The City That Never Sleeps, The Big Apple, The Melting Pot, call it what you will but the city of New York has been used as a setting in movies since the beginning of film. The bustling streets, iconic landmarks, and diverse cultures provide a perfect backdrop for storytelling while creating a rich setting for unforgettable scenes. From comedies to drama to romance to dystopian visions, NYC has been at the center of cinema dating back to 1901’s What Happened on Twenty-third Street, New York City. Since then we have witnessed some of the greatest films of all time emanate from the city utilizing its five boroughs, dark alleys, and tall skyscrapers to become one of the most polarizing settings of the movie world.
However, this is not a list of the greatest New York movies of all time but a list of my favorite films to be set in the Empire City. My best list would be wildly different. Here, I am going to share the films from New York that I have become instant favorites regardless of their quality or critical acclaim. These are some movies I have rewatched the most and have left an indelible mark on my cinematic heart, each resonating with me in unique ways. From classic tales to contemporary hits, these are some of the most enjoyable movies of mine that are set in New York.
50. Times Square (1980)
I watched Allan Moyle’s coming-of-age movie for the first time recently and it became the inspiration for this list which is why it gets slotted in the number 50 spot. The film follows two very different teenage girl runaways who begin to live life on the streets of New York. Their escapades and ways of making it day-to-day become endearing as they navigate the seedy parts of the city. Moyle has stated that the inspiration for the film came from finding a diary in a second-hand couch he purchased that detailed the life of a mentally ill teenager living on the streets.
Robin Johnson’s Nicky Marotta is infectious as the brash want-to-be punk rock singer. Moyle captures the grindhouse underbelly of the real Times Square before the project to clean it up would take place in the 90s. Also, the great Tim Curry plays a late-night disc jockey who helps antagonize the system by spreading the legend of the infamous runaways while they avoid the police. Oh, and it has a pretty gnarly soundtrack.
49. Short Circuit 2 (1988)
“Los locos kick your ass. Los locos kick your face. Los locos kick your balls INTO OUTER SPACE!” I can’t tell how many times I got in trouble as an 8-year-old by continually repeating that phrase. Okay, this is probably my only cheat on here because it never really says what city this takes place in but I have always thought it was New York so it makes my list. I fell in love with Johnny 5 in the first Short Circuit. “Ya momma was a snowblower!” is one of the most classic lines in all of cinema and an insult I have been known to still throw around. So, it was only natural I would want to see the sequel, and as an 8-year-old, I loved it of course. The self-aware come-to-life robot rolling around the streets of “New York” interacting with rude people, and crossing paths with a gang among other city shenanigans just cracked me up. It definitely doesn’t hold up during repeated viewing as I got older but there are enough entertaining parts that keep this film close to my heart.
48. The Dream Team (1989)
A movie that stars Michael Keaton, Christopher Lloyd, and Peter Boyle as mentally ill patients left unsupervised in New York City? Sign me up! The setup is easy as a therapist recommends that four of his patients could use a change of scenery and plans to take them on a field trip to Yankee Stadium. After witnessing some corrupt cops committing murder, the doctor is knocked out and hospitalized leaving the group to their own devices in a place more weird than their mental hospital. There’s nothing special about this outside of the antics and portrayals by the main actors playing their different parts well but man, did I eat this up as a kid and it has remained as a favorite ever since. Watching them navigate the wild city while dealing with their own mental health issues leads to some funny happenings. One of my favorites is Peter Boyle’s character entering an all-black church dancing and singing along before he starts to strip on stage in front of the shocked congregation.
47. Cruel Intentions (1999)
A guilty pleasure for sure because this movie ain’t great but I just love it despite its flaws. Some flaws it doesn’t have are a sexy Sarah Michelle Gellar, an adorable Reese Witherspoon, an awkward Selma Blair, and a kicking 90s soundtrack. As a loose retelling of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ 1782 novel Les Liaisons dangereuses, this version follows some attractive rich New York kids playing sex and love games partly because they are just bored with life. The uneven performances, the exploitative nature, and the pretty white kids with problems all feel like an HBO version of a CW teen drama but something about this movie just draws me in continually time and time again over the past 25 years. I mean, it could just be the MTV Award-winning Best Kiss between Sarah Michelle Gellar and Selma Blair, but who really knows?
