Of course, our Chicago popcorn company thinks that our city is a scenic one. From the shores of the Lake to the incredible architecture, there is plenty of pretty scenery throughout the city! And clearly, Hollywood feels the same way. Through the work of directors like John Hughes, Christopher Nolan and Alfred Hitchcock, the entire nation has become familiar with the gorgeous city of Chicago.
In fact, Chicago Magazine just took the time to rank what they consider the top 40 movies filmed in Chicago. From Public Enemies to Ordinary People, there is something for every Chicago movie fan, whether you love a hard-boiled detective flick or a sweet romantic comedy. We’ve pulled the ones we think illustrate our city best– see if you agree!
10. Adventures in Babysitting – One of our favorites that didn’t make the Chicago Magazine list, this ’80s classic features a scene where one of the characters nearly slides off the slanted face of the Stone-Smurfit Building. How can we leave that out?
9. High Fidelity - John Cusack’s quintessential role as a music-loving, lovelorn bachelor in this film is now so famous that it’s a cinema cliche. While the book was set in London, the city Chicago co-stars in the film. Scenes shot in Wicker Park, Lincoln Park and some of Chicago’s best live music venues capture the audiophile side of the city.
8. North by Northwest- Hitchcock teamed up with star Cary Grant for this gritty 1959 film that follows a New York ad exec mistaken for a spy as he is chased across the country– and of course, through scenic Chicago.
7. About Last Night – This ’80s romantic drama shows that some things in Chicago never change. Twenty years later, people still love to play in softball leagues and to gather at Mother’s, a bar at Rush and Division featured in the film.
6. The Dark Knight - After years of New York holding the title that was supposed to be ours, Christopher Nolan brought the Batman franchise back to Chicago. Our city takes on a new darkness in the film, in which Chicago buildings and Lower Wacker Drive make for some of the most suspenseful actions scenes ever filmed.
5. My Best Friend’s Wedding – America’s Sweetheart Julia Roberts, the debut of a young Cameron Diaz, and a scene where whole cast sings a Dionne Warwick song make this movie good, but the Chicago setting makes it great. Roberts’ character tries to stop a wedding by chasing her best friend from the North Shore, down Michigan Avenue, all the way to Comiskey Park and back.
4. Risky Business – One of Tom Cruise’s earliest films made immortal by him lip-synching in his underwear, Risky Business takes place on the affluent North Shore of Chicago and asks, what would a teenage boy really get up to if left home alone in the city of Chicago?
3. Home Alone – Here’s another story of a boy left at home alone in Chicago– only this time, he’s fighting off two bumbling burglars. Starring in maybe the best slapstick comedy of the ’90s, Macaulay Culkin was lauched into immediate child stardom. And twenty years later, the North Shore home where the movie was filmed still gets visits from fans!
2. The Blues Brothers – Second City theater alums John Belushi and Dan Akroyd are considered adopted Chicagoans after creating a movie that has become part of Chicago mythology. You can find homages to these kings of soul all over the city, including welcoming travelers near our store location at Midway Airport.
1. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – For the sheer number of Chicago landmarks covered by this movie, it has to be best one ever filmed in our city. The story takes the cast from the Ben Rose home in Highland Park (Cameron’s house in the film), to Wrigley Field, the Art Institute, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, the Sears (now Willis) Tower, and the red Calder sculpture in Federal Plaza. Add a cruise down Lake Shore Drive in a vintage Ferrari, and there simply isn’t a film out that can compete with Ferris Bueller’s Chicago-ness.
We highly advise you to grab some gourmet popcorn, cheesecorn or caramelcorn to snack on and settle in for a Chicago movie marathon! To find more movies based or set in Chicago, read more here.
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