Matching movies set in Chicago to a neighborhood? (Evanston, Des Plaines: apartments, hotel)

[preppyglam]

This is a random question posed to anyone who can answer- well, actually two questions.

Generally, are there any movies set in Chicago that capture the neighborhood scenery, and, can you name the move and the Chicago neighborhood?

More specifically- I just watched WHAT WOMEN WANT with Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt, 2000. Can anyone tell me what Chicago neighborhood they filmed Helen Hunt's apartment- both the new one she buys and the one she (presumably) lives in? Also, since I am asking and I have your attention, what neighborhood was Mel Gibson's apartment? He lived in a high rise, but the shots of the background at ground level are simply charming (not the high rise- its pretty simple, but the street surrounding the high rise).

I realize this is a very specific question- but someone has to know! I thought these neighborhoods were really charming and cute. Chicago is our plan b (second to Denver) for a work transfer, so I am starting to read up on Chicago!

Thanks in advance!

[Drover]

Mel Gibson's high-rise is at 2401 N. Lakeview Avenue in Lincoln Park. If you look up "396 W. Fullerton Avenue Chicago IL" and use Google Street View you can get a pretty good shot of it.

As for Helen Hunt's apartments, I don't remember those parts of the movie in detail, but if I had to guess by their "vintage" I'd say they are also probably in Lincoln Park.


High Fidelity showcases the near northwest side pretty well. Many of the exterior shots capture Wicker Park. That's where Rob's apartment and record store are located. It also has some shots of Lakeview (Marie De Salle's apartment exterior) and Lincoln Park (Biograph Theater where he talks about Dillinger being betrayed before walking into Lounge Ax to see Marie De Salle). High Fidelity captures the Chicago "hipster" scene pretty well.

[Avengerfire]

I would not know because I have yet to bring myself to watch such a wuss sappy date movie.

[preppyglam]

Thanks, Drover. I liked your other posts so far- great info.

BTW- both of you (Drover and Avengerfire) have been read so many times! Wow! I'm not sure I have ever noticed anyone over the 1M mark! (But, then again, I have been in the Denver section, and I would think Chicago gets more action than Denver).

[Drover]

Come to think of it, since Mel Gibson's highrise is on the west side of the street, the address would be 2400 rather than 2401.

I'm trying to think of movies set in Chicago that showcase it well but aren't so dated that it doesn't remotely reflect its current state (such as Blues Brothers or Adventures in Babysitting). The Ferris Bueller's Day Off account of Chicago is so narrow as to be not particularly instructive, though it and many other John Hughes films such as The Breakfast Club, Uncle Buck and Sixteen Candles depict life in the affluent North Shore suburbs fairly accurately even to this day, save some changes in fashions and cars.

But really, I don't think anything does Chicago (or at least, the North side of Chicago) justice quite like High Fidelity. The way it was adapted for the screen, the movie is as much a tribute to Chicago, and particularly the city's indie music scene and its followers, as it is a look into the lives of the actual characters. For a taste of the South side, Barber Shop is as good as I can think of.

[skyeINIL]

The Fugitive shows Pullman off quite nicely. Oh, and Road to Perdition had few scenes shot in Pullman, too. I was actually living there at the time and got to watch some of the filming. Roll Bounce has many scenes in the Chatham neighborhood, I think.

[oakparkV]

Originally Posted by Drover

High Fidelity showcases the near northwest side pretty well. Many of the exterior shots capture Wicker Park. That's where Rob's apartment and record store are located. It also has some shots of Lakeview (Marie De Salle's apartment exterior) and Lincoln Park (Biograph Theater where he talks about Dillinger being betrayed before walking into Lounge Ax to see Marie De Salle). High Fidelity captures the Chicago "hipster" scene pretty well.

High Fidelity, definitely!

Also, check out Only the Lonely with John Candy... it's an older movie, probably from the late '80s or 1990ish. I'm not sure exactly what neighborhood it takes place in, but it's an Irish area of the southside, near Comisky (and yes, it was still Comisky when the filmed it). It has really good shots of the L, neighborhood street-scapes, and etc. Plus, it's a hilarious movie!

[Mamama Mia]

File this under "I have spent most of my life in Chicago and have a head filled with useless info"...
From some older movies...
"Child's Play" -when Chucky goes on a rampage, 2800 N. Pine Grove Avenue (in Lake View)
"Ordinary People" - Lake Forest scenes, also outside Field's (now Macy's) and Fort Sheridan was converted into their studio
"My Best Friend's Wedding" - O'Hare Airport, Comiskey, Union League Club 65 West Jackson Blvd., the Hilton and Towers 730 South Michigan, The Drake 140 E. Walton Place, Charlie Trotter's 816 W. Armitage, Cuneo Museum in Vernon Hills and the Fourth Presbyterian Church 125 E. Chestnut
"League of Their Own" - Wrigley, Gavin Park in Evanston, numerous other scenes in Evanston
"Ferris Bueller's Day Off" - Glenbrook North in Des Plaines (is it still open?), Sears Tower, Wrigley, the Art Institute on S. Michigan, and the German-American Parade on Dearborn
"When Harry Met Sally" - quad of the U. of C.
"Untouchables" - the restaurant explosion was under the el, W. Roscoe and N. Clark, also police headquarters was in the Rookery 202 S. LaSalle, shots of Chicago Board of Trade, Continental Bank (new name??) 231 S. LaSalle, walkway under the Michigan Ave. bridge, Malone's apt. 1634 S. Racine, Chicago Theatre at State & Lake, Roosevelt University's lobby, the Blackstone Hotel on S. Michigan, the Cultural Center Michigan & Randolph, and Union Station
"Backdraft" - was filmed in Graceland Cemetery (many of my family members are buried there), the fire stations were at Archer and Sacramento and on Cermak in Chinatown. Also shots of the funeral parade on Michigan Ave. in front of the Wrigley Building and shots on Clark Street at Irving Park.

Actually, I had a friend who worked for the Tourism Bureau.

[Jesse69]

The movie "Wicker Park" was named after my neighborhood, Wicker Park - but I didn't see too many scenes from Wicker Park in it. They also filmed some scenes in it in Canada to save money. I saw a setup of an unused scene for the movie though around the Damen train station.

[UnderTheLiveOaks]

Obviously there are plenty of movies these days that show off the downtown area. The new Batman movies, of course. The Breakup (which was a suckfest, but had nice Chicago shots).

However, it is true that it's tough to find neighborhood shots of Chicago in movies beyond those mentioned above.

I watched Wanted this past summer. Not great, but it had some cool shots of Chicago here and there.

Meanwhile, movies like The Negotiator waste a great opportunity to show off Chicago. Most of it was set in the R R Donnelly/United Airlines building, which was posing as a municipal building. They also send cars to the 1400 or 1500 block of W Addison and the houses are sort of suburban looking with front yards and a quiet street out front.