There are tons of TV shows and movies set in New York, and so many of them are named after locations in the City that Never Sleeps. And there are some that can’t help but go all in, throwing the city’s name in the title, and for the most part, viewers seem to be generally infatuated with them.
There are a lot of expectations that come with a movie if “New York” is in its title. The location would have to have as much of a role as any of the main characters and sometimes, audiences may watch these movies because they have an affinity for the city. As New York is associated with gangster epics, gooey romances, and Christmas movies, the titles of these classics come as no surprise, and neither do their IMDb scores.
Autumn In New York (2000) - 5.6
As Autumn In New York is about a womanizer (Richard Gere) who falls for a terminally ill woman (Winona Ryder) the movie has largely been condemned for being too melodramatic and leaning in to way too many romantic cliches. In fact, Gere and Ryder were even nominated for Worst Screen Couple at the 2001 Razzie Awards.
However, there are some takeaways that cinephiles can appreciate, as it comes off like a modern-day version of the love affairs found in Hollywood classics, and it’d be a favorite of any romantic. But despite having New York in the title, the city has very little role in the film.
New York, I Love You (2008) - 6.2
Anthology movies that are made up of several different stories are extremely rare, and that’s because their quality tends to be up and down, as each segment can even sometimes be directed by a different filmmaker. New York, I Love You is no different.
The anthology movie is comprised of 10 different segments that all revolve around the theme of love, but for some, it comes off as too derivative of Paris, Je T’aime, which pulled off the same trick with much more success. However, there is one consistency throughout all the vignettes, which is that each filmmaker makes New York look stunning and vibrant.
New York Stories (1989) - 6.4
Just like New York, I Love You, New York Story is an anthology movie, only there’s a lot more appeal to the 1989 film. The movie sounds like something dreams are made of, as each of the three segments is directed by the esteemed filmmakers Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, and Woody Allen.
All directors are known for making films that are odes to NY, but New York Stories features two of the directors’ worst works. However, the Scorsese feature, Life Lessons, is another strong story from the director, which is about an anxious abstract painter, and it’s what makes the anthology movie watchable.
A Rainy Day In New York (2019) - 6.5
For the most part, many critics felt that A Rainy Day In New York is full of rehashed ideas that Woody Allen has been using in every movie he has directed since the late 1980s, and it was widely denounced by critics. However, this was one of those cases where audiences and critics don’t always agree.
It might not be the best romantic comedy of the decade or even of 2019, but it had just enough laughs, romance, and New York for general audiences. And with A Rainy Day In New York’s all-star cast, featuring Hollywood heavyweights like Jude Law and beloved newcomers like Timothee Chalamet, they made the most with what they had.
New York, New York (1977) - 6.6
New York, New York, was a first for Martin Scorsese, as it’s a musical drama that came in the wake of several gangster films. It was criticized upon its release, even though it was a palette cleanser for Scorsese, as he had directed the grim and emotionally exhausting Taxi Driver just one year before.
The movie is a lot of fun, as the music is sensational and it remains one of Scorsese’s best-looking movies to date. Unfortunately, the movie still hasn’t found a massive audience in the time since, and it’s generally considered Scorsese and De Niro’s worst movie together.
Home Alone 2: Lost In New York (1992) - 6.8
After Home Alone was set in Chicago, the sequel made the jump to New York. It was a natural progression for the franchise, as the first movie was full of reds and greens, and the sequel massively upped the ante.
Lost in New York perfectly depicts New York in all its Christmas glory, and it visits many iconic New York landmarks, from the Rockefeller Centre Christmas tree and the Plaza Hotel to the Central Park ice rink. And though the movie doesn’t stack up to the original, as it retreads the same narrative beat for beat, the combination of Christmas and New York is just enough to make it a worthy follow-up.
King Of New York (1990) - 7.0
As the year 1990 saw the release of both Goodfellas and The Godfather Part III, two gangster epics, King of New York lives in their shadows. The movie follows drug lord Frank White (Christopher Walken) try to take back the streets of New York after being newly released from prison.
As Goodfellas is considered one of the greatest movies of all time and the consensus of The Godfather Part III is that it’s a bitterly disappointing conclusion to the trilogy, King of New York sits somewhere in the middle of the two. And just like those two notorious movies, the best thing about New York is the powerful performances. Walken is typically theatrical and unbalanced, and it features one of the earliest brilliant dramatic roles from Laurence Fishbourne, too.
Escape From New York (1981) - 7.2
Just like Big Trouble In Little China, Escape From New York is an outlier in director John Carpenter’s filmography, as it isn’t a terrifying horror movie like the movies Carpenter is known for. Instead, Escape is an over-the-top action movie that’s influenced more by B movies than slasher flicks, like Psycho and its influence on Halloween.
It has a wonderfully schlocky narrative, as a federal prisoner (Kurt Russell) must save the President of the United States. It wasn’t the biggest hit when it was first released in 1981, but in the 40 years since, it has grown to become one of the biggest cult hits ever, and Snake is the best Kurt Russell character.
Gangs Of New York (2002) - 7.5
As is the case with 80 percent of movies directed by Martin Scorsese, Gangs of New York is about exactly that, gangs in New York, and it couldn’t be any more different to New York, New York. For a Scorsese gangster movie, Gangs of New York sits on the lower end of the list in terms of audience score. But that’s a testament to how gifted of a filmmaker Scorsese is, as 7.5 is still quite high.
The movie features terrific performances across the board, with arguably Daniel Day-Lewis’ best role. At this point in Scorsese's career, it was the most ambitious movie he had made, as the production value and scope of the period setting was so epic. And for audiences who want to see different depictions of New York on-screen, no other film has portrayed the big apple in the 1800s in such a distinct way.
Synecdoche, New York (2008) - 7.6
Though he had written absurd classics, like Being John Malkovich and Adaptation, Synecdoche, New York was Charlie Kaufman’s directorial debut. And as he was the writer, director, and producer, the movie is Kaufman at his most unfiltered. The movie features a fascinating premise, as it follows a theatre director, Caden, who is given a grant to create anything he wants.
What Caden creates is a living, breathing play that takes place in a warehouse where he has built a small-scale New York. It becomes more and more intricate, as Caden builds a smaller New York within that warehouse and a smaller one within that. As the director is known for his thought-provoking, nihilistic, and anti-romantic fantasy movies, Synecdoche, New York is no different, and the result is mesmerizing.