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
- Commentary by Director Tom Vaughan and Editor Matt Friedman: I’ve always been a fan of commentary, and certainly this doesn’t disappoint, but it doesn’t really stand out. Not bad though, seems like they had fun making and putting together the film.
- Sitting Down with Cameron and Ashton Featurette: I know that this featurette was driven hard during the marketing campaign, and it’s certainly cute. It brings the two actors down to earth a bit, shows how much fun they had doing the film. Not bad.
- DVD Extra Time with Zack Galifianakis Featurette: A very unique featurette that adds a bit more depth to the film, just like the From the Law Firm of Stephen J. Hader, Esq. Featurette. Good stuff, not bad.
- Gag Reel: Funny, humorous, but not as funny as say… Terminator 3‘s gag reel. It’s tough for a comedy to have a gag reel sometimes.
- Deleted and Extended Scenes: What can I say? There’s a reason these were deleted.
- Bottoms Up! — An intoxicating Vegas Experience: While a bit promotional, I thought this was a very interesting part of the features. Gives you a bit of Vegas.
- Digital copy of the movie: I think this is a brilliant idea! Cuts down on piracy and on people trying to find a way to make their movie portable. Can you imagine if another industry embraced digital? The world might be a better place. Might be.
