Can You Identify These 40 Movies Set in New York?

Estimated Completion Time
6 min
Can You Identify These 40 Movies Set in New York?
Image: Paramount Pictures / Alfran Productions

About This Quiz

If you think the best place for an NYC breakfast is a certain 5th Avenue jewelry store, or you find yourself looking over your shoulder for Gordon Gekko on Wall Street, or dancing on a giant piano at FAO Schwartz, you just might have what it takes to ace this quiz on the greatest New York-based movies ever made.

New York City might not be very large in terms of area, but in terms of culture, history and economics it's larger than life. The city is so massive in its influence that it's the perfect setting for films about tough street life in the Bronx, crowded avenues in Manhattan, breezy days on Coney Island, working class families in Brooklyn and the cutthroat world of fashion, finance and the arts. Even better, the city's sights are so iconic that they are instantly recognizable, providing the perfect backdrop to set the tone for a movie, or perhaps influence the itinerary for your next vacation. Because after all, who can see the Statue of Liberty, Times Square or the Empire State Building on screen without longing to take a real-life tour of these landmarks?

Think you know every great NYC flick that's ever hit the big screen? Prove it with this quiz.

Wall Street
Twentieth Century Fox; American Entertainment Partners L.P.
What 1987 film shows the dark underside of New York's financial empire?
"Serpico"
"Coming to America"
"Juice"
"Wall Street"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Wall Street" tells the story of Bud Fox, a young stockbroker played by Charlie Sheen. When he runs up against Gordon Gekko, he finds himself ensnared in financial scandal. The film includes a fight scene set in Central park as well as plenty of time spent in the Financial District.

Advertisement

Saturday Night Fever
Paramount Pictures
Without his dancing skills, Tony Manero would just be a poor kid from Bay Bridge, Brooklyn in this 1977 classic.
"Black Swan"
"Saturday Night Fever"
"Juice"
"Rosemary's Baby"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It may have been a film about disco, but "Saturday Night Fever" is also a movie about life in Brooklyn, where Tony Manero sees life in Staten Island as a step up from his dead-end job at the hardware store. The movie features a tough scene on the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, as well as a long subway ride through Manhattan as Tony tries to deal with his troubles.

Advertisement

Big
American Entertainment Partneres II L.P
Consider yourself a true kid at heart? Then you'll have no trouble identifying with this 1988 Tom Hanks movie.
"Saturday Night Fever"
"Wall Street"
"Kramer vs. Kramer
"Big"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

After wishing on a fortune telling machine, Tom Hanks' character in "Big" becomes a grown man in a kid's body. He takes a job with a toy company, rents an NYC apartment (complete with trampoline) and dances his way along a giant keyboard at FAO Schwarz. FYI ... while the 5th Avenue branch of this toy store closed in 2004, it reopened in Rockefeller Center in 2018 — and yes, the giant piano is back!

Advertisement

Shaft
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Set mostly in Harlem and Greenwich Village, can you choose the 1971 movie that stars Richard Roundhouse?
"Shaft"
"Breakfast at Tiffany's"
"Taxi Driver"
"Big"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Richard Roundhouse stars as the title character in "Shaft," a 1971 film about a Harlem gangster working to thwart a kidnapping. The movie opens with Shaft strolling along 7th Avenue and passing through Times Square, but much of the action takes place in Greenwich Village.

Advertisement

Goodfellas
Warner Bros
Guess the name of the 1990 movie shown here, which stars Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci.
"Big"
"Saturday Night Fever"
"Goodfellas"
"The Devil Wears Prada"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Martin Scorsese had one of his biggest hits with the 1990 drama "Goodfellas." Considered one of the greatest mob movies ever made, the film is set in Astoria, Queens between the '50s and the '80s and features landmarks like JFK Airport.

Advertisement

You've Got Mail
Warner Bros.
After hitting it big with "Sleepless in Seattle," Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan paired up again to make this 1998 rom-com.
"West Side Story"
"You've Got Mail"
"Serpico"
"Manhattan"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In a nod to the 1940 classic "The Shop Around the Corner," "You've Got Mail" tells the story of two online lovers who don't realize that their bookstores are in direct competition with one another. The movie features a scene at Zabar's Deli, which also makes an appearance in the Woody Allen movie "Manhattan."

