There is a very specific kind of summer movie that makes you want to immediately put on a sundress, order an iced coffee, and walk around New York with absolutely nowhere to be. The kind where the city looks impossibly romantic, every apartment has better lighting than yours, and a casual walk to dinner somehow feels like the beginning of a love story. Before summer officially slips away, these are three classic NYC rom-coms to watch—not just for the romance, but for the city itself.
First up: Something’s Gotta Give. This is the movie for anyone who believes that Manhattan is at its most romantic when it feels slightly grown-up. While much of the story takes place at Harry’s Hamptons house, the New York scenes are pure Upper East Side fantasy. Erica Barry’s beautiful townhouse, the elegant streets, the restaurants, and the general feeling that everyone has somewhere fabulous to be make the city feel like the ultimate backdrop for falling in love later than expected.
And then there is that unforgettable moment when Harry has to navigate Manhattan alone after his heart attack, wandering around the city in a way that suddenly makes it feel less like a backdrop and more like a character. The movie captures a particular New York that is polished but lived-in: brownstones, bookstores, restaurants, taxis, and women wearing gorgeous sweaters while having emotionally complicated conversations.
But the real NYC fantasy is Erica herself. She is a successful playwright with a beautiful home and a life she has carefully constructed—and then Jack Nicholson’s Harry crashes into it. Watching their relationship unfold against Manhattan and the Hamptons feels like spending a weekend inside someone else’s impossibly chic life. It is cozy, romantic, and exactly the kind of movie that makes you want to buy a cream cardigan.
Next: Something Borrowed. If Something’s Gotta Give is sophisticated New York, Something Borrowed is young New York—the city of post-work drinks, birthday dinners, tiny apartments, big feelings, and constantly running into someone you absolutely did not want to see.
The movie gives you a particularly fun tour of Manhattan, with scenes around the Upper West Side, Greenwich Village, and Central Park. Rachel’s life is deeply intertwined with the city, and the movie leans into that quintessential New York feeling that your entire social life can exist within a few blocks of your apartment. There are restaurants, bars, streets lined with brownstones, and plenty of opportunities for characters to dramatically run into one another at exactly the wrong moment.
Central Park is especially perfect for the movie’s romantic energy. There is something inherently rom-com about walking through the park with someone you’ve known forever and suddenly realizing that maybe you see them differently. Add in the fact that the characters are constantly dressed for an aspirational version of New York life, and the whole movie becomes a time capsule of the city in the early 2010s.
It is messy and slightly chaotic, but that’s part of the charm. Something Borrowed is for the girl who wants her summer to involve a rooftop drink, a cute outfit, an unexpected run-in, and perhaps one emotionally irresponsible decision before Labor Day.
And finally, The Devil Wears Prada. Technically, this is not a traditional rom-com, but honestly, it is too iconic to leave off a list of movies that make you want to fall in love with New York. The romance is secondary; the real love story is between Andy Sachs and the city itself.
The movie gives you some of the most recognizable NYC imagery imaginable: Central Park, Times Square, the Plaza Hotel, Madison Avenue, the West Village, and the gorgeous streets of Manhattan. Andy’s transformation from an aspiring writer to a fashion-world insider is basically a walking tour of New York through increasingly fabulous outfits.
And the Plaza Hotel deserves its own moment. There is something about seeing that grand entrance, the taxis outside, the polished interiors, and the characters moving through the city in impossibly good clothes that makes New York feel like the world’s most glamorous playground. Meanwhile, Andy’s apartment and her walks through the city capture another side of New York—the slightly scrappy, slightly overwhelming version where you are figuring out who you are while trying to keep up.
Together, these three movies offer three different NYC fantasies. Press play and let Manhattan do what it does best: make ordinary life look just a little bit more romantic.
— Your Friend
