Funny, there are quite a lot of movies I really liked or saw and had no idea were set in Chicago until I got here and just kind of started to think about it. Although I have read a lot about directors work and filmography....I have never read anything about John Hughes and didn't really notice his movies from the 80's take place in Chicago. After watching a favourite 80's movie a few months ago and being so surprised it was Chicago characters (and I had seen this movie lots of times) I started looking for movies about or set in Chicago. The following are a few movies set in Chicago...not necessarily filmed in Chicago...ah the magic of movies...here is a list of a few movies I really really like, for my Thursday Thirteen.
1)The Sting
2)Backdraft
3)American Beauty
4)About Last Night
5)She's Having A Baby
6)A League Of Their Own
7)Ordinary People
8)Risky Business
9)My Bodyguard
10)Thief
11)Running Scared
12)Man With The Golden Arm
13)The Untouchables
83 comments:
LOVE The Untouchables!!!!
Great list! I can now say I learned something today. :) I loved She's Having a Baby...one of my Kevin Bacon Favorites!
Have a great Thursday!
Glad to see Running Scared in there. I'll always watch it when it's on {It's a "Click and Stick" selection - a topic for another 13}
No Blues Brothers?
the only one i didn't know was my bodyguard. great list.
my tt is up now.
the italian job (original)
oceans eleven (original)
texas chainsaw massacre (original)
the wicker man (original)
you get the jist!
Chicago, from all I've heard and read, is a very happening city, so I'm sure there are and will be plenty more.... The Untouchables was a good one
Chicago never looked so good as in The Untouchables. That train station you guys have... it's so awesome!!
I guess that, with David Mamet being a Chicago native, a lot of his films are set there; you mention About Last Night and The Untouchables, but there's also Glengarry Glen Ross and (I think) American Buffalo.
And, of course, the TV series: ER, Chicago Hope...
Chicago is cool!
I had a lot more movies listed...but you know, with the limit of thirteen and all....I did have Blues Brothers, but took it off for Backdraft....just because Blues Brothers is really obvious.
Cappy the Kid, oh yeah, I get the gist, Chicago has quite the colourful history all right. There is stilla bar here where Al Capone would have drinks, I'll try and sneak a photo sometimes, shhh....
funny that i didn't even notice where these movies took place. Now I know. :)
i loved the sting. never seen the man with the golden arm, though...
The only ones that came to my mind were "Ferris Beuller's Day Off" and "Adventures in Babysitting."
I had no idea about the rest of these! Great observations!
My TT is finally up now.
Man With The Golden Arm is super cool, about a junkie...Farank Sinatra might have got an oscar for it, and the divine Kim Novak is his loving gal pal...written by Nelsen Algren who is a fascinating writer from Chicago, wrote A Walk ON The Wild Side.
I just watched a League of their Own the other night. I don't know what it is, but that movie makes me cry every single time.
You are so fast! I didn't even have my brilliant TT up! I LOVE the Untouchables, as I like to think of myself as "untouchable" unless I want to be "touchable"...
Ahh.. American Beauty is the greatest.
Enjoy your Thursday!
Ahh.. American Beauty is the greatest.
Enjoy your Thursday!
the Schooligan...well, League is one of those movies where everything is perfectly put together, the cast, the dialogue and it's based on a real time. Can't go wrong.
Cheysuli, I've probably seen the Untouchables twenty times. It holds up over the eyars too, which a lot of movies don't.
Shannon, you kno what I like best about American Beauty? Is that Kevin Spacey's character has this transformative learning experience...but unlike most people who have a life change or altered perspective...he doesn't try to change everybody else. He doesn't force his wife or daughter to convert...he simply found the secret to happiness, all he needs is his "high" his workout and his lava lamp in the garage...he not only tolerates the icy shallow ethics of his wife...he accepts it and just says live and let live.
Huh...I never noticed where most of these movies took place either. Usually I don't notice where a movie takes place unless it says it was somewhere I've been or lived and then usually I'm sitting there fuming over what's wrong. :P
Happy TT!
and parts of the Fugitive (Harrison Ford version)!! fun list!!
A great list! I didn't know all of those movies were set in Chicago.
Thanks for sharing!!
Great list of movies. I remember when About Last Night first came out, I watched it over and over again. The bar scene on New Year's Eve reminded me of a very similar incident.
Thanks for stopping by!
Great list .. if I may suggest one other Chicago movie that I love, see "High Fidelity" if you haven't already .. since it's set in Chicago, I assume it was filmed there, but that's not always the case
nmallory, I often don't notice where a movie is set either...I was very surprised when I found out Hughes is like a huge Chicago guy.
