Made in Chicago

posted by Paul Fortini on August 2, 2007 at 7:55 am

Hello Fellow CT'ers. This is member Paul F.

And his friend, member Catherine DiM.

We were having a discussion recently on favorite films set in Chicago. We know that many of the CT faithful live in the Chicagoland Area. We’d like to conduct an informal poll. What is your favorite movie made in and set in Chicago. We came up with the following criteria:

1) It must be filmed primarily in and set in Chicago.
2) It cannot be set here, but filmed elsewhere such as Chicago (The musical) or My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Catherine DiM “I find this practice distasteful. Winnipeg is NOT Chicago."
3) It cannot be filmed here but set elsewhere such as Light of Day, Batman Begins, Payback, or Stranger Than Fiction.
4) It cannot be The Blues Brothers (too obvious)

“My personal favorite is Adventures In Babysitting. It’s a teen comedy that’s not stupid, could work even today, and really shows Chicago as it was circa 1986”—Paul F.

“My favorite then would be Nothing In Common. It shows us an early Tom Hanks, and it also shows Chicago quite well. Plus I’ve always been a Honeymooners fan and this was Jackie Gleason’s last movie.” —Catherine DiM.

Well fellow CT fans. Name your favorite movie filmed and set in Chicago. Below is a partial list:

  1. About Last Night
  2. Adventures in Babysitting
  3. Backdraft
  4. Bad Boys (Sean Penn & Esai Morales)
  5. Barbershop 1 & 2
  6. Breakfast Club
  7. Code of Silence
  8. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
  9. Flatliners
  10. Fugitive, The
  11. Fury, The
  12. High Fidelity
  13. Home Alone
  14. Hunter, The
  15. Lake House
  16. Mercury Rising
  17. My Body Guard
  18. Nothing In Common
  19. Only the Lonely
  20. Red Heat
  21. Risky Business
  22. Road To Perdition
  23. Uncle Buck
  24. Untouchables
  25. While You Were Sleeping

Comments (20)

Eric Friedmann
Eric Friedmann on August 2, 2007 at 8:33 am

I vote for THE FUGITIVE!

vic1964
vic1964 on August 2, 2007 at 9:12 am

I also think THE FUGITIVE is tops.Number 2 CONTINENTAL DIVIDE with John Belushi.

vic1964
vic1964 on August 2, 2007 at 10:25 am

I forgot about MY BODYGUARD.Great little film.Number 3

KJB2012
KJB2012 on August 2, 2007 at 10:43 am

Hey, I didn’t know any of those films were made in Chicago. But of those films I liked “Adventures in Babysitting” a lot.
I hate to say it, but the “Blues Brothers” is the only film I would have known was made in Chicago.

ceasar
ceasar on August 2, 2007 at 10:49 am

I like John Hughes the breakfast club and I like Adventures in Babysitting. Here’s a note most of John Hughes films were filmed in and around Chicago. His others include 16 Candles,Fueller’s Day off etc.

MicheleVS
MicheleVS on August 2, 2007 at 11:47 am

My vote is for Return to Me with Minnie Driver, David Duchovny and Carroll O'Connor (with Chicago staples Bonnie Hunt and Jim Belushi). Features the Lincoln Park Zoo and Twin Anchors restaurant/bar.

Eric Friedmann
Eric Friedmann on August 2, 2007 at 12:18 pm

How about RUNNING SCARED (1986) with Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines? Their chemistry together still makes me laugh!

Broan
Broan on August 2, 2007 at 1:03 pm

Cooley High was a good one for seeing the city. There was a sun-times article on this a couple weeks ago. [url=
View link
sbank.com:NewsBank:CSTB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=11A
48B33E85F28C8&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated4&req_dat=0F07CF62AEE793E4]Link[/url]

MustangMike
MustangMike on August 2, 2007 at 2:49 pm

OK… since you blocked me from voting for “Blues Brothers”, my vote goes to “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”. I was working at the Tivoli theatre in Downers Grove when this movie came out. I remember walking out on Thursday night as the ushers were changing the marquee. They had laid the 18 inch Wagner letters on the sidewalk before putting them up; but. had spelled out “Ferris Bueller’s Off Day”. I commented to them, that would be a completely different movie. They still put it up wrong. The manager checked it and made them fix the error. Those were great times and a terrific movie as well.

jimpiscitelli
jimpiscitelli on August 2, 2007 at 3:59 pm

How can anybody omit the Oscar winner “Ordinary People” which was filmed in the North Shore suburbs? As for “The Blues Brothers” the church scene was filmed in Northwest Indiana. Parts of “Silver Streak” and “Wayne’s World” was filmed in the Chicago area.

corvetteguy1963
corvetteguy1963 on August 2, 2007 at 5:51 pm

Hands down one of the GREATEST comedies ever…Ferris Bueller!

KingBiscuits
KingBiscuits on August 2, 2007 at 6:01 pm

Stranger Than Fiction was set in Chicago (notice the Chicago Sun-Times reader near the end).

I’ll go with The Untouchables.

Menutia
Menutia on August 2, 2007 at 8:54 pm

“Straight Talk” 1992 Dolly Parton & James Russel. A Chicago radio station discovers it’s new (Dr. Laura-esque)talk show host, Dolly Parton.

Broan
Broan on August 2, 2007 at 9:04 pm

Stranger Than Fiction was in fact set in New York. They just did a very poor job of making Chicago look like it.

Life's Too Short
Life's Too Short on August 2, 2007 at 10:06 pm

Sorry Paul, it is Blues Brothers. I can’t help it if it is obvious. I love that movie.

Ferris Bueller is second on the list.

Life's Too Short
Life's Too Short on August 2, 2007 at 10:09 pm

Hoop Dreams should be on your list.

ChrisB
ChrisB on August 31, 2007 at 12:11 am

Robert Altman’s “A Wedding"
"A Night at the Sunset” (See my posting on the Sunset Drive-In Theatre of Skokie page)
“Stony Island” was filmed in Chicago but I haven’t seen it yet – was it good?
“Nightmare in Chicago” (made for TV but still good)
“The Monitors” (very strange but any movie that features Avery Schreiber, Alan Arkin and Senator Everett Dirksen is worth seeing once)

Englewood
Englewood on November 13, 2007 at 8:41 am

Hey, how about “Gaily, Gaily”? It’s the 1969 film of Ben Hecht’s early days as a young reporter in Chicago. I had a one-day job as an extra in the film. I’m in the first scene where Hecht, just off the train, gets his suitcase stolen and is caught up in a labor rally in the park that is raided by the police. That part was filmed in Lincoln Park. It was also one week prior to the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The film company rented out the Coliseum for costuming and props. Had some noted actors in it: Beau Bridges, Melina Mercouri, Brian Keith, George Kennedy, Hume Cronyn, (a very young) Margot Kidder, Wilfrid Hyde-White, and John Randolph. Was also nominated for: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration; Best Costume Design; and, Best Sound. Part was also filmed in Dubuque, Iowa; Galena, Illinois; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

jiipuraidaa
jiipuraidaa on April 23, 2008 at 11:39 pm

Just seeing if anyone is still viewing this thread… how about “The Break-Up” (2006) with Jennifer Aniston and Chicagoland native Vince Vaughn… Some good scenes in that one.

Revive this thread! :)

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on August 8, 2010 at 2:48 pm

“CONTINENTAL DIVIDE” showed the streets of Chicago and was one of Belushi’s better efforts.

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