What Happens in Vegas

What Happens In Vegas : Movie Review

Watching this movie was like winning a jackpot. It was funny as hell (as what we would expect from Ashton Kutcher) and the romantic parts were effective as well even though it was not as serious as most romantic flicks. The only plight in this is the subtle lack of chemistry of Cameron Diaz and Ashton due to the very obvious age gap between them; man, Cameron, you lost it.

The setting starts not in Vegas actually but in New York. As Cameron, tries to surprise her boyfriend and as Ashton is trying to "work" carpentry for his dad. Not to give away much from the plot, let's just say they meet up in Vegas and eventually gets married. The real adventure starts here as they discover they are married to each other due to their drunken rampage the other night.

The movie can be enjoyed by anyone from the family. We recommend it not only for lovers but for everyone else. What happens in Vegas..shouldn't stay in Vegas!

Rating : 4 reels

Why you should watch it:
- funny; not only Ashton delivers but also everyone else
- romantic
- even the guys would enjoy this romantic film

Why you should not watch it:
- erm...if you do not want to see a dilapidated Cameron Diaz.

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Recommendations:

What Happens in Vegas — Not

Mercifully, most of "What Happens in Vegas" does not happen in Vegas. It happens in Brooklyn.

And the borough, which never looked so resplendent, is the real star of this inane, unromantic, romantic comedy. It co-stars Cameron Diaz's wardrobe. (The gold dress!!!!!) Ashton Kutcher rounds out the cast and is no slouch.

Alas, no one could revive the stupidest script since "Glitter."

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See you at the movies, The Movie Slut

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS (2008)

BACK COVER SYNOPSIS: It’s battle of the sexes and they’re playing dirty! After the wildest party night of their lives, two mismatched strangers, Jack (Ashton Kutcher) and Joy (Cameron Diaz), wake up in Vegas to discover they not only got lucky – they got married! The road to annulment takes a hilarious turn after Jack wins a three million dollar jackpot while playing Joy’s quarter and a no-nonsense judge (Dennis Miller) sentences them to six months “hard marriage”. What follows is an all-out war of the sexes as Jack and Joy go to outrageous lengths to try and cheat each other out of the money. But in the end, they may learn that when you gamble on love, you just might win, against all odds!

FILM REVIEW: There is something innately rotten at the core of “What Happens In Vegas” which even the biggest of cynics would find distasteful. The setup is made of the same formulaic stuff that always emanates from the romantic comedy genre, only the characters and their motivations are despicable; this could have worked if done properly (just check out old episodes of “Seinfeld” if you want despicable characters that are loveable) but it doesn’t, leaving two otherwise energetic and charismatic stars in Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz looking nasty, cheap and unredeemable. Yes, there are moments when you laugh, but those moments do not leave you with a good feeling, but a distasteful one. To make matters worse, the film makes an abrupt u-turn in the final act so we can get the obligatory happy ending where all is forgiven and everyone loves each other. “What Happens in Vegas” is a promising idea for a film that is wasted by a poor script, characterisation and overall execution.
Jack and Joy lead very different lives but share a common need to cut loose from their everyday trappings. They both decide to head to Vegas where their paths cross in an unlikely way when their hotel manages to book them both the same room. Jack dares Joy to enjoy the subsequent evening with him, which she accepts, and together with their friends, they proceed to have the night of their lives. They wake up the next morning married, and begin to discuss their annulment. However, when Jack puts one of Joy’s quarters in to a slot machine and wins three millions dollars, the two begin a war of the sexes which at the outset looks potentially funny, but ultimately leads you to hating both of these characters so much that by the end of the film you could not care less that they have a happy ending.
The hook the filmmakers are going for in this film is the spite these characters have for each other in trying to scam the full three million dollar prize money they won in Vegas. Accomplishing a task like this is not easy as you have to make them accessible and empathetic in some way despite their despicable ways, otherwise there is no hook for the audience to get in to the characters. Unfortunately, both Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher, despite their own substantial personal charisma, are directed in such an unsympathetic, two-dimensional manner by Tom Vaughan that watching their antics is far from enjoyable. When one out-does the other, it’s not funny largely because you have no sympathy for what they’ve done. Or maybe it was the sight of watching Kutcher peeing in the kitchen sink that did it for me.
To make matters worse, there is a very inconsistent tone to the whole film. When Jack and Joy are having their big night in Vegas, you feel a chemistry between them, despite their differences. You can see them connecting, which makes their subsequent antagonism feel arbitrary. You would almost accept that if the remainder of the film continued to build on their antagonism, but in the final act, Jack realises how shallow he has been and decides to ask Joy to marry him after she gives up all claim to the money. Suddenly, the entire sarcastic spark is gone and we have a sappy ending. Maybe in the hands of a better director these tonal shifts could have been pulled off but they just seem sloppily handled here, leaving the film as a tonal mess.
“What Happens In Vegas” is a jumbled mess, barely likeable and rotten at its core.

