Boston movie/documentary suggestions

Submitted by allicatw t3_10n4nec in boston

I recently moved to Boston and have been watching/rewatching some classic movies based here. I’m curious, what would locals recommend? (Movies, tv or documentaries would be appreciated!)

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my_name_is_forest t1_j66vciq wrote

High on Crack Street, Heroin, Cape Cod. They don't hold the greater Boston in the greatest light. But it shows real people and some health crises the states been through.

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ReverseBanzai t1_j66yu0i wrote

Friends of Eddie Coyle best boston movie. Also spencer for hire the old tv series is pretty good.

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wet_cupcake t1_j66yv67 wrote

Varies which time periods/subjects you’re interested in.

The Revolution: Boston Bloody Boston is a nice little documentary during, you guessed it, the Revolutionary War.

A Reckoning In Boston follows Clemente Course students through their upbringing and racial history.

Few youtube videos of the Chinatown Massacre are very interesting.

To me anything Winter Hill Gang or Patriarca Crime family on youtube is also fascinating. Black Mass with Johnny Depp was eh at best.

I love The Town and the Departed but obviously those are Hollywood spins.

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MrRemoto t1_j671xo0 wrote

The Verdict is Paul Newman at his prime. Boondocks Saints is always a crowd pleaser. Manchester by the Sea was gut wrenching but amazing. For actual documentaries Netflix owns Boston. Trial 4, This is a Robbery, and How to Fix a Drug Scandal are all really well made.

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DarkIsiliel t1_j672x3o wrote

Spotlight is newer, but so, so good. Covers the church scandal in the early 00's.

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RussChival t1_j675ior wrote

Old School: The original Thomas Crowne Affair with Steve McQueen.

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Darklighter10 t1_j677dwe wrote

If you want CLASSIC Boston TV that isn’t Cheers, you want to start with all the Robert b Parker books and film you can get. He has the Jesse Stone series which is set in a small town. You then have classic Spenser: For Hire and A Man Called Hawk.

https://www.amazon.com/Spenser-Hire-Complete-First-Season/dp/B07TLYVQVQ

Something more lighthearted, Boston Legal is pretty great. The show Fringe is also set in Boston.

For documentary try “This is a Robbery. It’s about a famous museum heist and must have knowledge for these parts. There is also one on Netflix called “How to fix a drug scandal” about a few police drug lab bombshells that happened (relatively) recently

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DevilsAssCrack t1_j677srb wrote

The Last of Us does an amazing job at covering the MBTA

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geminimad4 t1_j67czqg wrote

Good Will Hunting, Next Stop Wonderland, Gone Baby Gone, Mystic River

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igotyourphone8 t1_j67l8au wrote

City Hall by Frederick Wiseman.

The House by the Cemetery by Lucio Fulci.

Pieces by Juan Piquer Simon (though, this was mostly shot in Spain. I always get a laugh about them thinking those Spanish exteriors could pass for Boston).

Of course you can't miss an all time classic like The Next Karate Kid.

Radio Boston has been doing a series discussing movies set in Boston: https://www.wbur.org/radioboston/2022/10/27/massachusetts-film-movies-hollywood-noir

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IDCFFSGTFO t1_j67z42t wrote

City on a Hill with Kevin Bacon and Aldis Hodge. Written and produced by the same showrunner who made St. Elsewhere. Takes place in that universe because "St. Eligius" aka St. Elsewhere (aka St. Elizabeth's, cmon now) is a location. It's on Showtime.

Also, St. Elsewhere.

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TheSpaceman1975 t1_j689z7t wrote

CODA is not Boston proper, but its as real deal as any Massachusetts based film that has ever existed. That shit is REAL Massachusetts.

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beachTreeBunny t1_j68i2wq wrote

It’s old but for TV I think Crossing Jordan is great. She’s the archetype for Boston women. Smart, cool, aloof until she trusts you, but will do anything to help someone when she believes the cause is just. Also Fringe and Leverage, though only some seasons are set in Boston.

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moxie-maniac t1_j68tu7p wrote

Replying to Darklighter10 (#1,545,963)

Robert B. Parker got his PhD at BU, then was an English professor at Northeastern, I believe until the second Spenser book was successful, then move on to just writing.

The funny part about the Spenser TV series was him finding a parking place in front of each and every Boston location he had to visit. Sometimes the writers/producers would make odd mistakes, cops searching the junkyards in Revere or something, when there are no junkyards in Revere.

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Archivist1380 t1_j697u8a wrote

Not exactly Boston but chappaquiddick is both a good movie and a true story that you will probably hear come up from time to time if you plan on living here for many years to come.

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mpjjpm t1_j69evpm wrote

A little out of the box, but Picture a Scientist. It isn’t about Boston per se, it’s about women in science/academia, but faculty at BU and MIT feature prominently. To the extent academia is a huge part of Boston culture and economy, it’s a pretty enlightening documentary. I think it’s currently on Netflix.

Also not about Boston specifically, but the recent documentary Augmented covers Hugh Herr from MIT and bionics/plastic surgery collaborations with Brigham and Womens. It’s available for streaming through PBS.

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SphaeraEstVita t1_j69fd1i wrote

John Adams

The Departed

The Town

Good Will Hunting

Spotlight

Gone Baby Gone

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Doctor_Chow t1_j69g7rr wrote

I recently watched the departed the other day and god the amount of Boston energy is nauseating lol

Personal favorite is the town though.

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Grand-Pen7946 t1_j69i66g wrote

Manchester by the Sea. Coda. Social Network. The Fighter is an absolute must to get a feel for Lowell and the dozen small cities scattered around Massachusetts just like it like Fitchburg and Fall River. The main character and the city both represent a kind of "trashy and fallen from glory" you see all around the state.

Kevin Can Go F**k Himself takes place in Worcester.

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Pard22 t1_j69meam wrote

The cops are robbers.

Medford bank heist in 1980.

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