One of the best things about living in New York is watching movies filmed in New York. There’s just something about seeing the familiar buildings and streets you see every day on the silver screen that makes one feel lucky to live in such an amazing, vibrant city. From the tough guys of Goodfellas to the romantic trysts atop the Empire State Building, here are some highly recommended movies featuring one of film history’s most popular stars: NYC.
Also, for you filmophiles–want to see where your favorite movies were filmed? Set up your own personal tour of famous film sites here.
New York City at its red carpet-ready best.
Tough guy New York:
- Goodfellas: Martin Scorcese directing; DeNiro, Liotta, and Pesci starring; the Italian Mafia, this movie is rough and tumble New York at its gritty best. Wiseguy Henry Hill makes his way into the blue collar mob world, learning in detail the rules and traditions of organized crime along with his two counterparts, the slick jack-of-all-trades criminal Jimmy Conway and the brutish, intimidating Tommy DeVito.
Robert DeNiro, Ray Liotta, Paul Sorvino, and Joe Pesci star in Goodfellas
- Midnight Cowboy: Every time a taxi cab almost hits me in the crosswalk, I think of recreating Dustin Hoffman’s famously improvised scene. Texas greenhorn Joe Buck arrives in New York, thinking he’s a real ‘hustler’ untile he finds out how rough the streets can be. He teams up with a down-and-out but resilient outcast named Ratso Rizzo, and the two face off against a hostile world, growing from partners in shady business to comrades.
- Taxi Driver: Speaking of taxi cab scenes… Cab driver Travis Bickle (Robert DeNiro) is a daily witness to the ugly corruption of life around him, and becomes increasingly disturbed over his own loneliness and alienation. Unable to sleep, he haunts the local pornography emporiums to find diversion, and begins desperately thinking about an escape from his depressing existence.
- Wall Street: Let’s call this a more white-collar tough guy flick. Bud Fox is an ambitious stock trader who will do just about anything to get into the big leagues (ring any bells?) He has been actively courting Gekko, one of the biggest stock speculators on Wall Street who manipulates the market using inside information. Soon, Bud finds himself getting information from any source and using to gain an advantage, until Gekko targets Blue Star airlines, the company where Bud’s father has worked for 24 years.
–>Want more of Scorcese’s New York? Try New York, New York or Mean Streets.
Romantic New York:
- Breakfast at Tiffany’s: This film is absolutely mahvelous, and you’ll delight in watching Audrey Hepburn in her iconic wardrobe roaming the streets of New York, especially her visits to the New York Public Library and, of course, Tiffany’s. Struggling writer Paul Varjak moves into a New York apartment building and becomes intrigued by his pretty, quirky neighbor Holly Golightly. Absolutely irresistible.
Audrey Hepburn (and New York) in Breakfast at Tiffany's
- Sex and the City: This film version of the popular HBO program IS a love letter to New York. It’s a parade of all the beautiful sights, fashions, women, and glamor of New York. Mr. Big and Carrie buy a magnificent penthouse in Manhattan and they decide to get married. The simple wedding plans slowly grow more and more complicated, and after a disastrous wedding attempt, it’s up to Carrie’s best friends to get her back on her feet. Through it all, the city is showcased at its best. On a personal note, I saw this film with my own gal pals opening day in Union Square and it remains one of my favorite film-going experiences to date.
- An Affair to Remember: An absolute classic starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. While on a cruise from Europe to New York, playboy Nicky Ferrante (Cary Grant) meets the gorgeous former night-club singer Terry McKay and despite their existing relationships, they fall in love. They decide to test their love for six months before reuniting on the top of the Empire State Building, but a tragic accident keeps them from immediate happiness. As a follow-up, be sure to check out the constant direct references to this film in Sleepless in Seattle, which has a much happier scene at the Empire State Building.
When Harry Met Sally, a scene in Central Park.
- When Harry Met Sally: Harry and Sally meet on a long drive to New York. The film jumps through their lives as they both search for love, but fail, bumping into each other time and time again. Finally they become close friends, which blossoms into much more. Don’t miss the many conversations between the two in NY museums, restaurants, and Central Park.
- Two Weeks Notice: Bullock stars as Lucy Kelson, Chief Counsel for the Wade Corporation, one of New York City’s top commercial real estate developers. Her millionaire boss, George Wade (Hugh Grant) is handsome, charming and completely self-absorbed. It’s only after she realizes she can’t stand to work for him that they start to fall in love. Special New York moment: enjoy the shots of the Chrysler Building and other NY spots from Wade’s helicopter.
- The Apartment: Jack Lemmon plays a struggling clerk in a huge New York insurance company. He’s discovered a quick way to climb the corporate ladder by lending out his apartment to the executives as a place to take their mistresses. One night, he returns home he’s surprised to find a very ill Shirley MacLaine in his apartment, which means the girl he’s admired at work has been having an affair with one of his married coworkers. While he helps her recover, they fall in love, and he has to decide between his excellent position in the company and his love.
Movies that make New York look cool (and dangerous):
The Ghostbusters encounter a ghost in the New York Public Library.
- Ghostbusters: Parapsychology professors Spengler, Stantz, and Venkman decide to go into business for themselves by trapping and removing ghosts from haunted houses. After some initial skepticism, business is soon booming as The Ghostbusters rid New York of its undead. Plenty of chances to see the streets of New York and the Public Library, and the site of the final showdown is based on a building at Bryant Park. You’ll know it when you see it.
- I Am Legend: It is the year 2012, and NYC is in ruins. Will Smith plays a military scientist, the lone survivor of a biochemical disease which was supposed to cure cancer but instead turned humankind into bloodthirsty zombies. Robert is trying to discover a cure for this disease and to find out any other people who might have also survived. His home base was set in Washington Square, and I had the chance to walk through the area while they were filming, and since it was meant to be a desolute future, it was a pretty disconcerting set.
Will Smith walks the streets of NY in I Am Legend
- Cloverfield: A group of friends celebrating a surprise farewell party in the apartment of Rob Hawkins in Lower Manhattan, when out of the blue, the handheld video meant to capture a going-away party becomes a feature-length documentation of a horrifying monster attack. Lots of scenes down in the subway system, Central Park, and other spots around the city, but definitely a little creepy to walk out of the theater and find yourself standing on the spot where you’d just seen a monster kill people.
And, as a bonus: “Start spreading the news…”: Musicals about New York
- Rent
- The Producers
