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Critic's Rating:
Cast: Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline, Michael Douglas, Mary Steenburgen
Direction: Jon Turteltaub
Genre: Comedy
Duration: 1 hour 45 minutes
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Story: Billy,
Paddy, Archie and Sam have known each other since childhood. Now, even
as they're all well beyond 60, Billy decides to marry and have a
bachelor party in Las Vegas with his oldest friends from childhood.
Review: Minus a few aches, pains and creaky joints, retired life for Paddy (De Niro), Archie (Freeman) and Sam (Kline) is going along nicely. Paddy likes being left by himself, Archie is a doting granddad while Sam hasn't lost his glad eye for women. Billy, however, is set to step into sugar daddy territory, as he's about to wed a lass decades his junior. He proposes to her at a pal's funeral, of all places. When Billy later conference calls his mates, they stifle their amusement and are all game to going ahead with the plan for a wild weekend in Vegas. It's only Paddy who needs some cajoling to go along as it turns out that he isn't feeling the love for Billy.
Although the Vegas placement is a little reminiscent of The Hangover, the resemblance ends there. There is literally a laugh a minute and a singer whom they meet in Vegas called Diana Steenburgen) adds to the romance angle. Freeman and De Niro's performances are particularly endearing.
However, the film is more than just a running gag reel. Perhaps unintentionally, and also due to the brilliance of the actors, Last Vegas offers a sensitive look at the difficulties of old age and the vicissitudes of friendship that spans decades. Beneath the surface, it makes you think about the relationships in your life. How lasting are they? On what foundations are they built? And most importantly, will they stand the test of time? We also find out the real reason why Paddy and Billy have issues.
Overall, the feel of the movie is relaxed and Turteltaub does a good job of breaking the mould of onscreen senior citizen stereotypes. This Old Boy's Club still knows how to party!
Note: You may not like this film if you don't enjoy comedy films with a human interest angle.
Review: Minus a few aches, pains and creaky joints, retired life for Paddy (De Niro), Archie (Freeman) and Sam (Kline) is going along nicely. Paddy likes being left by himself, Archie is a doting granddad while Sam hasn't lost his glad eye for women. Billy, however, is set to step into sugar daddy territory, as he's about to wed a lass decades his junior. He proposes to her at a pal's funeral, of all places. When Billy later conference calls his mates, they stifle their amusement and are all game to going ahead with the plan for a wild weekend in Vegas. It's only Paddy who needs some cajoling to go along as it turns out that he isn't feeling the love for Billy.
Although the Vegas placement is a little reminiscent of The Hangover, the resemblance ends there. There is literally a laugh a minute and a singer whom they meet in Vegas called Diana Steenburgen) adds to the romance angle. Freeman and De Niro's performances are particularly endearing.
However, the film is more than just a running gag reel. Perhaps unintentionally, and also due to the brilliance of the actors, Last Vegas offers a sensitive look at the difficulties of old age and the vicissitudes of friendship that spans decades. Beneath the surface, it makes you think about the relationships in your life. How lasting are they? On what foundations are they built? And most importantly, will they stand the test of time? We also find out the real reason why Paddy and Billy have issues.
Overall, the feel of the movie is relaxed and Turteltaub does a good job of breaking the mould of onscreen senior citizen stereotypes. This Old Boy's Club still knows how to party!
Note: You may not like this film if you don't enjoy comedy films with a human interest angle.
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