A Guide to Boston-Inspired Movies, TV Shows, Books, Podcasts, and Songs

Let’s say, for example (like me), that you weren’t able to eat at the Tasty Sandwich Shop in Harvard Square before it closed and a CVS took its place. To see it represented in this indelible scene from “Good Will Hunting” is to better capture the romantic and bohemian atmosphere that still reigns in the neighborhood. Meanwhile, more contemporary entries in the Boston canon — like Elif Batuman’s 2017 novel “The Idiot” or the 2023 film “American Fiction” — help illuminate the diversity of Boston experiences, even for the most seasoned city dweller.

“It’s a way to just complicate your view of a place and give it these layers of history,” said Lee Stabert, host of the “Explain Boston to Me” podcast and a Philadelphia native. Particularly for a transplant like herself, Boston-centric pop culture, she said, is a way to make her adopted city feel more like her hometown.

“The idea that you walk down the street and you know what business was there 10 years ago, you know what business was there 20 years ago,” he said. she declared. “I don’t have that here, but I can add more texture to my world by digesting this pop culture.”

With all of this in mind, we’ve put together a guide to Boston-focused pop culture artifacts to read, listen to, and watch as a sort of tour through the city’s zeitgeist, past and present. Some of the entries we chose because of their representation of Boston itself; others, because of what they say about the kind of city that would produce them.

We tried to stay away from the old classics that you’ve probably come across – nothing else from the Damon-Affleck cinematic universe, “Cheers” and its spinoffs, etc. – opting instead for a more discreet selection, compiled from suggestions. from Stabert, colleagues at Globe and dogged Google searches. If we missed any of your favorites, please let us know in the comments.

Look

“Funny Ha Ha»: Although it was made over twenty years ago, this granddaddy of the “mumblecore” genre still captures that offbeat flair that defines Allston. Watch our hapless heroine slip through the haze of graduate school late at night. in friends’ apartments, awkward romances and temp work.

“Fever point»: In this 2005 film, Jimmy Fallon plays a Boston Red Sox fanatic who must balance his love of the team with his budding romance with an agnostic Sox wife (played by Drew Barrymore). It’s an exaggeration, of course, but it might help prepare you for Boston’s sports fan culture — and the kind of chaos you’re sure to witness outside Fenway Park on game day.

“American fiction»: The Academy Award-winning film follows a black author, played by Jeffrey Wright, who only succeeds in his career by writing a novel laden with racial stereotypes. It’s a hilarious film that explores the region – from West Roxbury to the South Shore – and also explores the quintessential New England intersection of race and literary prestige.

“Stronger»: While the film “Patriots Day” offered a bird’s eye view of the Boston Marathon bombings, “Stronger” zooms in on a victim: Jeff Bauman, who lost his legs in the explosion. The 2017 film, which stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Bauman, gives an intimate insight into the mind of “Boston Strong” following the tragedy at the finish line.

“Spenser: for rent »: One of the few Boston television shows to be filmed on location, this ABC drama (based on the novel series by Robert B. Parker) follows the difficult life of the title character, who works as a private detective. It’s a tour through ’80s Boston – snowy winters and all.

Dunkin’ Donuts SNL Skit: It may only be 108 seconds long, but the fake Dunks ad from “Saturday Night Live” starring Casey Affleck conveys just about everything you need to know about Boston’s favorite coffee brand — and what kind of people it is who could get ahead of you. online, ordering a regular coffee. (Be warned, the clip isn’t really safe for work.)

While reading

“Friends of Eddie Coyle»: This novel by George V. Higgins (the basis for the 1973 feature film) is an unvarnished account of crime and the people involved in it — the main character is an arms dealer trying to avoid hard times. It’s a classic introduction to the kind of underworld tales that Boston produces time and time again (see: “The Departed”).

“Interpreter of Illnesses»: This collection of stories by Jhumpa Lahiri won the Pulitzer Prize for its depictions of characters bridging Indian and American cultures, particularly in the Boston area. Just consider the setting of the story “Sexy”: the Mapparium, a place where, Lahiri writes, “all the countries seemed close enough to touch.”

“The idiot»: Elif Batuman’s debut novel follows a Turkish-American freshman at Harvard University. A Globe review called it “a scathing satire on academia,” which is a five-word summation of Boston if ever there was one.

“Common ground: a turbulent decade in the lives of three American families»: This nonfiction book by J. Anthony Lukas, another Pulitzer winner, is often considered the defining account of the city’s busing crisis. The story of the saga is told through people caught up in the racial dynamics that fueled it. — a dynamic that continues to divide even half a century later.

Listen:

“Explain Boston to me»: Stabert’s weekly podcast cuts out the middleman completely, inviting guests to explain the stories behind Boston’s cultural landmarks. Episode topics range from the city’s dive bar scene to the area’s housing crisis to the Allston Christmas phenomenon.

“The big dig»: Launched last year, this nine-part podcast series, produced by GBH News, provides a comprehensive history of the mega-project that reshaped the city’s streetscape. The next time you take the Ted Williams Tunnel to the airport or stroll the Rose Kennedy Greenway on a lunch break, you’ll have some context for your journey.

“Hemenway » by Tiny Habits: To understand the kind of talent that area colleges and universities are teeming with, look no further than this song by Tiny Habits, a trio with roots at Berklee College of Music. Named after a street in the Fenway neighborhood, the silky smooth harmonies artfully convey the pain of a college situation gone wrong.

“MTA»: Have you ever wondered where CharlieCard got its name? It’s from this 1959 ditty recorded by the Kingston Trio. The song is about a commuter who, lacking a penny for an exit ticket, is destined to “ride forever” on the streets of Boston. (Hey, at least he didn’t have to deal with the slow areas.)

“Twilight in Boston” by Jonathan Richman: Performed more as a spoken word poem than a song, “Twilight in Boston” is the Natick-born singer-songwriter’s love letter to the city, which he maps from the Public Garden to Fenway to the Jamaicaway with sparse lyrics. (For extra credit, listen to “Roadrunner” or “New England” by The Modern Lovers, for which Richman was the lead.)

“Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond: Love it or hate it, this 1969 hit is rooted in the world of Boston. ba-ba-ba-the history of football. Come for the tradition – it’s been sung by the Fenway crowd every game during the eighth inning since the start – and stay for the melodic camaraderie: it’s so good, so good, so good.

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Dana Gerber can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow her @danagerber6.