Last Vegas

Cast of Characters:

Billy - Michael Douglas

Paddy - Robert De Niro

Archie - Morgan Freeman

Sam - Kevin Kline

Diana - Mary Steenburgen

Director - Jon Turteltaub

Screenplay - Dan Fogelman

Rated PG-13 for sexual content and language

      For the first time ever onscreen together, Academy Award winners Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline and Mary Steenburgen star in the Las Vegas comedy Last Vegas. Will it succeed in making you laugh or will it be just another case of star power and money thrown at the screen?

      For over sixty years, Billy, Paddy, Archie, and Sam have been lifelong best friends. Now over the hill, Billy (Michael Douglas) is engaged to a 30 year old bombshell while living a rather successful life in Malibu. Billy wants to have a weekend bachelor party in Vegas, so he calls up his pals to invite them along for the ride. Sam (Kevin Kline), who's dealing with his marriage being stuck in a sexless rut (Isn't that marriage to begin with? Heyooooooo!), and Archie (Morgan Freeman), who's stuck in a prison like environment while being taken care of by his son following a mild stroke, are more than eager to tag along. It's Paddy (Robert De Niro), who hasn't seemed to find any joy in life following the death of his wife of over forty years, that's hesitant to go.

      Despite first putting up a fight, Paddy gives in and decides to tag along with the rest of the gang and for that one weekend, the four live it up in Sin City.

      What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but it doesn't really matter 'cause we can see everything coming a mile away the moment the opening credits start to roll. With jokes as obvious as the sky being blue and the grass green and a story so paper thin, you wonder what five Oscar winning performers would see in predictable fluff such as this. Never before in 2013 has a cast been so essential to making a movie entertaining 'cause in spite of the fact that everything I just said is true, I had a fun time. Michael Douglas, of course, is pretty much playing himself. De Niro is the straight man out of the four and shares a few genuinely emotional moments with Douglas as far as their backstory is concerned. This also marks the best film De Niro has done this year. Doesn't say much when you look at exactly what he's done in 2013 though. Morgan Freeman has some funny moments, but it's more along the lines of it being funny simply 'cause it's Morgan Freeman saying them. It's like taking that toy parrot that repeats what you say and saying some profanity into the recorder just to hear it say it back. Despite winning an Oscar, Mary Steenburgen has never really made it into that conversation of "great actresses", but she does bring some charm, albeit predictable, to her character while she shares the screen with Douglas and De Niro. The real scene stealer here is Kevin Kline, and I'll be honest, when I first saw the preview I didn't recognize him. Maybe it was the scruffy white beard and hair or the fact that I hadn't seen him in a large role for quite some time, I don't know. All I know is if you've ever seen A Fish Called Wanda, Dave or In & Out you know how great of a comic presence Kline truly is. I was reminded of that once again. There's a scene near the end, in particular, where it's totally cheesy and in the hands of a lesser actor it would've produced some eye-rolling results. Kline effortlessly sells it. It was really fun seeing him back onscreen again.

      There's really not much else to say. It's that predictable and it's that cheesy, but I'm still telling you it's worth a watch simply 'cause how often are you gonna see Douglas, De Niro, Freeman and Kline in a film together? It's solely 'cause of them that this film is watchable. Consider this Grown Ups but with actors that actually know what it's like to hold an award in their hand. Even though it is cheesy, the film does have its share of laughs and there is a funny cameo appearance near the final act of the film. It's not a film you have to rush out and see, but given my thoughts on the other two films that came out this week, Ender's Game and Free Birds, this is the best film out of the three. That's something I was not expecting to say. I give Last Vegas a B- (★★★).

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