Here is Boston!
Forget Hollywood, forget New York, even forget Bollywood, because in our (un-biased) opinion, all the best films are made, set, and filmed right here in Boston! Yes you heard me correctly, “here in Boston”!Many films are based here due to the presence of iconic landmarks, universities and neighborhoods. However, many also feature a number of lesser known suburbs and buildings all around the city. In fact, just a couple months ago, Julia Stiles filmed part of her new film “The Makeover” three blocks away from 40Berkeley, at the famous steak house, Smith and Wollensky!
So, to celebrate the fact that 40Berkeley was the venue to a new commercial with Papa Gino’s, below is our very own 40Berkeley movie map; a guide to the top film locations in our cinematic city.
View Boston Film Tour in a larger map
Good Will Hunting; 1997 (IMDB rating: 8.2 Stars)
This is one of my all-time favorite movies. It’s about a 20-year-old South Bostonian, Will Hunting, who’s a janitor at MIT. Will is a mathematics genius but needs help from a psychologist to find direction in his life. It stars Robin Williams, Matt Damon, and Ben Affleck. Actually, both Ben Affleck and Matt Damon wrote the film and were raised in Massachusetts!
This film was nominated for nine Academy Awards, winning two: Best Supporting Actor for Williams and Best Original Screenplay for Affleck and Damon.
Good Will Hunting was filmed on location in parts of the greater Boston area over five months in 1996. Although the story is set in Boston, much of the film was also shot at locations in Toronto, with the University of Toronto standing in for MIT.
*Fact – both Harvard University and MIT usually don’t allow on-location films to be shot there, including (The Social Network), since the filming of Love Story (1970), which caused significant physical damage to Harvard.
However, there are a number of places from this movie that you can visit when you are here:
Map Spot #1: The South Boston bar where they drink in the movie is actually the L Street Tavern, 658 East Eighth Street A, Boston
Map Spot #2: The college of shrink, Sean Maguire (Robin Williams), is in real life the Bunker Hill Community College on Rutherford Avenue, Charlestown.
Map Spot #3: Harvard Square is the site of Au Bon Pain, 27 Brattle Street, where Will Hunting tries to explain a gift to his girlfriend Skylar (Minnie Driver). The square was also home to the, now closed, Tasty Cafe, where the two share a very messy pickle.
Map Spot #4: Finally, the most iconic scene in the movie, the park, to which Maguire takes Will for a heart-to-heart, is Boston Public Garden on Arlington Street, southwest of downtown. The bench is still there – just follow the lakeside path north from the western end of the bridge. It’s the third you’ll come across. Why not send us your pics from this bench?
The Departed; 2006 (IMDB rating: 8.5 Stars)
The Departed is another fantastic film. It’s an American crime thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese and based on the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, and Mark Wahlberg and won several awards including four Oscars.
The film takes place in Boston, where Irish Mob boss Francis “Frank” Costello, plants an informant within the Massachusetts State Police. Simultaneously, the police assign undercover cop William “Billy” Costigan to infiltrate Costello’s crew. When both sides realize the situation, each man attempts to discover the other’s true identity before his own cover is blown.
The film features a host of different area in Boston such as Charlestown and Chinatown. Here are some of the best locations.
Map Spot #5: The exterior of the “Special Investigation Unit’, where Billy gets a hard time from good cop Queenan (Martin Sheen) and bad cop Dignam really is Boston – though not the city’s police department. The forbidding concrete fortress is the rear of the Erich Lindemann Health Center, Hurley Building, at the junction of Staniford Street and Merrimac Street in the West End, not far from North Station.
Map Spot #6: Check out the Flagship Wharf, 8th Street, Charlestown, Boston, which is the luxury block of mob boss Frank Costello.
Map Spot #7: The bar serving as Costello’s HQ is a real mix of Boston and New York. The exterior really is Boston, but it’s not a bar. It’s a dry cleaning establishment. Charles Street Cleaners, 17 Charles Street on Beacon Hill was dressed as the “Charles Street Brasserie’.
The Departed also features a number of local bands, including one of my favorite songs, I’m Shipping Up To Boston by Dropkick Murphys. Check out the video here!
Ted; 2012 (IMDB rating: 7.9 Stars)
Ted is a very funny comedy released this year. As the result of a childhood wish, lonely kid John Bennett’s (Mark Wahlberg) teddy bear, Ted, comes to life, to be his best friend. A friendship that’s tested when Lori (Mila Kunis), John’s girlfriend of four years, wants more from their relationship.
This film is definitely a laugh out loud comedy but if you are not a fan of below the belt humor, don’t watch this. After all, it’s directed and stars Seth MacFarlane – the creator of Family Guy.
Here are a few locations for you lucky people.
Map Spot #8: You may recognize this location from Good Will Hunting, but yes here it’s Boston Public Garden again. It was featured in the scene when John and Lori ride the swan boats.
Map Spot #9: Venu is the night club where John meets Lori for the first time.
Map Spot #10: Finally, the Church scene from the film was set at the Union United Methodist Church on 485 Columbus Ave, Boston. It’s a beautiful church and only a few blocks away from 40Berkeley so worth checking out!
I hope you enjoyed finding these film locations! Please send us any pics of the places you have visited via our Facebook Page, or leave a comment below with your favorite movie spot!
