List
Movies Shot around or Set in Chicago, Part Two
Even more of Chicago in the movies!
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Home Alone
1999Get this itemMany people love this one and see this as a great Chicago movie. After all, it is set and shot in the Chicago suburbs and produced by Chicago favorite John Hughes. Much of the film is shot in a house in Winnetka. But, aside from the house and various other area locations, such as the New Trier High School freshman campus (where Hughes built some soundstages), there is not much Chicago here.
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In Old Chicago
2005Get this itemThis is one of those films from the 1930s (1938 to be precise) where the location is crucial to the story but none of the movie was actually shot on or in the location. This movie about the origins of the Great Chicago Fire was shot on soundstages in Los Angeles. It's still a great movie about Chicago history...just not much about Chicago locations!
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My Best Friend's Wedding
2001Get this itemWildly popular Julia Roberts rom-com that brought the "pretty woman" herself to the Windy City. Shot on location, you see a lot of great Chicago landmarks here, including the Drake Hotel and Marshall Field's.
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Southside with You
2016Get this itemA movie that depicts the early days of the love story between Barack and Michelle Obama could not be shot anywhere but Chicago, the city where they met and Michelle's hometown. Shooting took place in many South Side, West Side, and some downtown locations.
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Only the Lonely
2005Get this itemKnown best for being the film that brought classic movie star Maureen O'Hara out of retirement, this movie was shot and set around Chicago. Some Chicago films use just one or two major locations to prove authenticity. Not this movie....almost every scene is another Chicago location, some well known, like Comiskey Park, and some just local neighborhoods.
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Primal Fear
2009Get this itemThis dark, riveting thriller is worth watching for the story line and the excellent breakout performance by Edward Norton. It's also worth a gander because of its Chicago locations. Not all of this film was actually shot in Chicago, but what was shot here makes The Second City look great.
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Return to Me
2000Get this itemLike My Best Friend's Wedding, this is a Chicago-set rom-com. Unlike the Julia Roberts movie, this one makes you feel like you're falling in love too...with Chicago. Set mostly in local neighborhoods, the movie just sings with local flavor. I promise you will fall in love with this one!
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Risky Business
1999Get this itemOne of the top Chicago-set films, mostly because of one key scene. People seem to forget the Drake Hotel scenes, the scenes at Belmont Harbor, and the various other Highland Park locations, including the house where this one was mainly set. No, what they remember is the train. The 'L' scene where Joel and Lana ride at night. But, then again, it's a pretty good scene to remember.
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Running Scared
2001Get this itemLike Risky Business, this one is iconic for the 'L.' Unlike the car chase in The French Connection, which is set under New York's elevated train, this chase is set ON the tracks. Yes, ON. Aside from that famed scene, you will see many Chicago landmarks in this high-octane action thriller.
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Soul Food
2000Get this itemDirected by George Tillman, Jr., a Milwaukee native who fell in love with Chicago after he attended Columbia College Chicago (like me!). As a result of this love, once Tillman began directing and producing, he liked to set and shoot his films in Chicago (he also produced the Barbershop films). Soul Food is his major directorial debut and it is a true love song to Tillman's adopted home.
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Uncle Buck
1998Get this itemAnother John Hughes movie, another great Chicago-set-and-shot film. This one is one of my favorite Hughes' comedies...mostly because of the late, great John Candy. Many, many suburban locations here, including New Trier High School and Palace Bowl in Cicero.
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The Untouchables
2000Get this itemA now iconic film to most people because of the plot and especially the performances of both Sean Connery (which won him his only Oscar) and Robert De Niro, but iconic to me because of the great, timeless Chicago locations. There are so many local haunts here, it would be impossible to name them all. What you have to do is watch this one and try to name as many as you can! My favorite is the recreation of the famed Battleship Potemkin scene with the baby carriage down the stairs, which in this movie is shot in Chicago's Union Station.
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V.I. Warshawski
Get this itemShooting the movie version of this infamous Sara Paretsky character anywhere but Chicago would be criminal! Like George Tillman, Jr., Paretsky is not a native Chicagoan, but fell in love with this city after coming here for school. Since then, she has set her popular V.I. Warshawski books in the Windy City. And like the books, the movie was also shot and is set in Chicago. Locations include Wrigley Field and the famed Green Mill Cocktail Lounge.
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Wayne's World
2001Get this itemThough this film is set in the Chicago area (Aurora, in particular), much of this film is shot in California. But the scenes that are shot here are iconic. Like the famous Bohemian Rhapsody car ride through Chicago landscapes. And of course, you get to see some of Aurora!
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What Women Want
2001Get this itemI know someone who lived in the building where the Mel Gibson character lived, so I can definitely attest that this one has ample local flavor, though much of the film is actually shot in California. Still, the exteriors that are shot in Chicago are pretty spectacular, like Chinatown, the Drake Hotel and, of course, the Gold Coast apartment where Gibson's character resides.
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While You Were Sleeping
1998Get this itemShot exclusively in Chicago, this one made headlines because it came out when Sandra Bullock was super hot, post-Speed. I love it because it sings and screams Chicago. Unlike Windy City rom-coms My Best Friend's Wedding and Return to Me, this film uses tons of well-known Chicago locations, including Lake Point Tower, the Randolph 'L' station, and Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church. You also get lots of shots of the Logan Square neighborhood, where Sandra Bullock's character lives, as well as other Chicagoland neighborhoods.
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Wicker Park
2004Get this itemThough not exclusively shot in the eponymous neighborhood of Chicago, this one has enough Chicago flavor to overlook the holes in the plot and the so-so script. In addition to locations throughout Wicker Park, there are some from downtown, the Near North Side, and O'Hare.
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