What Happens in Vegas... (2008)

I finished all of my work early yesterday, so I decided to take advantage of my free afternoon by going out to lunch and catching a matinée with a friend. Since I’m probably going to go see the new Indiana Jones flick with my husband sometime in the next few weeks, my friend and I opted for What Happens in Vegas… instead. This has been the No. 1 comedy in the country for the past month, so we figured we’d have a good time despite the generally poor reviews the film has received from critics. The movie turned out to be okay, but I would have preferred to see it on DVD rather than at the theater.

Plot summary (with possible spoilers): Jack Fuller (played by Ashton Kutcher) is a 20-something slacker who recently got fired from his father’s furniture making company in New York because he doesn’t show the commitment necessary to follow through on projects and get things done in a timely manner. He and his best friend, attorney Jeffrey “Hater” Lewis (Rob Corddry), decide that the only way to recover from this setback is to head out to Vegas for a few days.

Meanwhile, Wall Street stockbroker Joy McNally (Cameron Diaz) has recently been dumped by her fiancé Mason (Jason Sudeikis) and is pretty distraught over the breakup. She and her best friend, bartender Tipper (Lake Bell), decide that they should go ahead and use the tickets to Vegas that Joy originally bought for Mason’s birthday. After all, Mason doesn’t deserve to go, and a few days in Sin City is just what Joy needs to help her get out of her funk.

A mix-up at the hotel desk causes the four New Yorkers to be put into the same room. After complaints to management, they get upgraded to a couple of penthouse suites, and all get VIP passes to a bunch of Vegas nightclubs and shows. Jack convinces Joy and Tipper to hand out with him and Hater for the night, which the women reluctantly do. Jack and Joy end up hitting it off, getting completely drunk, and getting married before the sun rises.

When they wake up, they realize what an embarrassing mistake they’ve made, so they both agree to get an annulment as soon as they return to New York. Just as they’re about to leave the casino, however, Jack plays a slot machine with Joy’s quarter — and ends up hitting a $3 million jackpot. Suddenly, there’s a lot more at stake in the marriage and a simple annulment will no longer suffice.

Back home in New York, a judge refuses to give them an annulment or a divorce, instead ordering them to give their marriage a six-month trial run while attending marriage counseling. If they refuse, the judge will tie up their money in legal proceedings and they’ll never see a cent. The rest of the film then focuses on how Jack and Joy each try to drive the other away so as to get the money all to him- or herself. During their six months together, they actually end up learning a lot about who they are, and come to a deeper understanding about their feelings for one another.

My Reaction: Once I got over the complete inanity of the premise (could a judge really force a couple married in Vegas to stay married?), What Happens in Vegas… turned out to be somewhat watchable. Granted, there weren’t as many funny parts as I’d expect from a comedy starring Kutcher and Diaz, but the film wasn’t a total loss, either.

Most of the scenes in this movie reminded me of other films, so there wasn’t a whole lot of originality to speak of. For example, when Jack and Joy first started living together and deliberately got on each other’s nerves, I couldn’t help but think fo the Vince Vaughn/Jennifer Aniston movie The Break-Up (which I’m sure was poached from previous works as well). And then the two best friends whose apparent hatred for each other belies their true feelings? Well, that has happened in too many other rom-coms to count.

The end was wholly predictable, so there weren’t any surprises there (or anywhere else, for that matter), but the journey wasn’t all that bad. What Happens in Vegas… is meant to be mindless escapist entertainment, and I guess it serves its purpose. I give it 3 stars out of 5.