Containing some good one-liners and laughs, What Happens In Vegas unfortunately loses steam by the end, becoming yet another run-of-the-mill romantic comedy.
After a night of heavy parting in Las Vegas, Jack and Joy decide to tie the knot. Total strangers the night before, the twosome wake up and agree that an annulment is the best solution. But when Jack wins the jackpot on a slot machine, Joy demands her share. However, before either will see their share of the money, a court judge forces the two to live together and attempt to reconcile their differences before he will grant them a divorce. Through the six month ride through hell, both parties begin to realize that this poorly planned love connection isn't quite as bad as they originally believed.
When a film bears two names like Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher, there is a sense of pressure for the stars to make the film work. And luckily for fans, both stars rose to the challenge as they created some classic moments in what could have been a dull and uneventful film.
Cameron Diaz stars as Joy McNally, a successful business woman who has just been embarrassingly dumped by her live-in boyfriend. And I know what you are thinking: What else is new? However, I have to say that Diaz completely sells her character. Using raw emotion, great comedic timing and high spirited personality, Diaz is able make Joy real, thus becoming relatable to the audience.
On the other side of things we have Kutcher who plays the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants Jack Fuller. Full of immaturity, Jack lives the 'college-life,' choosing to make his own rules and never sticking to them. And as expected, Kutcher delivers as he plays the same character that he has previously played in about ninety percent of his films. And though I find him personally annoying, he sold his role, and there is nothing that I can complain about that.
And then we have Queen Latifah, who served as the couple's marriage counselor. Now don't get me wrong, I am a huge Queen Latifah fan; however, this role just wasn't for her to play. Held-back by horrible dialogue and character interaction, Latifah failed to overcome the obstacles and became a distant memory by credit time. And for an Academy Award nominated actress, that is not good in any way, shape or form.
Putting the cast members and their performances aside, I still have to say that the story was well written. Playing to its strengths, the dialogue in the film worked with the two leads, allowing them to work off one another and use their comedic timing to better the flow of the story.
But all good things must come to an end. As the story began to wrap up, the audience is greeted with lines like, "You bet on me; therefore I bet on myself," and "I hit the jackpot." And while these don't seem that bad out of context, when placed within the story, any chance of a unique and classy ending is washed away into the big, dark hole we all know as generic.
Okay, it wasn't that bad. But still, the film had potential and it didn't follow through with it; which for me is just as bad as never having potential at all.
But regardless of the final ten minutes, I do have to admit that What Happens in Vegas was somewhat of a pleasant surprise. And though it didn't add anything stellar to the somewhat dull romantic-comedy genre, it wasn't bad. Let's just say that it could have and should have been much better.
