Last Vegas

COMEDY

It's Going to Be Legend... Where are we?

7.5 out of 10 | Rental

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Rated: PG-13 Sexual content and language
Release Date: November 1, 2013
Runtime: 1 hour 45 minutes

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Director: Jon Turteltaub
Writers: Dan Fogelman
Cast: Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline, Mary Steenburgen, Jerry Ferrara, Romany Malco, Michael Ealy, Roger Bart

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SYNOPSIS: Three sixty-something friends take a break from their day-to-day lives to throw a bachelor party in Las Vegas for their last remaining single pal.

REVIEW: National Treasure franchise director Jon Turteltaub ditches his favorite actor Nicolas Cage for some more mature A-listers. Dan Fogelman (Crazy, Stupid, Love.) takes a stab at writing a story centered in Las Vegas that doesn't involve losing time and memory.

Billy (Michael Douglas, Haywire), Paddy (Robert De Niro, The Family), Sam (Kevin Kline, The Conspirator) and Archie (Morgan Freeman, Now You See Me) are lifelong friends who grew up on the streets of Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York, USA, inseparable and thick as thieves. 58 years later, Billy unexpectedly proposes to his 32-year-old girlfriend at his mentors funeral. Deciding on a Las Vegas wedding, Billy calls his best friends to join him. Archie must lie to his son as to his whereabouts. Sam is given a hall pass from his wife in an effort to bring some life back into their marriage. Paddy goes with his friends, reluctant to leave his empty widowers house and reluctant to let go of the beef he has with Billy. Gambling, dancing, drinking, hot girls, and a lounge singer named Diane (Mary Steenburgen, The Help) make the trip fun... and complicated.

This is not the old man version of The Hangover, even though the location is the same. They do call Las Vegas 'Sin City', and it is appropriate for older men to reflect on the regrets in the sense of their past. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas… But can these older gentlemen learn new lessons from their life experiences to make it worthwhile? Morgan's Archie wants to be the man he once was before the stroke made everyone in his life think he was incapable of doing anything at all. Kline's Sam has lived in a marriage with a wife he loves and is comfortable with, but has lost his passion for life. De Niro's Patty sits in his bathrobe and accepts soup from the neighbor girl like a charity case. And Douglas' Billy lives in extravagant life with a young girlfriend, all in an effort to stave away old age.

Filled with geriatric jokes and based on a formulaic plotline, this Vegas tale does manage to amuse throughout. Billy's relationship with his soon-to-be wife is instantly called into question when he swoons over the lounge singer Diane when the quartet arrive at Binion's Casino. From that point forward you know that the wedding probably will be called off at some point. Will Sam find his mojo with some young hottie that will strengthen his marriage? That I will not reveal. And will De Niro's Paddy bury the hatchet with Billy or will he bury the hatchet in him for what he's done to him and his late wife Sophie.?

Do these men still have it? Every one of these actors is a superstar A-Lister. From The Godfather to Basic Instinct to Glory to Dave, these guys still got it. They may be slowing down a few steps but they can still spin a good yarn that entertains both young and old. They poke fun at themselves and each other when it comes to their age, making the film funny for us. Nobody want to see old dudes getting it on with young women but these guys clean up nice and keep everything is PG as possible.

Coupled with Jerry Ferrara and Romany Malco to give Las Vegas a little younger edge, its still Douglas, De Niro, Freeman and Kline who make sure to have the times of their lives. Getting old is not a laughing matter, but they make us want to see what it may be all about.

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The Conspirator

An Angry Nation on Film

Director: Robert Redford

Writer: James D. Solomon, Gergory Berstein

Stars: James McAvoy, Robin Wright, Tom Wilkinson, Kevin Kline, Justin Long, Danny Huston

RANT: Spending Easter in the midwest with my family. My big sister and her family have come in from California for the week, so I get to spend time with them as well. A big win for my heart, but a loss for seeing movies this weekend. Luckily, only Water for Elephants opened, which one newspaper claimed to be "The Lamest Show on Earth". I will return with more reviews next week.

SYNOPSIS: Union Captain turned lawyer, Frederick Aiken, is charged with the military court defense of the lone female charged as a co-conspirator in the Lincoln assassination.

Robert Redford returns to the director's chair with his historical account of the military trial of Mary Surratt, the owner of the boarding house where the Lincoln kidnapping, turned assassination, was planned by John Wilkes Booth and his confederate sympathizers.

