Ocean’s 11. Mars Attacks. The Hangover.
Las Vegas is no stranger to the big screen. Especially when it comes to spectacle movies, broad comedies, and camp films.
“The city has a reputation as a place of spectacle,” said Josh Bell, film writer who also contributes to Desert Companion, Nevada Public Radio’s city-regional magazine. “It's easy shorthand for filmmakers looking for a place that's dazzling and gaudy and where characters can go crazy. ... We're, in a way, as a city, the equivalent of special effects.”
As such, Las Vegas’ cinematic presence is less common in serious, more high-minded films. Until recently.
Out in theaters now is Anora, the Palme d’Or winner at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and a frontrunner for Best Picture at the upcoming Academy Awards. The film features two interludes where the main characters escapes -- and begrudgingly return -- to the city thanks to a regrettable episode -- a frequent trope of films that incorporate Las Vegas.
But filmmaker Sean Baker is anything but stereotypical in his depiction of characters like the title lead, herself a working-class sex worker. That said, “It's a fascinating story about the kind of people that don't often get to have layers to their stories, and I think that applies, too, as we're talking about the superficiality of movies about Vegas,” said Bell. “These are the layers that we don't always get in movies about Vegas.”
Due out in January is The Last Showgirl, by filmmaker Gia Coppola, featuring Pamala Anderson as the longtime performer of a Strip production that’s forced to consider a new life for herself. The movie — a rare film that centers an actual showgirl — also hones in on the working class of Las Vegas.
“It is great to see the consideration for people who keep this city running, people in shows, whether they're showgirls or other performers, and they go to work every day and it's grueling,” said Bell.
The third sequel to Venom, currently out now, also features a Vegas interlude, though that film — while a $400-million blockbuster — has earned far fewer kudos than the two aforementioned pictures.
Bell also recommends the following films that offer a more nuanced and authentic take on Las Vegas:
- Jezebel by Numa Perrier
- The Ross Brothers’ “Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets”
- Nina Menkes’ “Queen of Diamonds”
- Rebecca Thomas’ "Electrick Children”
