New York City movies are sort of like their own sub-genre. NYC is a city unlike any other: many consider it to be the world's cultural, social, and financial capital. Therefore, it makes sense that its movies share the same quality.
We all know the classic New York movies. Annie Hall, The Godfather, Rosemary's Baby, and West Side Story are just a few of the classics that have cemented their space in film history as the definitive New York City movies. That being said, there are plenty more movies that deserve to be considered in the same manner.
'Klute' (1971)
Jane Fonda won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her scene-stealing role as Bree Daniels in Klute. The film follows Detective John Klute (Donald Sutherland) as he travels to New York City searching for a missing man, with his only lead being a connection to Bree, an unashamed prostitute. As the two get closer to the truth, they also grow closer to each other, and things get even more complicated.
Klute is a masterpiece of detective fiction that breaks down and analyzes the stereotype of the overconfident, self-righteous New Yorker. It's not out to look down at New Yorkers but instead to understand them. Bree uses her high fashion sense to hide the fact that, underneath the glitz and glamour she tries to live in, she's just as broken a person like everyone else.
'Uncut Gems' (2019)
The Safdie Brothers' Uncut Gems is one of the most stressful and tense movies you'll ever have the pleasure of experiencing. Adam Sandler takes a dramatic turn as Howard Ratner, a pawnshop owner who is always looking for the next big bet. He's a gambling addict who doesn't know when to stop. When he gets a gem that catches the eyes of NBA star Kevin Garnett (as himself), Howard sees an opportunity to find the score he needs to pay off his debts and discover the thrill he seeks.
Few movies capture the "never stop moving" lifestyle of many New Yorkers as well as Uncut Gems. As Howard runs from place to place, putting out one fire as two more spark up, the audience feels just as stressed as he does. The film has a glamorous yet gritty aesthetic that makes it a true gem in New York's cinematic crown.
'Inside Llewyn Davis' (2013)
The Coen Brothers are absolute masters of their craft, and Inside Llewyn Davis may be their best movie. The film follows Oscar Isaac as Llewyn Davis, a struggling folk musician living in Greenwich Village during the early 1960s. After his music partner dies, Llewyn moves from couch to couch, hoping to find his big break without selling out.
What makes Inside Llewyn Davis so unique is actually how ordinary Llewyn is. He's talented for sure, but there are plenty of gifted people; he's just not lucky. New York City is full of people with big dreams and career goals, and each of their stories is worth telling, even if they aren't destined to find the success they want so dearly.
'If Beale Street Could Talk' (2018)
After making the masterpiece that is Moonlight, Barry Jenkins' follow-up If Beale Street Could Talk didn't get the love it deserved. Based on the book by James Baldwin, the movie takes place in 1970s Harlem and tells the love story of Tish (KiKi Layne) and Alonzo (Stephan James). After becoming pregnant, their relationship is tested when Alonzo is arrested for a crime he didn't commit. Much like Moonlight, Jenkins infuses the film with an incredibly emotional aesthetic, enhanced by the performances, including Regina King, who won an Academy Award for her performance.
If Beale Street Could Talk captures an aspect of the city that few movies are capable of. New York City is, much like love itself, extremely complicated. Yet there's a rhythm to it, a beauty. Even in the bad times, there's still passion and energy to the city, unlike anywhere else on Earth.
'The Squid And The Whale' (2005)
Noah Baumbach's The Squid And The Whale is loosely based on his childhood in Brooklyn in the 1980s. The story focuses on the Berkman family as Bernard (Jeff Daniels), a college professor, and Joan (Laura Linney), a prominent writer, announce to their children they are getting a divorce. The film merges comedy and drama into a tone that feels very real and heartfelt.
The movie deals with a family class somewhere between the middle class and upper crust. They aren't wealthy, but they're far from poor. Bernard is almost obsessed with not being thought of as a Philistine. He views having an interest in books and intellectual art as essential to their lifestyle. This kind of charming social elitism is not exclusive to but quite essential to the larger culture of New York City.
'All That Jazz' (1979)
Bob Fosse is an icon of New York City. The famed choreographer turned filmmaker is probably best known for the film adaptation of the stage musical, Cabaret, but his masterpiece is undeniably All That Jazz. The film is one of the few examples of a biopic serving as a scathing critique of its subject, let alone one made by the subject themself. While not directly about Fosse, the film follows Joe Gideon (Roy Scheider), a stage director who is also in the editing stages of his latest movie, while dealing with his fragile personal relationships and drug addiction. Only a master like Bob Fosse could make a movie about themselves this refreshingly honest.
What All That Jazz does better than pretty much any other movie is present the world in a way that merges the eccentric with the real. A life like Bob Fosse's was only possible somewhere like New York. Through the chaos and the stress, Fosse's life was like a show where he was the star, a tragic figure you can't help but watch. His life was art, and art was his life.
'Love Is Strange' (2014)
Love Is Strange follows a newly married couple, Ben (John Lithgow) and George (Alfred Molina), as they make their way through the real estate market of New York City, which, as any New Yorker knows, is a tough beast to conquer. While they have been together for decades, until they can find a place to stay, they each find temporary housing separate from each other. Their relationship is put to quite a test.
The housing situation of New York City is notorious for charging incredibly high rent for just as incredibly low square footage. Millions of people live in the city, each with their own story of ending up where they are. Love Is Strange emphasizes how being in love in New York is much more technical than in other places, but it's all worth it to live with the person you love in a city as unique as New York City.
'After Hours' (1985)
Martin Scorsese is one of the most famous New York City filmmakers to ever live. He has made several classics set in the city, from Taxi Driver to The King Of Comedy to Goodfellas, but one that doesn't get the attention it deserves is After Hours. The film follows Paul (Griffin Dunne), a shy word processor who decides to take a risk and travel to Soho for a date. However, his night quickly goes off the rails as he is faced with strange and intense events that increase his paranoia and prevent him from making it home. The movie's atmosphere is only increased by the time constraint of taking place over the course of a single night.
New York is called "the city that never sleeps" for a reason. At any time of night, countless people are going about their lives, getting into all sorts of sticky situations. After Hours really captures how, in New York City, your life may be many things, but boring is never one of them.
'Parting Glances' (1986)
You may have never seen Bill Sherwood's Parting Glances before, but you absolutely should. The film centers on Robert (John Bolger) and Michael (Richard Ganoung), a gay couple in New York City getting ready for Robert to go away to Africa for work. At the same time, they are coming face to face with the AIDS epidemic devastating the gay community during the 1980s. Steve Buscemi steals the show as Nick, their charismatic friend who lives with AIDS himself.
The movie's plot is pretty barebones, but that's part of the point. Parting Glances seeks to capture a moment of New York life on screen. Especially at the height of the AIDS pandemic, there weren't many stories about gay men, let alone those that weren't pure tragedies. Parting Glances was Bill Sherwood's only directorial effort before dying from AIDS in 1990.
'Paris Is Burning' (1990)
People come to New York City to find a sense of community they can't find anywhere else. That idea hasn't been represented on-screen better than in the classic documentary, Paris Is Burning, which highlights the ballroom scene of 1980s New York. Many LGBTQIA+ people, particularly people of color, found a home in the ballroom. Drag queens and people across the gender and sexuality spectrum came together to find community in competition. In the film, we watch as they compete in various ball categories, all looking for 10s across the board.
What makes New York City special is how everyone can find a place to belong. No matter what kind of person you are, there are like-minded people in New York who will take you in and proudly call you one of their own. Paris Is Burning is not only essential queer cinema but also one of the best representations of what exactly New York City has to offer.