Last Vegas

Starring: Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline, Mary Steenburgen, Jerry Ferrera, Michael Ealy, Romany Malco, Roger Bart
Directed by: Jon Turteltaub
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy
2013

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Three lifelong friends (Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline) travel to Vegas to celebrate the bachelor party of their childhood friend (Michael Douglas).

Review:

Tim: The best part of Last Vegas is the idea of the movie- Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, and Kevin Kline are four lifelong friends who reunite in Las Vegas for a bachelor party. You tell me that one line and I'm automatically there. To see these four actors together on screen is an incredible experience. It helps that this film is directed by Jon Turteltaub. It's an incredible idea with an incredible cast. Unfortunately, the execution is lacking.

I do want to spend some time on the cast because it's so good. I loved seeing these four actors together. The highlight was probably the Michael Douglas-Robert De Niro dynamic. These two characters had a complicated past and it created interesting dynamics between them. They are both such legendary actors and I felt so lucky to be able to see them share the screen. That was the highlight of the film for me. Morgan Freeman and Kevin Kline were both good, but relegated to more humorous, supporting roles. Still, seeing these four interacting in a comedy was definitely a treat for audiences. I also loved seeing Mary Steenburgen here. I've always really enjoyed her as an actress and she dazzled in this film. Even though she's aging like the rest of the cast, she still has spark and energy and gave a very strong performance. Hands down, the most important reason to see this film is the cast.

The script was okay, but it's responsible for some of the less effective moments. I think Dan Fogelman is a good writer (I loved the writing in Crazy Stupid Love), but the script was just not up to snuff. It was fine- there was a few humorous moments and a few truly touching ones. However, there was just too much that caused me to roll my eyes. It departed too much from reality. For example, the guy who is told that they are these mobster kingpins or whatever- that whole thing felt so forced and unrealistic. This is a very uneven movie and that really detracts from the overall quality. Even at only 105 minutes, there were moments when I just waiting for it to end. Of course, there were great moments, too- but these are too few and far between. As a whole, the script needed to be funnier and more engaging.

This is certainly not a bad movie and it's worth seeing just for the cast alone. However, when you assemble this much talent in front of and behind the camera, you expect a better quality product. In the end, this movie is far too lightweight and far too forgettable. I'm glad that aging actors of any gender find good roles, but just putting great actors on screen does not make a great movie. I felt like The Bucket List tried the exact same thing. Great actors, writers, and directors are important, but you have to leverage all those elements to make a great movie. I feel like Last Vegas miss the mark there. This was a decent movie, but I can't help but feel slightly disappointed in the end product.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Bucket List