NOTE: This post was originally published in February 2019 and updated for 2020.
Can you feel it in the air? It’s Oscars season once again — the 92nd Annual Academy Awards air Sunday at 8 p.m. on ABC — and that means everyone is talking about the year’s best films. Who saw “Parasite,” who thought “Joker” was overrated, who is pulling for “1917,” the same conversations swirl on and on.
But here’s our local twist for this movie maelstrom: let’s take a deep dive into all the great flicks most people have no idea were actually shot in New Jersey. Some of these blockbusters were set in the Garden State and filmed here accordingly, others were set elsewhere (New York most commonly) and instead used New Jersey as a fill-in backdrop. Most of this list was created using data from IMDB, provided by Verve Search.
Here’s our list of all the surprising locales — we tried to leave out the really obvious ones like “Paterson” and all the Kevin Smith cult classics — but this is by no means a definitive list. If you have your own fun fact to share, tell us in the comments.
“The Irishman” (2019)
The Scorsese mobster epic starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, which is nominated for nine Academy Awards this year, shot some background scenes on Spruce Street in Paterson.
“Joker” (2019)
Very early in the acclaimed DC Comics-adjacent drama, the first major action of the movie takes place on Newark’s Market Street. Later, the old Paramount Theatre got a new marquee reading “Newart,” since “Joker” is set in the fictional city of Gotham, of course.
“The Wolf Of Wall Street” (2013)
This uber-vulgar blockbuster starring Leonardo DiCaprio used the Closter Plaza shopping mall in Bergen County for a scene where Brad (Jon Bernthal) gets arrested with a suitcase full of money. Here’s a behind-the-scenes clip of filming in Closter.
“The Godfather” (1972)
Regarded by some as the greatest film of all time, Francis Ford Coppola’s gangster masterpiece used an area in Jersey City that would become Liberty State Park for its famous “Leave the gun. Take the cannoli,” scene between Peter Clemenza and Rocco Lampone. See it in the above clip.
“Goodfellas” (1990)
“How am I funny?” New Jersey was all over this gangster classic: The Palisades Interstate Parkway and Marlboro were used as backdrops but most famously, a house on Inwood Terrace in Fort Lee was used as Henry Hill’s (Ray Liotta’s) family home in the flick. See it in the above clip.
“The Dark Knight Rises” (2012)
The third installment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy was partially shot on the streets of Newark. City Hall on Broad Street and Military Park were both used in the film starring Christian Bale. See how “Gotham” police cars helped transform the Brick City in the above clip.
“A Beautiful Mind” (2001)
Fans of the Oscar-winning drama “A Beautiful Mind” will likely remember John Nash (Russell Crowe) as a student at Princeton University, but they might not know that this Ron Howard-directed film also shot in Belleville, Newark, East Orange, Jersey City, Bayonne and at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison.
“Empire Records” (1995)
This ‘90s coming-of-age staple tries to play off a casino scene as Las Vegas, but shrewd Jersey folks can tell the scene was actually shot in Atlantic City. See if you can tell in the clip above.
“Mean Girls” (2004)
Stop trying to make fetch happen and realize that Montclair High School was used for the cult favorite comedy — if your kid when there, maybe they sat in Regina George’s seat.
“Once Upon A Time In America” (1984)
Another gangster movie that filmed in New Jersey? Yep, this Robert De Niro flick used the Hoboken Terminal and Spring Lake in its filming.
“Ocean’s Eleven” (2001)
When you think “Ocean’s Eleven,” you think Las Vegas, right? Sure, but the scene where George Clooney recruits Bernie Mac to be part of his heist crew was shot in Atlantic City. East Jersey State Prison in Rahway was used here, too.
“The Incredible Hulk” (2008)
Before Mark Ruffalo was Marvel’s go-to Hulk, Edward Norton was messing around as the big, green angry guy and made sure to wreak some havoc at Drew University in Madison.
“Catch Me If You Can” (2002)
Another Scorsese hit starring DiCaprio briefly filmed in Orange, reportedly for either a bank or courthouse scene.
“Julie & Julia” (2009)
If you watch closely in this Meryl Streep-Amy Adams flick, you’ll see Adams using the Hoboken Railway Station as she cooks her way through Julia Child’s recipe book.
