Wick's Review

Summary - Great 4.0

Last Vegas nails its high concept to a T, starting with the T it nails to its ass, er Las. Vegas bachelor party, geriatric style sums it up. Low-brow formula doesn’t preclude accomplished execution however, especially given major star power, considerable chemistry and ample cheesecake – Kings over Queens you might say.

I admit to being charmed by Last Vegas in part by being in generational proximity to its Medicare-eligible stars. And in being a guy, the movie being a celebration of male privilege as much as anything else. So what. Funny is funny, charming is charming and Vegas from a safe remove is a hoot, its cheesiness a virtue.

Last Vegas’s comedy never gets fully off the hook, though it’s studded with LOLs and farts out very few clunkers. But then it is a PG-13 movie about 70 year olds. Thus they mostly observe the craziness, which never extends to girls dropping their tops, for instance. Maybe there’s a Director’s Cut. I’d pay to see it.

Baby Boomer guys are guaranteed a good time with Last Vegas, all the more if boyhood reunions and/or trips to Vegas are fresh in your mind, as they are in mine. Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

Acting - Great 4.0

The big four each fits into his role like it’s an old shoe, the interplay between them a treat to behold.

Michael Douglas’s handsome playboy appears to be closest to his real persona. No wonder his marriage to Catherine Zeta-Jones went kaput. Perhaps most interesting is that the ragman’s grandson plays Jewish, even slipping in an Oy at one point. Teenaged Noah Harden has the necessary swagger to essay him as a kid.

Robert De Niro plays irascible as well as anyone, Tommy Lee Jones included. The great De Niro’s always worth watching. Teenaged RJ Fattori convincingly plays him as an adolescent. He’ll slug you if you object.

Morgan Freeman surprises: turns out he’s a gifted comedic actor. Who knew? Jumping out a window or dominating the dance floor, he’s as funny as he is lovable. Aaron Bantum is convincing as his teen version.

Kevin Kline is the only one of the four to strain a bit, but then his role is the most overtly comical. Teenaged Phillip Wampler is nicely nerdy as his pubescent version.

Notables amongst the large supporting cast:

• Mary Steenburgen is extremely lovely as the chanteuse they fall for.
• Jerry Ferrara has come a long way from being Entourage’s Turtle. Dude’s buffed up.
• Romany Malco doesn’t have great presence, but doesn’t waste his few shots as a VIP concierge.
• Joanna Gleason as Kevin Kline’s wife looks like Mary Steenburgen’s older sister, but isn’t.

Then there’s the copious cheesecake credits: Hot Waitress; Pretty Girl by Pool; Featured Pretty Girl by the Pool; Sexy Boots Girl; Party Girl; Brunette in Pool; Blonde In Pool. Gee, what were the casting criteria for those roles?

The Himself credits include 50 Cent and “Redfoo” Stefan Gordy, son of Berry Gordy and half of LMFAO.

Film - Very Good 3.5

Director Jon Turteltaub and writer Dan Fogelman’s film opens beautifully with a 1950s Brooklyn period piece scene. Youthful characterizations established, it hits its marks from then on, establishing a nice rhythm of laughs and engaging moments, ultimately paying off every tip. That’s accomplished execution.

Plus it delivers a spot-on tour of Vegas, from the GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS guys snapping cards into the hands of passersby on the Strip, to the downmarket Binion’s Gambling Hall on Fremont Street, to the sleek glamour of Aria, to the fleshpot nightclubs. That’s Vegas Baby.

Edge - Risqué 1.8

PG-13 sex comedy means lots of cheesecake but no nudity, not even a boob.

Reality - Glib 1.5

What luck these guys have!!! The cards always go their way, the penthouse is theirs for the taking and of all the saloons in Vegas they walk into the one with the sweetly beautiful chanteuse who’s looking for love.

Planning a similar trip to Vegas? Your mileage may vary.

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