60-Second Critic: Philadelphia in the Movies Tour

Film.org

We all know about the Rocky stairs, but can you point out the City Hall-area manhole from which Bruce Willis emerged in 12 Monkeys? How about the apartment where Haley Joel Osment saw

Film.org

We all know about the Rocky stairs, but can you point out the City Hall-area manhole from which Bruce Willis emerged in 12 Monkeys? How about the apartment where Haley Joel Osment saw dead people, or the train station where John Travolta ran for his life in Blow Out? If you’re intrigued by how our city’s landscapes, landmarks and random alleys got their 15 minutes, this tour, presented by the Greater Philadelphia Film Office, explains it all amidst the comfort of a mini-bus that shows film clips as you view the real thing. At three hours, the $35 Sunday-afternoon tour ($30 for kids and seniors) is too long, and some of the 64 featured locations, like the pharmacy where Denzel bought diapers in Philadelphia, seem like filler. But there’s enough trivia and insider scoops (and gooey chocolate chip cookies) to entertain locals as well as tourists. Grade: B