What Happens in Vegas (2008)

Wonderful Movie

Simply Perfect

A Masterpiece!

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

In Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz you have two stars who can make this sort of romantic comedy in their sleep. They also bring such likability that it can paper over the cracks if perhaps the script or the characters are lacking a bit.However both these factors cannot save the fact that this is a dud film, that produces very few laughs, and wastes its stars.I cannot recommend it.

Joy McNally (Cameron Diaz) is a commodities trader in a relationship with Mason (Jason Sudeikis). However her surprise birthday party backfires when Mason breaks up with her. Jack Fuller (Ashton Kutcher) is constantly goofing off in the family business and his dad (Treat Williams) fires him. They both try to get away and Vegas! She's with her friend Tipper (Lake Bell), and he's with Hater (Rob Corddry). However a computer error puts the two groups in the same room. After being accused of being too uptight, she parties it up with the guys and Joy finds herself married to Jack. When they win a jackpot of $3M, the judge (Dennis Miller) orders them to stay together for 6 months.It starts off well as a simple rom-com. Diaz and Kutcher are both perfectly fine rom-com material. Lake Bell and Rob Corddry are funny inappropriate sidekicks. Everything is going fine if somewhat uninspired. I especially like the inherit hatred of Hater by Tipper. Once the stupid judgment happens, the movie starts to crash and burn. It just gets stupider and stupider. It turns insanely annoying. Both characters are left with no salvaging likeablility. I actually wish for a murder suicide for these two characters.

I had to eventually turn this movie off, it was that bad. Kutcher and Diaz meet cute in Vegas, get drunk and get married -- and end up winning several million dollars. There's a fight over the money, and a judge orders the bickering couple, who are seeking an annulment, to stay together and work things out. Romance follows. Diaz is strident, Kutcher is wasted. I will say Diaz's gal pal (Bell) is hot, and I wouldn't mind spending time with her in Vegas. Unfortunately, she isn't the star. I will add I have been to Vegas 30 or 40 times over the years, always on business, and I was not at all impressed with the film's portrayal of that city.

'What Happens In Vegas' is one of those common passing comedies that performs well financially but fails to establish any kind of legacy. Despite this, it has an immediately fresh premise which unfortunately dovetails into a predictable affair.After a raunchy night in Vegas, two very different people wake up married, and three million dollars richer. When a court order forces them to work on their communion, a battle of the sexes begins to each win their share of the cash.A hilarious first act provides the laughs that slowly become less consistent when a disappointing change of pace occurs. The script remains sharp and witty, with Diaz and Kutcher playing their annoying characters, well annoyingly; however the stellar introduction is so entertaining that it raises the bar too high. The original spin of 'What Happens In Vegas' is steadily diminished by cliché as the climax approaches. While audiences will have seen it all before regardless, had it been executed with the same frantic energy throughout then it could possibly have been salvaged by relentless humour.Clever writing, alongside genuinely funny jokes (and even some admittedly clever toilet humour) make this comic caper worth a watch. It is simply a shame that the cast nor the screenwriters could accommodate a rough transition from comedy to rom-com, a genre in which it is difficult to offer the element of surprise.7/10