Movies That Feel Like a Love Letter to New York

New York City has been romanticized, criticized, immortalized, and reimagined on screen for over a century. Sometimes it's the backdrop for dreamy romances. Other times, it’s the antagonist, or even the main character itself. Below is a curated blend of traditional and unconventional films that capture New York’s essence, whether it’s chaotic, beautiful, isolating, or full of life.

Films That Celebrate the Spirit of New York

Frances Ha (2012) – Directed by Noah Baumbach

A charmingly messy portrait of artistic ambition and female friendship, this black-and-white film dances through Brooklyn and Manhattan as Frances (Greta Gerwig) searches for purpose. It’s a tender and unglamorous take on young adulthood in the city.

When Harry Met Sally... (1989) – Directed by Rob Reiner

This cozy rom-com encapsulates New York across seasons, from autumn walks in Central Park to late-night diner conversations. It’s a heartfelt love letter to both romance and the rhythms of everyday city life.

Do the Right Thing (1989) – Directed by Spike Lee

Vibrant, confrontational, and full of soul, this film is a tribute to Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, on the hottest day of the year. Through humor, tension, and powerful visual storytelling, Spike Lee offers a deeply rooted portrait of Black community life and systemic injustice in NYC.

Uncut Gems (2019) – Directed by the Safdie Brothers

New York has never felt more frantic than in this adrenaline rush through the Diamond District. The film captures the grit and desperation of a city that never stops moving, where high stakes and higher chaos are part of everyday hustle.

Marriage Story (2019) – Directed by Noah Baumbach

Though centered on a divorce, this film becomes an oddly affectionate ode to New York (and a breakup letter to Los Angeles.) Its courtroom scenes, cramped apartments, and small theater spaces reflect the intimacy and intensity of city living.

Ghostbusters (1984)— Directed By Ivan Reitman

A team of underdog scientists set up shop in Manhattan and save the city from supernatural mayhem. Between haunted hotels and Stay Puft chaos, the film showcases NYC as a place where the impossible is just another Tuesday.

Taxi Driver (1976) – Directed by Martin Scorsese

Scorsese’s bleak portrayal of 1970s New York captures its loneliness, corruption, and psychological decay. Travis Bickle’s descent mirrors the city’s own fractured psyche, where neon lights mask a deep moral rot.

Synecdoche, New York (2008) – Directed by Charlie Kaufman

A theater director recreates New York inside a massive warehouse as part of an increasingly surreal art project. The film turns the city into a metaphor for memory, mortality, and the impossibility of ever truly understanding a place — or oneself.

Eyes Wide Shut (1999) – Directed by Stanley Kubrick

Though shot in London, the film is set in a dreamlike, haunting version of Manhattan. Tom Cruise wanders through a city of secrets, shadows, and surreal eroticism, as New York becomes a labyrinth of temptation and repression.

Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) – Directed by the Coen Brothers

This melancholic folk tale set in 1960s Greenwich Village captures the city’s cold embrace of struggling artists. The snow, the subways, the couches — it’s a portrait of a cultural movement built on disappointment and stubborn hope.

After Hours (1985) – Directed by Martin Scorsese

An ordinary man’s night spirals into absurdity as he tries — and fails — to make it home from SoHo. A chaotic, darkly comic vision of New York’s night life, filled with oddball characters, closed doors, and one man’s descent into urban purgatory.

The Intern (2015) – Directed by Nancy Meyers

A warm, understated nod to New York’s generational shifts, startup culture, and understated elegance. It’s a subtle reflection of how the city evolves while holding onto its charm.

Carol (2015) – Directed by Todd Haynes

Set in a dreamy 1950s New York, the film captures a forbidden romance with grace and restraint. Through department store windows and snow-covered streets, Carol explores the quiet ache and romantic tension beneath a polished exterior.

The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) – Directed by Wes Anderson

A fictionalized, hyper-stylized New York filled with eccentric elites, crumbling mansions, and inherited melancholy. The city becomes a backdrop for legacy, dysfunction — a love letter tinged with satire.

The Farewell (2019) – Directed by Lulu Wang

Split between China and Queens, this film explores the tension between cultures through the eyes of a Chinese-American woman. Her identity is deeply rooted in NYC, which quietly anchors her as she navigates dual loyalty and loss.

I Am Legend (2007) – Directed by Francis Lawrence

A haunting vision of a post-apocalyptic Manhattan, overrun by nature and devoid of people. Will Smith’s lonely survivor scenes (especially hunting deer through an empty Times Square) hit like a requiem for the city.

Requiem for a Dream (2000) – Directed by Darren Aronofsky

Set in Coney Island, this brutal depiction of addiction shows a New York stripped of glamour. The boardwalk, the apartments, the fantasy game shows, everything becomes part of a hallucinatory descent into despair.

New York is where people come to find themselves, lose themselves, and sometimes reinvent what it means to be alive. These films — whether classic, chaotic, surreal, or deeply emotional — each represent a unique kind of love letter to NYC. Not always flattering, but always unforgettable.