No Jackpot for What Happens in Vegas

It was the case of another new movie that promised the sky in its promos but could not deliver much when it came to the actual thing. Watching What Happens in Vegas, starring Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher, was like digging into your favorite snack only to find it soggy and flat.

The downside starts from the stars of the movie, who seem like they were not meant to be there. I have always held that no matter how strong the star cast may be, it amounts close to zilch if the script is not strong enough to give them the platform to strut their stuff, and that is exactly what happens in Vegas, in a way of speaking.

True, the movie has quite a few moments where the stars get to try and woo the audience into a few laughs with some of their earlier-successful tricks – Diaz howling away tunelessly Hit Me With Your Best Shot – a shot straight out of her earlier hit My Best Friend’s Wedding is one such instance. However, even these tried winners were sadly unable to rescue the movie.

The story of the movie is about two people from Manhattan who come to Vegas to take a vacation from their worries and woes. Kutcher plays Jack Fuller, who received the sack from his own father’s cabinet making business, while Diaz plays Joy McNally, newly dumped lover.

The two meet and an assortment of drinks later, wake up in the morning to find they had managed to stop by at a wedding chapel the previous night in their high and happy state. The first thought is to get an annulment ASAP. However, things change when Fuller wins a $3 million jackpot using one of Joy’s quarters.

The ensuing flare-up between the two sees them going to a judge, played well by Dennis Miller who, true to his sadistic form, suggests they stay together for six months to be able to lay claim to the prize money. The rest of the movie meanders along this premise to its predictable end.

The movie is not bad per se. However, if you saw the promos and then saw the movie, you would have every right to be aggrieved. Originality seems to be the key missing factor, as the movie looks to a number of other movies, almost in desperation it seems, for inspiration – An Affair to Remember, Flashdance, Love is a Many Splendored Thing, and even Sleeping with the Enemy.

However, by the end of What Happens in Vegas, you are almost glad to be out of the theater and the chance to breathe in some fresh air. The overdependency on the lead actors to carry the comedy seems to be one of the reasons for the movie’s undoing. In the end, you could use one word to describe your viewing experience – forgettable.