Advertisement

Taxi Driver
Columbia Pictures Corporation
Do you know which of these films cast Jodie Foster in the controversial role as a 12-year old sex worker named Iris?
"Shaft"
"West Side Story"
"Taxi Driver"
"Coming to America"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The 1976 film "Taxi Driver" stars Al Pacino as Travis Bickle, a war vet-turned taxi driver who is slowly losing his sanity. Viewers get a good look at the darker side of NYC, including adult film theaters in Times Square, and brothels on the Lower East Side.

Advertisement

Breakfast at Tiffany's
Jurow-Shepherd
Based on a Truman Capote story, name this 1961 Audrey Hepburn film that co-stars George Peppard as "Fred."
"Big"
"Breakfast at Tiffany's"
"American Psycho"
"Do the Right Thing"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

As socialite Holly Golightly in "Breakfast at Tiffany's," Audrey Hepburn knows that the best start to a good day is a morning meal at the iconic NYC jewelry store. Legendary actor Mickey Rooney co-stars as Hepburn's landlord ... in a Chinese caricature of questionable taste.

Advertisement

Midnight Cowboy
Jerome Hellman Productions, Florin Productions
Before it was the family scene it is today, Times Square was a much seedier place, as seen in this 1969 flick that gave us the quote "I'm walkin' here!"
"Kids"
"The Devil Wears Prada"
"The Squid and the Whale"
"Midnight Cowboy"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The 1969 film "Midnight Cowboy" stars Jon Voight as a sex worker and Dustin Hoffman as a sleazy con man. The pair forms an unlikely friendship set among the seedier side of midtown Manhattan.

Advertisement

Ghostbusters
Columbia Pictures Corporation
This 1984 film opens at the main branch of the New York Public Library, and includes plenty of footage of one very famous Tribeca firehouse.
"The Devil Wears Prada"
"Cruising"
"Ghostbusters"
"The Apartment"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Who you gonna call? After losing their jobs at Columbia University, Ray, Peter and company form a professional ghost-hunting service with their main office at a NYC firehouse. You'll see the iconic Times Square in the film, as well as Central Park — which the Marshmallow Man brushes by as he smashes his way through Columbus Circle.

Advertisement

Mean Streets
Warner Bros
Using only this image, can you pick the correct title for this Martin Scorsese film set in Little Italy?
"Mean Streets"
"You've Got Mail"
"Fame"
"King Kong"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Based on experiences Martin Scorsese had growing up in the Little Italy and NoLita neighborhoods of NYC, "Mean Streets" tells the story of a man torn between an illegal career and his own Catholic faith. The gritty drama stars Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel.

Advertisement

Tootsie
Columbia Pictures Corporation
So what do you do when you're an actor who can't land a role? If you're Dustin Hoffman starring in this 1982 film, you dress up as a woman to land the part.
"The Godfather"
"Tootsie"
"Black Swan"
"Manhattan"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

After developing a difficult reputation, Dustin Hoffman's character Michael Dorsey can't land a gig to save his life in the 1982 comedy "Tootsie." To make ends meet, he dresses up as a female actress named Dorothy Michaels, and the offers start pouring in in this Sydney Pollack film.

Advertisement

Annie Hall
Jack Rollins & Charles H. Joffe Productions
Which 1977 Woody Allen rom-com stars the director himself playing opposite Diane Keaton?
"Ghostbusters"
"Do the Right Thing"
"Annie Hall"
"Wall Street"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Annie Hall" is a 1977 romantic comedy that follows Woody Allen as Alvy Singer, a man desperate to find out where things went wrong in his relationship with the title character, played by Diane Keaton. The film includes scenes on Coney Island, where Singer grew up in the shadow of a roller coaster, as well as other New York sights like the Hamptons and Brooklyn.

Advertisement

Rear Window
Alfred J. Hitchcock Productions
Look, it's hard not to overhear your neighbors in the cramped NYC real estate. Can you really blame James Stewart for spying in this 1954 Hitchcock film?
"Kids"
"Rosemary's Baby"
"Rear Window"
"You've Got Mail"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In the 1954 thriller "Rear Window," James Stewart plays a man who has been confined to a wheelchair. Bored and restless, he overhears a scuffle that makes him think his Greenwich Village neighbor might be a murderer. Grace Kelly co-stars in the film as Lisa, girlfriend to Stewart's character.

Advertisement

The Warriors
Paramount Pictures
Imagine being part of a gang trying to make its way through another gang's territory — with the other gang thinking you just killed their ringleader. That's the premise of this 1979 flick.
"Manhattan"
"Big"
"The Warriors"
"Tootsie"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The 1979 movie "The Warriors" follows gang members trying to survive as they fight their way through the Bronx and back to their home turf in Brooklyn. Watching this movie, you'll see such NYC sites as Union Square, Riverside Park and Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.

