1. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off follows Bueller, his best friend, his girlfriend through their adventures in Chicago on a day which Bueller decides to fake sick. Often Considered John Hughes’ love letter to Chicago, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off features scenes of all of Chicago, but most noteworthy are those of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Sears Tower.
2. High Fidelity (2000)
Music loving Rob Gordon has always failed at understanding women. When his most recent girlfriend dumps him, he looks back at his old relationships to see where he has gone wrong in the past. John Cusack, the star of the movie was born and raised in Evanston, IL, so he has a deep understanding of Chicago in which the movie is set. This understanding of the city makes Cusack’s character seem like an authentic Chicagoan.
3. The Breakfast Club (1985)
Five students from very different walks of life at Shermer High school in Shermer, IL recieve all day detention on one Saturday. They initially only see their differences, but as the film progresses, the group slowly begins to realize that they really aren’t as different as they had believed. Although not set in the city of Chicago itself, The Breakfast Club is one of the most famous films of all times that is set in the suburbs of Chicago.
4. The Untouchables (1987)
Set during the Prohibition, The Untouchables centers around Al Capone who rules Chicago due to his bootleg liquor business. Many mobster movies have been set in Chicago, but several scenes from this film are set in historical buildings in Chicago including Union Station.
5. Mean Girls (2004)
When new student Cady Heron tries to take down mean girl Regina George, her plans force her into the mean girl position and causing chaos at North Shore High School. Like The Breakfast Club, Mean Girls is set in a suburb of Chicago, Evanston, but is one of the most popular more modern film to be set in Chicago.
6. The Fugitive (1993)
After being wrongfully convicted of killing his wife, Dr. Richard Kimble escapes transport to death row and becomes a fugitive. He then goes to Chicago to solve his wife’s murder. Though much of the film occurs in the South Side of Chicago, a much less touristy part of the city, the wintery weather and a reference to the dyeing of the Chicago River green emphasize the film’s setting.
7. My Bodyguard (1980)
When high schooler Clifford Peache is bullied by Melvin Moody, he recruits eccentric, but also much taller, Ricky Linderman to be his bodygard. The two form a friendship and Cliff gains his confidence to fight back against the bullies. The film culminates in an epic fight scene. Unlike many coming of age stories from the 1980’s which were set in the suburbs of Chicago (like The Breakfast Club) My Bodyguard was set in the North Side, specifically Lincoln Park and Lakeview. Cliff lives in the Ambassador East Hotel (now Public Chicago Hotel) and the movie was filmed in the real Lake View High.
