What Happens in Vegas
What Happens in Vegas is another typical, formulaic romantic comedy starring two actors who haven’t been doing much else in the past couple of years, aside from hanging out on Twitter. Although Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher are A-list stars in Hollywood, it’s sad that this was one of the movies they chose to make. Both of them have the capability to make better movies and it’s disappointing that they continue to take on roles like this. Must have been because of the paycheck.
Kutcher and Diaz play Jack and Joy, two single people in New York who find themselves in situations they want to forget and get away from. They meet in Las Vegas and go out for a night on the town and wake up to find that they have married each other after a night of partying and intoxication. On the way to annul their marriage one of them hits a slot machine jackpot and that’s where our story begins. Upon return to New York a judge sentences them to a six month marriage in order to split the winnings. As they try to cheat the other out of the money hilarity ensues.
As you can see this film has a formulaic plot like other romantic comedies in the past. Apart from a few scenes there is nothing special about this film. I like Cameron Diaz but as her film career continues to progress, she seems to have a tough time breaking out of her cookie cutter roles such as this one. Her MO seems to be the goofy, fun-loving, down to earth girl next door that is very pretty. In What Happens in Vegas her character is supposed to be an introverted, control freak but even that is only shown for part of the time before we see her “wild side”. I think she is ok in this kind of role but it makes me wonder if she has any more range than this. Ashton Kutcher is no different as he plays the same roles as well. Apart from Butterfly Effect and The Guardian, he seems to fall back on his, Kelso character more often than not. So although this film is average, it’s a good film for both of them because they are in their element.
Honestly this film was so mainstream and ordinary it’s hard to find anything that sets it apart from other romantic comedies. Hollywood has this genre down to a science and the audience is getting bored. I’ll be the first to admit that I’d rather watch a RomCom instead of a drama, but lately I’m finding all of the films coming out in this group an insult to my intelligence. I think a little originality would go a long way for the romantic comedy. If they can’t do anything about the plot, then please do something about the dialogue. This film didn’t fail because of Diaz and Kutcher, it failed at a much higher level—and frankly Hollywood I’m disappointed.
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