Popular Movies Filmed at The New York Public Library

Over the years, both the interior and the exterior of the Humanities and Social Sciences Library have been featured in many famous (and some not so famous) film projects. In Francis Ford Coppola’s madcap farce, You’re a Big Boy Now (1966), the Library itself is practically a character in the movie, whereas in 1999’s remake of The Thomas Crown Affair, the Beaux-Art landmark serves as an elegant stand-in for The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Occasionally, what you see on the screen is virtual: The New York Public Library featured in The Day After Tomorrow (2004) is entirely the product of Hollywood technical wizardly. Be assured, books have never been burned in the Rose Main Reading Room! Here follow some of the most memorable movies “starring” The New York Public Library...

Sex and the City: The Movie (2008)

Starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis, and Chris Noth; directed by Michael Patrick King

As Carrie Bradshaw plans her long-anticipated wedding to Mr. Big, with her best gal pals, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda, she suddenly learns that life doesn't play out like a fairytale. But when all else fails, you always have your closest friends to lean on.

Spider-Man 3 (2007)

Starring Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, and Thomas Haden Church; directed by Sam Raimi

A strange black entity from another world bonds with Peter Parker and causes inner turmoil as he contends with new villains, temptations, and revenge.

13 Going on 30 (2004)

Starring Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo; directed by Gary Winick

A 13-year-old girl plays a game on her 13th birthday and wakes up the next day as a 30-year-old woman.

The Day After Tomorrow (2004)

Starring Dennis Quaid and Jake Gyllenhaal; directed by Roland Emmerich

A climatologist tries to figure out a way to save the world from abrupt global warming. He must get to his young son in New York, which is being taken over by a new ice age.

Maid in Manhattan (2002)

Starring Jennifer Lopez and Ralph Fiennes; directed by Wayne Wang

A senatorial candidate falls for a hotel maid, thinking she is a socialite when he sees her trying on a wealthy woman's dress.

Spider-Man (2002)

Starring Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst, and James Franco; directed by Sam Raimi

When bitten by a genetically modified spider, a shy and awkward high school student gains spider-like abilities that he eventually must use to fight evil as a superhero after tragedy befalls his family.

Finding Forrester (2000)

Starring Sean Connery and Rob Brown; directed by Gus Van Sant

An African American teen writing prodigy finds a mentor in a reclusive author.

The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)

Starring Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo; directed by John McTiernan

A very rich and successful playboy amuses himself by stealing artwork, but may have met his match in a seductive detective.

Quiz Show (1994)

Starring John Turturro, Rob Morrow, and Ralph Fiennes; directed by Robert Redford

An idealistic young lawyer working for a Congressional subcommittee in the late 1950s discovers that TV quiz shows are being fixed.

Regarding Henry (1991)

Starring Harrison Ford and Annette Bening; directed by Mike Nichols

Henry is a lawyer who survives a shooting only to find he cannot remember anything. If that weren't enough, Henry also has to recover his speech and mobility, in a life he no longer fits into.

Prizzi's Honor (1985)

Starring Jack Nicholson, Kathleen Turner, and Angelica Huston; directed by John Huston

In this wickedly amusing black comedy of love, sex, and revenge, a Mob hit man and a freelance killer fall in love, complicating their lives and their jobs.

Ghostbusters (1984)

Starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Rick Moranis, and Sigourney Weaver; directed by Ivan Reitman

Three unemployed parapsychology professors set up shop as a unique ghost-removal service.

You're a Big Boy Now (1966)

Starring Elizabeth Hartman, Geraldine Page, Julie Harris, and Peter Kastner; directed by Francis Ford Coppola

Post-teen virgin moves to New York City, falls for a cold-hearted beauty, then finds true love with a loyal lass.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)

Starring Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, and Patricia Neal; directed by Blake Edwards

A young New York socialite becomes interested in a young man who has moved into her apartment building.