Can’t Make It to Times Square? Watch These 6 Must-See Movies Set in New York City Instead!
These films are going to make you want to take a bite out of the Big Apple
There is nothing quite like New York City. Between the bright lights and bustling people, it truly is a magical place filled with wonder, dedication and love. It is also the backdrop of various movies, ranging from thrillers to rom-coms and historical fiction tales.
Want to fall in love with a set of gorgeous autumn trees behind you? Then we recommend the classic rom-com When Harry Met Sally. Or if you are more into the classics, go for the timeless Audrey Hepburn film, Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
Below, we’ve chosen the six best films that highlight all The Big Apple has to offer.
‘When Harry Met Sally’ (1989): Romance and autumn in New York
When Harry Met Sally is a classic fall movie set in New York City that follows Harry Burns (Billy Crystal) and Sally Albright (Meg Ryan). After graduating from college in 1977, Harry and Sally embark on a road trip from Chigaco to New York that ends with them arguing over the question of whether or not men and women could ever be just friends. Flashword 10 years to the two meeting randomly in a bookstore and vowing only to be friends—not lovers. A classic tale filled with sizzling chemistry and memorable moments.
“Somehow, even a million years later, When Harry Met Sally is still at the top of every list when people talk about their favorite rom-coms,” Ryan said. “Which is flattering, amazing and humbling.”
“All I know is that acting with Billy [Crystal] was effortless; the characters just came alive, and just meeting him, I don’t know how could you not love Billy Crystal.”
When Harry Met Sally is available to stream on Apple TV.
‘The Great Gatsby’ (2013): Glamour and heartbreak in 1920s New York
There have been several adaptations of the classic novel The Great Gatsby, but none transports you back in time to the glamorous 1920s New York as well as Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 version. In it, a young writer named Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) moves in next door to the illustrious party-thrower Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio), who just so happens to be his cousin Daisy’s (Carey Mulligan) long-lost love.
“Gatsby is a totally different kind of movie, but it’s in that tradition of using sets and special effects and a particular visual language to give us something really exciting,” Maguire said. “It has the scope and excitement of big action movies, but it’s done in a totally different way. It uses those tools to create a period drama that’s really engaging and sexy and fun and musical.”
The Great Gatsby is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
‘How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days’ (2003): Love and laughter in the Big Apple
There are two things you can do in 10 days: see all of New York City or lose a guy. And if you were to ask journalist Andie Anderson (Kate Hudson), she would tell you to do the latter. After getting assigned a story on how to lose a guy in 10 days, Andie sets out to find the perfect candidate. But what happens when her fake feelings begin to become real, causing her to wonder if maybe she wants to keep him after all?
“It’s actually quite [a] feminist movie, and I think that really resonates with young girls,” Hudson says. “The concept [is] that women are in control of their own destiny, their own life and their own purpose. The fact that Andy is a journalist [who’s] working a job that isn’t really what she wants to be doing, and she chooses to pursue her dream, [makes this] a very strong female character that a lot of women connect to.”
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
‘You’ve Got Mail’ (1998): Love blooms in 1990s New York City
Truly, no one does movies in New York better than Meg Ryan, and her 1998 rom-com You’ve Got Mail stuns. The plot follows an independent bookstore owner named Kathleen Kelly (Ryan), after she learns that her arch enemy—and owner of the nation’s biggest corporate bookstore—Joe Fox (Tom Hanks) has moved in right across the street. Desperate for someone to talk to, Kathleen begins emailing a man she meets online, and they instantly fall in love. But when Kathleen learns her online love is actually her enemy (Fox), everything changes.
“So much about this [film] is, really, this odd examination of the franchising of America,” Hanks said at the time of release. “This concept of big chain stores coming into neighborhoods and changing the complexion of the neighborhoods, for both the good and the bad.”
You’ve Got Mail is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
‘Taxi Driver’ (1976): A dark take on NYC’s grit
New York City isn’t complete without its iconic yellow taxi cabs, but what happens when driving one turns dark? After taking on a job as a taxi driver, a disturbed man named Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) becomes obsessed with cleaning up the filthy city, figuring out how to assassinate a presidential candidate and saving a 12-year-old girl from prostitution. From start to finish, this Martin Scorsese film is one wild ride.
And it turns out that filming it was too, because according to Scorsese, De Niro himself came up with the film’s most iconic line, “You talking to me?”
“He was improvising it,” the director said. “We were behind schedule. We were in such trouble.”
“I was at [De Niro’s] feet because there were no video assistants at the time. And I was saying, ‘Do it again, do it again!’ And he was doing the thing with the moves and the gun,” he went on to say. “That wasn’t in the script; it came from [De Niro].”
Taxi Driver is available to stream on PlutoTV.
‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ (1961): Classic NYC elegance
Based on the 1958 novella written by Truman Capote, Breakfast at Tiffany’s takes viewers back to 1960s New York. After Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn) meets her new neighbor, George Peppard (Paul Varjack), she begins to realize that maybe there is more to life than just money, men and pretty things.
“It’s the story of a girl who liked to grab a doughnut and walk through Tiffany’s famous jewelry store while eating,” Hepburn told The Charlotte News in 1961. “How could anything happen to a girl there?”
Breakfast at Tiffany’s is available to stream on MGM+.
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