Behind the Scenes in Syracuse: Movies Made in the Heart of New York

Think you know Syracuse? Think again!

From gritty sports dramas to quirky comedies, our city has been the backdrop for some unforgettable films. Check out our guide below for a cinematic journey through your own backyard.

Slap Shot (1977)

Look for scenes featuring: The War Memorial

Starring: Paul Newman, Michael Ontkean, and Strother Martin

Streaming on: Netflix, Amazon Prime

In the small New England town of Charlestown, the local mill is about to lay off 10,000 workers. The town's minor league hockey team, the Charlestown Chiefs, is doing no better. After years of failure, this will be the team's last season. Exasperated player and coach Reggie Dunlop (Paul Newman) lets the club's recent acquisitions, the Hanson Brothers, play. The brothers' actively violent and thuggish style of play excites the fans. Dunlop retools the team, using violence to draw big crowds.

The Express (2008)

Look for scenes featuring: Syracuse University

Starring: Rob Brown, Dennis Quaid, and Clancy Brown

Streaming on: Max, Amazon Prime

Born into poverty, Ernie Davis (Rob Brown) overcomes many obstacles to get into Syracuse University's football program. Under the guidance of Coach Ben Schwartzwalder (Dennis Quaid), Davis becomes one of the school's best players, even surpassing Jim Brown's achievements. In 1961 Davis becomes the first black player to win the Heisman Trophy, but there is one more obstacle in his life that he must overcome.

Adult World (2013)

Look for scenes featuring: Syracuse University and East Syracuse

Starring: Emma Roberts, Evan Peters, and John Cusack

Streaming on: AMC+, Paramount+, Amazon Prime

A recent college graduate and aspiring poet takes a job as a clerk at an adult bookstore. After meeting her literary idol, she tries to convince the contemptuous writer to take her on as his protege by promising to clean his house.

The Paper Store (2016)

Look for scenes featuring: Armory Square and Downtown Syracuse

Starring: Stef Dawnson, Penn Badgley, Richard Kind

Streaming on: Tubi, Amazon Prime

An ex-college student writes essays for money, that is until a grad student becomes her lover, but things go terribly wrong when a professor discovers their scheme.

Mohawk (2017)

Look for scenes featuring: Skä•noñh Great Law of Peace Center

Starring: Kaniehtiio Horn, Ezra Buzzington, Eamon Farren

Streaming on: Freevee, Tubi, Amazon Prime

After one member of her tribe sets an American camp ablaze, a young Mohawk warrior finds herself pursued by a contingent of military renegades set on revenge. Fleeing deep into the woods they call home, Oak and Calvin, along with their British companion Joshua, must now fight back against the bloodthirsty Col. Holt and his soldiers. They must use every resource that the forest can offer.

Pottersville (2017)

Look for scenes featuring: East Syracuse

Starring: Michael Shannon, Judy Greer, and Ron Perlman

Streaming on: Plex, Tubi, Amazon Prime

Maynard, a beloved local businessman, is mistaken for the legendary Bigfoot during an inebriated romp through town in a makeshift gorilla costume.

American Dresser (2018)

Look for scenes featuring: Heid’s, Carrier Circle, Solvay, and the NYS Fairgrounds

Starring: Gina Gershon, Jeff Fahey, Penelope Ann Miller

Streaming on: Freevee, Tubi, Amazon Prime

When a man discovers he has a child he's never met, he and his best friend get on their motorcycles to drive across America.

Asher (2018)

Look for scenes featuring: the Sedgwick Neighborhood, East Syracuse, Hotel Syracuse, and Green Lakes

Starring: Ron Perlman, Framke Janssen, Jacqueline Bisset

Streaming on: Amazon Prime

Asher is a former Mossad agent turned gun-for-hire, living an austere life in an ever-changing Brooklyn. Approaching the end of his career, he breaks the oath he took as a young man when he meets Sophie on a hit gone wrong. In order to have love in his life before it's too late, he must kill the man he was, for a chance at becoming the man he wants to be

The Mountain (2019)

Look for scenes featuring: Syracuse University

Starring: Tye Sheridan, Udo Kier, Larry Fessenden

Streaming on: Amazon Prime

Since his mother's confinement to an institution, a man has lived in the shadow of his stoic father. A family acquaintance employs the introverted young man as a photographer to document an asylum tour advocating for his lobotomy procedure.

The Shed (2019)

Look for scenes featuring: Manlius

Starring: Jay Jay Warren, Cody Kostro, Sofia Happonen

Streaming on: AMC+, Amazon Prime

A teen and his best friend endure nonstop torment from bullies at school, but that soon changes when one discovers a bloodthirsty creature that resides in a country shed.

Big Time Adolescence (2019)

Look for scenes featuring: The Everson, the Palace Theatre, the Sound Garden, and the Eastwood Neighborhood

Starring: Pete Davidson, Griffin Gluck, Thomas Barbusca

Streaming on: Hulu

A suburban teenager comes of age under the destructive guidance of his best friend, an aimless college dropout.

Infidelity (2020)

Look for scenes featuring: Onondaga Creek Walk, the City of Syracuse

Starring: Da’Javeon Bellamy, Janesha Corbitt, Makayla Grobsmith

Streaming on: Peacock, Plex, Amazon Prime, Tubi

Sisters Tracy and Lena are sleeping with each other's husbands, Von and Alex. The punishment is worse than the crime when all become entangled in more than just lies and deception, but also murder.