Advertisement

Black Swan
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Pick the 2010 movie that stars Natalie Portman as a prima ballerina.
"Black Swan"
"When Harry Met Sally"
"Working Girl"
"A Bronx Tale"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The 2010 psychological horror movie "Black Swan" follows a New York City Ballet Company production of "Swan Lake" at Lincoln Center. Natalie Portman stars as a dancer so obsessed with perfection that she begins to lose her grip on reality.

Advertisement

Working Girl
Twentieth Century Fox
It opens with a scene on the Staten Island Ferry and includes plenty of great New York views, but can you name this 1988 film which stars Melanie Griffith?
"The Godfather"
"Working Girl"
"Hannah and Her Sisters"
"Kramer vs. Kramer
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The 1988 film "Working Girl" features Melanie Griffith as Tess McGill, an assistant at an investment bank. The poster for this film, which co-stars Harrison Ford and Sigourney Weaver, features a poignant view of the twin towers.

Advertisement

West Side Story
The Mirisch Corporation
Remember which of these films stars Natalie Wood in a modern retelling of "Rome and Juliet" set in 1950s NYC?
"The Devil Wears Prada"
"West Side Story"
"Taxi Driver"
"Fame"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Based on the popular 1957 play, "West Side Story" is a tragic love story between Tony and Maria. Their ties to rival gangs threatens their love, forcing them to meet secretly on the rooftops and fire escapes of the Upper West Side.

Advertisement

Rosemary's Baby
William Castle Productions
Set at the famed Dakota Apartments on the Upper West Side, do you know the title of the 1968 horror flick shown in this image?
"Tootsie"
"Gangs of New York"
"Rosemary's Baby"
"Saturday Night Fever"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Son of the devil ... really. The 1968 Roman Polanski film "Rosemary's Baby" features Mia Farrow as a woman who believes a cult is trying to steal her child. Turns out he's just the son of Satan ... because that's such a better scenario, right?

Advertisement

The Devil Wears Prada
Fox 2000 Pictures
Inspired by a best-selling book by Lauren Weisberger, which 2006 film portrays the cut-throat nature of the NYC publishing world?
"Working Girl"
"Home Alone 2: Lost in New York"
"Taxi Driver"
"The Devil Wears Prada"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In "The Devil Wears Prada," Meryl Streep stars as Miranda Priestly, a ruthless fashion editor who tortures her young assistant Andy, played by Anne Hathaway. Rumor has it that the Miranda Priestly role was inspired by legendary "Vogue" editor Anna Wintour.

Advertisement

When Harry Met Sally
Castle rock Entertainment; Nelson Entertainment
That diner scene though! Name this movie that has Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan asking themselves whether a man and a woman can ever be just friends.
"When Harry Met Sally"
"The Muppets Take Manhattan"
"Metropolitan"
"Mean Streets"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"When Harry Met Sally" came out in 1989, and chronicles 12 years in the will-they-or-won't-they friendship and the two title characters. Set against an NYC backdrop, it's perhaps best remembered for that unforgettable and almost X-rated scene at Katz's Deli — which is still open on the Lower East Side if you want to visit for yourself.

Advertisement

Serpico
Artists Entertainment Complex
What 1973 flick shows Al Pacino as an NYPD cop who finds himself crossing the blue wall of silence to expose corruption on the force?
"Escape from New York"
"The Muppets Take Manhattan"
"Serpico"
"The French Connection"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Serpico" is based on a true-story of a cop named Frank Serpico, who went undercover and put himself at great risk to expose corruption within the NYPD. The 1973 film includes 100 NYC locations in four of the five boroughs, including scenes in Queens, Brooklyn and Greenwich Village.

Advertisement

Manhattan
Jack Rollins & Charles H. Joffe Productions
Filmed in black-and-white, which 1979 movie stars Woody Allen as a divorced writer named Isaac?
"Manhattan"
"Serpico"
"Breakfast at Tiffany's"
"Cruising"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The 1979 film "Manhattan" opens with a montage of city views, and is remembered for one iconic shot of the Queensboro Bridge. Woody Allen stars as Isaac, a man who falls for his buddy's mistress, played by Diane Keaton.

