Boston Movie Quest

I’ve lived in Boston for 21 years now. For better or for worse, it’s home. So I thought it would be entertaining to watch as many movies set in Boston as I can find (that I haven’t seen before).

This quest has led me to watch three wildly different movies recently: The Bostonians, The Departed, and Fever Pitch.

The Bostonians is set in the 1870s and is based on the Henry James novel of the same name. I started the novel once, but I struggled to make sense of it and gave up. The movie is a Merchant–Ivory production, which means that it’s beautiful to watch.

I felt like not much actually happened in the 2 hours, but the acting, cinematography, and costumes kept me engaged. It’s about a love triangle of sorts among a young woman involved in the suffrage movement, an older woman who promotes the young woman’s work (and possibly loves her?), and a young man who is in love with the aforementioned young woman.

The Departed came out in 2006 and I avoided it for 14 years because action/thrillers stress me out too much. But I gritted my teeth, closed one eye, and watched it. It was a fast-paced story about the mob and the state police. Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Matt Damon were superb in their roles. Matt was the only one who had the accent down, though. And it was directed by Martin Scorsese; need I say more?

Fever Pitch is a romantic comedy starring Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon. Although it was formulaic and nothing new in terms of romantic comedy, Drew and Jimmy were adorable. I was fascinated by Jimmy’s character, who is an obsessed Red Sox fan. I have no real interest in sports, so it’s interesting to get a glimpse inside the mind of a dedicated sports fan. The movie is slightly based on the book Fever Pitch, written by Nick Hornby about his love for soccer. I’ve read the book before and enjoyed it, and I’ll pick it up again sometime.

I am on the hunt for more movies set in Boston. Any suggestions? The Friends of Eddie Coyle is on my list…