A Guide to Boston-Based Shows and Movies

Continuing with my New England/Boston theme this week, let’s talk about the most notable movies and TV shows that are based in Boston.

  • The Departed: Winner of Best Picture in 2006, this is Scorsese’s lone Best Picture winner. And I think this is a loser of a film. Nothing original, nothing memorable, just a bunch of common mob stuff that is handled in predictable ways. Just rewatch The Godfather and thank me later for the advice. Rating: 2/5

  • Fever Pitch: Cute adaptation of the Nick Hornby novel about a rabid Red Sox fan who finally understands the true meaning of love starring cute Jimmy Fallon and cute Drew Barrymore. Not bad, but you may need to test for diabetes after ingesting this much sweetness. Rating 2/5

  • The Town: Didn’t see it. It sounds like a Boston vanity piece. Rating: 2/5

  • Mystic River: A gripping and sad tale with an all-star cast (Kevin Bacon, Tim Robbins, Sean Penn) that is about a murder of a child and the father’s suspicion of an old childhood friend who was a victim of kidnapping years ago. I loved this movie but I am a sucker for Clint Eastwood films. Rating: 4/5

  • Boston Legal: Never saw the show, but it has fat William Shatner in it hamming it up. I love it! Rating: 3/5

  • Boston Public: Now I actually watched this show for a bit; it aired while I still was a teacher. The experiences in the classroom….spot on!! It was like a frickin’ documentary. Or not. Rating: 2/5

  • Cheers: Hey, another show I’ve actually seen. This was the first sit-com I loved. I would make it appointment TV every Thursday and watch every rerun on syndication at 10:30pm, despite having to wake up at 6:00am. I don’t think it has held up as much as we like to remember, but kudos to a show that has entered the zeitgeist and has staid for so long. Rating: 4.5/5

  • Good Will Hunting: I guess I am supposed to like this movie because it has ‘math’ in it. But I did not. At all. It reeks of a straight up vanity piece by Damon/Affleck: creating and living out some stupid dream of being some blue-collar guy who in secret is really wicked smaht. But instead of looking like some sort of complex and interesting human study, it just came off naive and self-centered. That is not how things work in the real world. Also, I hate bullies, and that was what Will Hunting was; a bully who lorded over his intellect over others. But I will say that Robin Williams was pretty good in it. Regardless, I did not like dem apples. Rating: 1/5

So there you go, your guide to Boston based shows and movies. Yeah, apparently this is not my favorite city for this kind of stuff. In sum, turn to New York for your city-based entertainment.

Or better yet, Hobbiton.