly how this film views women.

Shane West has some charisma, but it's not enough to save this dismal film disaster. Spare yourself the terribly written romantic entanglements and watch Matchstick men instead.

Music videos:

“Principal's Office” by Young MC

This video is from the 80s and is partly in black and white, making it difficult to see Venice when it appears. I saw the words “Rowing instead of drifting” written on a wall.

“Principal's Office” is great. It's a fun song that describes the everyday horrors of high school, with each scenario more humiliating than the last. There's also an acoustic beat that's still stuck in my head.

The song's rhythm and narrative remind me of Will Smith's music, and it probably hits just as hard.

“…Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears

Britney's debut is still going strong 25 years later. This was voted the best music video of the 1990s, which is a big deal since it was filmed in Venice. In some shots, the words “VENICE HIGH SCHOOL GONDOLIERS” can be seen on the wall of the gymnasium.

Even though the blurriness of each shot occasionally threw me off, I still enjoyed this music video. Sometimes I thought Britney Spears sounded like a frog, but that was a minor criticism. Above all, I'm impressed that she had such great success at 17.

“High School Never Ends” by Bowling for Soup

It's clear that subtlety wasn't Bowling For Soup's goal here. “High School Never Ends” is a musical critique of the superficiality of pop culture. The band shouts about how everyone is fixated on celebrities or the “popular kids,” making them feel like they never left high school.

Some of the lyrics are too simple, but overall it's a decent song. Venice appears a few times in the music video. It's not a masterpiece, but I suspect Bowling for Soup knew that and didn't care, which I respect.

“Oath” by Cher Lloyd

This song is… okay. It's a direct, repetitive paean to having a best friend. Lloyd spends the video driving around in her car and looking at the camera. Venice appears in the middle.

I don't have many comments on this song. I'm just glad it's not as bad as Alesso's “Cool.”

The origins of these films and music videos range from the 1970s to the 2010s. Taken together, they show us that Venice has changed little over the years, despite renovations.

Our school has endured steadfastly for over a century, except for that one time in 1933. The films on this list are proof of that. Whether Venice is the setting for a terrible romantic comedy or a great rap video, it's always the same.