Last weekend a couple of friends and I met up with an acquaintance from the west coast. The coffee shop where we met is one of many stores making up one of the ever-present strip malls in our town. I wasn't thinking about this landscape until our new west coast friend pointed out that it would be hard for him to know that we were having our conversation in the Midwest and not Seattle. The chain stores surrounding us could be found in most every city in the USA and made it tough to know out location.

Last night my wife and I had a very different experience. We drove into Chicago to see Jeff Garlin's I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With . Before the film started, Garlin- who wrote, directed, and stars in this easy paced comedy- stood in front of the audience and explained why he wanted to make the film. Aside from wanting to work with a bunch of his friends, Garlin made it clear that he wanted to portray his beloved Chicago as "it really is." He told us that most crews who film in the city take some footage of Lake Michigan and the “El” and assume they've captured Chicago. In I Want Someone we hardly see the lake or "El" at all. Instead there are glimpses of Chicago icons like Second City, Millennium Park, and Wrigley Field. Most of the story is told in neighborhoods and brownstones with street signs in the background to give the story a real sense of place.

The Chicago Tribune's reviewer wondered if she’d enjoy I Want Someone if she didn’t live in Chicago. But perhaps that’s the point. Garlin doesn’t seem to expect his little film to get much play around the country. Last night he seemed thrilled to be sharing his tribute to his city with a bunch of folks from that city.

A particularly interesting moment during the movie came when we saw the theatre we were sitting in on the screen. There, in all its 1920’s glory, was the Music Box Theatre . Somewhat giddily, my wife and I whispered to each other, “That’s where we are right now!” Had Garilin chosen to stage this scene in front of one of the many chain theatres around the city I doubt we would have had a similar reaction. Would you have recognized the theatre where you do most of your film viewing? If the theatres in your town are anything like ours, I’d guess that you wouldn’t.

Sitting in that old theatre last night, watching a film that was wrapped up in very real locations, I had a lovely sense of place. I knew where I was. I got the inside jokes about Chicago. It made sense that Wrigley Field served as a subtle backdrop for the melancholy moments of the story. And while Jeff Garlin’s story may not be my story, his places are my places.

Before the film began, Garlin told us that the Music Box Theatre is the greatest theatre in the world. I know what he meant.