LAST VEGAS  3.0***

 

             Last Vegas is a comedy about a bunch of old guys reuniting for a weekend in Las Vegas. It’s a movie about guys trying to recapture their better days when they were close friends growing up in Brooklyn.  The strength of the movie is not the story but the marvelous cast:   Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman, Robert DeNiro, and Kevin Kline who have been on the big screen for decades and have been in some of the best movies of all time. Last Vegas is not among their better efforts, but at least it’s not an embarrassment. The movie capitalizes on their likability from  their time spent building up loads of audience affection. It’s counting on it, in fact, to fill in for the weak jokes and predictable script . The movie is pleasant and undemanding but somewhat flimsy.

 

The story starts when the  Michael Douglas calls his old pals and tells them he’s getting married in Vegas that weekend to a woman half his age.. They, being retired and not particularly busy, make the appropriate travel arrangements and head off for a “senior citizens” bachelor party.  The men carry the thin, predictable story without breaking a sweat, but the only real sparkle comes from Mary Steenburgen. At 60+, she's still a complete stunner and captivating screen presence.  

 

Without being in a hurry to get much of anywhere, Last Vegas simply shuffles along as do the 4 guys.  It’s a film that lazily moves along  to pretty much exactly where you think it’ll go. The feel you get from the movie is  like wearing a pair of comfortable “old” shoes rather than getting the last remaining bits of soggy chicken at the casino buffet. 

 

“Last Vegas” is a mellow “feel good”, most of which comes from  watching highly successful actors as if they’ve worked together forever, when in fact they never have. Movie magic and friendship themes make this a comfort film when compared to the other glitzy stuff on other screens.

 

Clark