Second Opinion – Last Vegas (2013)

It is very easy to compare Jon Turteltaub’s Last Vegas to the bafflingly popular Hangover series, but the film also has a sense of Adam Sandler’s Grown Ups in there as four childhood friends get together in Las Vegas to celebrate playboy millionaire Billy’s (Michael Douglas) wedding to a woman who is less than half his age. However it is unfair to speak of Last Vegas in the same sentence as the aforementioned movies as this is a film that at least has a heart. It can be quite a creepy heart at time, but it has a heart.

At times, Last Vegas is a very sweet movie that deals with the concerns of growing old, being alone and leaving behind everything that you once loved. It’s a movie about taking life by the horns and never letting go. Paddy (Robert De Niro) has lost his wife and has become a recluse who refuses help from anyone, Archie (Morgan Freeman) is being babied by his son after his stroke and Sam (Kevin Kline) feels trapped by the retired Flordia lifestyle. But this trip and bachelour party in Vegas is the wake up call they needed to act like teenagers, while still having the knowledge and experience of age. The under utilised Mary Steenburgen (who appears to be Hollywood’s go-to ‘attractive older lady’) is the person they look towards as she hasn’t let her ageing slow her down and when Last Vegas is hitting these notes, it hits them very well.

Sadly however, the film does lean towards the mentality of ‘lad cultute’ which often walks a thin line between sweet and lecherous. Kline’s character for example has been given a “free pass” by his wife with the gift of a condom and Viagra pill which means is that he spends the whole movie leering after young girls in as pervy a manner as possible until he learns his inevitable lesson. With a slightly tighter script and smarter direction and this could have been a funny subplot with ‘wacky shenanigans and misunderstandings’, but it comes across as a bit uncomfortable and leery. The biggest example of this however is a scene in which our four protagonists judge a bikini contest hosted by dance act LMAFO. Again, this could have been played for laughs with the guys judging them by their personalities etc., but it just comes off as four old guys perving on young busty girls in small bikinis soundtracked by “whooar!”s and “wahey!”s. This of course is highlighted further later on in a truly hypocritical fashion when one of the character lectures a younger “lad” on how to properly court a woman. Last Vegas treads a fine line, and it doesn’t always stay on course.

But with that said, the film always attempts to carry a light-hearted tone even when it’s veering on the wrong side of leeriness. Everything in the movie is played for laughs and a lot of the jokes are genuinely funny with all four actors looking to be having a blast in their roles. De Niro has always had a hit and miss track record when it comes to comedy but Last Vegas is a mark for his hit column and it’s great to see Kevin Kline back on the screen (even if his character looks like it was written for Robin Williams). The usually serious Morgan Freeman is also a lot of fun as he finally lets loose from his overly-protective son and Douglas is always good in the rich ladies man role. The supporting cast also do well in the roles and there is a surprising cameo in the third act that further encapsulates the ‘young at heart’ theme of the movie.

Last Vegas isn’t breaking any new ground nor is it comedy gold, but it is a good amount of fun. It’s morals can come into question every now and again, but you get the impression that they had the best intentions when making their decisions. Perhaps a second draft and more awareness of how their actions may come across on screen would have helped the film feel less lecherous, but Last Vegas still would have just been nothing more than a perfectly acceptable three star comedy. 

At least it’s better than The Hangover and Grown Ups.

Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★

Luke Owen is one of Flickering Myth’s co-editors and the host of the Flickering Myth Podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @LukeWritesStuff.