Karen, yeah, I had forgotten about The Fugitive.
Kailani, Yep, I have seen About Last Night the same way, at the theatre, and then at home on pay tv back in the day. Always watched it. I thought it had some good insight into relationships and how sometimes friends try to jepoardize their friends relationships...plus...well, ROB LOWE!
reel fanatic, yes yes, High Fidelity, I did try to include it. It was originally set in Britian, through the novel...but moved to Chicago. John Cusack and his sister Joan, are Chicago superstars. I've walked by the building that was used as the set for the record store here...I keep forgetting to have my camera with me though...
WOW! I never knew that any of them were filmed in Chicago (well, except the Untouchables!). Cool list!
My husband and I love watching the Untouchables and A League of Their Own. It's great to find out where movies are made. Our 202 FWY is being closed late at night on weekends to film one here in AZ! I'll have to find out, my husand knows, but it's supposed to hav a lot of stars!
Great list.
Happy Thursday!
American Beauty was so classic that I don't think anything like that will ever be made again. I loved that movie! A League of Their Own is just too heart-warming not to like either!
Happy Thursday to you, and if you get the chance, feel free to check out my list as well, Ms. Minx!
6)A League Of Their Own
I love that, "There's no crying in baseball!" I could've used that a lot when I was teaching-"There's no crying in Spanish!"
That was such a cool list. I love Chicago.
Man, when I think of Chicago, I think of two movies you didn't mention:
Adventures in Babysitting (80s classic)
Blues Brothers
Wow. I don't usually notice where a movie is set, either, unless it's someplace that has some meaning for me--someplace I've lived or visited, or really, really wanted to.
Mostly, when I think of Chicago, I think of the Dresden Files. :) Have you seen any wizards lately?
Hi Fidelity with John Cusack
mmmm Cusack
I have only seen a few of these. I would love to visit Chicago. I so want to meet Oprah! Or go to her show, esp. when she does the big xmas giveaways! LOL!
Wanted to let you know ~ because it's just too yummy not to share ~ Pumpkin Spice Cappuccino comes from those cappuccino machines in gas stations! I get mine at Sunoco...but I'm sure that have it everywhere. :) Hope you find some and enjoy!
Shame on you!!! Some of The Blues Brothers is set in Chicago. The greatest movie ever and you didn't mention it???
Hey guys!
I didn't say Blues Brothers because I thought it was so obvious...and rest easy, I too love that movie! When it comes to movies, it was pretty tricky to leave it to the limit of 13...so I kind of tried to focus on movies that I either forgot...or didn't notice were set in Chicago...
I loved Adventures in Babysitting...again, that was a John Hughes enterprise(She's Having A Baby, Pretty In Pink, The Breakfast Club...which were all set in "Sherman ,Il" an imaginary suburb of Chicago!)
I had not idea they were set in Chicago. I have a good friend that lives there and she would appreciate this list!
My TT's up - some photos I took while in Canada.
The Sting was a great movie! I really need to add it to my DVD collect, as I haven't seen it in awhile.
#6 - "There's no crying in baseball." [chuckle]
Great list! I've seen all of these except for #'s 10 & 12.
Have a terrific Thursday!
The Sting surprised me...
Happy TT!
She's having a Baby, I watch becaue I love House MD.
MY TT's up too. (Ohhh, that sounds dirty, doesn't it?)
the bodyguard was great
and I eeeee IIIIII will always love
YOUUUUUooooUUUUU
Not Blues Brothers? I'm crushed! :)
Yeah, BLUES BROTHERS! My Bodyguard...sigh...that was a really good flick.
Love your list. Great idea I think I'll swipe for Boston one day!
i never pay attention to that kind of stuff. Thanks for educating me. :)
Oh, yeah, High Fidelity - love John Cusak, but tired of Joan's commercials....
I have only seen 3 of those, buts its a good list..I love older movies
Ferris Bueller.
best chicago movie ever.
it's a great town to mke a movie in. great list.
my tt is up.
That´s a great list. I confess, I haven´t watched all of them, but the most =)
Merry Christmas to you and yours,
San
P.S.: Please visit my TT #6 - Thanks a lot!
Great idea for a T13! Wasn't Home Alone filmed there, too?
Ah.. John Hughes movies.. brings back memories. I loved She's having a baby, in fact I enjoyed most of the movies on your list. Happy T13!
Can I just say- LOVE THIS LIST- Chicago is one of my favorite places on earth and i do love these little tidbits about the movies- how cool is this! Great idea!!! Happy TT
I think I have only seen a couple of those. But some TV series are set in Chicago, too -- ER, Early Edition, Chicago Hope.
