No, there wasn't a new bar in downtown Missoula called Tommy Z's. And no, there's not a new shop called The Last Best Donut near Draught Works Brewery.
They're fictional businesses set up as part of a romantic comedy that's being filmed around Missoula called "The Last Hurrah."
It's the debut feature film for a local company called Bad Parents Productions, founded by Chris and Emily Richardson, who've also got their three kids (happily) working on the movie as production assistants.
"I wrote this screenplay in the early '90s, so this movie has been living in my head for more than 30 years," said Chris Richardson. "I moved to Missoula for college, met lifelong friends, met my wife and experienced the kind of years that shaped the rest of my life. 'The Last Hurrah' is a love letter to Missoula, friendship, music, and that brief moment when everything still feels possible."
He co-founded Warm Springs Productions (the site of the fake donut shop) over two decades ago. The company has produced over 40 television series and other projects for Discovery, HGTV, Animal Planet, National Geographic and the History Channel, including the hit series "Mountain Men."
He always wanted to turn his script into a movie, but never had the time. A couple years ago, though, a friend's diagnosis catalyzed his motivation.
"We had a good friend that had pancreatic cancer a couple years ago," he explained. "A group of us connected, and it was kind of this weird journey with him, watching one of our good friends die. But it just re-emphasized, like, what are you waiting for? Yeah, make the move if you're gonna do it."
So this summer, they finally got everything together and made it happen.
On Wednesday, they were in front of the Warm Springs office, cleverly disguised as the donut shop, filming a scene. They've also been in neighborhoods around town, in Greenough Park, in front of the Roxy Theater and in a martial arts studio.
The couple actually met in the Silver Dollar Bar in Missoula, when smoking in bars was legal, and they've recreated that '90s vibe in almost every scene. The fake bar had to have ashtrays and Pearl Jam posters, for instance.
"Missoula has been the place where our family and business have grown side by side for 35 years," Emily Richardson said the first week they were filming. "We're thrilled to begin this new adventure right here where it all began for us. We've assembled an incredibly talented and creative team, many with deep roots in Montana."
Music is a big part of the movie. They actually secured the rights to the Radiohead hit, "High and Dry," for one special scene. Chris Richardson said they had to get permission from every person who's credited with writing the song, which isn't an easy thing to do in the independent film world.
They've also got music from Stone Temple Pilots, Alanis Morissette, Edie Brickell, and The Suburbs, among others. The actors will be performing many of the songs on camera.
The plot of the movie, loosely, is that a young artist named River drifts through Missoula and falls for Erica, an ambitious young television reporter determined to move to a bigger market beyond the Garden City. But then, at one point, there's a bizarre small-town hostage standoff that forces both of them to confront the fears that have kept them from pursuing their dreams.
The film's budget is not on the scale of a Hollywood blockbuster, but it's not exactly a rinky-dink, low-budget project either. For the three-week shoot, they've employed 50 to 60 people and have pumped quite a bit of money into the local economy, hiring caterers and drivers and all kinds of crew members. They've rented space from the city and private businesses, and they've got SAG-AFTRA union members in the cast. None of those things are cheap, and neither is buying the rights to a Radiohead hit or getting the license to show a Pearl Jam poster on screen.
"So we don't know how to make a musical, but we surround ourselves with amazing people," Chris said. "I mean, that's been so much fun."
They're going to try to get the film shown at South by Southwest, a festival in Texas, this October.