A buddy movie is a film that tells the story of a close relationship between two men, often with a light-hearted tone. In more recent years, there has been an increase in the output of buddy movies, showing the relationship between four men who have been brought together by a particular event. In American Reunion (2012), it’s a high school reunion; in Grown Ups (2010), it’s the death of a basketball coach; but in Jon Turteltaub’s Last Vegas (2013), it’s the wedding of big-shot bachelor, Billy (Michael Douglas).
Here, John Turteltaub (Cool Runnings 1993) takes a break from the action and adventure genre and teams up with Disney/Pixar and rom-com writer, Dan Fogelman, for a film that sees Paddy (Robert De Niro), Archie (Morgan Freeman) and Sam (Kevin Kline) travel to Las Vegas for Billy’s wedding. Reunited after 58 years, each character has to deal with the heartache of getting old. For Paddy, it’s the loss of his wife; for Archie, it’s a minor stroke and an over-protective son; and for Sam, it’s the monotony of life and marriage.
The all-star cast of Hollywood legends give this movie a sense of fun and energy and this is evident in their performances. Kevin Kline is given room to express himself as a comedic performer and, after being given a “hall pass” from his wife of 40 years, Sam is the heart and soul of the excitement and laughter in this movie. His outrageous and unexpected comments paired with Diana’s (Mary Steenburgen) quick-witted humour seem to inject an element of entertainment into the film. This comedy is juxtaposed with De Niro’s “Captain Sunshine,” who has to deal with the death of his wife, Sophie. This backstory adds a real sense of emotion to the film.
However, the performances seem to be the only thing keeping this movie going. Unnecessary sequences have been put in to appeal to a younger demographic. The inclusion of LMFAO’s Redfoo as the host of a bikini contest does nothing to further the narrative; it just seems like an irrelevant sequence. Despite this, the addition of Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson does work, as his image as a successful rap musician is turned on its head.
This film is really aimed at an older audience due to the situations of the characters; for example, dealing with health problems. Although some of the jokes and sequences are quite amusing, it does play on the stereotypical image of the elderly for comic effect, but sadly, this fails. This clichéd image adds a childish feeling to the film and gets old after the first two jokes. The banter between the quartet does work well, as they are constantly giving each other a hard time, adding a real sense of male camaraderie and humour to this buddy movie.
Overall, this film is predictable and obvious as the narrative resolution can be worked out as soon as Mary Steenburgen’s Diana is introduced. The movie does, however, have some laughs, some emotional sequences and a feel-good ending; but ultimately, it’s not one to remember.
Author Biography
Thomas Morgan is a film studies student at the University of Sussex. He particularly enjoys the films of Woody Allen, and hopes to become a film director and scriptwriter in the future.
Film Details
Last Vegas (2013)
USA
Director Jon Turteltaub
Runtime 105 minutes
