Review of Last Vegas (2013) by Harry W — 23 Jun 2014

With an exceptional cast of Academy Award winning actors lined up, especially the hilarious Kevin Kline, Last Vegas sounded like a great feature.

The thing I really like about Last Vegas is the fact that its main cast has worked so hard for so many years as actors to entertain millions of people. They have all worked so hard that they have earned an Academy Award each for their efforts, and so it is great to see them all come together in Last Vegas for a comedy which contrasts the humour of this generation to the kind of people that were some of the most critically acclaimed actors in previous generations. And the fact is that it is such a lighthearted movie which shows them having fun with the comedic material. And I looked at Last Vegas and felt that they all really deserved this film. They earned the right to team up in a comedy blockbuster and have as much fun as they wanted, and that is just what happens in Last Vegas, so I really like the film just because of the kind of opportunity that it presents to the cast. The film itself is only ok, but the existence of it makes me happy.

The premise is clearly an attempt to capitalise on the success of The Hangover Trilogy but with the use of an older cast which means that it is more likely to appeal to crowds of greater age. The comedic situation of placing several old men in a situation usually reserved for the "party animals" of contemporary young America is a funny idea, but it isn't really capitalised on as much as it should be for the sake of the film. Instead, Last Vegas attempts to be a melodramatic drama about coming to terms with age and friendship most of the time. It goes back and forth between soppy drama and genuine comedy, and although its story has some meaning, it derives from the focus on comedy and makes the experience lesser. Last Vegas wants to be both a great comedy film and a moving drama film, but director Jon Turteltaub is unable to balance the themes all that well.

Also, Kevin Kline does not get as much screen time as I had hoped. The film mainly focused on Michael Douglas and almost as much on Robert De Niro, while Kevin Kline and Morgan Freeman are played off as minor supporting figures with Kevin Kline having the smallest role of the four. I know he isn't as widely celebrated an actor as the rest of the cast, but the man is hilarious and he won an Academy Award for his hilarious supporting role in A Fish Called Wanda. Last Vegas does not really capitalise fully on his comedic talents and only gives him a serious of inconsistent scenes to make viewers laugh. He manages to do well in his scenes, but it just reminds me how much the film is focused on the dramatic concepts about its two main characters Billy Gherson and Patrick "Patty" Connors. Fans of Kevin Kline should be happy to see him active again in Last Vegas, but his screen time is not sufficient enough to live up to his name, nor does it do too many favours for Morgan Freeman.

But all in all, I would still say that I enjoyed Last Vegas.

The script in the film is not perfect, but it feels rather genuine and has some really funny moments in there as well as some dramatic scenes which are created well enough. The language in the film manages to flow from the mouths of the actors really easily and comes off as being pretty organic. The scenery for the film is also nice because the Las Vegas setting has a lot of energy to it, and the soundtrack encourages the kind of magic as well.

But the thing that keeps viewers watching Last Vegas is the performances of the cast, particularly the leading four actors.

Michael Douglas is a great lead in Last Vegas. He is a very likable character and is easy to sympathise for, and his natural leading charisma is terrific. His performance is one of a very light nature and he engages with the material very easily and delivers his lines with natural charisma. He has an easy comic timing in Last Vegas and engages with all the other characters with powerful chemistry, particularly with Robert De Niro. So Michael Douglas easily makes himself a genial presence in Last Vegas, and he is a hard figure to dislike.

Robert De Niro is also terrific. Although his character is the most dramatic of the bunch, he manages to balance both a dramatic and comedic persona well between the characters well enough so that he is easy to care about as well as easy to laugh at. Robert De Niro breathes some meaningful life into his character and delivers his lines so naturally that it is too easy to laugh at hi. Robert De Niro is a great addition to the cast in Last Vegas, and it is awesome to see him working with decent comedy material again.

Morgan Freeman is also a genial presence in Last Vegas. Even though he is well known for his dramatic work in many films, Last Vegas manages to present him with a decent comedic opportunity which he is able to take advantage of because he brings over his widely recognised attribute of his iconic voice, and he engages with the material with humourous ease. He brings a sense to the film which suggests that he is only half aware of everything that is going on and therefore puts a sense of dementia into his character which provides a few laughs. Morgan Freeman does a great job in Last Vegas.

And like I said, Kevin Kline does not receive enough screen time which is a shame because he is the actor in the cast who has done the most successful comedic work. Even though he could have used a bigger part, he put his natural energy into the role easily and provides many laughs in the process. He never drops out of character and keeps his energy consistent in the film from start to finish. It is awesome to see him active in mainstream comedy cinema again, and especially working alongside a cast like the one in Last Vegas.

Mary Steenburgen is also a good presence in Last Vegas because she is sweet and likable, and her chemistry with both Michael Douglas and Robert De Niro is gentle and good.

So despite the uneven balance between sloppy sentimentality and humour, Last Vegas is a mostly entertaining comedy film thanks to a truly skilled cast.