There’s just something about seeing a movie that’s set in your hometown. Whether it’s portrayed as the gritty setting for a murder mystery or the charming backdrop for a romantic comedy, you can’t help but get a thrill from hearing the names and seeing the familiar landmarks on the big screen. Here are seven movies that’ll make Bostonians feel right at home.
1. Blown Away (1994)
Starring Jeff Bridges and Tommy Lee Jones, Blown Away is the story of an Irish bomber who escapes from prison and targets a member of the Boston bomb squad. Among the many Boston locations featured in this film are Copley Square, the Esplanade, Boston Harbor, and Fenway Park.
2. The Boondock Saints (1999)
After accidentally killing some mafia thugs, Boston brothers Connor and Murphy (Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus) feel that they are carrying out God’s will by cleansing their town of “evil” people. Willem Dafoe plays the FBI agent who struggles between wanting to catch them and feeling they are doing the right thing. Look for Boston locations like Longfellow Bridge.
3. Fever Pitch (2005)
Based on the Nick Hornby novel of the same name, this romantic comedy is about easygoing Ben (Jimmy Fallon) and workaholic Lindsey (Drew Barrymore) who meet and start dating. Everything seems to be going great until Lindsey learns about Ben’s all-consuming obsession—the Red Sox! Speaking of obsessed fans, local theater audiences cheered for the Red Sox during game scenes and even went so far as to boo the Yankees when they came onscreen.
4. Good Will Hunting (1997)
Will (Matt Damon) is an MIT janitor who comes from a blue-collar neighborhood in South Boston. When a professor discovers that Will is a math genius he must decide whether pursuing a bright new future is worth abandoning the life and friends he’s always known. Robin Williams plays a therapist who tries to help Will confront his past and determine his future. The film launched the careers of Damon and Ben Affleck, who won Oscars for Best Original Screenplay. Williams won Best Supporting Actor.5. The Late George Apley (1947)
Ronald Colman plays George Apley, a stuffy Beacon Hill socialite convinced that Boston is the beginning and end of the civilized world. His perfect insulated life is disrupted when his daughter falls in love with a New Yorker and his Harvard student son falls for a girl from Worcester. “From Worcester?” he exclaims. “A foreigner!” The film is based on John P. Marquand's Pulitzer Prize-winning satirical novel of the same title.
6. Mystic River (2003)
Nominated for Best Picture, this film focuses on three childhood friend from Boston—Jimmy (Sean Penn), Dave (Tim Robbins), and Sean (Kevin Bacon)—who reunite after Jimmy's daughter is murdered. Sean, a policeman investigating the case, finds clues that seem to implicate Dave and must also deal with Jimmy’s desire for vengeance. Sean Penn and Tim Robbins both won Academy Awards and Golden Globes for their roles.
7. The Departed (2006)
The Departed, Martin Scorsese's crime thriller set in Boston, was nominated for five Academy Awards®, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor (for Dorchester's own Mark Wahlberg). The film stars Cambridge native Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio as two moles, one who has infiltrated the Massachusetts State Police, and the other the Irish American mafia. When both sides realize they may have been compromised, the moles must uncover one another or risk being exposed. The Departed was filmed in several locations around Boston including Chinatown and the Erich Lindemann Center, as well as Charlestown and Quincy.