Advertisement

The French Connection
Philip D'Antoni Productions
It includes an iconic chase scene through the streets of Brooklyn, but can you identify this 1971 film starring Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider?
"The French Connection"
"Rosemary's Baby"
"Once Upon a Time in America"
"Breakfast at Tiffany's"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The first R-rated film to win the Oscar for Best Picture, the 1971 film "The French Connection" is a tense cop thriller. It tells the story of a pair of NYPD detectives named Cloudy and Popeye who are trying to bring down a major drug operation. While watching this film, keep an eye out for the partially-completed twin towers in the background of some scenes.

Advertisement

A Bronx Tale
Price Entertainment, Penta Entertainment
Know which 1993 crime drama set in NYC stars Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci?
"Cruising"
"Home Alone 2: Lost in New York"
"A Bronx Tale"
"The Devil Wears Prada"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Despite its title, the 1993 movie "A Bronx Tale" was almost entirely shot along 30th Avenue in Astoria, Queens. The movie tells the rise and fall of a young boy torn between the lure of life as a member of a powerful crime family and loyalty to his own law-abiding father.

Advertisement

The Muppets Take Manhattan
TriStar Pictures, Henson Associates
After graduating from Danhurst College, what else would you do but try to make it on Broadway? That's the plot line of this beloved 1984 classic.
"Manhattan"
"Wall Street"
"West Side Story"
"The Muppets Take Manhattan"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If you're going to hit it big in theater, Broadway is the place to do it — even if you're a puppet. "The Muppets Take Manhattan" shows Kermit, Miss Piggy and the gang making their way through New York sites like Central Park, Bergdorf Goodman and the Grand Army Plaza.

Advertisement

Kramer vs. Kramer
Columbia Pictures Corporation
Try to identify this 1979 drama co-starring Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep as they navigate love, life and parenthood.
"Kramer vs. Kramer"
"Home Alone 2: Lost in New York"
"Shaft"
"Gangs of New York"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Kramer vs. Kramer" pits Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep as two warring parents who both want what's best for their son Billy as they settle their divorce. The Mall in Central Park appears several times in the film, including a scene where Billy rides his bike, and the meeting between the two title characters takes place in a real Upper East Side restaurant called J.G. Melon.

Advertisement

American Psycho
Am Psycho Productions; Lions Gate Films
Can you identify the 2000 black comedy starring Christian Bale as investment banker Patrick Bateman?
"American Psycho"
"Mean Streets"
"Tootsie"
"The Devil Wears Prada"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"American Psycho" is a 2000 flick featuring Christian Bale as an investment banker by day, serial killer by night. Though some scenes were shot in Toronto, the film is set in New York, and audiences will see familiar sites in the Financial District, including the Rector Street Subway Station.

Advertisement

The Apartment
The Mirisch Corporation
It won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1961, but do you remember the name of this '60s romantic comedy, which stars Jack Lemmon as Bud Baxter?
"Do the Right Thing"
"Wall Street"
"The Apartment"
"Mean Streets"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Hey, real estate is expensive in New York, so it helps to know friends who will let you couch surf ... or have an affair at their upper West Side pad. In "The Apartment," ad man Bud Baxter wins favor at work by loaning them his apartment for illicit activities.

Advertisement

Desperately Seeking Susan
Orion Pictures
Can you name the 1985 film co-starring Madonna and Rosanna Arquette?
"When Harry Met Sally"
"Desperately Seeking Susan"
"Cruising"
"Breakfast at Tiffany's"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

What to do if you're a bored housewife? If you're Rosanna Arquette's character in "Desperately Seeking Susan," you follow the crazy life of a woman you spot in the personal ads. The film shows the main characters together for the first time at Battery Park, and also includes scenes in Central Park and Lower East Side.

Advertisement

Fame
Elienna Productions Inc.
Which of these movies featured the "Hot Lunch Jam" and a gritty NYC setting?
"Kids"
"The Devil Wears Prada"
"Fame"
"Hannah and Her Sisters"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Inspired by a real NYC high school for the performing arts, the 1980 flick "Fame" told the story of aspiring dancers, singers, artists, actors and musicians. Filmed in a pair of abandoned New York schools, it features important scenes set on the local subway, in Times Square and at the iconic 8th Street Playhouse.

Advertisement

After Hours
The Geffen Company
Before Soho was home of the Cronut and trendy shops, it was a much darker and grittier place. Name this movie that shows the high-end neighborhood as it was in the '80s.
"Hannah and Her Sisters"
"After Hours"
"Juice"
"Black Swan"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The 1985 film "After Hours" takes the audience on a one-night journey in the life of Paul Hackett. After leaving his job on Madison Avenue, Paul ends up stranded among the bars and clubs of Soho in this Martin Scorsese movie.

