Last Vegas

We walk in expecting a good time with Last Vegas, and for the most part, the movie delivers.  True, the script could have been funnier, but the movie provides us the golden opportunity to see old pros like Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, and Kevin Kline acting together and having a great time.  They are wonderful, as is Mary Steenburgen, who plays a small-time lounge singer they befriend.  There is an undeniable charm to this movie, and this bright cast is responsible.

The ad campaign for the film seems to be trying to sell this as kind of a geriatric take on The Hangover.  Thank heavens, it's much better than that.  The plot kicks off in 1955, with the four main characters as childhood friends growing up in Brooklyn who call themselves the Flatbush Four.  Flash forward to the present, and the guys have stayed in touch for the most part, despite going their separate ways.  Sean (Kline) lives with his wife (Joanna Gleason) in Florida, and is pretty much surrounded by reminders that he's not getting any younger, his recent knee replacement being the latest sign.  Archie (Freeman) has recently suffered a mild stroke, and now must live under the care of his overly protective son, who treats his father like the slightest breeze will knock him over.  Paddy (De Niro) is still grieving over the death of his wife and has become a recluse, refusing to leave his apartment, surrounded by photos of the woman he loved.  Finally, there's Billy (Douglas), who lives in a beach side home in Malibu with a girlfriend who is half his age.  When Billy proposes to his 31-year-old girlfriend, the four decide to reunite in Las Vegas for a bachelor party weekend.

Credit goes to director Jon Turteltaub (The Sorcerer's Apprentice), who knows how to play up to the individual acting strengths of his four main stars.  The chemistry between these guys is so immediate, they really do seem like life-long friends from the moment they walk on the screen.  Credit must also go to screenwriter Dan Fogelman (The Guilt Trip), who not only provides a light and breezy comedic script, but also some surprisingly effective character-building moments.  This mainly surrounds the De Niro and Douglas characters, who have had a falling out in the past few years, and old wounds are reopened when they come together in Vegas.  Not only does the script deal with their issue honestly for the most part, it also manages to avoid some heavy-handed melodrama that the content could have easily lent itself to.  De Niro's performance especially benefits from this aspect of his character, as he actually gets to act here, and is not just cashing a paycheck.  After seeing him in back-to-back bombs earlier this year (The Big Wedding from this past Spring, and The Family from a couple months ago), it's nice to finally see De Niro get to be likable, funny, and kind of charming here.  For once, he's not just playing on his stereotyped tough guy image.

All of the four main stars get to stand out in some way, which is really the charm of Last Vegas.  Kevin Kline, in particular, gets big laughs from his performance, and manages to turn scenes that could have been stupid (such as when he can't figure out how to work the trunk in his rental car) into moments that made me smile.  No matter how broad the comedy in this film gets at times, these actors know how to play it in such a way that it seems, well, kind of grounded.  I never thought the sight of Douglas, De Niro, Freeman, and Kline judging a bikini contest could work, but these guys manage to make it fun.  We're laughing with these guys, instead of rolling our eyes like we know we should be.  And then there's the romantic subplot, concerning Mary Steenburgen's character, whom they meet shortly after arriving in Vegas.  Her plot and character is very sweet and likable, and doesn't feel as tacked on as it would in a lesser movie. 

Last Vegas only wants to be a gentle little crowd pleaser, and it works very well on that level.  It's brisk, it's silly, and I didn't buy a single second of it, but I also found that I didn't care.  The movie's too likable and sweet, and delivers on its promise of escapism.  I imagine it will be a small word-of-mouth hit in the coming weeks.  It certainly deserves to be.

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