Do they ever really make it to Vegas--Kristin Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Melissa McCarthy and the others? Technically, no. But they try, and what happens in the air is pretty much as crazy as any bachelorette party that happens in Sin City proper. Bridesmaids, with its loopy take on competitive female friendships, has a Las Vegas mentality, and that's enough for us.
The most unforgettable scene in this adorable rom-com? The Las Vegas road trip. Seth Rogen? Watching Cirque du Soleil? On psychedelic mushrooms? Awesome.
Nic Cage and Sarah Jessica Parker sell us an otherwise oddball plot about an engaged couple who get swindled and almost permanently separated by a gambler who develops a crush on Parker.
Anyone who knows the ending of this Nicolas Cage/Elizabeth Shue flick knows that, well, The Hangover it ain't. But Shue won an Oscar for her acting, and the story is an unforgettable reminder of Vegas's melancholy side.
For a seemingly endless period in the late 1990s, "Vegas, baby! Vegas!" was the one and only rallying cry for people ready to party. The film that birthed the phrase was Swingers, a hip, stylish look at the retro lounge scene, and it featured a trip to—you guessed it—Vegas...baby.
It's an old saw—pass out in Las Vegas, wake up married to a stranger—but thanks to fantastic work by Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Heather Graham and Bradley Cooper, this bro-bonding movie is one to remember.
Sharon Stone won a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Ginger, the wife of infamous casino boss Sam "Ace" Rothstein. Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci are also at their best here. This fictionalized portrayal of real-life Vegas operators in the 1970s is defnitely worth streaming.
Tom Cruise hasn't always played very nice guys, Collateral being a fine example. But here's another: Cruise as a self-absorbed car dealer who thinks he's being burdened by by the discovery of his autistic brother, when the vice is actually versa. Cruise is, of course, terrific, as is Dustin Hoffman, who won an Oscar for his role as the brother, who had a lucky streak in Vegas counting cards...really well.
This may be one of the deepest—if you can call a Vegas movie deep—entry in our list. Don't miss William H. Macy as an unlucky former gambler who manages to win the heart of Maria Bello.
We speak of the George Clooney-led remake, of course, not the slower-paced original starring Frank Sinatra. When it comes to sizzle and star power, this is the Vegas movie to end all Vegas movies, filled with casinos (including the landmark Bellagio), star power (Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, the list goes on) and plenty of action.