Movies Like Lay the Favorite (2012)

Lay the Favorite is a 2012 comedy, drama film from Stephen Frears with a MovieMagicScore of 5.2/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Casino and Owning Mahowny.

Comedy Drama

Casino

1995

In early-1970s Las Vegas, Sam "Ace" Rothstein gets tapped by his bosses to head the Tangiers Casino. At first, he's a great success in the job, but over the years, problems with his loose-cannon enforcer Nicky Santoro, his ex-hustler wife Ginger, her con-artist ex Lester Diamond and a handful of corrupt politicians put Sam in ever-increasing danger.

8.0

MagicScore

Owning Mahowny

2003

Dan Mahowny was a rising star at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. At twenty-four he was assistant manager of a major branch in the heart of Toronto's financial district. To his colleagues he was a workaholic. To his customers, he was astute, decisive and helpful. To his friends, he was a quiet, but humorous man who enjoyed watching sports on television. To his girlfriend, he was shy but engaging. None of them knew the other side of Dan Mahowny--the side that executed the largest single-handed bank fraud in Canadian history, grossing over $10 million in eighteen months to feed his gambling obsession.

6.7

MagicScore

Ticket to Vegas

2013

Four Russian friends come from Moscow to Las Vegas to get 5 million dollars they've won in lottery. But everything goes wrong, when they discover that someone stole their winning ticket.

4.2

MagicScore

Bugsy

1991

New York gangster Ben 'Bugsy' Siegel takes a brief business trip to Los Angeles. A sharp-dressing womanizer with a foul temper, Siegel doesn't hesitate to kill or maim anyone crossing him. In L.A. the life, the movies, and most of all strong-willed Virginia Hill detain him while his family wait back home. Then a trip to a run-down gambling joint at a spot in the desert known as Las Vegas gives him his big idea.

6.3

MagicScore

The Gauntlet

1977

Phoenix cop Ben Shockley is well on his way to becoming a derelict when he is assigned to transport a witness from Las Vegas. The witness turns out to be a belligerent prostitute with mob ties—and incriminating information regarding a high-ranking official.

6.5

MagicScore

One Night Only

2016

A gambler, fresh out of prison, and a beautiful hooker find themselves caught in an underground scheme that's spinning wildly out of control.

6.1

MagicScore

Roadside Prophets

1992

On a quest to fulfill a friend's last wish, Joe takes to the desert road on his 1957 Harley-Davidson. Joined by wannabe biker Sam, Joe journeys from Los Angeles to Nevada, meeting all sorts of characters along the way.

5.5

MagicScore

Finding Amanda

2008

A television producer with a penchant for drinking and gambling is sent to Las Vegas to convince his troubled niece to enter rehab.

4.8

MagicScore

Hard Eight

1997

A stranger mentors a young Reno gambler who weds a hooker and befriends a vulgar casino regular.

6.9

MagicScore

#10

Lost in America

1985

David and Linda Howard are successful yuppies from LA. When he gets a job disappointment, David convinces Linda that they should quit their jobs, liquidate their assets, and emulate the movie Easy Rider, spending the rest of their lives traveling around America...in a Winnebago.

6.9

MagicScore

#11

21

2008

Ben Campbell is a young, highly intelligent student at M.I.T. who strives to succeed. Wanting a scholarship to transfer to Harvard School of Medicine to become a doctor, Ben learns that he cannot afford the $300,000 tuition as he comes from a poor, working-class background. But one evening, Ben is introduced by his unorthodox math professor to a small but secretive club of five students, Jill, Choi, Kianna, and Fisher, who are being trained by Professor Rosa to count cards at blackjack.

6.7

MagicScore

#12

Indecent Proposal

1993

John Gage offers a down-on-his-luck yuppie husband $1 million for the opportunity to spend the night with the man's wife.

6.4

MagicScore

#13

Viva Las Vegas

1964

Lucky Jackson arrives in town with his car literally in tow ready for the first Las Vegas Grand Prix - once he has the money to buy an engine. He gets the cash easily enough but mislays it when the pretty swimming pool manageress takes his mind off things. It seems he will lose both race and girl, problems made more difficult by rivalry from Elmo Mancini, fellow racer and womaniser.

6.2

MagicScore

#14

Vegas Vacation

1997

The Griswold family hits the road again for a typically ill-fated vacation, this time to the glitzy mecca of slots and showgirls—Las Vegas.

6.0

MagicScore

#15

The Lady Gambles

1949

When Joan Boothe accompanies husband-reporter David to Las Vegas, she begins gambling to pass the time while he is doing a story. Encouraged by the casino manager, she gets hooked on gambling, to the point where she "borrows" David's expense money to pursue her addiction. This finally breaks up their marriage, but David continues trying to help her.

5.9

MagicScore

#16

Lucky You

2007

A professional poker player whose astounding luck at the table fails to translate into his lonesome love life attempts to win the World Series of Poker while simultaneously earning the affections of a beautiful Las Vegas singer.

5.6

MagicScore

#17

Jocks

1986

When an odd-ball tennis team of a Los Angeles college sets out on a road trip to a regional college tennis tournament in fun-filled Las Vegas, all the stops are out and literally "anything goes" both on and off the court.

4.3

MagicScore

#18

Intacto

2001

An enigmatic tale of four people whose lives are intertwined by destiny are subject to the laws of fate. They discover that luck is something they cannot afford to be without as they gamble with the highest stakes possible in a deadly game from which only one of them will emerge intact.

6.6

MagicScore

#19

Poolhall Junkies

2002

A retired pool hustler is forced to pick up the stick again when his brother starts a game he can't finish.

6.3

MagicScore

#20

Wild Card

2015

When a Las Vegas bodyguard with lethal skills and a gambling problem gets in trouble with the mob, he has one last play… and it's all or nothing.

5.7

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Lay the Favorite?

The top films similar to Lay the Favorite by MovieMagicScore are Casino (8.0), Owning Mahowny (6.7), Ticket to Vegas (4.2). Each shares comedy/drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Lay the Favorite worth watching?

Lay the Favorite holds a MovieMagicScore of 5.2/10 from 240 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Lay the Favorite?

Lay the Favorite (2012) is a comedy, drama film directed by Stephen Frears, starring Rebecca Hall, Bruce Willis, Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Where can I find more recommendations like Lay the Favorite?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more comedy recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Casino Movies like Owning Mahowny Movies like Ticket to Vegas Movies like Bugsy Movies like The Gauntlet Movies like One Night Only

About movies like Lay the Favorite

This ranked list pairs Lay the Favorite (2012), a comedy and drama film from Stephen Frears, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Rebecca Hall take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

← Back to Lay the Favorite