Personal Film Fest: Movies Set in Las Vegas
Michael James shares his “personal Vegas Film Fest” list…
So it’s come to this. An article about my favorite movies that are set in Las Vegas. I may not be any better than the dozens of Las Vegas forums that each have a version of this topic.
I didn’t begin visiting Las Vegas regularly until 2005. In 2007, I started a personal blog hosted by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and before a Vegas trip in May of 2007, I asked my readers for suggestions for offerings to help me get in the mood.
Since that time, I have fine-tuned my Vegas Film Fest offerings and have dialed in my pre-Vegas Musts. My Vegas Must Movies are movies that are required viewing (note, not suggested viewing) in the weeks leading up to a trip.
These first five movies will be watched before every Las Vegas trip. This includes my recent poker vacation last November, my upcoming Super Bowl trip to Las Vegas, and my right-around-the-corner trip in April to bowl the National tournament. It doesn’t matter that I can almost recite every line to these five movies. It doesn’t matter that I no longer laugh at the funny parts. It doesn’t even matter that it is a chore to schedule the time to watch all of these. A Vegas Must is a Vegas Must, even if in movie form.
The Hangover – Filmed right about when the recession hit, this is the best movie that represents the “new Vegas.” Maybe not as much the buildings, but the music and the “anything goes” vibe of four men out on the town represents current Las Vegas. It is striking, though, to see City Center, Elara and Fountainbleu all in various stages of construction.
Vegas Vacation – If you define “old Vegas” as the early-90s, this movie is the pinnacle. Yeah, it’s hokey and was generally panned by critics, but it has scenes filmed at the Mirage, the Riviera and the Klondike (remember that place!) as well as on Fremont Street. This particular Vacation movie has – by far – the best looking Audrey, too.
Oceans 11 – The original version is easily “oldest Vegas,” and the scenes set in Las Vegas are a pure treasure. There is even some B-roll taken from where the Plaza currently stands, looking right down Fremont Street. The Rat Pack version is required viewing if only for that 60s version of the Hangover’s “anything goes” vibe. The issue is that the movie moves in slow motion, with plot holes so big you could drive a garbage truck through without causing damage (not the least of which, is how Sammy Davis Jr. got a job as a garbage truck driver for the area, while six of the others got jobs as porters in the casinos). So sometimes I will watch the George Clooney version, which is a little tighter but dies in every scene in which Julia Roberts appears.
Casino – This is “older Vegas,” but since it was filmed in the early-90s in the non-existent Tangiers meant to represent the 70s, it isn’t quite same. Martin Scorsese also has a few too many artsy-fartsy visuals, like the cocaine floating up a huge straw, and when Ginger looks into her jewelry and the reflection takes on a kaleidoscopic affect. But that doesn’t make this any less of a gem of a movie. Had they started it earlier in history, though, it could have become a six-hour epic (like The Godfather), and it would’ve still held my attention. Watching Don Rickles as Billy Sherbert is dynamite and out of character for him, and watching the growing hubris of Sam Rothstein is like seeing a car wreck as it is happening.
American Justice “Vegas and the Mob” – I actually recorded this off of TV at least ten years ago, then burned it onto a DVD. This show is, in effect, the “real life” version of Casino. It follows the growth of Las Vegas from before Bugsy Seigel through the aftermath of the Anthony Spilotoro murders in the Midwest. From what I can tell, this hasn’t been shown on TV in years, but it is on YouTube, albeit in 11-minute segments. It is also available at Amazon. The Vegas B-roll from different times in history can’t be missed; the sights of Vegas through the years commands you to click and watch the YouTube link above!
There are more than five movies set in Las Vegas (go figure, eh?) but for whatever reason, the others can’t crack that inner circle, and so these are not Vegas Musts. But each of the movies below contains some scenes that justify the occasional viewing…
Austin Powers International Man of Mystery – I like the movie, but there are only a couple of Las Vegas scenes.
Swingers – The Las Vegas parts are cool (especially the antics on the $100 blackjack table), but the movie itself never held my attention.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas – This would absolutely be a Vegas Must if it were only about 20 minutes long. This is a great movie, but only if done in spurts. You get one scene of crazy, psychedelic, mind-bending visuals during a character’s drug trip, then another scene of crazy, psychedelic, mind-bending visuals during a character’s drug trip, then another scene of crazy, psychedelic, mind-bending visuals during a character’s drug trip. Now repeat for two hours, and it is too much of a good thing.
Last Vegas – What a waste of Robert De Niro. Mary Steenburgen, too, for that matter. There is the typical out-of-orderness with some of the outdoor footage, but on the other hand, how many movies are set at Binion’s?
Viva, Las Vegas – Ann-Margaret, oh my! I kinda like the theme song, too.
Leaving Las Vegas – A little too depressing to watch two or three times per year, though I am going to try to make time to watch it in the next week.
