In the new movie We Are Your Friends, Zac Efron stars as a stagnating twenty-something wannabe DJ named Cole. He's a kid from the San Fernando Valley who longs to move south of the Hollywood Hills to become a part of the glamorous Los Angeles club scene. He is helped in his quest by an older DJ, James, played by Wes Bentley, who mentors Cole... at least until Cole falls in love with James' girlfriend, Sophie (Emily Ratajkowski). The movie depicts the Hollywood club scene and EDM culture frequently, with the characters often mentioning a particular club called Social. But is Social from We Are Your Friends a real club?
The Social from the movie is not real (unless it's some secret club Google doesn't know about). There is a hookah bar in The Valley called The Social Lounge, but it doesn't fit the profile of an EDM hotspot. There was also a night club called Social located in Hollywood off of Sunset Boulevard, but it closed down for good in 2009. The movie did film in actual clubs around Downtown L.A. and Hollywood, but none that go by the name social. So if you were hoping to get your dance on at Social, I'm afraid you're out of luck. However, there are plenty of other bars from famous movies that are real, so put your drinking shoes on and head out to one of these six famous establishments.
Coyote Ugly Saloon (Coyote Ugly)
The bar where ladies dance on the counter top is real and located in New York City. The popularity of the film spawned a chain of 20 Coyote Ugly bars, but the original still touts itself as the "Most Famous Bar on the Planet". It's doubtful Tyra Banks works at any of them.
L Street Tavern (Good Will Hunting)
The Boston watering hole where Matt Damon and Ben Affleck show off their Beantown accents is still around. Remember, if you get kicked out of this place, it's not your fault.
New York Bar (Lost In Translation)
Want to hang out in the same swanky bar high above Tokyo where Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson said slightly confusing things to one another? You totally can! It's located on the 52nd floor of the Park Hyatt Hotel in Tokyo.
Barney's Beanery (The Doors)
The bar Jim Morrison pees on in Oliver Stone's movie about the '60s band is not only a real place, but Morrison actually peed on the bar in real life! It's the original Barney's Beanery is in Hollywood, and they, too, have since expanded (but Morrison only peed in one of them).
Rum House (Birdman)
A recent entry, last year's Oscar-winner filmed two pivotal scenes in this celeb hangout located in New York's theater district. If you start hallucinating, you've either had too much rum, or you're an insane, washed-up actor. Maybe both.
Hog's Head Pub (The Harry Potter Series)
It may not be an inn, but you can at least get a butterbeer at this pub, located at Universal Studios' Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park in Orlando. The butter beer is non-alcoholic (lousy kids), but thankfully they serve real beer as well. Shockingly, this bar didn't exist until after the Harry Potter movies. Crazy, right?
So there you have it, plenty of places where you can get a buzz while pretending you're in a movie. Or maybe you are in a movie. Wait, how much have I had to drink?
Images: Warner Brothers Pictures; Giphy (6)
