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What Happens in Vegas (2008)

Director: Tom Vaughan

Time Out rating

Average user rating

3 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

It’s surprising that Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz haven’t starred together before: both specialise in gorgeous goofballs, and he’s no stranger to older women… And while they rub along fine in this rom-com, it’s no thanks to the contrived plot.

Diaz plays career woman Joy, who decides to let her hair down in Vegas after being dumped by her boyfriend. There, she meets Kutcher’s likeable layabout, Jack. A few hours and many tequilas later, they’re husband and wife. The next morning, annulment plans are shelved when Jack wins the jackpot using Joy’s quarter: if they divorce, she might get half. However, a judge freezes the winnings and orders the bickering pair to make a go of their marriage.

And so this odd couple must live together and play happy families for their psychiatrist (Queen Latifah). Much sitcom humour follows, mostly drawing on well-worn gender observations: she spends ages in the bathroom, he pees in the sink and so on. Sometimes, the accompanying dialogue is snappy enough to raise a laugh. More often, the humour comes from another source: the Best Friends. Lake Bell steals the show as Joy’s mouthy mate, Tipper, who develops a love-hate relationship with Jack’s misogynist pal who is actually called Hater (Rob Corddry).

In fact, a comedy about these two fighting like cat and dog would have been much funnier. As it is, it’s a bland comedy punctuated by the odd witty moment. The inevitable romance is so routine it barely merits a mention.

Author: Anna Smith

Time Out London Issue 1968, May 8-14, 2008

User reviews of this film

Jade said...

Posted on May 11 2008 22:44 I absolutly loved this film. I went to see it last night with a few friends and we all thought it was hilarious, I have never laughed so much in ages. I think both Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz play their characters so well. I can't wait for this film to be released on DVD so I can watch it again. I couldn't believe it today when I read some of the reviews, this film has been put down so much but I honestly can't think of one bad thing about it, but that could be because I love films like this one. Everyone should give it a try, I bet you'll be pleasantly suprised.

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star said...

Posted on May 11 2008 17:41 You below me....What the hell!!!!!!!!

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usman khawaja said...

Posted on May 11 2008 10:11 the manner in which female critics like anna and dargis so consistently endeavours to condescendingly condemn cameron is rather a cliche in itself coming from the fair sex ,
in all it's stoicism and cynicism,the review ultimately fails to note that diaz brilliantly portrays a cheesy heartbroken girl character who finds her focus in life,her bantering and blunderings are banal at times but so are a lot of B-GRADES from 40s too,which everyone hoots for as the golden era of cinema-maybe true but by no means a proven fact .
ashton is average who is more a celebrity then an actor ,it's diaz who is the winner even when she forsakes her fiscal fortune ,i had no problem with expressing my mirth and i heard a lot of cackles in the packed hall,
the chase through brooklyn streets in fact brought the house down,
if you want to see a parody on marriage where a judge called whopper is in charge -you know instinctively it will be a big whooper and nothing more -then go for it ,
if you expect taming of the SHREW or who is afraid of virginia WOOLF -dust out your dvds ,
for me it was a delight to see miss diaz expressing she found happiness when she stopped trying to please others.what a piece of solid wisdom and a golden adage in life -just be yourself .
that was a very wise crack,maybe some critics will find salvation if they become less self indulgent and more focussed on cinema.
as for diaz she looked gorgeous when she was meant to and ordinary when she was in bed or cleaning out the trashy apartment -was she supposed to do so in a gucci dress with a louis vuitton purse ,
treat williams was a treat to watch after a while as ashtons dad ,
my only skepticism about this so-called sit-com was -what the bloody hell was diaz doing with the loser jack who dumps her instigating the vulgar vacation in vegas .
another point to note the movie wisely or unwisely suggests we are so robotic slaving in our mechanical environments ,that we can sometimes make the best choices in a state of total inebriation .
maybe after diaz has defined a dumped ,discontent ,dumb blonde of today's era -it's time for female critics like anna smith and manohla dargis to take a vacation to find some happiness ,but plese not in vegas -as a venerable TIME OUT AND NYT criticS should settle for VENICE ,vallancia or vancouver ,then everyone will be happy like i was after watching this mindless trashy happy movie-which will make quite a few miserable people happy for a few hours-purpose servrd and duel is over and the winner is DIAZ .
usman khawaja

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peter jellow said...

Posted on May 10 2008 22:40 watched film, the whole cinema was in stiches, very funny,preveiw of film is poor and misleading

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Steve Elliott said...

Posted on May 09 2008 23:44 Amazing film i just cant wait for it to come out on DVD.. Very funny too!

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