Jersey Girl (2004)

The 2004 Kevin Smith film “Jersey Girl,” starring Ben Affleck, was primarily filmed in Paulsboro, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and New York City, New York. The majority of the film’s exteriors were filmed in Paulsboro, while many of the interiors were shot across the Delaware River in Philadelphia.

Ben Affleck plays Ollie Trinké, a successful publicist in New York City. Ollie brings his new love Gertrude, played by Jennifer Lopez, to meet his father Bart, played by George Carlin. Later Ollie moves into the home with their daughter Gertie, played by Raquel Castro. Arguably the central location of the film, Bart’s home is located in Paulsboro. The house beside it has since been demolished, but thankfully the Trinké house remains mostly unchanged. Most of the house interiors were sets built in Philadelphia.

LOCATION: 262 Thomson Ave, Paulsboro, NJ 08066

Bart frequents the Clamdigger Bar and drinks with his buddies. Ollie and Gertrude dance together inside the bar in one scene.

LOCATION: 30 E Monroe St, Paulsboro, NJ 08066

Ollie’s New York City apartment seen early in the film overlooks Central Park in New York City. Later Ollie brings his daughter to the city and points out the apartment to her.

LOCATION: 785 5th Ave, New York, NY 10022

Smith did shoot a bit of material around his frequent stomping grounds. The scene where Bart tells Ollie he can’t watch the baby because he’s busy driving a street sweeper was filmed at the corner of Highland Ave / S Bay Ave, Highlands, NJ 07732. This is just a couple blocks away from Smith’s real childhood home, which also served as a filming location for Randall’s house in “Clerks II.”

The Hard Rock Cafe, where Ollie loses his temper at a room full of press, was a composite of two locations. The exterior was the former Hard Rock on W 57th St in New York, which has long since closed and been completely remodeled. The interiors were filmed at the Hard Rock in Philadelphia (1113 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19107).

LOCATION: 221 W 57th St, New York, NY 10019 (heavily remodeled)

The exterior of Gertie’s school is Loudenslager Elementary School in Paulsboro.

LOCATION: 100 Baird Ave, Paulsboro, NJ 08066

Many of the school interiors, including Gertie’s “Sweeney Todd” performance, were filmed at Paulsboro High School.

LOCATION: 670 N Delaware St, Paulsboro, NJ 08066

Mub & Renee’s Video Blast is the video store where Maya, played by Liv Tyler, works. This was built in a shopping plaza on W Broad St in Paulsboro, which was empty at the time of filming.

LOCATION: 545 W Broad St, Paulsboro, NJ 08066

Here’s a closer look at where the video store would have been. It has obviously changed a bit since filming, as the space was incorporated into the store next to it.

Ollie takes Gertie into New York City to see a Broadway performance of Sweeney Todd. Afterwards, the two talk at Gapstow Bridge in Central Park, where Gertie asks questions about her mom. Gapstow Bridge was also featured in “Home Alone 2: Lost In New York.”

LOCATION: Gapstow Bridge, Central Park, New York, NY 10019

Ollie has lunch with Maya at the Berlin Diner in Berlin, New Jersey. This location is about a 30 minute drive from Paulsboro, so it’s a bit out of the way if you’re visiting the filming locations, but still looks nearly identical to how it appeared in the film.

LOCATION: 117 S White Horse Pike, Berlin, NJ 08009

After their lunch, Maya talks to Ollie on the ramp out front. She takes pity and offers to have sex with him.

We leave you with a couple locations that didn’t make it into the final cut of the film. We’ve included them in case the long-promised extended version of the film ever sees the light of day.

Ollie and Gertrude’s wedding was shot at this church.

LOCATION: 647 Beacon Ave, Paulsboro, NJ 08066

Another scene filmed when Gertrude visits Ollie’s hometown was the two characters having a romantic moment beneath the Tinicum Rear Range Lighthouse.

LOCATION: Tinicum Rear Range Lighthouse, Paulsboro, NJ 08066

If you find yourself in the Philadelphia area and enjoy this film, don’t forget most of the locations are just a short distance away over the New Jersey border in Paulsboro. As we’ve outlined in this article, a few of the other locations are a bit more spread out. If it’s been awhile since you’ve seen the film, we recommend giving it a revisit.

Related articles: Clerks (1994), Mallrats (1995), Chasing Amy (1997), Dogma (1999), Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), Clerks II (2006), Zack And Miri Make A Porno (2008), Red State (2011), Yoga Hosers (2016)

U Turn (1997)

The 1997 Oliver Stone film “U Turn” is set in the small town of Superior, Arizona and that’s exactly where production mostly took place as well.  In the film, Superior is depicted as a strange, sometimes hostile town.  In reality, the town is quite welcoming to tourists, offering a variety of shops and antique stores.  “U Turn” is not the only production to film scenes in Superior.  “The Prophecy” and “Eight Legged Freaks” have as well.

Early in the film, Bobby, played by Sean Penn, is driving a desert road when his car breaks down.  He takes his car to Harlin’s Garage, where he meets Darrell, played by Billy Bob Thorton.  These scenes were filmed on E Magma Heights Dr, however the house and garage seen in the film are long gone.  In fact, a copper company now owns the land and it is completely inaccessible to the public.

When Bobby first reached the Main St of Superior, he looks over and sees the sheriff’s station, quickly turning the other direction.  The building seen in the film is the Superior Kearny Justice Court.

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LOCATION: 60 Main St, Superior, AZ 85173

Bobby encounters blind man, played by Jon Voight, at the train station.  Bobby tries to pet the man’s dog, only to be told it’s dead.

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LOCATION: 100 Main St, Superior, AZ 85173

Bobby first sees Grace, played by Jennifer Lopez, walking by the building.

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Later in the film, Bobby purchases a bus ticket at the same building.

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Grace takes Bobby to her home, where she lives with Jake McKenna, played by Nick Nolte.  Jake’s house is known as the Castle On The Rock.  The house is located on N Picket Post Rd, Superior, AZ 85173.  There are tours of the building on occasion, but most of the time the property and even the road are completely closed to the public.

Jake drops Bobby off back in town at this grocery store, where Bobby immediately finds himself in a robbery.

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LOCATION: 50 N Pinal Ave, Superior, AZ 85173

Bobby uses a payphone to try to get money at the corner of this building.

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LOCATION: 222 Main St, Superior, AZ 85173

Bobby calls the gangsters he owes money at the corner of this building. This same street was featured in the film “Eight Legged Freaks.”

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LOCATION: 160 Main St, Superior, AZ 85173

Bobby visits this diner, where he is approached by Jenny, played by Claire Danes.  Misreading the situation, Toby N. Tucker (“T.N.T.”), played by Joaquin Phoenix, has a confrontation with Bobby.

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LOCATION: 149 Main St, Superior, AZ 85173

This building served as the realty office of Jake McKenna.

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LOCATION: 271 Main St, Superior, AZ 85173

Bobby encounters the old, blind man once again in front of this building.  Later in the film, this is also where he fights T.N.T.

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LOCATION: 71 Main St, Superior, AZ 85173

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Bobby passes Jenny’s house and the two walk past this church talking.

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LOCATION: 94 N San Pedro St, Superior, AZ 85173

If you do make it to Superior, Arizona, most of these locations are quite a short distance from one another.  Most of them, you can walk on foot from one location to the next.

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