The other day I wrote a post about how I was in a rut with my blog, feeling like I had run out of ideas.
But then a few bloggers responded with some suggestions, and this post is a direct result of one of those suggestions. Two separate bloggers (Searching for a Side Hustle with Trevvie and Marla’s World) suggested I write a post about some of the best movies set in Philadelphia, and I thought that sounded like a fun post, so here we are. I know Clive in particular will enjoy this post…
There have been many movies set in Philadelphia, and why not. It is one of the world’s greatest cities. Wikipedia lists over 125 movies set in Philadelphia, but I thought I would just highlight the ones I have seen.
- It’s hard not to start the list with Rocky, probably the most famous movie set in Philly, and one that has spawned several sequels, and a spinoff into a couple of Creed movies. My wife and I will never forget the time we were able to sneak into the after-party for the premiere of Rocky II at the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Here are some of my favorites, in alphabetic order:
- Best in Show – a classic 2000 American mockumentary comedy film, a spoof on American dog shows, co-written by Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy and directed by Guest. The film follows five entrants in a prestigious dog show, and focuses on the slightly surreal interactions among the various owners and handlers, as they travel to the show and then compete during the show.
- Blow Out – one of the best. The film stars John Travolta as Jack Terry, a movie sound effects technician from Philadelphia who, while recording sounds for a low-budget slasher film, serendipitously captures audio evidence of an assassination involving a presidential hopeful.
- Philadelphia – a groundbreaking film about AIDS, starring Tom Hanks and with a wonderful theme song by Bruce Springsteen.
- Silver Linings Playbook – another winner. The story takes place in Ridley Park, a suburb of Philly. Bradley Cooper plays Patrick “Pat” Solitano Jr., a man with bipolar disorder who is released from a psychiatric hospital and moves back in with his parents (Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver). Pat is determined to win back his estranged wife. He meets a young widow, Tiffany Maxwell (Jennifer Lawrence), who offers to help him get his wife back if he enters a dance competition with her. We have gone to the Llanerch Diner featured in the movie and sat in the same booth as the stars!
- The Sixth Sense – a 1999 American supernatural psychological thriller film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. It stars Bruce Willis as a child psychologist whose patient (Haley Joel Osment) can talk to the dead.
- Trading Places – a 1983 American comedy film starring Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Ralph Bellamy, Don Ameche, Denholm Elliott, and Jamie Lee Curtis. The film tells the story of an upper-class commodities broker (Aykroyd) and a poor street hustler (Murphy) whose lives cross when they are unwittingly made the subject of an elaborate bet to test how each man will perform when their life circumstances are swapped.
- Unbreakable – another M. Night movie. This one also features Bruce Willis as a security guard named David Dunn who survives a horrific train crash with no injuries, leading to him discovering that he harbors superhuman abilities, which in turn introduces him to wheelchair-bound, comic book store owner Elijah Price, played by Samuel L. Jackson.
And here are some others, also in alphabetic order:
- Baby Mama – Kate Holbrook (Tina Fey) is a successful single businesswoman who has always put her career before her personal life. Now in her late thirties, she finally decides to have her own child.
- 12 Monkeys – A deadly virus, released in 1996, wipes out almost all of humanity, forcing survivors to live underground. A group known as the Army of the Twelve Monkeys is believed to have released the virus. Stars Bruce Willis, Madeline Stowe, and Brad Pitt.
- The Irishman – based on the 2004 nonfiction book I Heard You Paint Houses by Charles Brandt. The film follows Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro), a truck driver who becomes a hitman involved with mobster Russell Bufalino (Pesci) and his crime family, including his time working for the powerful Teamster Jimmy Hoffa (Pacino).
- National Treasure – Nicholas Cage plays Benjamin Franklin Gates, a historian and amateur cryptologist searching for a huge lost treasure of precious metals, jewelry, artwork, statues, and many other historic artifacts accumulated over time, becoming a massive stockpile.
- The Philadelphia Story – a 1939 American comic play by Philip Barry. It tells the story of a socialite whose wedding plans are complicated by the simultaneous arrival of her ex-husband and an attractive journalist. Written as a vehicle for Katharine Hepburn, its success marked a reversal of fortunes for the actress, who was one of the film stars deemed “box office poison” in 1938.
- Witness – a 1985 American neo-noir crime drama film that focuses on a detective protecting a young Amish boy who becomes a target after he witnesses a murder in Philadelphia.
Not too shabby a list if I say so myself.
And just one final note: the Philly suburbs were featured quite extensively in the recent mega-hit HBO series, Mare of Easttown.
A very impressive list!
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three cheers for Philly!
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With all those films, you could make some extra money playing an extra.
I liked Philadelphia and Trading Places. I’m not sure if I’ve seen any of the others.
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if they are looking for a guy that sits off by himself checking his blogging stats on his phone, then I’m their guy.
sounds like I just gave you something to do this week…
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I think I’ve seen that guy.
No, I rarely watch movies. My week will be filled with doing chores for my slave-driving wife. You’d think with this new, Juneteenth holiday that slavery was over, but no . . .
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well at least she lets you do your blogging stuff, but I guess not until the chores are done…
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Sometimes I sneak. She takes naps, too.
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every spare moment helps…
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Those are all great movies. Rocky would be at the top of the list for me. I’ve also met Stallone and he was a great guy. No diva he.
It is cool that you crashed the after party. That was quick thinking to claim your friend had your tickets. In 1975 friends and I crashed the Playboy Club in NYC. Being really drunk helped. 😉😄
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being drunk does get your courage up a bit… 🙂
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I forgot half those movies were in Philly!
