Lune de miel à Las Vegas

This was what "Indecent Proposal" wasn't and couldn't be: a watchable movie dealing with a unusual situation and make fun of it. Instead of a boring melodrama as Lyne film was "Honeymoon in Vegas" (awkward title considering that the main characters weren't married yet) is a funny and entertaining story.

The movie tells the story of Jack (Nicolas Cage) a detective afraid of commitment after a promise he made to his mother (Anne Bancroft) on her deathbed: never marry. He's dating a beautiful woman (Sarah Jessica Parker) who wants to get involved in a serious relationship, wants to raise a family and what these two are gonna do? They make a trip to Vegas to marry but he gets involved in a poker gambling with a gangster (James Caan, he's a master in creating these types of role), loses a large amount of money (which he doesn't have). The gangster makes a strange proposition to Jack: he doesn't need to pay his debt but instead he wants to spend a weekend with Jack's girl. From this point the movie enters in typical and clichéd comical situations and some funny and original moments (like all the Elvis Presley impersonators that appears countless times).

The trio of actors is very good, Cage and Caan offer great funny moments; Pat Morita playing a taxi driver that impeaches Cage of trying to reach his destiny is incredibly funny and has some of the greatest lines in the film. It is a good film, enjoyable for the most part but it hardly takes off from being a great movie. But director Andrew Bergman knew how to take advantage of a strange situation and show to viewers its comical aspects, and this was a huge deal considering that in the following year a disappointing film appeared using the same strategy and turning into a annoying drama that needed so few to really be a good film. And this little gem succeed it. 6/10

After seeing the movie about 7 or 8 times, some of the laughs have worn out, but I still have fun watching it. You can't completely negate a movie that involves a desperate man who tries to gain back the love of his fiance by jumping out of a plane dressed like Elvis. The flying Elvises concept is definitely an original touch, but there are others as well. I like the running gag involving Robert Costanzo suspecting that his fat, ugly wife is cheating on him with Mike Tyson because of obviously doctored photos of her and Iron Mike. There's also that great scene with the 5-year-old Elvis impersonator, who's actually quite good. Anne Bancroft makes a brief but funny appearance at the beginning of the film. Peter Boyle also has a funny cameo as Chief Orman, an Indian Chief who has a love for showtunes. James Caan gives his usually savvy performance. I could've done without the cliched fat henchman character, who basically repeats everything that Caan says and bumbles all over the place. Nicolas Cage is over-the-top as the paranoid Jack, but his overacting works in the context of the film, and he's often very funny. And finally, who can resist a film with tons of Elvis songs in the soundtrack?

My score: 7 (out of 10)

As an Elvis fanatic, this movie is a necessity. Its possible it contains the word "Elvis" more than any other mainstream movie. The impersonators of every nationality, the Flying Elvises at the climax and, as user 'lawndale' pointed out, the soundtrack is one of the best.

Aside from the King, there is still a very funny movie here. Cage was doing small comedies at the time ("Guarding Tess" and "It Could Happen to You" are two of them), and this fits in with those other light entertainments, as far as that goes. He does 'frustrated' comedy pretty well; Ben Stiller would have been in this if it were made today, since he seems to be the new 'victim' in today's comedies. All the comedy is totally dependent on Cage's performance, and he delivers in ways I would not have thought possible. His next trip to Vegas (in "Leaving Las Vegas")should have been as much fun.

Jack Singer (Nicolas Cage) is a private investigator dealing with many broken relationships. He promised his mother on her deathbed never to get married. His 2nd grade teacher girlfriend Betsy Nolan (Sarah Jessica Parker) pressures him into marrying her. They go to Vegas where she catches the eye of hard gambler Tommy Korman (James Caan). She reminds him of his wife Donna. Tommy wins $65k from Jack in a rigged poker game. Tommy gets Donna to spend a weekend in exchange for erasing the debt.

This is all Jack's fault. Tommy is a shark but Jack is the one who took Tommy's money instead of walking away. It would be better for the story if both Jack and Betsy are at the game. Also it would be better if Jack borrows the money only after getting the hand. After the setup, the chase has a few fun moments. A manic Cage is always interesting. Caan is terrific as a tough guy. The start is a little wonky but Sarah Jessica Parker yelling that he made her into a whore is pretty funny. There are some sporadic laughs.

It has been years since I've seen Honeymoon in Vegas, and while it wasn't as hilarious as I remembered it to be, it's still a charming romantic comedy. The unique combination of Nicholas Cage, Sarah Jessica Parker, James Caan, and a bunch of Elvis impersonators seems like a strange one, but it actually works. Go ahead and roll the dice on this ridiculous movie, you may actually enjoy it.