"A Civil Action" is a book about a lawsuit which became a political issue on its way to becoming a Hollywood movie. Now it's coming to Boston — to Beacon Hill, to be precise — with stars like John Travolta (who seems to appear in 50 percent of all movies released these days) and Robert Duvall.

Appropriately enough given the subject matter, shooting for "A Civil Action" begins on November 4th, election day. Even unflappable New Englanders get quivery when movie stars come to town, so it's reasonable to suppose that more people will be standing around trying to see the show than go to the polls.

Here's the schedule. Election day filming begins on Charles Street and includes such neighborhood notables as DeLuca's. Parking from Mount Vernon to Beacon streets will be restricted so antique (!) cars from the 1980s can be brought in (this is a period piece, after all). Support crews will park along River Street. Shooting will last for two days.

After that it's off to Fenway Park for the 6th and 7th. Then there will be some skipping around. On the 8th, crews will set up at the Athenaeum at Beacon and Park streets giving the governor a perfect view of the action. With 1,500 feet of trucks for support crews that need to be moved in and out, it hardly seems worth it to set up there for only one day. But on the 9th, all will be gone.

The crews will reappear on the 14th when the shooting will begin again at the Public Garden at Beacon and Charles. This will tie up parking on those streets as well as Boylston. Luckily, it will only be for the one day. Finally, from the 18th to the 21st, it's back to the top of the Hill and the Athenaeum for the finishing touches.

There's no question the whole thing will be inconvenient for Beacon Hill residents. The city's film office has worked with the film's producers to minimize disruptions, however. Aside from crowds, many residents will find parking difficult (which, to be honest, is no change from the status quo). Any Beacon Hill resident with a residential parking sticker will be allowed to park for free in the Common Garage for the first two days of shooting. Just drive in; on the way out the attendants will give you a free pass. In addition, the movie makers will be making a $1,000 donation to two community groups, the civic association and the business association.

Boston has made great efforts over the last several years to bring Hollywood to town. Those efforts are starting to pay off. Rather than harassing movie makers with a thousand bureaucratic obstacles, the city tries to work with them to make their jobs as easy as possible.

The reason for all this is that the city benefits considerably from such movie making. It brings jobs and money here, and the attendant publicity polishes the city's image. There's a down side, of course, one Beacon Hill residents will have to bear.

But look at it this way: the burdens are limited to a few days and residents will get free parking and some stories to tell the grandkids. And it could be worse. Instead of "A Civil Action," we could be stuck with "The Real World, Part 2."