I loved Katherine Hepburn in that movie – she was amazing and it was very funny in a kitschy sort of way.
And thank you for the shoutout!
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thank you for the suggestion!
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You’re welcome!
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Philly has had more than its great share of movies. You rattled off some of the best ones. I remember seeing the suggestion about Philly movies on your blog, and I’m glad that you ran with it. How about this one? Famous athletes from Philly? Off the top of my head I can think of Joe Frazier, Wilt Chamberlain, Allen Iversen, Dr. J, Charles Barkley, Eric Lindros, Mike Schmidt, and Steve Carlton. I’m sure there are many more. I’m a sports geek so I like making lists like that.
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I think you just wrote another blog for me 🙂
I just checked a list to see if there were any others, and number one on the list was Bobby Clarke…
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Athletes from Philly or just played in Philly? I think it would be great to know the ones that were actually born in Philly
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I’ll see what I can find out…
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I can tell you enjoyed this one. And you get to be almost famous by association.
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it was a fun one to write, and the key word there is “almost”… 🙂
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I enjoyed both The Witness and The Sixth Sense as well as Mare of Eastown.
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three great choices…
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Best in Show was fun and Sixth Sense I enjoyed and didn’t guess the ending. I don’t want to see any film about monkeys and humanity being wiped out!
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I did like the Surprise Ending of Sixth Sense, and Best in Show was qutie funny…
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I did re-watch Sixth Sense to see if Shyamalan cheated but he did leave a trail of clues.
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I recall doing the same thing…
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12 Monkeys isnt exactly about monkeys
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I can’t rememer if I’ve seen it, but it’s got a great cast…
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Philadelphia offers a film maker just about any type of local you could want for a film, but the real draw for film makers is the Greater Philadelphia Film Office, who works with production companies to secure tax breaks for filming in the county. These can be substantial savings for a film budget and are part of why the area and the state are so often used for films. Glad you ran with this suggestion as you have created an enjoyable and entertaining post!
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thanks, Brad. Yes, it seems like there is quite a competition to get movies filmed in a certain city, so three cheers for teh Greater Philly Film Office!
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many great selections here, so many that I loved – sixth sense, best in show, witness, and rocky of course! lots of Philly cheese steaks for the cast and crews, I’m sure!
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and Wawa coffee… 🙂
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I am so glad you have found a topic that interests you, Jim. I don’t watch movies but do know Rocky.
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no wonder you are so productive!
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Hope to visit Philadelphia one day! 🙂
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early Fall is a wonderful time to visit…
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Good to know! Thanks Jim!! 🙂
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If you do go to Philly, visit The art museum, Franklin fountain, center city/ square and south street. Anything else would be a bonus… like food, cause everyone goes for food too!
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My husband has been to every major U.S. city for his football road trips.. Just asked him and he’s been to all those places lol… Now I gotta recruit a friend or sister to go with me! Thanks for the recommendations!
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No problem!
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rittenhouse square, penn’s campus, forbidden drive to name a few others…
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Trading Places…. Our family Christmas movie.
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a nice tradition. we usally go with It’s a Wonderful Life or Christmas Vacation…
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National Treasure is one of the best.
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well, of course. It’s got Nicholas Cage in it…
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Yeppers. National Treasure and Raising Arizona, his best films ever.
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I’d go with Family Man – one of my all time favorite movies. We watch it every New Year’s Eve…
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That’s a good one.
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A surprising number of Bruce Willis movies set in Philly.
Thanks for the mention, glad the suggestion helped.
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Willis is from South Jersey, maybe that’s why. and thanks again for the suggestion!
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That’s an impressive list with a lot of great titles. I loved Best in Show, which came out during my severe Parker Posey infatuation. As far as I know Gettysburg has only part of one, Remember the Titans. Even “Gettysburg” was filmed elsewhere.
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Remember the Titans was such a good movie…
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An impressive list, I’ll grant you, even if we ignore the Rocky snoozefest. Witness was great, though most of it was based in the countryside, wasn’t it? Trading Places is a great movie, with a couple of very impressive features. I’ve seen several others on your list, and enjoyed them all. 125 is a good number, but still a way to go to catch up with Washington, NYC or London, amongst others, if you’re going for world domination…
And thanks for the name check 😂
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Yes, Witness was filmed in Lancaster, a couple of hours from Philly. But the courtroom stuff was in Philly. And yes, those other cities are tough to compete with when it comes to movie locations…
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Still an impressive list for you, though.
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What? No, Napoleon movie? LOL!
I guess I have a lot to watch! I did see The Philadelphia Story.
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I know, bummer. I think Napoleon was filmed in Idaho…
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Oh, I forgot, I did see the Witnesss too! Going to HS in Lancaster made that an even bigger movie to see.
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I would have thought you saw Witness. No spotting of Harrison Ford?
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I’d say, pretty impressive list! 🙂
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there are some good movies in there, at least in my opinion 🙂
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I’ll second that! 🙂
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Awesome list! This is a TV Show but I would totally recommend checking out It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia- it’s hilarious!
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Sunny in Philly is a great show, and since I live in the Philly suburbs, it’s even better!
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It’s probably way better than!
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👍
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Nice list, jim. Some great movies in there. Cheers!
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if a movie wants gritty, Philly’s got gritty. In fact, that’s the name of the mascot for our ice hockey team… 🙂
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I’m from Philly! This is a great post. The top three movies that I like are Six Sense, National Treasure and 12 Monkeys.
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thanks, Robert. good choices!
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