Around the world, millions of people are adapting to their new routines, staying at home as much as possible in order to flatten the Coronavirus curve and help save lives. For some, all this extra time indoors may lead to a rapidly depleting Netflix/Hulu/Amazon/Criterion queue. So, allow us to recommend some films that feature SOM-designed buildings…
Want to maintain those anxious, end-of-the-world vibes? Check out Cloverfield (2008), in which one of the main characters ends up stuck in her Time Warner Center apartment as a monster attacks New York, forcing everyone to flee while the U.S. military destroys the city in order to kill said monster. If you’re looking for more of a spy thriller, you can’t go wrong with Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol (2011), in which an IMF agent played by Tom Cruise dramatically scales the Burj Khalifa in his efforts to break up a plot to start a nuclear war.
But if you’re looking to lower your blood pressure, How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying (1967) makes use of 270 Park Avenue as the main headquarters of the absurdly complex World-Wide Wicket Company, and Reality Bites (1994) features a group of Gen-Xers just out of college, hanging out on the rooftop of Houston’s Two Shell Plaza before embarking on a definitive mid-’90s journey through the real world. There are also classics like Zoolander (2001), featuring 9 West 57th Street as the headquarters of the evil fashion guru Mugatu (we just gave you a Ben Stiller doubleheader), and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986), in which a group of high school friends leisurely enjoy a day around Chicago, including a stop at the observation deck of the Sears (now Willis) Tower.
While Americans can’t cheer on their favorite baseball team right now, they can look back at the true story of the pioneering maneuvers within the front office of the Oakland Athletics (whose home games still take place at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum) to become competitive again in Moneyball (2011), as well as the very untrue story of a teen leading the Minnesota Twins to a one-game playoff in the Hubert Humphrey Metrodome as seen in Little Big League (1994).
Further back in time, Dirty Harry (1971) makes use of the rooftop of then-new 555 California Street in San Francisco, where “Scorpio,” a character inspired by the real-life Zodiac Killer, shoots a woman on a nearby hotel rooftop pool. 555 California has made quite a few appearances on the silver screen, in fact, including movies such as The Towering Inferno (1974), An Eye For An Eye (1981), and Bullitt (1968) when the building was still under construction.
For more recent films and buildings, Crazy Rich Asians (2019) shows off Singapore Changi International Airport, while a scene in Marriage Story (2019) sees Adam Driver’s character crossing Sunset Boulevard with Sunset La Cienega Residences in the background. And in Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017), starring Denzel Washington, the Los Angeles Federal Courthouse makes an appearance.
Of course, we can’t forget Columbus (2017), which centers on the small Indiana city’s disproportionately large collection of stunning 20th-century architecture. During a conversation between the two main characters, Jin and Casey, on the steps of City Hall, Jin takes note of the building’s cantilevered walls. Casey also appears inside the former Republic Newspaper Office to apply for a job, and watches the building being cleaned at night. Even the original soundtrack pays homage to the city’s architectural legacy: each track is named after an architect, with #6 titled SOM, and #12 Goldsmith (for Myron).
And there are plenty more. During our work-from-home mandate, cinephiles at SOM have put together a list of movies we’ve seen where our buildings appear. Spotted one we missed? Let us know!
Best of Everything (1959), Lever House
How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying (1967), 270 Park Avenue
Bullitt (1968), 555 California Street
The Monitors (1969), University of Illinois at Chicago campus
Midnight Cowboy (1969), 510 5th Avenue
Dirty Harry (1971), 555 California Street
Klute (1973), 140 Broadway
The Towering Inferno (1974), 555 California Street
Animal House (1978), Autzen Stadium
An Eye For An Eye (1981), 555 California Street
Invasion USA (1985), Georgia Pacific Tower
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986), Willis Tower
Poltergeist 3 (1988), 875 N. Michigan Avenue
Robocop 3 (1993), AT&T Midtown Center
Speed (1994), Gas Company Tower
Reality Bites (1994), Two Shell Plaza
Little Big League (1994), Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
The Daytrippers (1996), Lever House
Michael (1996), Willis Tower
The Game (1997), One Bush Plaza
Charlie’s Angels (2000) Gas Company Tower
Zoolander (2001), 9 West 57th Street
28 Days Later (2002), Canary Wharf
Collateral (2004), Gas Company Tower
Stranger Than Fiction (2006), University of Illinois at Chicago campus
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006), One Front Street
Run Fat Boy Run (2007), Broadgate — Exchange House
Perfect Stranger (2007), 7 World Trade Center
Cloverfield (2008), Time Warner Center
The Dark Knight (2008) 401 N. Wabash
Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol (2011), Burj Khalifa
Moneyball (2011) Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
The Dark Knight Rises (2012), 28 Liberty
Skyfall (2012), Broadgate – Exchange House, Jin Mao Tower
Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014), Hong Kong Convention Center
The Lake House (2014), The Chicago Picasso
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014), Broadgate — Exchange House
Non-Stop (2014), JFK Airport Terminal 4
Jupiter Ascending (2015), Willis Tower
The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017), The Christ Hospital Joint and Spine Center
Columbus (2017), Columbus City Hall and Republic Newspaper Offices
Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017), Los Angeles Federal Courthouse
The First Purge (2018), One World Trade Center
Ocean’s 8 (2018), One World Trade Center
Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse (2018), One World Trade Center
Avengers: Infinity War (2018), One World Trade Center
Crazy Rich Asians (2019), Changi International Airport — Terminal 3
Marriage Story (2019), Sunset La Cienega — Residences
Pokemon Detective Pikachu (2019), 201 Bishopsgate and Broadgate Tower
Next up in your queue:
