Pittsburgh City Paper: What do The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, and Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl all have in common? They’re all coming-of-age movies, a term given to stories about a young person’s journey growing up and figuring themselves out. They were also all shot in Pittsburgh.
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I had no idea so many of these films were shot in Pittsburgh. I certainly knew a lot of shows and movies were shot here but I never would have guessed some of these. I suppose it makes sense because of how different each neighborhood looks and how many different architecture styles there are even in certain parts like downtown. You would not think that a place with such gloomy weather would be such an ideal filming location, but it really seems to be for many different coming of age movies. Perhaps the gloominess adds a certain something to it, what do I know? It is also cool to know how many of these writers are from the Pittsburgh area and that they want to come back home to film their movies. It is definitely more interesting than just filming on a lot somewhere and clearly the writers are getting something out of going back to the place that raised them to film.
Quick sidenote, I just went to watch this movie (at a screening with a Q&A afterwards so I got to see the writers/producers in the flesh!) and I was very impressed with how *Pittsburgh* it felt. I obviously don’t know how audiences that are neither from here or live here would react to the very specific references, but I had a fun time. There was a scene where a Port Authority bus even made a cameo in which I chuckled a bit in the theater. I do agree with the article in that Pittsburgh feels very “homey”. I’m hesitant to say generic, but there is so much of it that feels familiar; suburban and everything that is not. I also have to applaud the location scouts for finding just the right spots to take their shots from. In Dear Zoe for example, the writers/producers duo mentioned today that they had to drive around Braddock for two or three whole hours to find just the right pair of houses that they wanted for the dad’s house in the movie. Which I just generally think is impressive.
Every time I explore this city, I always think to myself “this looks like it could be a part of a movie!” And as stated in this article, so many homey movies are being filmed here. Pittsburgh just has this feel to it. There are streets that look like classic “American Dream” streets. There are neighborhoods that give you a rough and tough vibe. There’s so much scenery and history here in Pittsburgh, which makes it such an easy place to film. I think one of the reasons I chose to come to school in Pittsburgh is because it gives me this neat location in this story of my life. This is the place I can grow up and figure myself out for the next few years, and if I feel that feeling, I’m sure film writers feel that feeling in Pittsburgh too. I’ll have to check out these films and see if I can recognize the locations!
The first time I was in Pittsburgh to look at schools my dad and I took a drive (I know how very Midwest of me) to look at all the areas of the city and I couldn’t help but notice not only how diverse the city felt but how it look so oddly familiar but with all the movies filmed here I suppose that makes sense. There is something very suburban charm with a touch of east coast about this city that is what I think draws filmmakers to it as a filming location. As one of the more central but overlooked small big cities in the United States, Pittsburgh has a lot to offer both as a city and also as a background for movies. My roommate grew up in this city and sometimes the stories of apple picking and walking around oakland and squirrel hill sound like they come straight out of a movie and I guess now I know why.
Theo
Seeing Sadie Sink on the cover of this article already got me hooked, as I love love love her and all of her work. I had no idea one of her movies, Dear Zoe, was shot right here in Pittsburgh! I also had no clue that the beloved movie, Perks of Being A Wallflower, was also shot here! I never realized how versatile some areas of Pittsburgh are, and how many ways different spaces could be adapted to look like locations across the nation. Both Perks of Being A Wallflower and Dear Zoe were novels written by Pittsburgh authors, which I also had no idea about, so it is so amazing that they were able to go back to their ‘Burgh roots to film here. Just reading this article inspired me to look more into what other things are rooted in Pittsburgh, and if some of my personal favorite movies could have an unexpected Pittsburgh cameo!
As a person who is not from Pittsburgh and comes from the complete opposite side of the country ( the south). One of the first things I noticed about Pittsburgh was its stunning architecture and the variety in which the city possess in terms of its buildings. Therefore, I am not in complete shock to hear that it is a popular place for film makers especially those wishing to create coming of age films. Firstly, I noticed many of the houses in Pittsburgh do not possess big yards or any yard space for that matter which makes the houses closer in proximity giving off a sense of unity and togetherness within ones community. I also noticed that their are a multitude of small restaurants and stores that are catered toward people of color which can also aid in films that surrounded coming of age stories of POC growing up in America. Overall Pittsburgh has it all in terms of scenery and feel so its great to hear that this is noticed within the film industry.
I actually had no idea that so many movies were filmed in Pittsburgh to begin with, until after I moved here that is. The part about the distinct neighborhoods and architecture styles makes sense, that was something that I noticed immediately after moving here, how architecturally diverse this city is. I think it would be so cool to be one of the people that is scouting out filming locations for movies – I can see why one would choose Pittsburgh. To me at least, it does replicate and feel like other US cities, and there IS a range of neighborhoods to choose from in any direction that you choose. Now that I live here and I’m familiar with the area, I want to go and watch or rewatch some of these movies to see where these filmmakers have chosen to shoot their movies. I’ll be on the lookout for other movies filmed in Pittsburgh.
I think there is something to be said of how diverse the neighborhoods of Pittsburgh are. I remember in 2020 going to get a covid vaccine at a church somewhere in the city that had been converted to a vaccine distribution center and as someone with no car there was a bit of walking and a bit of a bus ride and I felt like in that 30 to 40 minute trip I had traversed to at least five different cities. Dawn Keezer is right that that the mix of architectural styles that span several decades really makes it easy to find whatever it is you’re looking for in Pittsburgh. Additionally, Pittsburgh can appear like a large city but it often gives small town middle America which I’m sure makes it more relatable to large audiences and wouldn’t be as uninviting as a city that has a more distinct identity like East LA. What I found interesting is how many of the examples in this article were works by Pittsburgh natives and what is it about growing up here that makes you really good at writing come of age stories.
I know about “Perks of Being a Wallflower”, but I had no idea so many films chose Pittsburgh for filming. Especially coming-of-age films, it seems. It’s interesting to me how much the article talks about the different styles of architecture and the numerous neighborhoods here. Which does make sense, I’ve seen many of them. Squirrel Hill and downtown feel like very different places. But, all of it feels like Pittsburgh to me. Moving across the country a few times, living in different towns and cities, and visiting places has made me notice the city’s architecture a lot more. Pittsburgh has a lot of those 2-3 story single family homes (or split into two townhomes) with the covered porch and brick pillars- those homes are what I think of when I think of Pittsburgh architecture. But again, I do see the different neighborhoods and how they can be a great tool for filmmakers.
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