Las Vegas has given birth to legendary actors. These names include
- Daveigh Chase
- Charlie Stewart
- Matthew Gray Gubler
- Charisma Carpenter
- Cerina Vincent
- Meaghan Martin.
Additionally, many filmmakers use the city as a backdrop. Here, we look at some of the most iconic movies filmed in Las Vegas.
Five Best Movies Filmed in Las Vegas
1. Ocean’s 11 (2001)
- Director: Steven Soderbergh
- Writers: George Clayton Johnson, Jack Golden Russell, and Harry Brown
- Main stars: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Julia Roberts
‘Ocean’s 11’ (2001) movie is about Danny Ocean, played by George Clooney, who is determined to make the biggest heist in Las Vegas history. The main targets of his heist are the Bellagio, MGM Grand, and the Mirage.
2. Casino (1995)
- Director: Martin Scorsese
- Writers: Nicholas Pileggi and Martin Scorsese
- Main Stars: Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, and Joe Pesci
Casino takes you into the dirty world of organized crime and Las Vegas casinos. The movie is set in the 70s, a time when the mob ruled Sin City.
3. Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
- Director: Mike Figgis
- Writers: John O’Brien and Mike Figgis
- Main Stars: Nicolas Cage, Elisabeth Shue, and Julian Sands
Nicolas Cage got plenty of recognition for his role in Leaving Las Vegas. Cage plays Ben Sanderson, a famous Hollywood screenwriter suffering from chronic alcoholism. Sanderson loses everything due to his addiction and decides to head to Las Vegas and drink himself to death.
4. The Hangover (2009)
- Director: Todd Phillips
- Writers: Jon Lucas and Scott Moore
- Main Stars: Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper, and Justin Bartha
Doug Billings (Bartha) is in Vegas, and he wants to celebrate his last day as a bachelor with his friends Phil Wenneck (Cooper), Alan Garner (Galifianakis), and Stu Price (Helms). What could go wrong? The Hangover shows you the crazy side of Sin City as three friends lose the groom after a crazy night of partying. Let the shenanigans ensue!
5. Honeymoon in Vegas (1992)
- Director: Andrew Bergman
- Writer: Andrew Bergman
- Main Stars: James Caan, Nicolas Cage, and Sarah Jessica Parker
Let’s talk about a more romantic wedding movie. The ‘Honeymoon in Vegas’ (1992) is a romantic comedy that leaves Betsy ( Parker) confused about whom she will marry. There’s boyfriend Jack Singer (Cage), a private detective who promised his mother on her deathbed that he would never marry. There’s also Tommy Korman (Caan), a rich professional gambler who tricks Singer into a crooked game of poker then offers to clear the debt if he’s allowed to spend a weekend with Betsy.
Five Worst Movies Filmed in Las Vegas
1. Waking Up in Reno (2002)
- Director: Jordan Brady
- Writers: Brent Briscoe and Mark Fauser
- Main Stars: Billy Bob Thornton, Charlize Theron, and Patrick Swayze
Waking Up in Reno is a movie about two couples who take a joint dream vacation in Reno to witness the monster truck show. Everything’s great until it comes out that one or two are looking for a couple swap.
2. Godmonster of Indian Flats (1973)
- Director: Fredric Hobbs
- Writer: Fredric Hobbs
- Main Stars: Christopher Brooks, Stuart Lancaster, and E. Kerrigan Prescott
The movie starts with a rancher discovering a gigantic mutated sheep embryo, which is hastily taken to Dr. Clemens’ secret laboratory. The doctor has an assistant, Mariposa, and the two soon discover that strange Phosphorus vapors from an old mine might be the cause of the mutation. To contain the situation, Dr. Clemens locks the sheep in an incubated tank, but it soon grows into an 8 ft animal and starts terrorizing the townsfolks.
3. Fathers’ Day (1997)
- Director: Ivan Reitman
- Writers: Francis Veber, Lowell Ganz, and Babaloo Mandel
- Main Stars: Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Jack Lawrence is a successful lawyer who gets a surprise visit from his ex-girlfriend, who says they have a child. The same girlfriend tells Dale Putley the same story. The two men meet one day and realize what has happened, with no clue who the child’s birth father is.
4. Show Girls (1995)
- Director: Paul Verhoeven
- Writer: Joe Eszterhas
- Main Stars: Elizabeth Berkley, Kyle MacLachlan, and Gina Gershon
Love it or hate it, and lots of people hate it. Nomi Malone becomes a stripper in Vegas, where she meets friends and enemies. Things get ugly and dramatic.