30 Movies That Were Filmed in St. Louis

By Paula Tredway on Fri, Feb 2, 2024 at 6:00 am

Who knew St. Louis was featured in so many different types of movies? Documentaries, thrillers, comedies and more have set up production here, from On Fire, starring William H. Macy and John Corbett — filmed in locations around Maplewood and St. Louis last November and December and coming soon to a theatre near you — all the way back to 1959's The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery.

In recent years St. Louis hasn't been the first place Hollywood would choose as a filming location because Missouri didn’t offer large tax credits to film production companies, but the state hopped back on that train this past year, which could lead to more St. Louis staples on the big screen.

Scroll down for a selection of St. Louis' starring roles on the big screens — and a few interesting cameos, too.

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Screengrab via YouTube

Heart of the Beholder
In this 2005 film, writer and director Ken Tipton drew on his experience owning one of the first video rental chains in St. Louis. Apparently, locals were pissed they stocked The Last Temptation of Christ and drove them out of business. Tipton returned the favor by filming his indie feature film here.

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Screengrab via YouTube

Alice Upside Down
The 2007 movie Alice Upside Down (your stereotypical teen, high school movie), starring Alyson Stoner, Lucas Grabeel and Bridgit Mendler, took place at Bishop DuBourg High School (5850 Eichelberger Street) in south city.

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Screengrab via YouTube

Meet Bill
This 2007 American comedy starring Aaron Eckhart was shot in St. Louis in June and July of 2006 at various locations including the Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School (101 North Warson Road), Washington University (1 Brookings Drive), Dick’s Sporting Goods (200 West County Center), the St. Louis Galleria (1155 Saint Louis Galleria), KPLR-TV (2250 Ball Drive) and Bellerive Country Club (12925 Ladue Road).

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Screengrab via YouTube

The Lucky Ones
In 2008's The Lucky Ones, three U.S. Army soldiers return home. One of those soldiers, Staff Sergeant Fred Cheaver (played by Tim Robbins), retired and returned home to his wife and son in suburban St. Louis. After returning home, he discovers his wife wants a divorce.

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Screengrab via YouTube

The Pruitt-Igoe Myth
This acclaimed 2011 documentary focuses in and around Pruitt-Igoe, a complex of 11 public housing high-rises at Cass Avenue and Jefferson Street. The buildings were demolished decades before it was filmed, but still take a starring role thanks to archival footage.

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SCREENSHOT

Gone Girl
This psychological thriller film directed by David Fincher stars Neal Patrick Harris, Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike. In the 2014 movie, Amy Elliot (played by Pike) runs away from her husband Nick Dunne (played by Affleck) and ends up in St. Louis on her seventh day of being missing. The Gateway Arch is present to show that she has made it to the city, where she ends up at the River Casino to meet her ex-boyfriend (Harris).

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Screengrab via YouTube

The Layover
William H. Macy directed this turkey of a 2015 film, which manages to have a Rotten Tomatoes approval rating of 0 percent (ouch!). Still, it stars not only Macy and Kate Upton and Alexandria Daddario (pre-White Lotus fame), but also St. Louis: Upton and Daddario’s flight to Florida is diverted to Lambert, and they end up at a local Sheraton Hotel. So the layover in The Layover begins right here in St. Louis.

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Braden McMakin

The Game of Their Lives
This 2004 soccer film features a cast of what would soon be stars, from Gerard Butler to Wes Bentley to Patrick Stewart to Gavin Rossdale (really!). Butler and his crew come from St. Louis’ Hill neighborhood, and principal photography also took place here. (Photo is off the neighborhood, not a still from the film, so no point in lookign for Gavin Rossdale.)

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Flickr

The Ghost Who Walks
Cody Stokes filmed The Ghost Who Walks in 2019 in St. Louis neighborhoods such as Dogtown, Soulard and the Central West End. He also used Billie's Fine Foods (1802 South Broadway) as the diner where Nolan orders a steak and steals the knife in the movie.

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A movie based on John O'Leary's book will shoot in St. Louis later this year.

RFT FILE

On Fire
In late 2023, director Sean McNamara filmed On Fire in locations around town, including Maplewood and at Saint Louis University. The movie tells the true story of St. Louisan John O'Leary and his life after suffering near-fatal burns from his childhood. The story centers around the St. Louis community, the paramedics, and Mercy Healthcare professionals who helped save John O’Leary’s life. It is set for release around Thanksgiving 2024.

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