Last Vegas

I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into with this movie. Honestly, I hadn't seen a single trailer. It only just came onto my movie radar maybe a week ago, and I liked the idea. But then again, it could turn into some boring rehash of a million comedies.

But what I got was nothing original, but still a sweetly told and nicely written story. Four childhood best friends go to Vegas to see the final one of them get married to a particularly young woman. The film has plenty of jabs at the age of the girl, and plenty of jokes about male genitalia. But I have to admit, there was something different about the style and level of low brow humor. After thinking about it, I realized it was organic. The jokes weren't forced dirty jokes or nods to the audience. Instead, they were jokes that I'd very much believe childhood friends would throw off, much like how my closest friends and I would throw off color humor at each other. It made sense that they would bust Michael Douglas the way that they do, and Kevin Kline's behavior and actions make sense for him rather then just a punchline for the audiences to chuckle at.

The story is generic enough, involving two characters falling for the same woman, past drama that alienates one of them, and of course distinct character flaws such as not feeling alive, sexual frustration, questions of love, and moving through phases of loss. It moves pretty effortlessly through humor and serious moments, allowing not only to connect with them on an emotional level but also allowing us as an audience to laugh with them, again making the low brow humor work effortlessly. Each of the actors demonstrate masterful ability to balance humor that's funny on two levels - the context of their actions relative to their age, but also in context to their personalities as actors. There are often punches at their personalities or character types, and to watch this group of well respected actors at a club is pretty hilarious.

Honestly...there's really not too much else to say about this movie. Although it should be noted that I saw this movie by myself, surrounded by people easily 3 or 4 times my age. Of that audience, everyone seemed to REALLY enjoy themselves, laughing at all the right moments and reacting just right to every  other moment. It was really an enjoyable group of people to see the movie with, but I guess that's also a pretty strong nod to the audience that will enjoy this movie. Kids my age will probably stick with The Hangover.

Rank - 3.5/5