Backdraft and A league of their own are the only two that I'm sure I've seen. Both great stories. I will have to seek out the rest.
Great idea for a TT. I'm always on the lookout for movie reccomendations as I wasn't encouraged to watch movies growing up and am trying to fill in the gaps of that culture deficit.
my TT is 13 characters from a story I've written.
Great list. There are too many to make up a 13, but I would have had a hard time keeping Planes, Trains and Automobiles off, even though it is only partially set there.
I think you could probably add all of John Hughes' films, though.
Great list of movies.
Happy TT!
About Last Night! When Elizabeth Perkins reads the Nativity story to her kindergartners (like that would happen in a public school...) but funny...
"...for about 5 minutes."
I've seen more than a few of those myself..Great TT, I played too Stacie
Wow. I never knew Chicago was such a great movie setting. It's a great city, so I'm not terribly surprised, though.
Happy TT!
I live in Chicago, too and it's a great city! I love it here, well, except for the weather lately. Yikes. Been here my entire life and I'm still not used to winter :)
I was surprised to learn recently that Grease was based on the writer's experiences at Taft High School on the city's north side! Very cool!
Also, "The Breakfast Club" was filmed at the now closed Maine North High School in Des Plaines. The high school is now an Illinois State Police station.
Thanks for a great list! I didn't realize some of these movies were set in Chicago myself! Happy TT- Jessica
You forgot Home Alone too! : ) I think they filmed some of A League of their own in Rockford, IL..where I was born. I could be wrong. I met Kurt Russell while he was filming Backdraft. He was on his way to a baseball game in Rockford and stopped in the hotel I was working at...he was sooo fine..lol.
I think the movie thing might be because Chicagoans are so loyal to their hometown that even if they move to Hollywood, they still think of Chicago as the center of the universe and a perfect city to represent all American cities.
Great list! As a Chicago girl, I agree with Di (above). We ARE the center of the universe! I'd like to add more -- My Big Fat Greek Wedding, The Breakup and The Road to Perdition. I was working for Helene Curtis when Backdraft was filmed. The movie co. used our building and it was such a treat to see our conference room used as the setting for a mayoral press conference. My TT is up -- if you'd like to check it out, it's my 13 favorite charities.
Love The Untouchables and Risky Business.
DH and I have never been to Chicago. We were just saying we wanted to come and visit this city. I will come and see you and Oprah!
Are they all in Chicago? Wow, I didn't know! There are great movies in your list.
My TT lists 13 of the cars we owned before our current one.
WOW...that's an awesome list. John Hughes is one of my favorite directors! Never realized that about Chicago!!! Happy TT!
What a wonderful list. Thanks for sharing.
I have watched all of these movies in your list except for the Man with the Golden Arm.
John Hughes was big in the 80s. He did a lot of Molly Ringwald and the Bratpacks back then I believe.
I used to live in Chicago and still have a lot of Chicago pride. Thanks for the great list!
Great List!! I live in Peoria, and travel to Chicago often. It's probably my favorite city in the World!!
Don't forget all the 80's John Hughes movies...Ferris Buehler, Uncle Buck, Breakfast Club.....
Great list! I didn't know that about any of them.
we passed the "backdraft" firehouse once! that was fun! but i didn't know american beauty was in chicago! great list, happy tt!
Great list, most of those I never knew. My TT13 is up at http://anyapples.blogspot.com/
About Last Night, A League Of Their Own, Ordinary People, Risky Business . . . they're a few of my favorites, as well! great list!!! interesting!!!
Now I am jonesing to see American Beauty!
I'm ready for movie night now ;)
Great list. Happy late TT!
Hi Candy,
Didn't know you were a TTer .. :) Stop by the Old Bus site sometime.
Cheers!
The Sting is a great film. Happy TT.
Great list! I loved A League of Their Own. Happy TT.
I knew some of these, but not all. No way could I have come up with a list of thirteen. Nice job. And I loved The Sting and The Untouchables.
Happy TT.
#3 and 6 are the only ones I've seen on this list but I LOVE them! Nice TT!
Wasn't "Uncle Buck" also set in Chicago? I know it's a John Hughes movie, maybe it's supposed to be a generic setting. It's one of my favorites.
There's a famous car chase scene set in Chicago also...was that "Midnight Run" w/ DeNiro, or was it some other movie?
Great list!
Another Chicago movie...
Opportunity Knocks
Hilarious
Also, Girls Just Want To Have Fun was set in Chicago.
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