Advertisement

"Hannah and Her Sisters"
Orion Pictures
This 1986 film stars Mia Farrow and takes place over a two year period on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Know what it's called?
"The Devil Wears Prada"
"Breakfast at Tiffany's"
"The Warriors"
"Hannah and Her Sisters"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Set over a period of two years between a pair of Thanksgiving celebrations, "Hannah and her Sisters" is a family drama starring Mia Farrow in the title role, with Michael Caine as her husband. The ensemble cast also includes Carrie Fisher, Barbara Hershey and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Advertisement

Gangs of New York
Miramax, Intitial Entertainment Group
Set in the slums of Five Points during the middle of the 19th century, name this 2002 Martin Scorsese epic.
"American Psycho"
"The Godfather"
"Working Girl"
"Gangs of New York"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Gangs of New York" stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diz and Daniel Day-Lewis. Set in the slums of the Five Points neighborhood during the 1850s, it ends with a timelapse of NYC, showing how structures like the Brooklyn Bridge and the World Trade Center rise to cover the buildings and lives of the past.

Advertisement

Do the Right Thing
40 Acres & A Muel Filmworks
Which of these films released in 1989 takes place in just a single urban block in the Bed-Stuy neighborhood of Brooklyn?
"Do the Right Thing"
"Mean Streets"
"Shaft"
"You've Got Mail"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In "Do the Right Thing," Spike Lee not only serves as writer, director and producer, but also stars as a young man named Mookie trying to make his way in a tough Brooklyn neighborhood. The tense film features brownstones, boom boxes, flowing hydrants and a startling display of police brutality.

Advertisement

Kids
Guys Upstairs; Independent Pictures (II)
Name this 1995 film that includes scenes from Washington Square Park and Greenwich Village.
"Gangs of New York"
"Kids"
"A Bronx Tale"
"American Psycho"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Kids" is a coming of age film set against a New York background. It includes cliches like buying drugs in Washington Square Park, but also touches on serious issues like sexuality and even the AIDS epidemic.

Advertisement

Juice
Island World
Tupac Shakur landed a role in this 1992 movie while tagging along with a friend who had scheduled an audition for the film. Can you name this crime drama?
"Juice"
"Ghostbusters"
"American Psycho"
"A Bronx Tale"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Set in Harlem, "Juice" is the story of four young Black men played by Omar Epps, Tupac Shakur, Khalil Kan and Jermaine Hopkins. Throughout the film, the men experience the reality of poverty and the violence that results in their neighborhood. The film also features Samuel L. Jackson and Queen Latifah.

Advertisement

Cruising
Lorimar Film Entertainment
Cop or killer? Name the crime thriller set in the seedy clubs and bars of the Meatpacking District in 1980s NYC.
"Cruising"
"Serpico"
"Home Alone 2: Lost in New York"
"When Harry Met Sally"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Cruising" stars Al Pacino as a cop named Steve Burns who goes undercover to track down a killer who has been targeting gay men. The film features many iconic New York locations, namely Columbia University and Morningside Park, as well as some popular clubs in which real patrons were used as extras.

Advertisement

Once Upon a Time in America
The Ladd Company
Written and directed by Sergio Leone, which 1984 film tells the story of poor Jewish kids growing up on the Lower East Side?
"Juice"
"Once Upon a Time in America"
"Kramer vs. Kramer
"Gangs of New York"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Once Upon a Time in America" reveals how a tough childhood can lead to a life of crime. The poster for the film features an iconic view of the Manhattan Bridge as seen from Washington Street in Brooklyn, an area now known as DUMBO.

Advertisement

The Godfather
Paramount Pictures
If we promise to make you an offer you can't refuse, can you guess which 1972 movie is shown in this image?
"You've Got Mail"
"Ghostbusters"
"The Godfather"
"Shaft"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Marlon Brando is head of the Corleone crime family in the movie "The Godfather." It was not only the highest grossing movie of 1972, but also picked up the Oscar for Best Picture. This acclaimed film opens at a wedding in Staten Island, and includes scenes of a fantastic Renaissance Revival building that serves as the setting for Genco Olive Oil, the front for the Corleone business.

Advertisement

You Got:
/40
Paramount Pictures / Alfran Productions