
Recently spent a week in Boston and was reminded of (1) The number of contemporary films that use Boston as a setting (2) what makes Boston a unique film setting.
"Recent" films taking place in Boston include
Good Will Hunting,
The Town,
Fever Pitch,
Mystic River,
Gone Baby Gone,
The Departed,
With Honors,
The Boondock Saints,
A Civil Action,
Next Stop Wonderland,
The Fighter, and much of
The Social Network.
Now, certainly actor Ben Affleck & writer Dennis Lehane have something to do with this, but I think there are certain reasons why Boston makes a good film setting.
(1) Accent - An accent can create a "unique setting" in itself, and also some award attention if done right, those Oscar voters love accents.
(2) Visual Striking Neighborhoods - The neighborhoods in Boston all have a unique feel and in the midst of tall buildings, and row houses, you get some crazy angled streets, cobblestone, the bay, the rivers, etc.
(3) A Walking City - This city is a walking city, where private vehicles in the city are more of a nusiance than anything else, so this means you have people interacting in a variety of ways, with limited scenes in cars and private residences.
(4) European Stereotypes - The Italians, the Irish, and the mobs. Watching the news in Boston is sometimes in itself seems like a movie pitch and these European underground society and local pride creates story lines in themselves, as well as unique affiliations and relationships. This also often createes a "gray line" where black and white, good and evil, right and wrong don't seem to be so clear.
(5) Fenway - Fenway Park is a place so unique to Boston - so whether there's an exciting fight scene in Boston (as we see in
The Town), or a movie about Boston baseball (
Fever Pitch) or even a short trip to the stadium (
Moneyball) this setting is unique and can only be shot in one place - Boston.
(6) Colleges, Namely Harvard - There are so many colleges in Boston, and college stories often hit the cineplex - and that's why we see schools like MIT & Bunker Hill Community College in
Good Will Hunting, or scenes dealing with Harvard in
Legally Blonde,
The Social Network, or
The Firm.
(7) Multiple Socio-Economic Classes - Look no further than
Mystic River,
Good Will Hunting, or
The Fighter to see that there is definitly room for a variety of social classes in a single film.