46. End of Days (1999)
This is probably my favorite underrated Arnold movie. I first watched this at a midnight screening back in 1999 during all the Y2K rage and that was a fun experience. I remember liking that Armold was trying to act here as the depressed alcoholic struggling with losing his wife and daughter due to a contract killing. The story of a cult helping Satan try to have sex with a young woman to bring about the anit-christ and trying to take over the world was nothing new but I enjoyed Gabriel Bryne’s Lucifer. Roger Ebert stated it was “a head-on collision between the ludicrous and the absurd” and as accurate as that description is, it is easily why I enjoy this flick so much. It also helped that it starred one of my 90s crushes Robin Tunney as well.
45. The Hard Way (1991)
This is hands down my favorite Michael J. Fox movie outside of Back to the Future. I love the pairing of James Woods as the grumpy New York detective and MJF as the hot-shot celebrity play acting as a cop for an upcoming role. It’s a fun buddy cop-type movie with Woods and MJF playing off each other as an odd couple hilariously. Their excellent comedic chemistry really elevates this from the below-average movie it could have been. I don’t really buy MJF as the “Indiana Jones action star” but when he plays the normal guy like in the scene where he interacts with the kid actress at the pizza parlor, he’s full-on lovable Micahel J. Fox. Add in Stephan Lang’s underrated performance as a serial killer known as the “Party Crasher”. “From me to you, From me to you!” Yes, I still bring that quote out to the confusion of the uncultured around me.
44. Boomerang (1992)
Grace Jones. Grace Jones is one of the main reasons I love this movie. She consistently stood out in any film she was part of back in the day, and the type of character actor she was is missed in modern cinema. Additionally, this movie introduced me to the supple Halle Berry and the sultry Robin Givens. Also, two aspects stood out to me as things I normally didn’t see in movies before this. One was the adult male banter between Murphy, Martin Lawrence, and David Alan Grier about relationships and sex, and the other was a strong, sexy female character in Robin Givens, who treated the men similarly to how women were typically treated in relationships. Also, Ertha Kitt was a hoot as the aging cosmetic mogul.
The soundtrack is one of my all-time favorites featuring Babyface, Toni Braxton, PM Dawn and was highlighted by Boys II Men’s “End of the Road”. However, Boomerang is a fairly generic rom-com from Eddie Murphy’s cooling-off period after his scorching hot 80s run. This felt like his last attempt at raunchy comedy before he shifted to family-friendly films, but it’s a movie that has stuck with me over the years.
43. A Bronx Tale (1993)
The coming-of-age story of an Italian-American boy, Calogero, who, after encountering a local Mafia boss, is torn between the temptations of organized crime and the values of his honest, hardworking father has always stood out to me because of the dynamic of Chazz Palmenteri and Robert De Nero. De Niro is known for playing tough characters and to me, this is one of the toughest characters in his filmography. He’s not a fighter or a killer. he is simply a hardworking father trying to provide for his family and teach his son what being a real man is about. He goes to work every day driving a bus but is ready to get in a mob boss’s face to protect his son. That’s what a real badass looks like. Although, it is pretty badass when Sonny walks into a bar full of bikers, locks the door, and says “Now youse can’t leave” before beating the crap out of them.
42. New Jack City (1991)
Wesley Snipes had been one of my favorites since he was Trumiane in Wildcats, I fell in love with him as Willie Mays Hayes in Major League but he was never cooler than he was as Nino Brown in New Jack City. He was one the first prominent hip hop characters in movies that wasn’t a comedy act or just a thug. He was the man and he had the catchy quote, “See ya, wouldn’t want to be ya”. That is yet another, quote I still use to this day 30 years later. Mario Van Peebles not only stars in this but also directs a very stylish film with electrifying action scenes with everyone involved giving effective if not great performances. Can’t forget this soundtrack either with some classics from Keith Sweat, Johnny Gill, Color Me Bad,d and 2 Live Crew. This is also one of the first “hood/gangster” type films I remember seeing that was set in New York. Typically I remember seeing them set in or around LA.
41. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003)
I’m not much of a rom-com guy but damn I love this movie. Kate Hudson is adorable (her in that yellow dress will forever be etched in my brain) and her chemistry with Matthew McConaughey is palpable. The premise made sense for the time as lady magazines with “how to” or relationship advice articles were all the rage around this time. Kate Hudson’s ability to slip in and out of being the coolest and sexiest chick to the most annoying one ever just kills me every time I watch this. I think it does one of the best jobs at showcasing the needy and crazy behavior of women while also highlighting the fakeness and “player” side of men in relationships. This was also the first movie where most of us fell in love with Kathryn Hahn.
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What are your thoughts on these New York movies?
