1714. Last Vegas (2013)

Starring: Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman

Director: Jon Turteltaub

Running Time: 105 mins

Last Vegas is an American film about four lifelong friends who travel to Las Vegas to throw a bachelor party after one of the group finally decides to get married.

This isn’t an amazing film, but it’s a pretty fun watch all the same. With a cast of legendary actors, all of whom seem like they’re having a good bit of fun on screen, as well as a light-hearted and fun-loving atmosphere, Last Vegas should put a smile on your face from time to time, even if it’s not the most side-splitting nor enthralling comedy ever made.

If there’s one thing that I really enjoyed about this film, it’s the performances. Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Kline have all regularly proven themselves as classic actors of cinema, so it’s great fun to see them all together on screen having a bit of fun.

And that’s what I really liked about Last Vegas. It doesn’t try too hard to be emotionally or dramatically riveting, but pulls out all the stops to give you a fun hour and a half to spend with four great guys. And, with the excellent chemistry within the group (particularly between Freeman and Kline), as well as a great side performance from Mary Steenburgen, you’re sure to have a good smile when it comes to watching this film.

The other great thing about this film is that it doesn’t hit you over the head with the same joke again and again as it would be so easy to do. Rather than remaking The Hangover and laughing at the fact that they’re old, the film instead focuses on the actual characters, and brings jokes out of their various personalities. Although not all of the gags really hit home, there are a lot of good laughs here and there that help to make this film even more fun.

In general, I didn’t have many problems with this film. It’s nothing spectacular, but all it wants and needs to be is a light, happy and fun comedy movie. The story isn’t the most riveting thing either, and although you can get a little caught up in some of the drama that happens, it’s by no means as effective as it could have been. However, some of the emotional drama is very useful in setting up the characters, making for more fun across the whole story arc.

Overall, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Last Vegas. Yes, it’s not going to set the world alight, but as a simple and light-hearted movie that lets you spend time with some fun characters and great actors, it does its perfectly well, and that’s why I’m giving it a 7.3.