A Movie Review - "Last Vegas"

A Review: Last Vegas

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Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, and Kevin Kline – a modern day equivalent of the 60's "Rat Pack" – star in this funny, touching and surprisingly fleet-footed comedy about a quartet of 60-plus male friends who are determined to grow old (dis)gracefully. Mary Steenburgen, in support, steals all the scenes she's in and should have had her name on the marquee as well. The movie was directed by Jon Turteltaub whose previous credits include the National Treasure movies. LAST VEGAS premiered in November 2013 and was released on DVD in January of this year.

The Plot in 20 Words or Less: Three sixty-something friends break from their day-to-day lives to throw a bachelor party for their last remaining single pal.

What That Means: Written off by many critics as "the HANGOVER on Viagra," this is the story of Billy (Michael Douglas), Paddy (Robert De Niro), Archie (Morgan Freeman) and Sam (Kevin Kline) who have been best friends since childhood. When Billy, the group's sworn bachelor, finally proposes to his thirty-something girlfriend, the four head to Las Vegas with a plan to stop acting their age and relive their glory days. However, upon arriving, the four quickly realize that the decades have transformed Sin City and tested their friendship in ways they never imagined. The Rat Pack may have once played the Sands and Cirque du Soleil may now rule the Strip, but it's these four who are taking over Vegas. What follows is a series of adventures – from winning at blackjack to the 3d's – drinking, dancing, and drag queens – and all the fun rediscovering Las Vegas has to offer.

My Review: More than anything, you want a film to entertain and LAST VEGAS does that and more. The humor – while exaggerated and clichéd – is perfect for this type old school comedy. The plot, while simple, still remains satisfying both for its comedic situations and the fact that friendship and love win out. The movie is what a movie should be, entertaining. Morgan, Kevin, Robert and Michael are so refreshing and funny together; they really played off of each other well and because of that the film moved along at a great pace. This isn't a movie that's going to win any Academy Awards, it's not Shakespeare nor will it solve some huge social problem, it's just good fun that everyone in the audience enjoyed. If you are looking to just go to a movie for pure enjoyment and forget about the outside world for a moment, go see this movie, you won't be disappointed.

My rating(s)
For kids: Children will not understand some of the jokes, and parents will become red faced explaining them. It was originally rated "R" (lowered to PG-13 at release) for language and sexual situations not to mention there's a running joke about condoms, Viagra, and infidelity.

Under 30: The younger generation may not appreciate the depth of the friendships exhibited by these four friends, and they may misunderstand the difficulty of these "old folks" performing day to day antics that younger viewers take for granted: dancing, drinking, and picking up women.

"Mature Patrons": Without being nasty or vulgar, LAST VEGAS is humorous and heartfelt. There is a message to this movie: live your life to the fullest and don't be afraid to get old.

This is a review for "Rising To Meet The Challenge" – a Rising Stars sponsored movie reviewing challenge.
Word Limit: 850
Word Count: 542

Thank you for stopping by and reading my review. Please take a moment and leave a comment. I'd love to know your thoughts!