ATLANTIC CITY

It’s called the Poor Man’s Las Vegas. It was right much of a dump before the casinos arrived, and is still right much of a dump after. Oh, and it’s the city that furnished the street names for Monopoly! But Atlantic City has the lure of easy riches, and is a natural setting for movies. 
Let’s start with the namesake, Atlantic City (1980). Louis Malle’s excellent portrayal of a city transitioning from a dying beach resort into a glitzy gambling Mecca is as good a portrait of the city as there is. Burt Lancaster is very good as a two-bit hood with ridiculous pretensions. Susan Sarandon is also fine as a woman working where she can and hoping against hope for something better. This fine film garnered five Oscar nominations (Malle, Lancaster, Sarandon, screenplay, movie), but was shut out. 
Owning Mahowny (2003) is the best portrayal of a compulsive gambler ever put on film. And Phillip Seymour Hoffman is just right as the man who just can’t quit. His trips to Atlantic City are gut-wrenching; you find yourself thinking, “No, don’t go there again.” In a rare rational moment he would agree with you, but somehow finds himself back in the casino again. His inevitable downfall is no surprise, nor is his reaction to it. Minnie Driver is quite good as his steadfast girlfriend, and there’s lots of good stuff about gamblers and the gaming industry. 
The King Of Marvin Gardens (1972) features Jack Nicholson as the squared-away brother of hopelessly dreaming Bruce Dern, who does a little hard time as a Mafia front man. Dern’s outlandish schemes are both ridiculous and sad. Ellen Burstyn has a nice turn as a beauty just past the best age. 
Whether you like Beaches (1988) will depend on how you like Bette Midler. If you’re a big Midler fan, you’ll love it. If you’re not, well, give it a miss. It is a Hollywood soap opera in which two girls meet on an Atlantic City beach and become friends for life. One is poor and driven to make it big in show biz and the other is from old money. Barbara Hershey is one of them- three guesses which is the show-biz wannabe.
In Sour Grapes (1998) brothers quarrel after one hits a slot machine jackpot on money borrowed from the other. From the same year, Snake Eyes features Gary Sinise and Nicholas Cage (he’s everywhere!) trying to catch the shooter at an Atlantic City boxing match. 
Last but not least, there’s HBO’s Boardwalk Empire (2010-14), a not entirely fictional rendering of the rise of Atlantic City. There are characters galore, but Steve Buscemi as the extremely crooked mayor and Michael Shannon as an equally crooked Federal agent are the stars. 
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. All are for grown-ups.