Last Vegas

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Last Vegas
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJon Turteltaub
Written byDan Fogelman
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyDavid Hennings
Edited byDavid Rennie
Music byMark Mothersbaugh
Production
company
Distributed byCBS Films
Release dates
  • October 30, 2013 (2013-10-30) (New York City)
  • November 1, 2013 (2013-11-01) (United States)
Running time
105 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$28 million[1]
Box office$134.4 million[1]

Last Vegas is a 2013 American comedy film directed by Jon Turteltaub, written by Dan Fogelman and starring Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline and Mary Steenburgen.[2] Three retirees travel to Las Vegas to have a bachelor party for their last remaining single friend.

The film was released to theaters on November 1, 2013, by CBS Films.[3][4]

Plot[edit]

Four childhood friends from Brooklyn — Sam, Archie, Paddy, and Billy — are now older. Sam and his wife Miriam live in Naples, Florida. Archie, a twice-divorced Vietnam veteran, lives in New Jersey. Paddy lives alone in his Brooklyn apartment, bitter since the death of his beloved wife, Sophie. Billy is a successful entrepreneur in Malibu, who lives with his 31-year-old girlfriend Lisa. Shortly after proposing to Lisa (at a funeral), Billy finds an old bottle of scotch he and his friends stole in their childhood days, and calls Sam and Archie, who immediately propose a bachelor party for Billy in Las Vegas. After being given permission by Miriam to cheat on her, Sam collects Archie, whose ongoing health issues cause his son to be concerned. They convince a reluctant Paddy to join them and they fly off to rendezvous with Billy in Vegas.

Billy and Paddy get into a heated argument about Billy's failure to attend Sophie's funeral. They visit the Aria where the wedding will be held, and are attracted to the lounge by the singing of Diana. The five share a drink and convince Diana to join them for festivities.

While waiting to get rooms, Archie goes to a blackjack table and buys $15,000 worth of chips with his pension money. When Paddy and Sam return, they find that Archie is up $102,000. They quickly leave the table in fear of being accused of card counting. Billy tours the wedding chapel with Diana, and becomes smitten with her. The quartet later become judges of a swimsuit competition. They are then confronted by the casino manager, who offers to compensate the group with his largest penthouse suite in hopes that Archie will stay and spend his winnings at the hotel. Billy suggests they open the old bottle of scotch to celebrate, but Paddy storms off. That night, the remaining three go to the hotel's nightclub where they enjoy a night of drinking and dancing. Sam meets a young maid of honour from a bachelorette party who expresses her attraction for him.

The following day, while the others are recovering, Paddy visits Diana and tells her that he and Billy were both in love with Sophie when they were younger and she picked Paddy. Diana tries to convince him to stop grieving and move on with life because Sophie would want it. Paddy joins Billy at their pool cabana and admits he needs to move on from Sophie's passing while also being upset with Billy for marrying a woman he does not truly love. Sam and Archie decide to throw a massive bachelor party for Billy in their suite that night. They prepare for the party and invite several people including a bachelorette party from the nightclub, exotic dancers, a band of drag queens, and cast members of Zarkana.

Billy visits Diana. She admits that she is fond of him, and asks if he truly loves Lisa. As they walk along The Strip, Billy tells Diana that Paddy gave Sophie an ultimatum to choose either Billy or him, and she secretly chose Billy first; but Billy told Sophie that she was meant to be with Paddy.

Paddy tells Billy he invited Diana to the party because he likes her and wants to start anew after Sophie's passing, but realizes Billy likes her too. When Diana arrives, Billy pushes Paddy into the pool, and takes Diana upstairs to tell her to give Paddy a chance. She says she feels like she is being treated like Sophie, and "gifted" by Billy to Paddy, which Paddy overhears. Paddy is devastated to learn this and throws the old bottle of scotch in the trash as he leaves the party. Meanwhile, Sam prepares to cheat on his wife with the young maid of honour but cannot bring himself to do it.

The next morning, Paddy confronts Billy at the pool. He informs him that no one could tell Sophie who to love, and that they shared a beautiful life together. He tells Billy to call off the wedding. As Lisa and her bridesmaids arrive, Paddy pushes Billy into the pool and tells Lisa that Billy is calling off the wedding.

Billy admits his fear of getting old and being alone. He goes to the lounge where Diana is singing and reveals his feelings for her. The guys finally decide to crack open the old bottle of scotch for a toast; however to their surprise, all but Paddy find the taste to be repulsive.

A few months later, Billy and Diana call Archie and Paddy to announce they are getting married. They try to call Sam but he is unable to answer the phone as he is busy in bed with his wife.

