Rachel is a woman aboard the New York-bound commuter train who vividly imagines the lives of the affluent couples she views through the window on her daily trek into Manhattan. The film, much like the novel, unwraps the key tunnel scenes in pieces, but the movie adds more detail and clarity about what happened the night that Megan disappeared and Rachel interacted with her
Getting to and from work can be quite the adventure in movies. Let’s check out other movies where the commute is it’s foundation.
Office Space
This 1999 comedy lampooned much of working culture (TPS reports, anyone?), but the scene where corporate drones inch their way down the freeway to work was funny because we’ve all been there. At the same time. It stars Ron Livingston, Stephen Root and Gary Cole. Available for rent on YouTube, iTunes, Amazon, Vudu and Google Play. (Rated R; 1 hour, 29 minutes).
Working Girl
Secretary Tess (Melanie Griffith) has a pretty cool commute — she gets to ride a ferry! All the way to a classist, sexist world, that deeply undervalues her as a person. Also starring Harrison Ford and Sigourney Weaver. Available for rent on YouTube, Amazon, Vudu and Google Play. (1988; Rated R; 1 hour, 56 minutes)
Shall We Dance?
Most commuters’ impulse buys stop at pumpkin spice lattes. But after seeing a dance studio (with Jennifer Lopez) during his daily ride on Chicago’s L, John (Richard Gere) signs up for lessons. Half-caf, skim, no-foam dance lessons. Available for rent on YouTube, iTunes, Amazon, Vudu and Google Play. (2004; Rated PG-13; 1 hour, 46 minutes)
Paperman
This charming Disney short follows a man who meets the girl of his dreams while waiting on a train platform. Then he discovers she puts her purse on the seat next to her instead of holding it in her lap like a courteous person would, so he ends things immediately.
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
In the 1974 original, which stars Walter Matthau as police lieutenant Zachary Garber and Robert Shaw as bad guy Bernard Ryder, hijackers vow to kill one New York subway passenger a minute until they get a ransom. Available for rent on YouTube, iTunes, Amazon, Vudu and Google Play. (Rated R; 2 hours, 4 minutes)
The 2009 version features the same story and stars Denzel Washington as the New York subway dispatcher Walter Garber and John Travolta as bad guy Ryder, no first name given. Available for rent on YouTube, iTunes, Amazon, Vudu and Google Play. (2009; rated R; 1 hour, 46 minutes)
Name Your Favorite Commuter Movies…
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