Cleveland's interesting ethnic neighborhoods and sports arenas have been the backdrop for numerous major movies. Below is a list of our favorite movies filmed in Northeast Ohio.
Air Force One (1997)
This thriller starring Harrison Ford opens with shots of Cleveland's City Hall building and scenes from Case Western Reserve University. The movie purports to be in Moscow, but it's actually right here in Cleveland.
American Splendor (2003)
This movie, starring Paul Giamatti as the Cleveland comic book writer, Harvey Pekar, was filmed entirely in the greater Cleveland area. The movie was nominated for an Academy Award and won the Sundance Jury Award.
Antwone Fisher (2002)
Based on a true story, Antwone Fisher tells about the life of a Cleveland boy, raised in foster care, who later, as a Navy seaman, explores and overcomes his troubled childhood. Portions of the film were shot in Cleveland.
Christmas Story (1983)
This "feel good" Christmas classic about Christmas in the 1940s, starring Darren McGavin and Peter Billingsly, was shot all over Cleveland: At the former Higbee's Department Store on Public Square, on W. 11th Street, and at various locations in the Tremont neighborhood. In late 2006, the house where this movie was filmed opened as an attraction. See my article on A Christmas Story House.
The Deer Hunter (1978)
This classic film, starring Robert DeNiro and a young Meryl Streep, pretends to take place in the Pittsburgh area. The wedding reception scene, however, was shot at St. Theodosius Russian Orthodox Chruch on Starkweather, in Cleveland's Tremont neighborhood.
The Fortune Cookie (1966)
This movie was the first of many pairing Jack Lemmon and Walter Matheau and the results are brilliant. The film, directed by Billy Wilder, features the now-classic repartee between Lemmon and Mattheau. Mattheau suffered a major heart attack after filming, but he won a best supporting actor Oscar for his performance. The film includes scenes filmed at St. Vincent Charity Hospital in Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood as well as the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium.
Happy Gilmore (1996)
This light comedy, starring Adam Sandler, tells the story of an out-of-work hockey player who tries to make it as a PGA golfer. Much of the movie is shot in and around Cleveland.
Major League (1989)
This fun film about a (sort of) fictional version of the Cleveland Indians in the 1980s features Charlie Sheen and Tom Berenger as the last-place baseball team whose new (female) owner wants them to lose so that she can sell the team. Of course, they rally and win. Some scenes were shot at the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium (although the majority feature Milwaukee's stadium).
Welcome to Collinwood (2002)
This film starring George Clooney and William H. Macy traces the antics of five Cleveland small-time thieves. It was shot in Cleveland's Collinwood neighborhood, in downtown, and in Slavic Village, at Broadway and E 55th St.
Light of Day (1987)
(courtesy of Pricegrabber)
This, somewhat forgettable, film starring Michael J. Fox and Joan Jett is still fun for Clevelanders because of its local settings and references. The movie, about a brother-sister rock and roll duo, features scenes filmed in Cleveland Heights and Cleveland's University Circle neighborhood. There's even a glimpse of Akron native, Trent Reznor, right before he burst to fame with "Nine Inch Nails."
Spider-man 3 (2007)
(© Columbia Pictures)
A more recent addition to the list of movies filmed in Cleveland is Spider-man 3 (2007), with portions filmed along Euclid Avenue in downtown Cleveland.
The Soloist (2009)
The Soloist stars Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx in a story about a Cleveland man, Nathaniel Ayers (Downey), from the Hough neighborhood who learned to play the string bass at the Cleveland Music School Settlement, earning a scholarship to New York's Julliard School. Before he could fulfill his promise, however, he suffers a mental collapse and falls to the depths of schizophrenia.The screenwriter, Steve Lopez (Foxx) meets Ayers living in a tunnel in Los Angeles and tries to help him with mixed results.
Portions of the film, to be released in early 2009, were filmed in Cleveland's Hough neighborhood, along the Detroit-Carnegie Bridge, and in the Flats.
