Of the many lines the recent Hollywood blockbuster Due Date left etched in the minds of audiences, granted some against one’s will, perhaps none was more perfectly delivered than the dialogue that ensued as Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifinakis’ Los Angeles-bound car slowed to a roll in traffic-”This looks like a border crossing, it says Mexico”-”I thought it said Texaco, we’re low on gas.”Set against the backdrop of the Chihuahuan Desert, this was only one of many scenes filmed in the area, taking advantage of one of the most desolate locales in the United States to provide a scenic and appropriate setting to convey the sense of desperation and lengths an expecting new father will travel in order to be present for the birth of his child. Shutting down a stretch of highway 70, in the Las Cruces, New Mexico, region, filmmakers took advantage not only of a unique natural blessing but of tax cuts for filming in the state of New Mexico, designed to bring more business in from would-be Hollywood sets. As a result, the Chihuahuan Desert has raised its profile by association, an increasingly popular locale for any movie calling for heat-stricken or sandy stage (of which there are many).The city of Las Cruces itself, well within the borders of the Chihuahuan desert, also served as one of primary filming spots for some of the movie’s in-town scenes, along with Atlanta, Albuquerque, Lawrenceville, GA, Los Angeles, Rancho Cucamonga,CA, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Of the many lines the recent Hollywood blockbuster Due Date left etched in the minds of audiences, granted some against one’s will, perhaps none was more perfectly delivered than the dialogue that ensued as Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifinakis’ Los Angeles-bound car slowed to a roll in traffic-”This looks like a border crossing, it [...]
