Last Vegas

10/2/2014

Director: Jon Turteltaub
Writers: Dan Fogelman
Starring: Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline, Mary Steenburgen

While the idea of another Las Vegas bachelor party themed film is old and tired, “Last Vegas” breathes a whole new breath of fresh air into the concept – with old and tired actors that we’ve all grown to know and love. Starring four of the biggest Hollywood heavyweights alive, this film has just the right amount of sarcasm and spunk to make it one hell of a guilty pleasure for its adult to elderly audiences.

However, let’s all just form a prayer circle and hope that this is the last Vegas themed movie that we’re faced with for the foreseeable future. As a form of geriatric reboot of “the Hangover”, “Last Vegas” would be an appropriate and heart-warming place to put the lasting trend to a well-deserved end.
Billy (Michael Douglas), Paddy (Robert De Niro), Archie (Morgan Freeman) and Sam (Kevin Kline) have been best friends for more than fifty-eight years, despite their conflicts and their distance. After Billy proposes to his 31-year-old girlfriend, the four meet up again in Vegas for Billy’s bachelor party which involves judging bikini contests, massive parties in their penthouse and above all things, revealing long kept secrets and realising what they truly want out of the rest of their lives. With a hilarious cast and some excellent cameos from the likes of Redfoo and 50 Cent, this film is shocking, clever and emotional all rolled into one.

The film was directed by Jon Turteltaub, who is known for some legendary films including “Cool Runnings” and both of the “National Treasure” films starring Nicholas Cage. The director used his remarkable talent for clever camera angles throughout the film, especially to emphasise the seemingly hilarious symptoms of old age. One particular scene involving Archie had me cackling in particular – sneaking away from his son, Archie climbs out of his bedroom window so that he can go to Vegas with Sam. By shooting from a low angle, it seems like Archie is about to jump from a second story window but as it turns out he’s only jumping about a foot. Turteltaub has a keen eye for these kinds of cinematic techniques and is always keen to crack a joke in this quirky fashion. The “old” jokes keep on coming under the direction of Turteltaub – whether it’s appropriate or funny or not – and the awkward storylines and craft of the actors give the film that old Turteltaub touch.

As I was saying, the script is definitely heavy with jokes at the expense of the elderly. While the jokes were hilarious and well-scripted, at times I thought that it seemed a little harsh and overdone. However, I’m part of a new generation (Gen Y) so maybe I’m a little too oversensitive to be making judgements on what kind of criticism older generations can handle. After all, I was watching the film with older relatives and they were cackling all the way through the film and relating to the issues that these four gentlemen are facing – including erectile dysfunction, the inability to handle a vodka and Redbull and referring to a 31-year-old woman as an “infant”. While the concept of a crazy Vegas bachelor party is a little too easy for anyone trying to make a Hollywood film, “Last Vegas” works on so many levels with the twist of “old people” humour and hits home with loads of age groups, including my own.

This wasn’t the greatest performance from any of the actors and actresses in the film (except for maybe Morgan Freeman, whose performance is quite easily one of his best performances every time) but they were overall hilarious and very loveable. While the characters were written to be highly predictable and tired, they did a good job of bringing their personalities to the surface and creating a believable and amazing dynamic between old friends. Kevin Kline was especially great; his character arc of being given permission by his wife to sleep around has been done before but his awkward and desperate attempts to sleep with girls fifty years his junior were absolutely hysterical. Robert De Niro, on the other hand, was mildly unconvincing in his lasting negativity throughout the film. While he’s known for picking up these kinds of characters and his presence in the film was 100% appreciated, his rendition of a begrudged old man was tiring to watch. Michael Douglas was also… eh. Overall, it was mostly the novelty of watching all of these legendary actors together that upped the ante on the quality of all of their performances.

Naturally, the young and modern setting of Las Vegas made the script supported the comedic value of the film – four geriatric gentlemen partying in Las Vegas? The two concepts hardly suit each other or at the very least seem unlikely, so there ought to be a few laughs to be had. The costuming team also did a good job in emphasising the point of the film, the age of the actors and, not surprisingly, the age group that the film is most likely to receive it. Gross bathrobes, old slippers, knitted jumpers and golf hats – you get the picture – but there was also a level of growth with the costuming because later in the film, all four men are transformed into hard-hitting  party machines with hearts of gold in their designer suits and their luxurious penthouse apartment. The aesthetic appearance of both the settings, costumes and the actors all brought a very Vegas feel to the film.

Highlight: After a young man tries to fight the group of elderly gentlemen at a nightclub the night before, their personal assistant named Lonnie seeks out the kid and convinces him that Sam, Archie, Billy and Paddy are the heads of four very powerful crime families from all over America. They act the part – except for Sam, who absolutely blows it with the strangest comment ever – and manage to keep the kid on his toes throughout the rest of the movie. Absolutely hilarious! Loved it!

Score: 7/10

Written by Bronte Hoy