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The Best Movies Set in Chicago

Posted on April 30, 2024   |   Updated on September 30, 2025
City Cast Chicago staff

City Cast Chicago staff

Tony Todd holds onto Virginia Madsen in a scene from the 1992 film “Candyman.”

Tony Todd holds onto Virginia Madsen in a scene from the 1992 film “Candyman.” (TriStar / Getty)

There are plenty of beloved films set in Chicago — including Minhal Baig’s recently released “We Grown Now,” a coming-of-age story set in Cabrini-Green in the ‘90s. We’re revisiting other Chicago films that make cinephiles laugh, cry, and think.

If you are looking for another movie set in Cabrini-Green, the 1992 horror cult classic follows an urban legend of a man with a hook arm haunting the public housing complex.

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'Candyman' Has Been Scaring Chicago for 30 Years

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The weather is warming up, and you might want to play hooky like Ferris Bueller in the iconic 1986 John Hughes movie. One local reporter actually followed Ferris’ itinerary in a day — squeezing in a Cubs game, Art Institute visit, and even the Von Steuben parade.

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It’s Time to Take a Day Off Like Ferris Bueller

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There’s no denying that the 1997 film starring Larenz Tate and Nia Long belongs in rom-com canon. Between all the poetry and on-screen chemistry, you’re guaranteed to be in your feels.

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Why ‘Love Jones’ Belongs in Rom-Com Canon

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More than 30 years after it first came out, the thriller starring Harrison Ford as a wrongly accused surgeon looking to clear his name and find his wife’s murderer still has us on the edge of our seats.

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Is ‘The Fugitive’ Chicago’s Greatest Movie?

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Steve Martin and John Candy in a scene from the 1987 film “Planes, Trains & Automobiles.”

Steve Martin and John Candy in a scene from the 1987 film “Planes, Trains and Automobiles.” (Paramount / Getty)

The Thanksgiving comedy starring Steve Martin and John Candy follows two accidental travel companions trying to make it back to Chicago for the holiday. Trust us: It’s funny year-round.

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‘Planes, Trains, and Automobiles’ Is the Best Thanksgiving Movie

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A CTA worker’s longtime crush ends up in a coma, and she gets mistaken for his fiancee by his family. If you dig transit and romance, this film starring Sandra Bullock is for you.

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Why Chicago is Perfect for a Holiday Rom-Com

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