|
MPAA/Content PG-13 [AC, AL, MV] |
Distributor
CBS Films [2013] |
Technical
HD 2.35:1 |
Genres
COM DRA |
Runtime
104 mins. |
Country
USA |
Budget
$28M |
CAST
Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline, Mary Steenburgen, Jerry Ferrara, Romany Malco, Roger Bart, Joanna Gleason, Michael Ealy & Bre Blair; cameos by 50 Cent & Redfoo
CREDITS
Director: Jon Turteltaub; Screenwriters: Dan Fogelman; Producers: Amy Baer, Joseph Drake & Lawrence Mark; Director Of Photography: David Hennings; Production Designer: David J. Bomba; Editor: David Rennie; Costume Designer: Dayna Pink; Music Composer: Mark Mothersbaugh
THE SYNOPSIS
Brooklyn, NY; the 1950s. Billy, Paddy, Archie & Sam are rambunctious kids and best friends known as The Flatbush Four. Modern day: spread across the country with lives of their own, The Flatbush Four are no more.
Billy (Douglas) is a successful Malibu lawyer who proposes to his young girlfriend Lisa (Blair). Retired blue collar Paddy (De Niro) is a cranky widower who refuses to leave his Brooklyn home. Twice-divorced retired Air Force man Archie (Freeman), recovering from a mild stroke, lives with his overprotective son and his family in Englewood, NJ. Accountant Sam (Kline) and his wife Miriam (Gleason) live in a retirement community in Naples, Florida—though Sam really hates it.
Billy calls Archie and Sam to announce the news—and the men decide to celebrate in Las Vegas as gift to Billy for his lifelong generosity to them. They trick Paddy into coming—as he stopped talking to Billy years ago for not coming to his wife’s funeral. After some bickering, a cease-fire is declared and they head off to their modest hotel—which is closed for renovations.
Billy has his assistant book them into the luxurious ARIA—which Archie pays for after winning $100k at the blackjack tables! A penthouse suite and personal host Lonnie (Malco) are given to the guys and their Vegas vacation begins. Along the way, they befriend a drag queen performer named Maurice (Bart) and a former tax attorney-turned-lounge singer named Diana (Steenburgen)—who takes a liking to both Paddy and Billy.
The Flatbush Four’s swanky penthouse pad becomes Ground Zero for Vegas partying, where the men reconnect; Paddy pimp-slaps a young turk (Ferrrara) into indentured servitude; Lonnie comes to respect his elder charges; Archie parties like there’s no tomorrow while Sam puts the moves on hot young chicks (after Miriam encourages him pre-trip, of course). Paddy and Billy’s problems will get resolved too. But will Billy go through his wedding to the much younger Lisa—or is Diana the one for him?
THE CRITIQUE
LAST VEGAS, an amusing—but harmless—Baby Boomer comedy, wants to be the raunchier Hangover Series’ granduncle…but merely comes off as raunchy-lite (and please hold the salt). If anything, the movie can at least boast that all five of its principal actors are Oscar®-winners. That’s something, right?
Written by Dan Fogelberg (Cars, Fred Claus, The Guilt Trip), the screenplay manages to project (just about) every human emotion while maintaining a feckless, status quo veneer. The comedy is about four aging Baby Boomers who make one last go of the new/young/modern Vegas—it has heart…but where are its balls? Writing a more ribald tale to secure an R-rating would have made this movie more fun and rowdy.
And yes: a re-imagining of The Hangover (2009) for the Post-WWII crowd may not have been original—but it would have had the balls needed to pull it off. Remember, Baby Boomers can still lay claim to the greatest bachelor party movie of the 20th Century: Bachelor Party (1984). Now that was a funny, funny movie.
At least LAST VEGAS is helmed with a sure hand by veteran director Jon Turteltaub (3 Ninjas, Phenomenon, Instinct, The Kid, National Treasure series)—whose movies I rather enjoy. His work may not stand out—screaming AUTEUR! AUTEUR! AUTEUR! from the top of the Luxor pyramid—but being a steady hand amidst this distinguished cast cannot hurt either. Under Turteltaub’s stewardship, the movie exhibits gloss, class and heart.
The game cast gives the characters some energy and individuality. I am a fan of each actor’s talents & filmographies and can say that each has their moment or two during the course of this movie. Any limitations in characterization (and there are some) are purely based on how they were written. I must say that the standouts in this one (aside from the gold-bling cast) are Roger Bart (as a drag queen) and young Jerry Ferrara—holding his own against De Niro and company.
Production values for this modestly-budgeted $28 million movie are solid across the board. LAST VEGAS was shot in and around Las Vegas (of course) & Atlanta, GA—which stood in for Brooklyn, NY; Englewood, NJ; Naples, FL; and (amazingly) Malibu, CA. Kudos to veteran Production Designer David J. Bomba (Secondhand Lions, Walk The Line, Race To Witch Mountain) for also recreating the ARIA Resort & Casino interiors including the centerpiece SkySuite penthouse room where the boys stay.
LAST VEGAS features glossy HD-widescreen lensing by veteran cinematographer David Hennings (Blue Crush, You Again, Horrible Bosses)—capturing the colorful Vegas settings using the versatile ARRI® ALEXA camera system. The camerawork is abetted by a smooth cutting schema courtesy of veteran editor David Rennie (The Kid, Race To Witch Mountain, You Again, 22 Jump Street) and music by DEVO’s own Mark Mothersbaugh (Rushmore, The Life Aquatic With Steven Zissou, 21 Jump Street, 22 Jump Street).
THE BOTTOM LINE
Playing very much like The Hangover Series’ randy-but-cuddly-but-toothless granduncle, LAST VEGAS entertains yet fails to live up to the advertising hype. Still, the game cast, solid technical facets and seductive Vegas setting sell themselves very easily. I can proudly say that this is a Sin City movie that even my mother can watch…when she gets back from Atlantic City, that is.
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1204975/
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Vegas
Official Site: http://www.lastvegasmovie.com
MoonStar Film Reviews 
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