TECHNICAL REVIEW: The movie itself may not be good but the technical transfer is very good. Aside from the opening titles which seem as if the original film negative looks a little worn out, the picture is very clear, crisp and sharp throughout, with well represented colours. The audio is even better, with the dialogue, effects and music well delivered through the home theatre system. A solid, well produced transfer.

EXTRAS REVIEW: There are no extras on this DVD aside from English subtitles.

BOTTOM LINE: Don't bother.

FILM RATING: 3/10 -- EXTRAS RATING: 0/10 -- OVERALL DVD RATING: 3/10 

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Todd Murphy <br />
http://www.allaboutmovies.net

What Happens in Vegas

Not everyone cares for romantic comedies. They are so sappy and/or hit and miss. What Happens in Vegas, unfortunately, does little to help the cause of rom-coms. One review I read said it best…”this film isn’t good, but it isn’t bad…it just is…” I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Fact of the matter is, to me this thing underachieves. Look at the cast for goodness sakes…Ashton Kutcher, Cameron Diaz, Rob Corddry, Queen Latifah, Dennis Miller, Jason Sudeikis, etc. By any stretch of the imagination, this thing should have been comedy gold, rather than the sad attempt at some levity that this became.
The good…the cast is the selling point, especially Cameron Diaz who looks more radiant than she has in years. Poor execution aside, the story isn’t bad. Normally, I’m not a big fan of side plots that really have no bearing on the actual film, but the parts involving Diaz’ attempt at a promotion and Kutcher’s relationship with his father actually added to the story. Rob Cordry and Lake Bell as the best friends are excellent, especially Corddry.
The bad…this film is a bit predictable, but that has more to do with its genre than how it is written. The story itself, as I mentioned before isn’t bad, but poorly executed. Nothing against Jason Sudeikis, but are to belive he can be on a relationship with Cameron Diaz? No wonder she married Ashton so easily. Seriously, though, you’d think they’d have been able to find a more…I don’t know…hotness equal or superior to play the boyfriend at the beginning. Again, nothing against Sudeikis, it just seemed like a rather odd choice to me. What are the chance that these two people from New York meet? I think it would have worked better if one was from New York and the other someplace like, say, Seattle, and they met in Vegas. That’s just me, though. Queen Latifah and Dennis Miller look so uncomfortable to be in this film. My guess is that it has something to do with the under use of their talents.
So, anyway, this isn’t a great flick, but don’t be put off by that. There are plenty of redeeming, endearing qualities about it. The comedy really gets into a groove for a good portion of the flick, until we get to the romantic, sappy drama part of it. In good faith can I recommend this? Why yes I can. It may not be one of those films you finish and say you want to watch it again, but at least you won’t feel like you need a shower after watching something so utterly horrible that it makes you feel dirty.

http://thankyounetflix.wordpress.com/

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