lights... camera... action... New York!
I love movies. I mean, I love them. I don’t study them or enjoy dissecting them. I just love them for what they are—sad, happy, dramatic, depressing, heroic, action-packed, horrific, romantic, hilarious, super-serious stories. One of my favorite movie genres is New York City—which probably isn’t a real genre. But shouldn’t it be? There are so many great movies and shows in which NYC, herself, is the star. She deserves top-billing and thus her own genre.
Here’s a list of some of my favorite New York City movies and TV shows. But the city is an enormous tapestry of personalities, so I’ve created sub-genres: On Broadway; The Garment District; Upper East Side; Pastrami on Rye; Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens Harlem!; and Star-Crossed in New York (aka Dating Before Tinder).
Every movie or show that I’ve recommended, I love. But please check their ratings and content to decide if they are something you want to watch. IMBD usually has good parental guides. So does Commonsense Media.
*denotes TV series
ON BROADWAY:
Musicals about NYC or that take place in the city
Fame (1980)
Fame* (1982)
Enchanted
Rent
Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
The Muppets Take Manhattan
Annie (1982 & 2014— loved them both)
West Side Story (1961)
On the Town (1949)
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1967)
Across the Universe
THE GARMENT DISTRICT:
Movies/TV shows about Fashion
The Gospel According to André
Unzipped(1995 Documentary)
Ocean’s Eight
September Issue
Sex and the City* (though I loved the movies too)
The First Monday in May
Iris (2015 Documentary)
The Intern
Bill Cunningham’s New York
The Devil Wears Prada
UPPER EAST SIDE:
Movies and shows about New Yorkers who make Page 6 and hire cars
The Thin Man (1934 featuring my favorite film couple: Nick and Nora)
The Morning Show*
The Age of Innocence
Florence Foster Jenkins
Six Degrees of Separation (Will Smith was never better)
My Man Godfrey
Madmen
How to Marry a Millionaire (my favorite Marilyn Monroe film)
Mrs. Parker & the Vicious Circle
Metropolitan (1990)
Living Out Loud
The Great Gatsby (2013—strictly for its flash)
PASTRAMI ON RYE:
Movies and shows about New Yorkers who eat in delis and take the subway
When Harry Met Sally
Modern Love* (my new obsession)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel* (she lives uptown but she’s a deli kinda girl)
The Goodbye Girl (1977)
Frankie & Johnny
My Dinner with Andre
You’ve Got Mail
Moonstruck
His Girl Friday (1940)
The Incredible Jessica James
Dating Around* (another new obsession)
Birders the Central Park Effect
The Fisher King
In America
While We’re Young
BROOKLYN, BRONX, QUEENS, HARLEM!
Movies and shows that take place in NYC but not Manhattan
Everybody Hates Chris*
Crooklyn
Marty (1955)
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt*
All in the Family*
Hip Hop Evolution*
If Beale Street Could Talk
Living Single*
Music of the Heart
Little Men
Claudine
LONG ISLAND, JERSEY, THE HAMPTONS, CONNECTICUT
Movies and shows that are NYC only by close proximity
We Are F*****G Twisted Sister
The Family Man
Something’s Gotta Give
Jumping the Broom
Sabrina (1954 the original, I hated the remake)
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948 one of my favorite movies of all time)
A Catered Affair (1956)
Gilmore Girls*
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
STAR-CROSSED IN NEW YORK (BEFORE TINDER)
Movies and shows about singles trying to find love before dating apps
Hitch
The Apartment (1960)
Tootsie
Splash
Adam’s Rib (1949—Judy Holiday is brilliant!)
It Should Happen to You (1954—again Judy Holiday!)
Flight of the Conchords*
After Hours (1985—my favorite Scorcese movie)
Desperately Seeking Susan
One Fine Day (Pfieffer and Clooney with kids!)
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Arthur (1981 and 2011—loved them both)
You’ve Got Mail
Little Manhattan
Raising Helen
13 Going on 30
