Miami Beach on the Silver Screen: Famous Filming Locations

The brilliant sun and beautiful scenery has drawn media to Miami Beach repeatedly over the past few decades. From reality television shows to rap music videos and a whole lot more, high-profile productions have a history of exploring the illustrious shores of South Beach.

At the forefront of all this attention is the movie industry. A number of famous films have been shot right here in South Beach. In fact, Ocean Drive itself hosted some of the most iconic movie scenes in the history of film. A few of our favorites are listed below.

There's Something About Mary

The beloved Farrelly Brothers comedy, following the tale of a tragically flawed protagonist -- played by Ben Stiller -- chasing down his high school crush, is simply a classic. With some hilarious scenes, including Stiller's character having some painful zipper issues before his senior prom, and being mistakenly arrested in place of a serial killer, the funniest and most remembered is when he provided Mary -- played by Cameron Diaz -- with a questionable hair gel substitute. The much gasped-at, often talked-about scene was filmed right here in Miami Beach at the Cardozo Hotel, located at 1300 Ocean Drive.

The Birdcage

This utterly hilarious depiction of Robin Williams and Nathan Lane playing a dynamic gay couple tells the story of their son bringing his fiance and her politically esteemed family to Miami Beach for a visit. The liberal and free-spirited couple is challenged by the conservative ideals and expectations of these visitors who are so important to their son. In the film, Williams' and Lane's characters work at and run a club in SoBe called The Birdcage. Much of the film was shot at the Carlyle Hotel on Ocean Drive.

Scarface

Scarface is the quintessential Miami Beach gangster film, starring Al Pacino as the one and only Tony Montana. This wildly popular film begins with Pacino's character coming to Miami Beach as one of the many exiled by Fidel Castro in the historic Mariel Boat Lift. The action comes to Ocean Drive early in the film, when Montana is captured by some thugs and nearly dismembered in the famous chainsaw scene. Montana escapes and stumbles out of an apartment building located at 728 Ocean Drive. The property is now a Johnny Rockets, but it will forever be remembered as the setting for one of our favorite movie scenes shot in Miami Beach.