New York, I Love You (And Always Have): Top Ten New York Movie Moments

After premiering at the Toronto Film Festival more than a year ago, the long awaited New York, I Love You is finally being released in New York theaters this Friday. A collaborative effort, New York, I Love You is an anthology of 10+ shorts directed by the likes of Brett Ratner to Natalie Portman, and starring almost every actor in the world. To celebrate its arrival -- and the arrival of glorious Fall in New York -- we've nostalgically compiled a list of the cheesiest, most romantic, most epic and irresistible movies starring our favorite city. 1. Manhattan One of Woody Allen's many silver screen love letters to New York, the opener to this 1979 film has become a classic all on its own, perfectly capturing the combination of majesty and neurosis that is New York. In addition to Diane Keaton's unforgettable lines ("What do you want? I say what's on my mind, and if you can't take it well then fuck off"), it features Woody Allen making out with a 17-year-old during a carriage ride through Central Park, there is iconic shot of Queensboro bridge all of which make it easy to believe Allen when he says of Manhattan, "it's really a knockout," as he looks over the East River. 2. Moonstruck La bella luna! This film about an Italian American family living in Brooklyn Heights is so packed with unforgettable scenes it's hard to pick just one: Cher and Cage meeting at the Met fountain, the streets of Brooklyn, Cosmo's moon, that house! ("It's a house.") Actually, you don't have to choose because the entire movie is on YouTube. NEXT: The Ephron Years - When Harry Meets Sally, When Seattle Meets the Empire State Building 3. When Harry Met Sally The 1989 flick that instantly made Meg Ryan America's new sweetheart, it also reintroduced the eternal question: can a guy and a girl can actually be just friends. We can't believe it's been twenty years since Harry met Sally, but we'll never forget the impossible-to-not-love love story that they created, from the moment Harry dropped Sally off at Washington Square Park to the night they finally do it, plus the post-coitus awkwardness, and the post awkwardness reconciliation that ends in this epic moment. But the moment that will live in infamy, and also put pastrami sandwiches and Katz's on the national map, is this one: 4. Sleepless In Seattle While we're on the subject of Meg Ryan, here is that other Nora Ephron-directed favorite Sleepless In Seattle, the movie which updated the famous Empire State Building plot point from An Affair To Remember for modern audiences. NEXT: The Sex, The Romance, The Plaza! 5. The Way We Were 20 years before its cameo at the end of Sleepless in Seattle (also, Sex and the City!) , Manhattan made another epic appearance at the end of a tearjerking love story. The Way We Were tells the story of an outspoken, radical anti-war activist's inability to resist the gorgeous and talented, but apathetic Robert Redford. Though a lot of the movie takes place in California, the final memorable scene in front of the Plaza Hotel. Both in trench coats that epitomize autumn New York weather, she tells Redford, now her ex-husband, "Your girl is lovely, Hubbell." She sweeps his hair to the side before the two embrace in one last hug and part forever. Swoon. 6. Sex and the City Women and gay men everywhere were elated to live vicariously one last time through the lives of Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda, our favorite Manolo sporting, Birken bag carrying, man eating 40-ish year old women. There's no question that New York is the fifth character of SATC, whether we were watching Miranda and Steve reunite on the Brooklyn Bridge or drooling over Carrie and Big's Fifth Avenue penthouse. The movie couldn't hold a candle to the series, but it served as a nice reminder to go back and watch the DVD's. >>>NEXT: It's Always Christmas in New York 7. Home Alone 2 The Plaza Hotel has another scene stealing cameo in this sequel-that's-better-than-the-original. Little Macaulay Culkin finds himself separated from his family and alone in New York City during the Christmas holiday. Our favorite New York moments? Kevin ordering an obscene amount of ice cream via Plaza Hotel room service, creepy pigeon lady saving Kevin's life with bird feed in Central Park, and obviously his tearjerking reunion with his mom under the big Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. 8. Elf Another holiday favorite that we seem to watch on TBS every year, Elf has become one of those classic New York movies through sheer repetion (and also the only Will Ferrell movie where he doesn't make an ass of himself, at least not in a vulgar way anyway). Ferrell plays Buddy the Elf, who sets off for Manhattan in search of his biological father while encountering almost every New York City cliché that exists - finding employment at the Macy's-like Gimbels, kissing a girl while ice skating at Rockefeller Center, and a Central Park sleigh ride. We don't mind though, because Zooey Deschanel's shower rendition of Baby It's Cold Outside transcends cheesiness and is just plain impressive. >>>NEXT: The Essentials 9. Rear Window Lest we forget the classics! Actually there are far, far, far, too many of those to even begin to list; one might argue Hollywood made New York and was made by New York in equal measure. So here are two particular favorites. Hitchcock's Rear Window may not be the best Hitchcock film (though it's close!) but it is maybe the best depiction of both the intimately close living quarters that exist in New York AND the utter oppressiveness of summer in the city. Also, James Stewart and Grace Kelly. That is all. 10. Breakfast At Tiffany's Does this need an introduction? Probably not. But here are two clips for good measure.

New York, I Love You (And Always Have): Top Ten New York Movie Moments

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New York, I Love You (And Always Have): Top Ten New York Movie Moments

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