Holly Slept Over (2020)

Look for scenes featuring: Downtown Syracuse, Manlius, Pompey

Starring: Josh Lawson, Nathaniel Emmanuel, Britt Lower

Streaming on: Amazon Prime

This unconventional comedy follows the relationship struggles of a married couple trying to conceive, their friends who have lost their spark, and the tension that ensues when an old college roommate stays over for the weekend.

Banana Split (2020)

Look for scenes featuring: Heid’s, the Palace Theatre, and the Sedgwick Neighborhood

Starring: Hannah Marks, Liana Liberato, Dylan Sprouse

Streaming on: Freevee, Roku, Amazon Prime

Over the course of a summer, two teenage girls develop the perfect kindred spirit friendship, with one big problem: one of them is dating the other's ex.

The Binge (2020)

Look for scenes featuring: Onondaga Lake Parkway, Carnegie Library, Clinton Square, and Liverpool

Starring: Vince Vaughn, Skyler Gisondo, Dexter Darden, Eduardo Franco

Streaming on: Hulu

Set in a time where all drugs and alcohol are illegal, the only day anyone can participate in the "fun" is on Binge day.

Odd Man Rush (2020)

Look for scenes featuring: East Syracuse

Starring: Jack Mulhern, Dylan Playfair, Caspar Phillipson

Streaming on: Plex, Roku, Amazon Prime

When Harvard hockey's Bobby Sanders lands in Sweden's minor leagues, his relationship with the girl at the local market forces him to confront the reality of his childhood NHL dreams.

The Night House (2020)

Look for scenes featuring: Maxwell’s, Hanover Square, and Skaneateles

Starring: Rebecca Hall, Sarah Goldberg, Vondie Curtis-Hall

Streaming on: FXNOW, Amazon Prime

Reeling from the unexpected death of her husband, Beth is left alone in the lakeside home he built for her. She tries as best she can to keep together-but then the dreams come. Disturbing visions of a presence in the house call to her, beckoning with a ghostly allure. But the harsh light of day washes away any proof of a haunting. Against the advice of her friends, she begins digging into his belongings, yearning for answers.

Looks That Kill (2020)

Look for scenes featuring: Long Branch Park, The Market Diner, and various Greater Syracuse areas.

Starring: Brandon Flynn, Tom Proctor, Annie Mumolo

Streaming on: MGM+, Peacock, Amazon Prime

A teenage boy who deals with the consequences of being lethally attractive has his life changed when he meets Alex, a girl struggling with a congenital defect.

The Ultimate Playlist of Noise (2021)

Look for scenes featuring: Green Lakes, The Gem Diner, The Westcott Theatre, Onondaga Lake Park, and Downtown Syracuse

Starring: Keean Johnson, Madeline Brewer, Rya Kihlstedt

Streaming on: Hulu

Marcus, an audio-obsessed high school senior, learns he must undergo brain surgery that will render him deaf, and decides to seize control of his fate by recording the Ultimate Playlist of Noise.

Gustav Stickley - American Craftsman (2021)

Look for scenes featuring: The Greater Syracuse area and Skaneateles

Streaming on: Amazon Prime

The dramatic story of American furniture designer, architect and early lifestyle entrepreneur Gustav Stickley and his rise, fall and eventual resurrection as an icon and founder of the first true "American style".

Paper Spiders (2021)

Look for scenes featuring: The B’Ville Diner, The Red Mill Inn, Al’s Wine & Whiskey Lounge, and Armory Square

Starring: Lili Taylor, Stefania LaVie Owen, Peyton List

Streaming on: Tubi, Amazon Prime

A teen makes a series of tough choices as her mother's paranoid delusions threaten to destroy their loving relationship.

Plan B (2021)

Look for scenes featuring: Marcellus, Onondaga Lake Park, and Skaneateles

Starring: Kuhoo Verma, Victoria Moroles, Michael Provost

Streaming on: Hulu

After a regrettable sexual encounter, a straight-laced student and her best friend have 24 hours to hunt down a Plan B pill in South Dakota.

Sex Appeal (2022)

Look for scenes featuring: Onondaga Lake Park and the Village of Liverpool

Starring: Mika Abdalla, Jake Short, Fortune Feimster

Streaming on: Hulu

A teen tests her sex appeal on her oldest friend when her long-distance boyfriend wants to take their relationship to the next level.

Crush (2022)

Look for scenes featuring: Jordan-Elbdridge High School, Paul V. Moore High School

Starring: Rowan Blanchard, Auli’i Cravalho, Isabella Ferreira

Streaming on: Hulu

When a young artist is forced to join her high school track team, she uses it as a chance to pursue the girl for whom she's been harboring a crush. But she finds herself falling for an unexpected teammate and discovering what real love feels like.

I Love my Dad (2022)

Look for scenes featuring: Salt City Market, Western Ranch Motor Inn, and Carl’s Kountry Kitchen

Starring: Patton Oswalt, James Morosini, Claudia Sulewski

Streaming on: Hulu, Amazon Prime

A desperate father poses as a woman online to reconnect with his estranged son, but things get complicated when the young man wants to meet her in person.