Hollywood East: Boston Lights Up the Big (and Small) Screens

Chances are you’ve been captivated by Denzel Washington’s The Equalizer, stunned by Gone Baby Gone, and inspired to grab a pint after Good Will Hunting. The common thread? All three were movies filmed in Boston. The film industry isn’t new to New England—thanks to area native and film industry vet G.W. Bitzer, movies were shot here as early as 1905. And it doesn’t hurt that Boston gave rise to A-list stars like Matt Damon, John Krasinski, Uma Thurman, Edward Norton and Mark Wahlberg.

If you’re a movie buff who wants to get up close and personal with the iconic filming locations in some of Boston’s most famous movies, read on for a guide to the action.

Explore South Boston as you relive Good Will Hunting

Another Good Will Hunting location is the bridge in Boston’s Public Garden.

Blue-collar man is a secret genius who’s discovered while mopping floors at an Ivy League school—Good Will Hunting couldn’t be more Boston if it tried. Written by locals Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, the movie is chock-full of iconic backdrops. Grab a friend and head to Boston’s Public Garden; on the third bridge from the small pond, you too may feel moved to share a heartfelt conversation. Order a pint at the L Street Tavern in Charles Baldwin Square. To relive the scene where Damon and Minnie Driver discuss his newfound genius, grab a croissant at Harvard Square’s Au Bon Pain in Cambridge.

Go undercover in locations from The Departed

Catch a gorgeous sunset and pretend you’re in The Departed at Long Wharf.

Of all the movies filmed in Boston, get ready to drop your Rs (excuse us, ahhs) when you head out on the town to explore filming locations from Martin Scorsese’s thriller The Departed. Make like Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson and Mark Wahlberg’s characters, and walk through Boston Common (where the opening scene was filmed); drop off laundry at Charles Street Cleaners (the space acted as a bistro in the movie); and amble along Long Wharf where the confrontation between crook and cop came to a head with Martin Sheen, Wahlberg and Nicholson. The top floor of Suffolk University Law School was used for Matt Damon’s apartment in the film.

See the North Shore featured in Olive Kitteridge

HBO made good use of the seaside towns 30 miles north of Boston with the Frances McDormand-helmed TV miniseries Olive Kitteridge. Want to walk in the footsteps of McDormand and producer Tom Hanks to see small-town life for yourself? Take in a movie at Cabot Cinema in Beverly, and grab a bite at Passports on Main Street in Gloucester.

Get schooled on Boston campuses seen in The Social Network

Among the movies filmed in Boston, this one is New England through and through; it’s based on a book by local writer Ben Mezrich about the origin of Facebook on the Harvard campus. But for the university experience, you’ll have to go elsewhere. The campuses of Phillips, Milton Academy and Wheelock College stood in for Harvard, which hasn’t hosted film productions since Love Story in 1970 because of the damage. Casting calls for the rowing scenes—paging Armie Hammer—took place at Community Rowing Inc. in Brighton, where you can take lessons.

Access your silly side in restaurants from Central Intelligence

In this CIA-themed film, we dare you not to laugh at the zany duo Kevin Hart and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Just 16 miles from Boston in Lynnfield, chow down on tacos at Temazcal Tequila Cantina, where Hart’s character goes on a date night with his wife. Then sip drinks like the stars at On the Hill Tavern in Somerville. Hart and Johnson made themselves at home during filming—Hart invited all of Boston on his daily runs via Instagram.

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