“Independence Day” (1996)
You will not go quietly into the night — man, that was a good speech — as long as you know that the action colossus “Independence Day” filmed in West New York (Hudson County) to depict Julius Levinson’s (Judd Hirsch’s) house and also filmed in Donnelly Memorial Park (the chess scene, see above clip).
“Highlander” (1986)
You know that big arena wrestling scene from “Highlander” that was ostensibly taking place inside Madison Square Garden? It was actually filmed inside the Izod Center in East Rutherford (then known as Meadowlands Arena). The more you know!
“A Bronx Tale” (1993)
Gangsters in Jersey again? Gangsters in Jersey again. The boxing scene from DeNiro’s “A Bronx Tale” takes place at The Armory in Jersey City, near McGinley Square.
“School Of Rock” (2003)
This enduring Jack Black comedy used a bunch of New Jersey locales for bits of shooting — spots in Edison, Franklin and Rahway — but the most notable was the exterior of the Union County Arts Center, which was used to set the scene for the film’s climactic Battle Of The Bands scene (the interior shots were filmed at a theater in Staten Island).
“The Devil’s Advocate” (1997)
The next time you drive past the sprawling Bergen County courthouse in Hackensack, know that the 1997 Keanu Reeves supernatural thriller “The Devil’s Advocate” filmed there, as have the movies “Changing Lanes,” “Hackers,” and “Before And After.”
“Twelve Monkeys” (1995)
Hey, Bruce Willis is a South Jersey guy (Carney’s Point) so it was only fitting that Camden would appear in Terry Gilliam’s Philadelphia-centric sci-fi neo-noir starring the actor, in a scene that includes The Oasis Motel in the city.
“American Gangster” (2007)
While a good deal of the hit crime film “American Gangster” was set in New Jersey (Russell Crowe’s character was a Newark detective), the only scene actually shot in the Garden State took place at the New Jersey Army National Guard Armory in Morristown, when Crowe surveys the dead body of his partner.
“Friday The 13th” (1980)
Ah, one of the most famous Jersey-set films of all time. And it was actually shot in New Jersey, too! The classic slasher used Camp Nobebosco in Blairstown to depict its infamous Camp Crystal Lake, and also shot at the Blairstown Diner among other spots around the state. Check out the above clip for a video tour.
“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” (2013)
Wait, “The Hunger Games” shot footage in New Jersey, too? Yes. A winter scene of Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) in the wintry Panem wilderness is actually the northwestern shore of Ramapo Lake in Oakland. You can see the lake about 31 seconds into this trailer.
“Coyote Ugly” (2000)
If you’ve seen this romantic comedy starring Piper Perabo and Tyra Banks, you’ll recall that Perabo’s character leaves her South Amboy home to try to make it as a singer in the big city. Accordingly, several locations from the Middlesex County town made it into the film, including the South Amboy Knights Of Columbus and 101 S. Broadway.
“I Am Legend” (2007)
Here’s another solid fakeout; near the end of the post-apocalyptic blockbuster “I Am Legend,” when the mother and child drive to a sanctuary in “Vermont” with Will Smith’s virus cure, that wasn’t Vermont at all — it was Mount Airy, N.J., a section of West Amwell Township in Hunterdon County. See it in the clip above.
“Men In Black” (1997)
Remember in “Men In Black” when Will Smith helps a woman give birth to a cute baby alien squid? That scene was shot in Liberty State Park in Jersey City. See the clip above.
“The Godfather: Part III” (1990)
Organized crime. New Jersey. We get it. The third “Godfather” installment includes a scene in the now-defunct Trump Castle Casino (became Trump Marina in 1997 and then The Golden Nugget in 2011).
“Scent Of A Woman” (1992)
Screenwriter Bo Goldman, a Princeton University alum (class of ‘53), chose to use his alma mater’s Rockefeller College to stand in for a prep school in this Golden Globe-winning Al Pacino flick.
“Karate Kid” (1984)
Even though Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) tells his new California friends that he’s from Newark, the truth is the opening scene that shows him and his mom leaving the city was actually shot on Franklin Avenue and Hamilton Street in adjacent Harrison. See it in the above clip.
“Don Jon” (2013)
This romantic comedy stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a playboy living in New Jersey and sure enough, the studio did a little bit of shooting in Hackensack. Skip to 2:15 in the above trailer to see Gordon-Levitt driving down the city’s Main Street.
