Honeymoon in Vegas (1992) Directed by Andrew Bergman. With James Caan, Nicolas Cage and Sarah Jessica Parker.
Coming out just one year before the hot potato that was Adrian Lyne’s Indecent Proposal, Honeymoon in Vegas is almost exactly the same film, albeit dressed as a comedy caper. Sadly, they share an equal measure of genuine laughs. Namely, none.
Written and directed by Andrew Bergman, the film stars James Caan, Nicolas Cage and Sarah Jessica Parker, who entangle through Caan’s desire to spend two days with Cage’s wife to be, SJP, which is supposed to lead to some kind of prevailing hilarity. It doesn’t.
With any film, you’re dead in the water without a decent script, and a poor script in the comedy genre simply equals, no laughs. The trio of leads, all of whom have greatness in their respective back and forward catalogues, all try valiantly to lift the writing above it’s level, but their efforts are mostly in vain. It’s frustrating to see Cage, such a talented comedic actor, (see Raising Arizona) given so little to chew on to the point that he often resorts to shouting, as a form of comedy. Caan simply sends up his mafia boss, on-screen persona, while SJP amounts to little more than a lively bundle of curly hair.
Perhaps Bergman relied too heavily on his leads to be spontaneous with the premise here, although it’s difficult to see what, other than a trip to Las Vegas, would have attracted them to the script. The further the film progresses, the weaker and sillier it becomes, while all the time barely raising a half smile. The climax, involving a team of jumpsuited, skydiving Elvis impersonators (it seems like every extra is dressed this way) might have looked good on paper, but it’s just tacky and silly, and another example of just how much the film relies on daft gimmicks to win over its audience. 2/5
Gareth Rhodes Film Reviews 