Big Apple of my eye: The best rom-coms set in NYC

Much of Jane’s time in 27 Dresses is spent rushing around New York City. Whether she’s changing the back of a taxi on her way to her next wedding or scoping out vendors for her brides, the city that never sleeps is always in the background of this rom-com. 

The opening scene of Breakfast at Tiffany’s is one of the most iconic of any movie in film history. Holly Golightly walking down Fifth Avenue, stopping in front of Tiffany’s dressed to the nines, holding her breakfast has made millions romanticize New York City since 1961. 

Is there any visage more perfectly autumnal than Harry and Sally walking around Central Park? The enemies-turned-friends-turned-lovers have plenty of swoon-worthy scenes around the city, but there’s something so pristine about their first stroll as friends. 

Owning a bookstore in New York City is the ultimate rom-com profession. Kathleen was right to want to protect her store. There are millions of women who would switch places with her in a heartbeat. 

Watching Jenna Rink try to navigate New York City as a 13-year-old inside a 30-year-old’s body feels all too familiar. The only difference is that most of us don’t have the same glamorous job as Jenna. 

If you’re going to be a maid anywhere, it might as well be in Manhattan. And it worked out well for Jennifer Lopez. It also worked out for the real woman whom the story is loosely based on, Anne-Marie Rassmussen, who married a Rockefeller after meeting while working as a maid. 

Sure, most of The Proposal  is set in Alaska, but the scenes that take place in New York City are rom-com iconography. Sandra Bullock on her knees asking Ryan Reynolds to marry her? Just the thought of those 10 seconds is enough to convince us it’s time to rewatch this film for the hundredth time. 

Watching animated characters try to tackle the real world would be funny no matter which city it was happening in, but it was particularly entertaining having Enchanted set in New York City. The Big Apple is enchanting in its own right but in a completely different sort of fairy tale. 

Friends with Benefits goes back and forth between New York City and Los Angeles, but it mostly takes place in New York, and it’s full of scenes with iconic landmarks. A flash mob in the middle of Grand Central Station? It’s both an homage to the city it’s set in and a clear indication of when this movie was released. 

New York City was the perfect place for Hitch to be set. Dating is hard everywhere, but it’s a very New York idea to hire a dating coach to help you out. And completely unrelated: Will Smith should have been cast in at least a dozen more romantic comedies. 

Though Sleepless In Seattle is a fantastic rom-com set in Seattle, important moments also happen in New York City. But in other news, we need more good rom-coms that are set in Seattle. Rainy and gloomy weather is the perfect backdrop for two people to fall in love in autumn. 

We would watch How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days no matter where it took place, but we appreciate that it takes us to locations in New York City we don’t often get to see in rom-coms, like Madison Square Garden and Staten Island. 

Like the show, Sex and the City gave us stunning shots of the streets of New York. Carrie Bradshaw’s wedding scene is one of the best, albeit heartbreaking, wedding scenes of all time. Her running down the street in her wedding gown is indelibly burnt into our brains.

Bride Wars is often forgotten in the romantic comedy space, but if you’re looking for one set in New York City, it should be at the top of your list. The women spend a lot of time running errands, giving you glimpses of the city along the way. 

If a film’s plot is going to be about someone having a shopping addiction, it should almost always take place in New York City. Where else in the world will the city indulge your habits quite like New York? Great idea and great execution. 

File Hannah’s job at the MET under ultimate rom-com jobs right along with book store owner. Truthfully, we could watch an entire film just about that. Also, how have there not been more rom-coms filmed where the main characters meet at Ivy League schools? 

There could be 1,000 rom-coms set in New York City, and we’d still try to watch every single one. Definitely, Maybe doesn’t get the glory it deserves, but there are plenty of great glimpses of the city throughout the film for anyone who’s a huge setting geek (just like we are). 

Fans of this film will remember that Funny Face is mostly set in Paris, but a good part of it does take place in New York City. But the film being set in both places makes it that much better. Is there a better combination of cities for a film to be set?

Like Funny Face, Annie Hall was set in two different cities — New York City and Los Angeles. It starts in the former and ends in the latter, and it’s another winning combination that has helped it remain a classic all these years later. 

We mostly associate New York City with the views of Manhattan, but there are four other boroughs that deserve some love, too. Coming to America takes place in Queens, proving that Manhattan isn’t the only place in the city worthy of being filmed.