Top 10 All-Star Cast Movies

Infinity War (2018) is not only breaking box office records because of its amazing graphics and intense plot — it also has an all-star cast.

What is an all-star cast, you may ask? Let me enlighten you: an all-star cast is a cast in which roughly 86% of the stars are famous actors or actresses. How do I figure that number, you ask? I look at a cast and I say, “Wow, that’s a lot of stars. I know a lot of those names.” And that, my friends, is an all-star cast.

Do not question my process. It’s extremely scientific and took me years to perfect.

Honorable Mentions

The Thin Red Line (1998)

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Murder on the Orient Express (2017)

The Longest Day (1962)

The Expendables (2010)

The Fast and the Furious (2001)

The Hangover (2009)

Clue (1985)

It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)

We Were Soldiers (2002)

#10: Heat (1995)

Starring/featuring cameos from: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Val Kilmer, Danny Trejo, Ashley Judd, Natalie Portman, Amy Brenneman, Jon Voight, Tom Sizemore, Dennis Haysbert, Hank Azaria, and Ted Levine

Image via Bald Move

Heat is a gritty crime thriller, which is perfect material for an all-star cast. Much like Ocean’s Eleven (2001), Heat features a group of thieves; however, these thieves are a little less fun-loving and a little more violence-loving. Featuring well-known faces of the action genre like Danny Trejo and Val Kilmer, this movie piles on the angst and suspense onto its characters. Veteran actors like Robert De Niro and Al Pacino add an undercurrent of dignity to the dramatic plot line. Supporting performances from Ashley Judd and Natalie Portman round out this fantastic flick that delves deep into the criminal underbelly of metropolis.

#9: JFK (1991)

Starring/featuring cameos from: Kevin Costner, Donald Sutherland, Tommy Lee Jones, Gary Oldman, Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Kevin Bacon, Joe Pesci, Sissy Spacek, Ed Asner, John Candy, Jay O. Sanders, Laurie Metcalf, Vincent D’Onofrio, and Wayne Knight

Image via Classic Movies

Who doesn’t love a good conspiracy theory? JFK provides compelling arguments for what really happened in Dallas, Texas, November 22, 1963. The cast play a wide variety of historical figures associated with the assassination of John F. Kennedy, like Kevin Costner as District Attorney Jim Garrison, Gary Oldman as accused assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, and Donald Sutherland as mysterious Mr. X. Each performance is phenomenal and adds more drama to the film. Because it provides astoundingly convincing evidence, your head will be reeling by the time the credits are rolling.

#8: The Departed (2006)

Starring/featuring cameos from: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin, Jack Nicholson, Vera Farmiga, Anthony Anderson, and Robert Wahlberg

Image via IMDB

Hollywood has a soft spot for dark crime thrillers with large, all-star casts. This one stands out among the rest for the intricate twists and turns the plot takes and for how perfectly cast each actor is. Jack Nicholson as the dangerous criminal was a perfect choice, because I don’t think Nicholson is entirely sane in real life either. Leonardo DiCaprio gives an impressive performance as the stressed-out undercover cop (apparently not Oscar-winning though). A Martin Scorsese film, it takes a delightfully graphic look at crime and those who fight it.

#7: Love Actually (2003)

Starring/featuring cameos from: Andrew Lincoln, Bill Nighy, Liam Neeson, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Keira Knightley, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Rowan Atkinson, Laura Linney, Martin Freeman, Billy Bob Thornton, Gregor Fisher, Abdul Salis, Kris Marshall, Anthony McPartlin, and Rory MacGregor

Image via US Weekly

British culture is a wonderful world and I’m glad they shared this little piece of heaven with us. Who knew that the UK had the secret to making fantastic romantic comedies? Much like the 2010 American knockoff Valentine’s Day, Love Actually tells several different love stories — each with unique elements and comic moments — all occurring near Christmas. Though the stories are all loosely-related, it’s almost like watching eight separate movies in one sitting, which is a fun experience. Whether you’re watching the budding bromance between Billy Mack and his manager or Colin Frissell’s raucous trip to America, you can feel the love in the air.