“Burn After Reading” (2008)
The Coen Brothers used a storefront formerly occupied by Tower Records in Paramus to create “Hardbodies Gym” for this black comedy starring George Clooney, Frances McDormand and Brad Pitt.
“Unfaithful” (2002)
Spoiler alert: Richard Gere’s character kills a man in this movie and dumps his body in a landfill. Which landfill, you ask? Why, Edgeboro Landfill in East Brunswick, of course! Poor Olivier Martinez.
“Big” (1988)
Only the true Tom Hanks diehards will recall that Hanks’ character lived with his fictional family in Cliffside Park and, to director Penny Marshall’s credit, they actually shot in the Bergen County town! The movie shot on Oakdene and Greenmount Avenues, as well as at Palisades Interstate Park in Fort Lee. Hail Zoltan!
“The Village” (2004)
While the majority of M. Night Shyamalan’s thriller was shot in Delaware County, Pa. (just across the river from New Jersey), some shooting also took place in Pedricktown, a section of Oldmans Township in Salem County, a quick drive from the film’s Chadds Ford, Pa. homebase (where the titular small town was created).
“War Of The Worlds” (2005)
Could you imagine Tom Cruise living in Bayonne? Probably not, but that’s where the star’s character was residing when interstellar destruction hit Earth in 2005 with “War Of The Worlds.” A handful of New Jersey locations were used accordingly: JFK Boulevard in Bayonne, plus Ferry Street in Newark (see in the clip above), Howell and Elizabeth.
“Annie” (1982)
Go back and watch this family classic again: does the exterior of Daddy Warbucks’ mansion look familiar? That’s because it’s Wilson Hall, the most recognizable building on the Monmouth University campus in West Long Branch.
“When Harry Met Sally …” (1989)
You may have forgotten that Ron Reiner’s ultimate rom-com filmed at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford to capture the scene when Harry (Billy Crystal) discusses his divorce. See the clip above.
“The Wrestler” (2008)
This Golden Globe-winning drama starring Mickey Rourke as a past-his-prime wrestling star is full of Jersey moments, as it is largely set in the state; the strip club scene was reportedly shot at the Stiletto Club in Carlstadt and the scene where Rourke tries to bond with his daughter (played by Evan Rachel Wood) was shot on the Asbury Park boardwalk (see in the above clip). According to NorthJersey.com, Frenchy’s Bar and Grill in Roselle Park is seen as well.
“Zoolander” (2001)
“I think I got the black lung, pop.” When moronic model Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) goes to hilariously work with his family in a coal mine, the setting was actually the Ogdensburg Zinc mine in Sussex County. Who knew?
“Rounders” (1998)
When Matt Damon and Edward Norton are playing cards with the cops in “Rounders,” that scene was shot at the Elks lodge in Ridgefield Park. Never deal from the bottom of the deck.
“Leon” (1994)
This French-style thriller starring Jean Reno and Gary Oldman — and featured the first silver-screen appearance of Natalie Portman — used Hoboken and West New York to simulate New York City streets.
“Warrior” (2011)
This sports drama starring Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton earned co-star Nick Nolte an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor and filmed inside Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
“The Amityville Horror” (1979)
Can’t shoot in the real Amityville, huh? How about Toms River, then? In his adaptation of the 1977 horror novel, director Stuart Rosenberg used a home in Ocean County to recreate the forsaken 112 Ocean Ave. residence after he was reportedly unable to obtain permissions to film in the titular Long Island town. “Get out!”
“Donnie Brasco,” 1997
More mobsters, more Jersey. The family home was filmed in Clifton — try to spot the Clifton Camera Company store next time you watch.
“The Toxic Avenger,” 1984
The superhero black comedy surrounding the transformation of Melvin Ferd into the super-strong Toxic Avenger was shot all around the Garden State: Jersey City, Boonton, Harrison and Rutherford.
“West Side Story” (2020)
Steven Spielberg’s revamped “West Side Story” due out later this year and starring Bergen County teen Rachel Zegler spent time in both Paterson and Newark in 2019 getting some shots that will almost certainly be passed off as NYC.
Bobby Olivier may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BobbyOlivier and Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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