The most Boston moments in Spotlight
From Santarpio’s to 93 traffic to the Big Dig.
Spotlight, out Friday, is chock-full of local bits and factoids that only eagle-eyed Boston residents will understand.
In creating Spotlight, the movie based on The Boston Globe’s investigation into the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse scandal, director Tom McCarthy and screenwriter Josh Singer spent considerable time with the many Bostonians portrayed in the movie. Those interactions led to a number of little tidbits and winks at the local population.
“There are actually a lot of little touches in the film,’’ said Walter “Robby’’ Robinson, the editor of the Globe’s Spotlight team. “I think people from Boston will appreciate that.’’
Here’s a rundown of some Boston highlights you can see on the big screen.
1. The horror that is I-93
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When the movie version of Mike Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo) is in a rush to get back to the office, he sprints into a taxi and tells the driver to head to the Globe’s office on Morrissey Boulevard. With one exception: “Don’t take 93, take Dorchester Ave.,’’ he says.
Smart man, considering the parking lot that is I-93 on most days.
The real Rezendes said he really did give this instruction to the cab driver. “Traffic’s bad on the expressway [when] it’s late in the day,’’ Rezendes said. “I was telling him how to get to the Globe without getting on the dreaded expressway at 4:30 in the afternoon, you know?’’
As for the real-life Robinson, he said he would have altered that line slightly.
“As a purist, I would have said, ‘Take Dorchester Avenue and not the Expressway.’ I still refuse to call it [93],’’ Robinson said.
2. The appeal of Santarpio’s pizza
As a stressed Rezendes is making hot dogs in his apartment, he gets a knock on the door from his editor Ben Bradlee Jr. (John Slattery). Bradlee asks to come inside, and offers Rezendes a box of Santarpio’s Pizza.
Like anyone presented with the cheesy, bready goodness from the East Boston mainstay, Rezendes excitedly lets him in and starts to chomp down.
The real Rezendes is indeed really into Santarpio’s. He took Spotlight writers McCarthy and Singer to the pizza joint and “they loved it,’’ Rezendes said.
“I’m a huge Santarpio’s fan. I’ve been going there my whole life,’’ he said. “I know the guys there, that’s my place.’’
3. Whining about the Red Sox
Partway through the movie, the Globe reporters in Spotlight go to a game at Fenway just to gripe about the Red Sox (a regular Boston summer activity). One of the reporters fills out a box score because, he says glibly, it keeps him from watching the game.
“How do you watch these guys?’’ one reporter asks. Another points to his beer.
It’s a funny scene, and one that certainly made more sense in the pre-2004 days. The Sox were actually decent in 2001, but hey, Globe staffers had a reason to be skeptical given the decades and decades of failures.
4. Big Dig, big problems
In a meeting early in the film, the Globe’s editors go around the room and discuss the major stories of the day.
“Major Big Dig closures,’’ one editor says.
Typical.
5. Back Bay bougie-ness
In another scene featuring Sacha Pfeiffer (Rachel McAdams) and a clergy sex abuse survivor, the survivor tells Pfeiffer that he’s from Dorchester and insinuates that he’d never even been to Back Bay until the priest took him there. Only a local person would know that Back Bay is a la-dee-da neighborhood.
6. Close-knit vibes in Boston
“Boston’s still a small town in many ways,’’ Cardinal Law says to Robinson in the film. True dat.
7. Everybody runs on Dunkin’
Open Road Films
In the Spotlight newsroom in the film, a cup of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee sits on a desk in almost every scene. Matt Carroll, who was played by Brian d’Arcy James in the movie, said that was completely true to life.
“I just drink heroic amounts of coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts,’’ Carroll said. “So [James] just got a real laugh out of that and made sure he always had a cup.’’
A love of Dunks is hardly specific to journalists. Welcome to Boston.
Who’s who in Spotlight:
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