Love Vegas

A lazy young man who's just been fired by his own father and an uptight financial sector striver just dumped by her boyfriend go to Las Vegas with pals to forget and, meeting, get married in a night of drunken carousing and diminished rationality. Then he wins $3 million on a slot machine with her quarter and they wind up in court fighting over an annulment and the right to the three million. The judge dislikes them both equally and sentences them to remain married and cohabit for six months and prove they're working to get along. A series of domestic plots and battles follows as each tries to outsmart the other to win in court and get all the money. They end up liking each other.

I know the reviewers are right to trash this movie, but they're missing something essential that would raise the audience rating a good many points above the critics' if they fail to note one thing that is the main reason why most of us go to see it. 'What Happens in Vegas' has not only the trappings of a big, expensive Hollywood comedy, the bright colors and nice sets, but two big glamorous stars, and they are not humiliated by being here, because they do look very good, and mismatch or not, look good together too.

Yes, the script is lousy. The setups and jokes are lame and clichéd and sometimes crass, tasteless, and adolescent. The arc is predictable. The progression isn't particularly interesting or even logical. The individual scenes consequently aren't ever pitched to be very funny and the dialog never surprises you either. But that very lack of high pitched comedy can be a plus if you find Cameron amazing and cool and Ashton gorgeous and appealing. The absence of a high laugh level such as the Apatow comedies occasionally achieve means they get to act more like people; they can register ordinary expressions instead of mere comic mugging and you get to look at them, which is one good and durable reason for watching this movie. And both are aging well. Ashton is big and handsome. The pretty-boy quality is fading into something more like an old time Hollywood leading man look. Cameron is sexy and elegant and looks great in a tight gown. Ashton has learned something since the staccato limitations of "That Seventies Show." He actually registers six or seven different, and recognizably human, expressions now. He's added sarcasm and meanness. He may be a people-pleaser forever, but he doesn't try as hard as he used to, nor does the good old boy personality hide a certain level of intelligence, just as the "Punk'd" bad-ass persona has never hidden an essential kindness. The one plot element that works is that he's the one of the pair who's got the emotional smarts; it is harder to believe Cameron's character is as cut off from feeling as she's supposed to be. But not too hard, because there's a hardness about her.

Yes, it is disappointing that most of the Vegas night is done in a rapid-fire montage that's more like an acid trip than an evening of heavy drinking; that nothing sexier happens; that the wedding is reduced to a final (not very successful) outtake sequence. The ending is slushy sentimental; but it is sweet. The critics' revulsion remains incomprehensible to me because 'What Happens in Vegas' leaves a good taste, if not a very strong one. I was a little bothered by the young Asian woman (a misused Michelle Krusiec) being made so stereotypically the unappealing suffering striver: that's more mean than funny. Queen Latifah is mellow as always but wasted as the marriage counselor. Director Tom Vaughan deserves little credit, but it is writer Dana Fox who is most to blame for the mediocrity of the result. Kutcher and Diaz and the others do a very good job. When you think about it, how much is the "originality" of other recent Hollywood comedies really worth? Where's the trail-blazing in '40 Year Old Virgin,' 'Super Bad,' or even the wishful-thinking 'Juno'? But no mistake about it, this movie is for fans of good-looking people in glossy movies, not smart comedy or edge. Compare this to Ashton in 'Just Married' and you'll see this role is better. For sheer mindless fun he peaked in 'Dude, Where's My Car?' Of course Cameron has a far stronger comedy--and general movie--résumé, so again Ashton's playing opposite her is not a step back but a step forward. But an attempt to analyze the plot seems futile. Its failings are too obvious to bother listing.

Alright, before you watch this movie, you know it is not going to be some deep, poetic Best Picture nominee. I was not all that excited about seeing it in the first place myself if I am going to be honest, but I only got it because there was nothing better to get I guess, and in the end, I had a fun time with it. Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz have good chemistry on set, not exactly Gone with the Wind type of romance, but enough to make it feel somewhat believable and make these characters interact well with the plot.

The movie is quite humorous. Not one of the funniest or even most memorable Rom-Coms I have ever seen, but here again, it does not try to be anything more than it is. The story is cute and entertaining if you give it even the slightest bit of chance to be, and though I would say if you are looking for a Rom-Com for you and your significant other there are plenty of better ones like The Proposal and The Ugly Truth you could see, if you have any interest in seeing this, I encourage you to do it because if you know what you are in for, it will be just what you needed. A refreshing little movie that deserves better reception.

All you have to do is watch the trailer for this movie and you know generally how it's going to pan out. And even while watching it, it's pretty predictable.

However, in saying that, it certainly had its moments. Ashton Kutcher plays the usual role, Cameron Diaz looks good and acts bad as always, Rob Corddry is hilarious in a secondary role as Kutcher's bumbling lawyer friend and the very attractive Lake Bell provides some more wit as Diaz best friend.

Overall, it definitely exceeded my expectations and I enjoyed the majority of it (with the exception of a few, forced sappy moments).

Worth my money? Yes, cause it was cheap night and only cost me $4.20! Worth your $10? Not really. Just rent it when it comes out.

When I first saw the trailer to What Happens in Vegas..., I thought it did look so predictable, but it had some really funny moments in the trailer, so I still wanted to see it. The only sad part, we have Cameron Diaz(who looks like a really good looking aging woman) and Ashton Kutcher(who still looks and acts like he's 12 years old), so we have two obnoxious actors that could have made a very disastrous film. But I saw What Happens in Vegas... yesterday and even though it was very predictable and stupid, it still had some very funny moments. I mean, Cameron and Ashton play two of the most unlikeable characters in movie history, who just bicker back and forth. The characters who win you over in the film are Rob Corddry and Lake Bell, who's fighting is actually very funny. But Aston and Cameron had some really good moments too.

Joy just got dumped by her boyfriend in front of her friends, Jack just got fired by his own father, so what's next for them? VEGAS! They happen to meet when their rooms get mixed up and end up drinking together, having a ball in Vegas, and end up accidentally marrying each other. When they come too, they realize it was a mistake, but start bickering, Joy leaves a quarter at her slot machine and Jack puts it in and wins 3 million dollars! But when it comes to the annulment, for some strange and unbelievable reason, the judge sentences them to 6 months hard marriage and freezes the money. So these two who have nothing in common battle it out, until of course they fall for each other.

What Happens in Vegas... is silly and predictable, but I do think the rating her on IMDb is a little harsh. I completely side with people who hate Cameron and Ashton, but their battle scenes together are pretty funny. Just I've seen so many worse films, this was just a fun romantic comedy to lighten the spirit of Iron Man and Speed Racer, not to mention the more action packed movies for the summer. So I'd say it's worth the look, but more of a rental vs. a high priced ticket, but just have fun, I think you'll get more than a few laughs.

5/10

Following a wild night of too many drinks in Las Vegas, Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher, wake up to discover that they are married in this funny and colorful romantic comedy…

But after a huge, disputed win at a casino, the neurotic newlyweds end up in court fighting over the grand prize…

To try to make things work, the weary judge (Dennis Miller) freezes the money and sentences them to "six months hard marriage" to make them learn how to live together as man and wife, and maybe, eventually, they will really fall in love…

Diaz and Kutcher work together well on screen… They are appealing, and they bring some really comic moments… Their performances make us smile…

Some of the supporting cast showed off their talent and managed to steal a few genuine laughs...The movie is enjoyable, and director Tom Vaughan did a decent job