Rain Man – Another movie I wasn’t crazy about, but that blackjack scene… I do have to give credit, though, to how they paid homage to The Hangover (20 years in advance) when they were coming down the escalator into the casino. Well done.
Showgirls – I love the Stardust, and this movie is set there. However, that is Unattainable Vegas, so this is best viewed on occasion (and after the wife goes to bed).
Blast Vegas / Sharknado 4 – Back in the day (that day being immediately following the surprise smash that was the original Sharknado in the summer of 2013), the SyFy network rushed Blast Vegas to air. That was pretty, well, expectedly awful. But if you like watching Las Vegas disintegrate in CGI, then this movie is for you. But one movie about the destruction of Las Vegas wasn’t enough for SyFy. Oh, no siree… as he was editing this, the illustrious Michael Movestro reminded me about this past summer’s Sharknado 4, which had 20 minutes of pure, um, Vegas destructive bliss. Mr. M did point out (correctly so) that one can ONLY watch the first 20 minutes of Sharknado 4, as the last interminable hour and a half not only contained no more Las Vegas scenes but was utterly unwatchable. Hat tip to Mr. Editor Man for bringing this omission to my attention!
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone – Sigh. I wanted this to be so good. Nice Strip and downtown footage, though.
Las Vegas Yesterday and Today/Las Vegas Implosions – I can’t believe I forgot to include this doozy in my Vegas Collections article from 2015. Let me set the scene… On our honeymoon trip in 2005, we went to the Tropicana to see the very short-lived Las Vegas Historic Museum, and from their gift shop purchased this DVD. When we arrive home, I am barely unpacked as I insert this bad boy into the DVD player. In hushed excitement, I watch a video that may as well have been edited by a six-year-old and narrated by a guy with a 90s-era mullet. I think about the $20 I spent (and all the other Hollywood movies that I have since purchased for less than $10 each), and I have to marvel. Las Vegas is built on suckers, and with that purchase, I became a statistic. Now, about the DVD, for as poorly slapped together as it is, there are a few jackpot scenes of old Las Vegas. And it’s less than an hour long, so I can get some peeks of Vegas without devoting a full evening.
And there is yet another category, Vegas Must Nots. As of now, there is only one movie…
Con Air – Never. Never, ever, ever. This is just on my list to point out a movie to never watch under any circumstances. Landing a plane on an out-of-order Las Vegas strip? Nicholas Cage? A child getting a root canal? All three rank as things a grown-up should never have to see.
So, what are your favorites?
[Photos: Michael James, Courtesy of Amazon]
Michael James is a true Vegas Nerd. First falling in love after hearing details of an aunt’s visit in the ’70s, and nurtured when the gambling bug hit as casinos started opening on every street corner across the country in the ’90s. When not reading Vegas blogs and message boards, he’s a metals buyer by day and a competitive bowler by night in Milwaukee.
26 thoughts on “Personal Film Fest: Movies Set in Las Vegas”
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Just when I think I am the only one who does weird things to get in the Vegas mood….I always watch The Hangover and Ocean’s 11(Clooney/Pitt version) before a Vegas trip. Every time the guys in the Hangover are on the Caesar’s roof and you can see Fontainebleau under construction in the background, I just want to scream through the TV at the construction crew STOP!!! You are wasting your time!!!
Great post.
Casino is the best! I also enjoy watching some episodes of the cop show Vegas Strip that are on youtube.
Sometimes I really enjoy looking up the security cam footage of Tupac getting in a fight by the fountain and then leaving the MGM with his entourage. Kind of weird, but I’m an MGM kind of gal and it’s fun to see the interiors.
The Hangover without a doubt is my my favourite Vegas film, then it’s a tight run for second spot between Oceans 11 (George Clooney version) and Casino. Obviously The Hangover 3 and Oceans 13 are ok, but not in my top 3. I have seen Blast Vegas, (although here in the UK it’s called Destruction Las Vegas) and I can honestly say it’s the worst film I have ever seen in my entire life!!!
You obviously haven’t seen Crashing Las Vegas (featuring the Bowery Boys) from 1956. It was just shown on Turner Classic Movies the other night and, let me tell you, I turned if off in the middle to watch Viva Las Vegas.
The above mentioned are all great choices. One of my favorites is Diamonds are Forever. Love the car chase down on Fremont along with the Circus Circus scenes of the upstairs carnival games.
I really enjoy this list and definitely agree with your top 5. “Vegas Vacation” is my absolute favorite and I have to watch it on the plane every trip, no matter what. I’ll watch the others in the weeks leading up to the trip, usually saving “Casino” for the week before because it’s so long and I’m usually overly excited by that point.
I totally agree with “Fear and Loathing”. I wanted to like it but couldn’t finish it. It felt like when a coworker who has a desk near yours won’t stop talking about the weird dream she had.
Since our flight is from the east coast and we have time for two movies and on a whim my husband and I rented “Last Vegas”. We watched the whole thing because there was nothing else to do but oh boy. while I did feel for Morgan Freeman’s character, my goodwill was ruined by being creeped out by Kevin Kline and Michael Douglas’s characters.
