Filmmakers love New York, and for good reason. Plotlines can jump from partying at the Odeon (Bright Lights Big City) to trampolining in a SoHo loft (Big) to commuting to a downtown office (Working Girl). Walking through Williamsburg, the West Village or Upper East Side, it’s not unusual to stumble upon camera crews and actor’s trailers. Every so often, you can even watch a movie scene unfold in real time, only to relive it on the big screen when it finally releases. The city’s frenetic energy enlivens films with the feeling that anything can happen. Here are 23 of our favorites, from old-time classics like West Side Story to Spike Lee’s iconic Do the Right Thing.
1. Bright Lights Big City
2. Network
3. Rear Window
4. Metropolitan
5. The Apartment
6. Midnight Cowboy
7. Taxi Driver
8. Do the Right Thing
9. West Side Story
10. The Godfather
11. Moonstruck
12. Working Girl
2. Network
3. Rear Window
4. Metropolitan
5. The Apartment
6. Midnight Cowboy
7. Taxi Driver
8. Do the Right Thing
9. West Side Story
10. The Godfather
11. Moonstruck
12. Working Girl
13. When Harry Met Sally
14. Desperately Seeking Susan
15. Big
16. 9 ½ Weeks
17. Fame
18. The Muppets Take Manhattan
19. Auntie Mame
20. Ghost
21. Paris is Burning
22. Rent
23. Gangs of New York
14. Desperately Seeking Susan
15. Big
16. 9 ½ Weeks
17. Fame
18. The Muppets Take Manhattan
19. Auntie Mame
20. Ghost
21. Paris is Burning
22. Rent
23. Gangs of New York