James McAvoy stars as Union Captain Frederick Aiken who, after returning from the war between the states, goes into the practice of law under Senator of Maryland Reverdy Johnson (Tom Wilkinson). Johnson is tasked with defending Mary Surrat (Robin Wright), the owner of a boarding house where her son, John Wilkes Booth and other southern and confederate sympathizers planned the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Dealing with divided loyalties in front of the military tribunal while defending the accused co-conspirator Mary Surratt, Johnson puts Aiken on her defense to give her a chance at a fair trial.

The history of the film is as poignant as that of Scott's Black Hawk Down or Milk. Mary Surratt is an admitted southern sympathizer needing to support herself and her family after the death of her husband on trial for her accused part in the assassination of the nation's President. Aiken is a union soldier and lawyer, only defending Surratt because he has to, not because he believes in her. Regardless of his beliefs, Aiken does defend her to the chagrin of his Union soldier compatriots and his girlfriend, as well as the peril of his career.

Redford shoots the film in a smokey haze. The military courtroom is barely more than a barracks at a fort, the dust and haze filtering and reflecting in the low light coming from the windows. Other scenes are shot just as softly, as if the camera lens was covered with Civil War era gauze. The bandages that cover the wound of a dead president and a divided nation seem to seep into every frame. Will Mary Surratt be the first woman to hang for her alleged part in the plot? Will a union military tribunal result in a fair verdict, in spite of a enraged public? Will Secretary of War Edwin Stanton allow any verdict to dissuade him from rendering angry and biased judgement?

The acting is stellar. McAvoy is torn between duty to the law, to justice, and to a mourning nation. Wilkinson is calculated for his career, but concerned for what possible justice can come out of this trial. Danny Huston as the prosecutor booms every witness and has all of the angles covered. And finally Robin Wright, as Mary Surratt, is a woman devout to her beliefs in God, her beliefs in the Confederacy, and the belief in her innocence.

A moving portrait of the lengths that one will go to to protect the greater good, The Conspirator is classic Robert Redford direction - thoughtful and deep. But The Conspirator is more Lions for Lambs than The Horse Whisperer or Quiz Show. You can definitely enjoy this film at home, whether you are blue or grey.

WORTH: Netflix

No Strings Attached

Friends Needing More Benefits

[Ashton Kutcher, Natalie Portman, Kevin Kline, Cary Elwes, Lake Bell, Ludacris, Jake Johnson]

image from daemonsmovies.com

RANT: Another near miss as I barely got to the theater in time. In order to keep the popcorn-eating belly at bay, I need to get to the gym as often as possible. Unfortunately, the gym and the show times are in constant opposition. Maybe I need to get out to the fitness center earlier in the morning so I get to the Regal theater on time.

SYNOPSIS: After meeting each other several times over the years, Emma and Adam decide become friends with benefits - with no strings attached. Unfortunately, real feelings can't be kept at bay forever.

Ivan Reitman, director of the Ghostbusters movies and, most recently, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, comes back in the new year with his latest effort starring Ashton Kutcher and the recently hardworking and busy Natalie Portman. They star as Adam and Emma, two people who has meet and reconnected over the years - starting with summer camp and ending up in Los Angeles where Emma is a doctor and Adam is an assistant on a High School Musical-esque show. Rebounding from finding out that ex-girlfriend is now dating his famous actor father, Adam drunk dials Emma and ends up having sex with her. Realizing that a relationship without emotional commitment is perfect for her hectic work schedule, Emma proposes that they become friends with benefits.

Of course, the situation is perfect for Adam, as his friends Wallace (Ludacris) and Eli (Jake Johnson) are quick to point out to him. Eli and Wallace, although at odds with their advice to Adam, are comedic with their support. On Emma's side, her doctor roommates - including Shira (Mindy Kaling from The Office) - also wish they had Emma's relationship. They even manage to get their menstrual cycles in synch, although one of them is a guy!

Ashton retains his typical rogue charm and sideways smiles. Natalie proves that she is excellent in anything she does - romantic comedies or bird-related ballets. But even with all the key elements in place, funny and tender moments, and a weepy resolution, there was something missing for me. Don't get me wrong, No Strings Attached has fine moments. Plenty of others in the audience were laughing and crying at all the right moments, but I just didn't laugh and cry as often.

Even though this seems to be a six-cylinder romantic comedy, it might need a little bit of a tune-up.

Worth: Netflix

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