10 Best Movies About New York That You Should Watching Update 03/2024

Best Movies About New York

Because New York City is synonymous with gangster epics, gooey romance, and Christmas movies, these films have been renamed after the Big Apple.

A city that never sleeps is the setting for countless television shows and movies, and many of them are named after New York landmarks. In addition, there are those who simply can’t resist going all in and naming their show after a city, and for the most part, viewers appear to be enamored with them.

If “New York” appears in the title of a film, there are a lot of expectations attached to it. The place would have to play as big a role as any of the main characters, and people may watch these movies just because they have a personal connection to the city in which they were set. New York is synonymous with gangster epics, swoon-worthy romances, and cheery holiday films, so the names and IMDb ratings of these timeless classics are no surprise.

 1. Autumn In New York (2000) – 5.6

Autumn In New York (2000)

When a womanizer (Richard Gere) falls for a dying woman (Winona Ryder), the film Autumn in New York is widely derided as being overly sentimental and reliant on tired romantic tropes. At the 2001 Razzie Awards, Gere and Ryder were nominated for Worst Screen Couple.

This is a love story that cinephiles will appreciate, as it is a modern-day retelling of classic Hollywood love stories. Despite the fact that the film’s title refers to New York, the city plays just a minor role.

2. New York, I Love You (2008) – 6.2

There are very few anthology films, and the reason for this is that the quality of each story varies greatly, as each piece may even be directed by a different filmmaker. Aside from that, the film New York, I Love Youis the same.

Ten separate stories all revolve around the idea of love, but for some critics, the anthology film feels too similar to Paris, je t’aime, which pulled off the same trick with considerably more success. There is, however, a recurring theme in all the shorts, which is how magnificent and lively New York appears in each filmmaker’s vision.

3. New York Stories (1989) – 6.4

New York Stories (1989)

I Love You, New York Story (1989) is an anthology film in the same vein as New York, but it has a far wider audience appeal.

As each of the three episodes is directed by renowned filmmakers Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, and Woody Allen, the film sounds like something dreams are made of.

Every director has made a film about New York, but New York Stories includes two of the directors’ worst efforts. The story of an anxious abstract painter in Scorsese’s Life Lessons, on the other hand, is what keeps the anthology film interesting.

4. A Rainy Day In New York (2019) – 6.5

A Rainy Day in New York was widely panned by critics for being full of repeated concepts that Woody Allen has used in every film he has made since the late 1980s.

But this was one of those occasions where audiences and critics don’t always come to the same conclusion.

Maybe not the best romantic comedy of the decade or even this year, but it had enough jokes, romance and New York for the general audience. A Rainy Day in New York’s all-star cast, including Jude Law and Timothee Chalamet, helped them get the most out of their limited resources.

5. New York, New York (1977) – 6.6

New York, New York (1977)

It was a novelty for Martin Scorsese, as New York, New York, is a musical drama following a string of gangster pictures.

It was widely panned at the time of its release, despite the fact that it served as a palate cleanser for Scorsese, who had directed Taxi Driver just one year prior.

One of Scorsese’s best-looking films, it’s a blast to watch. Due to a lack of interest in the film, it is often considered to be both director Martin Scorsese and actor Robert De Niro’s weakest work together.

6. Home Alone 2: Lost In New York (1992) – 6.8

After Home Alone was filmed in Chicago, the sequel was set in New York City. First there was the red-and-green-filled first film; then came the sequel, which ratcheted things up even more.

New York’s Rockefeller Center tree and the Plaza Hotel are also featured in Lost in New York, as are Central Park’s ice rink and the Central Park Zoo. Although the film doesn’t measure up to the original, the mix of Christmas and New York is enough to make it a respectable follow-up to the original.

7. King Of New York (1990) – 7.0

King Of New York (1990)

King of New York, a 1990 gangster epic, lives in the shadows of the likes of Goodfellas and The Godfather Part III. Following the release of drug lord Frank White (Christopher Walken) from jail, the film focuses on his efforts to reclaim the streets of New York.

King of New York is somewhere in the center between Goodfellas and The Godfather Part III. The best part about New York is the tremendous performances, exactly like in the two legendary movies. One of Laurence Fishbourne’s earliest excellent dramatic portrayals is included in Walken, which is characteristically theatrical and imbalanced.

8. Escape From New York (1981) – 7.2

Escape from New York, like Big Trouble in Little China, is an exception in John Carpenter’s career because it isn’t a terrible horror movie like Carpenter is known for. This over-the-top action film is instead inspired by B movies like Psycho and Halloween, rather than slasher films like Halloween.

To put it another way, a federal prisoner (Kurt Russell) tries to save US President Barack Obama from an assassination attempt.

Cult classics like this one have become one of the most popular movies ever, and Kurt Russell’s character, Snake, is the best Kurt Russell character ever.

9. Gangs Of New York (2002) – 7.5

Gangs Of New York (2002)

A typical Martin Scorsese film, Gangs of New York focuses on gangs in New York, and it couldn’t be more different than New York, New York. Compared to other Scorsese gangster films, Gangs of New York has a low audience rating. Scorsese’s talent as a filmmaker is evident in this, as 7.5 is still a good rating.

All the actors in the film give excellent performances, with perhaps Daniel Day-Lewis’ best role.

With its epic scope and production values, it was the most ambitious film of Martin Scorsese’s career at the time. If you want to see a variety of depictions of New York on the big screen, you can’t go wrong with this film.

10. Synecdoche, New York (2008) – 7.6

As an author of comedic classics like Being John Malkovich and Adaptation, Charlie Kaufman made his directorial debut with Synecdoche, New York, his first feature film. Because Kaufman wrote, directed, and produced the film, it is Kaufman at his most raw. Caden, a theater director, is offered a stipend to produce whatever he wants, and the movie’s idea is intriguing.

It’s as like Caden has created a miniature version of New York City inside of a warehouse.

It gets more and more complicated as Caden develops a smaller New York within the warehouse and a smaller one within that.

Thought-provoking, nihilistic and anti-romantic fantasy films are the norm for the filmmaker of this film; the outcome is enchanting.