Anyway, great list, I love reading about other people’s pre-Vegas rituals!
Last Vegas (basically a film about four old men and an old lady) had two different club scenes. I don’t know that I needed either the pool scene or the birthday party inside the club for about 20 minutes.
The George Clooney Oceans Eleven movie is like a hypnotic drug to me. That soundtrack and the great cinematography make me stop and watch it every time I surf across it. Then I look up and it is 30 minutes later.
I hated Con Air as well. Yes, strike the Hard Rock guitar, slide down the strip, pass some of the downtown buildings, then end up in the old Sands lobby. Riiiiiiggght. It never ceases to maze me how little attention some directors give to small things like that.
Honeymoon in Vegas is another cute movie that reminds me so much of the Vegas I used to enjoy in the late 90s.
I may go and hunt down one of these to get in the mood for my next trip, which starts on Friday. Super Bowl in Vegas!
I arrive around 6:00 PM Saturday evening, then we take the redeye back after the game. I get 29 whole hours in Las Vegas on this trip!
I like “The Las Vegas Story” from 1952. Nice film noir with exteriors shot on location. And don’t forget “Diamonds Are Forever”. While not set in Vegas, “Lost in America” has a great sequence set in the Dessert Inn.
True story… I didn’t realize that TCM had their own Las Vegas film fest on Monday night (Jan 30) until Senro Movestro texted me in the evening. By the time I got home from bowling league, The Las Vegas Story was almost over. I was disappointed because I had heard of that movie and wanted to watch it. Instead, I recorded two horrible movies (Painting the Clouds with Sunshine and Crashing Las Vegas) and didn’t make it halfway through either.
I’m sorry but I thought Last Vegas was hysterical. Maybe that’s because I’m old and can relate a little. Still love Viva Las Vegas. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas……was the most ridiculous movie. The only way we could watch it all the way through was to put the closed captioning on and read what they were saying. Good list!
You forgot about 21, which took place at Planet Hollywood and Red Rocks, should’ve been on the list.
I didn’t forget about it… I didn’t like it.
Maybe in 20 years I’d appreciate the look at “Old Vegas” :o)
I love Viva Las Vegas and the original Ocean’s Eleven. [my mother having shown me these movies as i was growing up]. As i was born and raised in Vegas, i have a fascination with watching old videos of all the old time casinos going down on Youtube.
You left off two great movies. 2003 release “The Cooler” staring William H Macy as a down on his luck gambler employed to a mob boss as a “cooler” with a penchant for bad luck. He is sent in to change luck at winning tables in the casino. He falls in love with cocktail waitress who turns his life upside down. Second one is “Finding Amanda” a Comedy indie flick staring Matthew Broderick as an on the wagon television producer, who has a gambling and drinking problem. He is sent to Las Vegas by his wife to rescue his niece Amanda who has become a prostitute. Great low budget flick with a cool soundtrack featuring the song “And Then There’s Vegas” by Brad Hattfield Band.
Though set in Vegas, most of the casino scenes in The Cooler were filmed in Reno at the (now closed) Golden Phoenix… which had previously been the Flamingo Hilton.
Good catch, that is correct only the aerial shots were in Vegas and of course the Landmark demolition.
Guess the last Bourne film didn’t make your list. I went to see it only because of the Vegas scenes. Wonder what it would be like to be in a place like ARIA and have to quickly evacuate the building (not due to active shooting or other violence, or a power ourtage, of course). Great article!
How about Bachelor Party Vegas (2006), 21 with Kevin Spacey, NEXT with Nicolas Cage and Get Him To The Greek with Russel Brand? NEXT has an awesome scene where Cage sneaks into Golden Nugget on Fremont Street to avoid some guys chasing him, exits a back door and comes out at Caesars.
Netflix (via DVD) Saved By The Bell – Wedding In Vegas! Great shots of vintage 90’s Las Vegas.
Great list, but you might be the first person I’ve met that didn’t enjoy either Rain Man or Swingers.
Can’t say that I’ve seen Rain Man all the way through in 20 years.
Swingers, though. Meh… Here’s the entirety of the movie –
Vince Vaughan – “Let’s go get some babies!”
Jon Favreau – “I don’t know. I’m so depressed”
Vince Vaughan – “But the babies will make you feel better”
Jon Favreau – “Don’t make me… alright, I guess”
This weekend’s new release The Space Between Us has a crucial sequence in Vegas. The comical thing is that the female lead, who is showing Vegas to someone from another planet (whose time is running out) takes him there to show him the world. “You have Venice, Paris, New York, Shanghai” as the camera does a 360-degree pan…and shows an enormous Asian skyscraper directly behind Bally’s…..
What about Honeymoon in Vegas? Not sure if it is fit for a must but good to watch every once is a while. Also young Sarah Jessica Parker in a bathing suit… worth it!