Providence: Movies Filmed in the City

Bleed For This, the much-anticipated (and surprisingly well reviewed) Vinny Paz biopic, opens in theatres on November 18. While Miles Teller, Aaron Eckhart and Katey Sagal are in the movie, we all know who the real star is: Little Rhody. Here’s a look back at some of our other moments on the silver screen.

1 Downtown
Bleed For This filmed at various locations in Warwick, at Twin River in Lincoln and at our very own Dunkin’ Donuts Center – which we can only hope they filmed with its real name, the Providence Civic Center.

2 Hope Street
The Steve Carell dramedy Dan in Real Life takes place mainly on Aquidneck Island, but the opening scene was filmed at Seven Stars Bakery on Hope Street. The real comedy in that movie? The idea that Dane Cook could ever land a classy French lady like Juliet Binoche.

3 Broadway
The East Side’s Seven Stars isn’t the only one to have its 15 minutes of fame. Seven Stars’ Broadway location was transformed into a bookstore cafe for the upcoming November Criminals, starring Chloe Grace Moretz, Catherine Keener and that guy from the kids-with-cancer-fall-in-love movie that all the tweens adore.

4 Westminster Street
Of all the things Woody Allen loves, he loves Westminster Street best. Irrational Man, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Emma Stone, filmed at Loie Fuller and Classic Cafe, both on the West Side extension of Westminster – though Joaquin was spotted smoking butts outside basically every bar in town.

5 South Water Street
In a scene from There’s Something About Mary, Ben Stiller and Chris Elliott sit at the bar at The Hot Club, with a full view of the iconic power plant in the background. There’s even a plaque on the wall commemorating the moment. FWIW, they didn’t order beans and franks.

6 Brown University
Remember that time Fred Durst directed a movie? Neither does anyone else – but he did, and he did it in Providence. Portions of The Education of Charlie Banks, starring a pre-Zombieland Jesse Eisenberg, filmed on the Brown campus.

7 The State House
In a stunning moment of prescience, The Purge: Election Year predicted the horror show that has become this year’s election season. The movie filmed in Woonsocket and downtown at the State House.

8 Hope High School
Underdog, the Rocky and Bullwinkle offshoot that nobody ever asked for, filmed at Hope High School and brought along Jim Belushi, Patrick Warburton and Tyrion Lannister himself, Peter Dinklage.

9 Oak Hill
While Jack Black’s The Polka King filmed all over the greater Providence area this summer, including at the State House and Rhodes on the Pawtuxet in Cranston, we’re happy that Pawtucket’s Modern Diner finally got the spotlight it deserves. (No, Guy Fieri doesn’t count.)

10 Wayland Square
Infinitely Polar Bear, the indie movie that earned Mark Ruffalo a Golden Globe nod, shot primarily in Wayland Square. Ruffalo himself was often spotted walking to work from his East Side apartment.