| WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS... |
 2008 - USADirector: Tom Vaughan
- Reviewed by Vickie
Honestly, it's sloppy and juvenile and often stupid and, like the titular city, seems like it was assembled by an army of people with blazing cases of ADD. At times, I felt physically embarrassed for the people onscreen, and I wondered if this was yet another sign of the cinematic Apocalypse. But here's the crazy thing: I kind of liked it. (Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!) I know. I said it was crazy. But I laughed out loud several times, and walked out of the theater smiling. Not, you'll note, cursing the stars or the director or the studio that greenlit this donkey. How on Earth did that happen?! I'll tell you how: almost ALL the credit for each of the four slices I'm giving this film go to supporting players Rob Corddry and Lake Bell. Holy crap, they were excellent. Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz get top billing as, respectively, recently fired screw-up Jack and recently dumped type-A financial exec Joy. They don't know each other, but both live in NYC and both decide (separately) to mend their broken egos by heading to Sin City for a no-holds-barred weekend of debauchery with their respective best friends: his pal Hater (Corddry) and her gal pal Tipper (Bell). They all "meet cute" in a painfully un-cute, un-funny and overly extended fight sequence when they're mistakenly given the same hotel suite. One thing leads to another and before you can say "double down!" copious amounts of alcohol have been consumed, fences have been mended and Jack and Joy drunkenly get hitched. Of course, the unflinching light of day—and masssssssive hangovers all around—brings some much-needed clarity, and the pair wisely decides to split... until Jack wins $3 million after using Joy's quarter in a slot machine. Suddenly, she wants part of the winnings, he adamantly refuses, the duo head to court to divide the "marital assets" and a supremely unimpressed judge (Dennis Miller, in a wonderfully acerbic bit part) sentences them to stay married for six months as punishment for making a mockery of their unholy union. After those six months, he'll reassess their case and either rule to split the money or, if he feels they haven't made a sincere effort to live happily ever after, he'll tie it up in red tape forever and neither will get a dime. (At this point, as an audience member, you reeeeeeeally have to suspend your disbelief.) Long story short: Jack hates Joy, Joy hates Jack, neither one likes the arrangement but they both want their share of the money, so much bickering, childish pranks and lame humor ensues. But, like two shining beacons of hope in an otherwise dismal 100 minutes, Corddry and Bell just light up the screen. They are hilarious. HILARIOUS. I loved them. Lovedlovedloved them. The whole time I was watching I kept thinking, "The filmmakers made the wrong movie. They should have had these two star." Hater and Tipper loathe each other, and that loathing makes for stellar comedy. Nevermind Tipper's obsession with "junk punching" jerky men, including Joy's ex (Jason Sudeikis). I couldn't wait for them to appear onscreen, and the proceedings became decidedly flatter and duller whenever they were absent from the action. Storywise, the movie is silly and completely, unimaginatively predictable. There are misguided attempts at physical comedy and outright slapstick several times—a prolonged "battle" to beat each other to the office of their marriage counsellor (Queen Latifah...how the heck did she wind up in this?!) that's particularly awful—all of which drag on pointlessly, and there's absolutely zero suspense for the duration of the film. Is there anyone out there who can't already predict how everything will turn out just by looking at the poster? And yet, as I said, I can't completely pan the movie because I did enjoy it on some level. It's no prize-winner, but its brilliant pair of supporting co-stars certainly are. If you see it all, see it for them... and make sure to stay until the very end of the credits for a coda. |
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Let's get one thing straight right now: What Happens in Vegas is
a crappy movie.