#6: The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)

Starring/featuring cameos from: Max Von Sydow, Charlton Heston, José Ferrer, Dorothy McGuire, John Wayne, Claude Rains, Martin Landau, David McCallum, Sidney Poitier, Angela Lansbury, Sal Mineo, Pat Boone, Roddy McDowall, and Jamie Farr

Image via IMDB

The Greatest Story Ever Told has its inaccuracies and dramatizations (it’s Hollywood, for Pete’s sake), but it features an all-star cast. What I love most about this movie is that it doesn’t draw attention to its all-star cast; it chooses to focus on developing its plot instead. If I hadn’t listed some of the actors and actresses above, you may not have even recognized them. True to its name, The Greatest Story Ever Told focuses on developing its intricate religion-based plot; having an all-star cast is just a delightful bonus.

#5: The Godfather (1972)

Starring/featuring cameos from: Marlon Brando, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Abe Vigoda, and Richard S. Castellano

Image via Film Inquiry

While it doesn’t have the most extensive cast, it does have a few big name stars coming together for Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpiece. The Godfather follows the Corleone family — a big name in the Italian mafia — in its unsavory deeds. Marlon Brando plays the patriarch of the family, doling out cruel justice to enemies and love to his family. Al Pacino displays the character development of young Michael Corleone unerringly. Each of the supporting actors and actresses give compelling performances in this dark crime film.

#4: Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Starring/featuring cameos from: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Holland, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chadwick Boseman, Chris Pratt, Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel, Paul Bettany, Dave Bautista, Sebastian Stan, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Mackie, Peter Dinklage, Bradley Cooper, Danai Gurira, Idris Elba, Don Cheadle, and Gwyneth Paltrow

Image via Forbes

Do not fear if you still haven’t seen the movie — there will be no spoilers here. If I were giving out awards based on size, this one would win hands-down. Infinity War utilized a sizable cast of A-list actors and gave the fans fantastic character interaction. When some of our favorite superheroes meet, it’s even better than how we imagined, especially in terms of the jokes made. For example, when Spider-Man (Holland) meets Star-Lord (Pratt), their slight banter about Footloose (1984) had the theater giggling. Or when Iron Man (Downey Jr.) meets Dr. Strange (Cumberbatch), the sarcasm emanating from them is palpable through the screen. For how big the cast was (and also for how expensive production was), Infinity War did a good job.

#3: Pulp Fiction (1994)

Starring/featuring cameos from: Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta, Bruce Willis, Quentin Tarantino, Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, Christopher Walken, Tim Roth, Eric Stoltz, Ving Rhames, Amanda Plummer, Steve Buscemi, and Frank Whaley

Image via Wired

Pulp Fiction is a pretty intense film, mainly because it takes mature subjects like sex, gore, and profanity and somehow makes them amusing. You may find yourself cringing when John Travolta accidentally shoots a man in the head but you’ll find yourself laughing in the next second when he utters the phrase: “Aww man, I shot Marvin in the face.” It incorporates its weighty cast well by intertwining numerous plot lines, all with their own quirks and perks. Each story is unique and has its own group of A-list actors who find themselves interacting in hilariously dark ways.

#2: Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Starring/featuring cameos from: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore, Giovanni Ribisi, Vin Diesel, Edward Burns, Barry Pepper, Adam Goldberg, Nathan Fillion, Ted Danson, and Paul Giamatti

image via Amazon

War movies tend to do really well with all-star casts; this is mostly because there are a lot of disposable characters in war. What better way to do that than to include characters we’ve grown to love in other movies? This World War II drama features actors from all genres: Vin Diesel from action, Barry Pepper from drama/war, Tom Hanks from everything, and Nathan Fillion from sci-fi. Saving Private Ryan is possibly the greatest war movie of all-time and lot of credit goes to its phenomenal cast. Each actor gives an award-winning performance that conveys to the audience an age-old adage: “War is hell.”

#1: Ocean’s Eleven (2001)

Starring/featuring cameos from: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Elliott Gould, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Bernie Mac, Andy Garcia, Carl Reiner, and Angie Dickinson

image via Moviefone

I might be a just a bit biased because I have a crush on like 90% of the cast, but Ocean’s Eleven is a perfect example of what an all-star movie looks like. First of all, it has a high-stakes plot — a group of no-good thieves bands together to rob three Las Vegas casinos. Secondly, the banter between characters is witty and effectively shows their acting skills. This movie is based on the 1960 film of the same name — starring Rat Pack members Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr. — and it loses none of that gentlemanly cool. It’s a sexy, cool, sleek, snazzy, and fun ride-along with sophisticated criminals.

And it has George Clooney. Big plus right there.

Thanks for reading!  What are your thoughts on top 10 movies with all-star casts? Did we miss any?  Comment down below!

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