Naman Shrestha
Written and directed by Brian McElhaney and Nick Kocher, Hulu’s ‘Pizza Movie’ is a comedy that centers on a pair of college best friends — Jack and Montgomery — who are not among the popular students. After having a terrible day, they meet on campus and head to their dorm room, where they come across a box of M.I.N.T.S. They are mind-bending, experimental hallucinogens that promise to provide the highest of the highs. Upon consuming a pill each, Jack and Montgomery’s high takes a nightmarish turn as they hallucinate all kinds of terrible things.
As they realize that eating pizza is the only way to counteract the drug’s effects, the duo must climb down two flights of stairs to retrieve their pizza from a robot in the dorm lobby. The simple task is turned into a surreal, adventurous journey because of the terrifying high that the special drugs have induced. Featuring a talented ensemble cast comprising Gaten Matarazzo, Sean Giambrone, Lulu Wilson, Jack Martin, Peyton Elizabeth Lee, and Marcus Scribner, the hilarious tale primarily unfolds in and around the college campus, including the dorm room and the lobby, all of which are transformed into stuff from the two friends’ nightmares.
Pizza Movie Filming Locations
‘Pizza Movie’ was shot across the State of New York, especially in Syracuse and Liverpool. According to reports, principal photography for the Brian McElhaney and Nick Kocher directorial got underway in June 2025 under the working title ‘The Untitled BriTANicK Pizza Movie’ and wrapped up in a month or so in July of the same year. Sean Giambrone, who portrays Montgomery, shared a few words about his experience on set on social media, stating, “Enjoying the shoot and all the great and talented people around me.”
Syracuse, New York
A significant chunk of ‘Pizza Movie’ was lensed in and around Syracuse, the seat of New York’s Onondaga County. Considered the educational center of Central New York, the city served as the ideal backdrop for the story, which is set around a college campus. Some of the prominent academic and research institutions in Syracuse include the likes of the State University of New York Upstate Medical University (SUNY Upstate), Le Moyne College, Syracuse University, and Onondaga Community College.
The production team took over numerous spots across Syracuse, in different streets and neighborhoods, in order to shoot pivotal sequences for the comedy movie. It is likely that you might spot a few popular landmarks or buildings in the backdrop of exterior or establishing shots, such as Clinton Square, Hanover Square, the Montgomery Street–Columbus Circle Historic District, the State Tower Building, and the Equitable Towers.
Liverpool, New York
For the purpose of shooting, the cast and crew members of ‘Pizza Movie’ also traveled to the lakeside village of Liverpool, located on Onondaga Lake. Being an American High-production, the comedy film reportedly taped many important scenes at Syracuse Studios, which is owned by American High. Located at 800 4th Street, the exterior of the American High building doubled as the college where the misadventures of Jack and Montgomery take place.
Gaten Matarazzo and the rest of the cast and crew utilized several other facilities of the 100,000 square foot campus, including high school sets with multiple unique classrooms and hallways, a gymnasium, a cafeteria, a break room, and more. It also houses 20,000 square feet of production offices, wardrobe rooms, storage rooms, and post-production facilities. All these amenities make Syracuse Studios a favored filming destination for a wide range of projects. Besides ‘Pizza Movie,’ Liverpool has served as a shooting site for movies and shows like ‘Big Time Adolescence,’ ‘Looks That Kill,’ ‘Sid Is Dead,’ and ‘Sex Appeal.’
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