Cast[edit]

Production[edit]

Early in development, Jack Nicholson was attached to the project.[5]

Principal photography started in November 2012 in Las Vegas.[6] At the end of November, filming moved to the Atlanta, Georgia, area.[7]

Reception[edit]

Critical response[edit]

On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 46% based on 146 reviews, with an average rating of 5.2/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "The cast of Last Vegas keep things amiably watchable, but the film is mostly a mellower Hangover retread for the older set."[8] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 48 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[9] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.[10][11]

Scott Foundas of Variety wrote: "A smattering of funny gags and the nostalgia value of the cast — none of whom, curiously, have ever shared the screen before — keeps the whole thing more watchable than it has any right to be." Foundas calls the film a clone of The Hangover and praises Mary Steenburgen for her performance but says "The rest of the movie rarely if ever rises to Steenburgen’s level."[12] Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of The A.V. Club gave the film a grade D− and wrote: "The high point of Last Vegas is also arguably the low point of Robert De Niro’s career."[13]

Box office[edit]

Last Vegas grossed $16.3 million in its opening weekend in the US from 3,065 theaters, averaging $5,329 per theater and ranking #3 for the weekend. The film closed on February 20, 2014, with a worldwide final gross of $134.4 million, becoming CBS Films' highest-grossing film.[1]

Home media[edit]

Last Vegas was released on DVD and Blu-ray on January 28, 2014.

Soundtrack[edit]

The soundtrack to Last Vegas was released on 29 October 2013.

No.TitleArtistLength
1."Last Vegas"Mark Mothersbaugh1:39
2."Paddy Packs a Punch"Mark Mothersbaugh0:22
3."Paddy Intro/Eulogy"Mark Mothersbaugh2:33
4."Telling the Boys"Mark Mothersbaugh1:12
5."Only You (And You Alone)"Buck Ram2:05
6."Happy Dance"Mark Mothersbaugh0:19
7."Archie's Great Escape"Mark Mothersbaugh1:58
8."Flight of the Flatbush"Mark Mothersbaugh2:03
9."Cup of Trouble"performed by Mary Steenburgen2:24
10."Archie Gambles"Mark Mothersbaugh1:18
11."Bikini Babes"Mark Mothersbaugh0:35
12."The Penthouse"Mark Mothersbaugh1:03
13."Curtain Confusion"Mark Mothersbaugh0:45
14."You're Nobody 'til Somebody Loves You"James Cavanaugh / Russ Morgan / Larry Stock2:16
15."Dean Meets Knuckles"Mark Mothersbaugh1:13
16."Sophie's Choice"Mark Mothersbaugh2:26
17."Sam's Realization"Mark Mothersbaugh1:29
18."Only You [Slow Version]"Performed by Mary Steenburgen1:58
19."Paddy Crushed"Mark Mothersbaugh2:39
20."Paddy's Ultimatum"Mark Mothersbaugh1:49
21."Billy Breaks It Packing"Mark Mothersbaugh2:29
22."Bad Scotch"Mark Mothersbaugh1:13
23."Four Fellas"Mark Mothersbaugh1:28
24."Billy's Getting Married"Mark Mothersbaugh1:27
25."I Only Have Eyes For You"Al Dubin / Harry Warren2:40
Total length:41:33[14]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Last Vegas at Box Office Mojo
  2. ^ The Deadline Team (May 17, 2012). "It's Official: Morgan Freeman Joins 'Last Vegas'". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media, LLC. Archived from the original on September 12, 2014. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
  3. ^ Patten, Dominic (September 5, 2012). "'Last Vegas' Gets December 20, 2013 Release Date". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media, LLC. Archived from the original on September 12, 2014. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
  4. ^ "Bachelor Party Comedy Last Vegas Set for a Late-2013 Release". cinemablend. Cinemablend, LLC. September 6, 2012. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
  5. ^ Horn, John (October 31, 2013). "'Last Vegas' is not necessarily about the city of old". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 10, 2018. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  6. ^ "'The Hangover: Geriatric Edition'? 'Last Vegas' begins production – PHOTO". Entertainment Weekly. November 5, 2012. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  7. ^ "'Last Vegas' looking for Extras in Atlanta". November 28, 2012. Archived from the original on April 28, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  8. ^ "Last Vegas (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  9. ^ "Last Vegas Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  10. ^ Brueggemann, Tom (November 3, 2013). "'Ender's Game' Tops Weekend, 'Last Vegas' Lures Adults, 'Bad Grandpa' Holds Tight". IndieWire. Archived from the original on June 27, 2022. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  11. ^ Stewart, Andrew (November 3, 2013). "Geezer Chic: Hollywood Vets Storm Weekend Box Office". Variety. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  12. ^ Foundas, Scott (October 28, 2013). "Film Review: 'Last Vegas'". Variety. Archived from the original on October 30, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  13. ^ Ignatiy Vishnevetsky (October 30, 2013). "Last Vegas". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on November 23, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  14. ^ Last Vegas Soundtrack Archived September 13, 2014, at the Wayback Machine AllMusic. Retrieved February 3, 2014

External links[edit]

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