For all their differences, Jack Fuller (Ashton Kutcher) and Joy McNally (Cameron Diaz) actually have quite a lot in common… though maybe you have to turn your head and squint a little. Both of them should have it made; she’s gorgeous and has a lucrative job at a New York stock trading firm on the verge of promotion, while he’s the heir to a lucrative furniture business. Her boyfriend dumped her at his surprise birthday party, and his dad fired him for watching a basketball game on the clock.
Okay, so maybe they really have almost nothing in common. But serendipitously, it just so happens that their friends both suggest the same solution to their very different problems: Vegas.
Upon arrival, Jack and Joy (and their mutual friends, “Hader” and “Tipper”) both check into their hotel room—the same room, as a result of a hotel mix-up. In recompense, the hotel staff offers them tickets and VIP passes to a number of shows on the strip. By the end of the very eventful night, they’re all so wasted that they don’t even realize what’s happened: Jack and Joy got hitched!
Jack, unprepared for commitment, and Joy, merely seeking a rebound from her previous lover, are both aghast at the concept of living together exclusively. So, in true childish form, they confront one another in the hotel casino, while Joy plays slots, and get into a shouting match. Just as Joy begins to storm off, however, Jack pumps her final quarter into the machine while chuckling about how what’s hers is his—and he hits the jackpot of $3 million.
Predictably, the two of them immediately begin to fight over whose money it will be, and the quarrel soon lands them in divorce court, where the judge (Dennis Miller), intransigent, freezes the money and sentences them to six months of “trying to make the marriage work”, complete with marriage counseling with Queen Latifah and all (which, by the way, is completely without precedent and downright outlandish—but I digress). And so they both move back into Jack’s apartment, in all its filthy, smelly glory, constantly reminding themselves of the fact that this is all worthwhile for $1.5 million.
The first half of the film should have stayed in Vegas
Sophisticated it is not, but taken as a teen comedy, What Happens In Vegas fares better. At the very least, there are quite a few chuckles throughout the film. The biggest problem is that Jack and Joy simply aren’t at all likable for the entire, well, first half of the film. Their selfish squabbles are more annoying than amusing, and it’s quickly tiresome watching them chase each other down and trade slaps while screaming. Ashton and Cameron are essentially playing augmented versions of their typecast selves in What Happens In Vegas, and believe it or not, that really isn’t a good thing. The result is an exasperating first half as the two are at each other’s throats constantly in a battle over literally everything.
As the film progresses and the main characters begin to settle down, things eventually become more bearable. But that that point, the film merely transitions from combative dissonance to predictable consonance—hardly a stimulating experience.
It’s not that What Happens In Vegas is terrible; it’s just that a combination of endless bickering and ultimate predictability doesn’t make for a good film. Ashton and Cameron themselves seem at least well-suited for the roles (as previously mentioned, they’re well within their pigeonholes), but the screenplay often doesn’t suit them—and the jokes, often pubic and/or centered on homosexuality, are frequently childish. Queen Latifah in her role as a Marriage Counselor and Dennis Miller playing the judge are considerably more entertaining and provide some temporary redemption. In the end, it’s a movie that amuses at times, but more often than not simply wavers between sophomoric, hypertensive humor and cheesy predictability.
“Special” Features
Vegas also features a modest selection of supplemental content, though only a small percentage of it is actually worth watching. In order:
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Audio Commentary Featuring editor Matt Friedman and director Tom Vaughan – Coming from two of the most influential names on the project, it’s surprising that this commentary isn’t more interesting. While it does contain some interesting insight, it’s not a lot of fun to listen to; it’s frequently boring, in fact. One particular point I found surprising was that the film was actually toned down from its original cut to make it less mean-spirited. Interesting.
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Sitting Down with Ashton and Cameron (8:14) – This is a short exchange with the two lead stars set in a building overlooking the strip. It’s nothing very deep; mostly, the duo spends time gushing how much fun they had during filming and talking about their favorite aspects of the film. If you watch it after the film you’ll probably think it rather shallow.
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From the Law Firm of Stephen J. Hader, Esq. (2:24) – A quick goof starring Rob Corddry as his character from the film, the lawyer. It’s presented in the form of an advertisement, and to that end it’s fairly humorous. The jokes are still pretty unsophisticated, however, focusing once again on gays and marriage (this time Hader points out that considering how many marriages fail each year and how many people are gay, those are “pretty good odds” that you may have grounds for divorce).
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DVD Extra Time with Zach Galifianakis (8:08) – This is an interview with director Tom Vaughan conducted by the actor playing the role of Dave the Bear in the film (one of Jack’s friends). He’s actually pretty funny in all his aloofness, and the humor in this segment is random and very Space Ghost Coast to Coast-like. In fact, the segment is really more about poking fun at British culture (Vaughan is British) than anything else. Be forewarned that there’s really no substance whatsoever to be had here; we learn very little about the film at all. Again, very much like Space Ghost.
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Gag Reel (5:04) – Here, we get to see Cameron Diaz curse like a sailor when she flubs up her lines. There’s also plenty of other interesting (albeit disturbingly perverted) content, such as Corddry commenting about some of the actresses’ breasts and Galifianakis evoking Dave the Bear’s sexual desperation. Dennis Miller is actually one of the funniest parts of the reel that doesn’t involve some sort of anatomical humor, however; here, we see him ad-libbing his various nicknames for Hader in the courtroom.
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Deleted/Extended Scenes – Here we find some rather unremarkable scenes that never made it off the cutting room floor, including a missing portion of the chase scene and a short sequence showing Joy plotting to involve Jack’s parents in her mischief. Like many deleted scenes reels, however, there’s nothing really substantial here.
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Digital Copy – You also get a full digital copy of the film with this special edition.
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Trailers – Finally, there are a few trailers included on the disc.