I Don't Hate Las Vegas Anymore (1994) User Reviews

Don't know.

[paranoidandroid-1 · 4 May 2002]

I saw this film in my documentary cinema class about two weeks ago. It strikes me as incredibly idiosyncratic, funny, touching at times, and somewhat of a cinematic journal. What do I make of this film? That is, what sort of frame of mind do I leave the theater with? I don't know. I like Zahedi's commentary, the sort of bookends that begin and end the film-these are hilarious in how candid and improvised they are, not to mention very telling of the film's protagonist. But the sincere and improvised qualities of these portions of the film seem to be undermined by the Las Vegas hotel room sequence. Suffice it to say, the film seems driven by Zahedi's proposition and what he asks of his father and half-brother. Without giving away too much, I wonder if the filmmaker had this in mind all the while, if the film isn't meant to be a diary. Regardless, I ultimately think that this is a wonderful film about family and familial...experimentation. And the road sequences are some of the best and funniest I've ever seen. Highly recommended.

in the genre of films directed by God

[carl-more-in-than-out-of-body · 29 July 2002]

I consider it an honor to add my review of this film, because it is so unusual, obscure, and ambitious. The director hopes to film the synchronicities and cathartic moments that prove the existence of God during a healing road trip to Las Vegas with his estranged father and half-brother. His memories of the place are scarred from when his parents would gamble there, so he puts forth better intentions to the universe and starts the cameras rolling. There is no script and this is not a documentary, it's more like a fragmented and precociously imperfect reality TV segment from a personal growth diary. The fact that the director Caveh Zahedi is sincere and well-versed in his sensitive New Age guy persona, quite pretty and soft-spoken with a friendly crew, means that the project can't miss to be sweet and inspiring. But it also falls far short of what could be imagined for a film that claims to be directed by God (Caveh is listed as the co-director). Will this movie in the future be pointed to as the beginning of a new genre, one that saves and celebrates unscripted miracles on film? We all have threads of magic in our lives. The best movies have yet to be seen because they are the God-told stories of our own daily lives, and who on this side of heaven has the resources to film and edit that much material. So Zahedi tried.

** SMALL SPOILER ** In "I Don't Hate Las Vegas Anymore", most of the family healing is minor and revolves around Zahedi claustrophobically cajoling his family into doing ecstasy (the drug) with him for a platonic love-in back at the hotel, so the action is mundane and controlled after all. Something of a miracle does occur, but you'll have to see the film to find out more. The greatest miracle seems to be that, in a world so unaccustomed to good-hearted video journaling, Zahedi's flawed achievement really does stand out, and his project has gotten enough distribution that I was able to rent it for my TV at a good local video store. We almost laughed, we almost cried, and then we turned the TV off to continue watching our own lives. So I won't be surprised if we meet Zahedi in the afterlife, and he'll be on the production team for life reviews.