Hollywood seems to love making movies about bachelor party and here we have another one. Instead of having a bunch of young actors going to Vegas and behaving badly, this time we have a bunch of older actors going to Vegas and behaving like their younger selves. Four men in their late 60s who’ve been friends since childhood decided to go to Sin City and have a crazy bachelor party. After a brief flashback scene introducing to each of the characters, the film fast forwards to present day where each of them are now way past their prime.
Sam (Kevin Kline) is now retired and living in Florida with his wife of 40 years; Archie (Morgan Freeman) is living with his son and daughter in law and he’d just had a stroke; Paddy (Robert De Niro) is living alone, still mourning the death of his late wife. One day Billy (Michael Douglas), who’s still a bachelor even though he’s almost 70 years old, called them up and said he’s going to get married to his very young girlfriend, she’s in her early 30s. Billy it seems is the most successful of the bunch, he lives in a beach house in Malibu and is a head some big investing firm and oh yeah he also dates a woman young enough to be his granddaughter. Seems to me Douglas was playing the older version of Gordon Gekko but a nicer version of Gordon. Archie and Sam suggested they throw him a bachelor party and meet in Vegas. Billy agrees but he wants everyone to go, apparently he and Paddy have lost touch and haven’t spoken to one another in years. Archie and Sam said they’ll talk to Paddy and convince him to go.
Once they arrived in Vegas, they ran into a pretty lounge singer Diana (Mary Steenburgen), who works at a crappy casino. Right away she caught the attention of the men, Billy and Paddy seems to be quite fond of her. There’s a little love triangle plotline that involves these three characters that I won’t discuss here but I thought it worked out well and wasn’t as clichéd as I predicted. They also ran into a young punk at the casino (Jerry Ferrara, Turtle from Entourage), at first you think he’s the antagonist but later in the movie, he became sort of a sidekick to these men.
Each of the actors got their fair shares of screen time, Kline and Freeman looked like they had a blast in their respective roles. The movie focuses mostly on the friction between Billy and Paddy and I thought Douglas and De Niro did a great job of playing those roles. With a movie like this, you’d think these actors would just show up and earn an easy paycheck but they looked like they’re having a great time and we the audience believe that they’re friends for real.
Director Jon Turteltaub whose last three movies were big-budget action spectacles, the always fun National Treasure films and the awful looking The Sorcerer’s Apprentice; went back to his comedic comfort zone and crafted a fun film. Nothing was over the top in the movie and he kept the pace moving fast. There’s not a laugh out loud moment in my opinion but there’s enough humor in the movie that kept me entertained for 90 minutes.
If you’re a fan of any of these talented actors then I think you’ll enjoy this movie, think of it as a PG version of The Hangover and the fun vibe of the Ocean’s movies. It has some clichéd moments but they’re well-executed.
3 out of 5 reels
What do you think of Last Vegas and/or the cast here?
FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG 
I never liked “The Hangover” nor its sequels and I definitely didn’t want to see this as I think Jon Turtletaub is mediocre. Plus, a review revealed that a guy from LMAFO thrusted his crotch at de Niro. Why? If the de Niro was in that movie, he would’ve a grabbed a gun and shot his cock and balls. End of movie. Everyone goes home happy.
Well if you don’t like the Hangover movies then yeah stay away from this one. As for your comment about De Niro shooting a dude, maybe the De Niro from the 70s, 80s or 90s would’ve done it. But not the De Niro of the last decade or so, he loss his bad ass cred when he decided to star in The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle, an awful awful movie. Also, I lost count of how many bad movies he starred in since 2000.
Nice review Ted, I agree. It’s a lightweight affair, esp. considering the legends on screen but I too was pleasantly rewarded for my attendance, in that these guys made a sentimental-enough movie without it being too sappy nor too ridiculous. The movie knew what it was, and was safe in that way, but it really really worked and I had a great time with it.
Thanks Tom, I didn’t expect much from it and I thought it was entertaining.
Hated The Hangover movies, but this looks like silly fun. Love the cast, which will make it worth watching regardless.
Yeah, it’s a silly and fun movie about dudes who’re way past their prime but decided to act young again. When I get to their age, I hope I’ll have some fun like they did.
Good review Ted. There is no doubt in my mind that this material sucks, but with these legends doing the best that they possibly can with it, somehow makes it a little bit better. Especially when you have Kline doing what he does best: Stealing the show out from underneath everybody else’s feet.
Yeah Kline looked like he had a great time in the movie.
Very good review. Nothing terribly inspiring here, but it’s fun. Which was its primary goal, after all.
Exactly James, it’s just a fun movie and the actors looked like they had a blast making it.
Hi, Ted:
So, you’re saying that this film should not be avoided like the plague. More like avoid it like The Rockin’ Pneumonia and The Boogie Woogie Flu?
It’s sad that such an acknowledged cast allow themselves to be directed by dim witted children.
Imagine what Scorsese, Coppola, Bogdanovitch, Eastwood, or even Rian Johnson could have created with a “been there, done that” cast like this!
Hi Jack, ha ha yeah you shouldn’t avoid this like the plague, it’s a fun movie. Give it a shot when it’s out on home video.
Hey Ted, glad I got to see your positive take on the movie, mostly cause you’re such an action movie guy. It was a refreshing change to see how these Hollywood heavy weights would play out in a buddy pic. This is so delightfully different than The Hangover. Other than having a bachelor party in Vegas, the two films have very little in common.
BTW, Flixy, thanks so much for the complementary ticket!
Hey Becky, yeah I didn’t expect much from the movie and it was quite entertaining. Oh yeah, it’s definitely different than The Hangover, that’s why I said it’s the PG version, no naked little asian man running around in the movie, which is good. LOL.
Nice review Ted. Seems like a decent bit of fun even if it doesn’t blow your socks off. A rental for me I reckon.
Thanks Terry, yeah it will be a good rental. Just don’t expect much from it and you’ll enjoy it.
Sounds like a movie I will enjoy, nice review Ruth!
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