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Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
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Overview
User Rating:
Your Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
27 October 1995 (USA)
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Plot:
Ben Sanderson, an alcoholic Hollywood screenwriter who lost everything because of his drinking, arrives in Las Vegas to drink himself to death. There, he meets and forms an uneasy friendship and non-interference pact with prostitute Sera. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Won Oscar.
Another 25 wins
&
17 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(107 articles)
Nicolas Cage's $8.5-Mil Home Sells for $5 Million
(From PEOPLE.com. 27 January 2010, 8:45 AM, PST)
We Knew It! Nicolas Cage is Everyone!
(From Cinematical. 6 January 2010, 12:02 PM, PST)
(From PEOPLE.com. 27 January 2010, 8:45 AM, PST)
We Knew It! Nicolas Cage is Everyone!
(From Cinematical. 6 January 2010, 12:02 PM, PST)
User Reviews:
Viva Greek Tragedies
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Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Nicolas Cage | ... | Ben Sanderson | |
| Elisabeth Shue | ... | Sera | |
| Julian Sands | ... | Yuri | |
| Richard Lewis | ... | Peter | |
| Steven Weber | ... | Marc Nussbaum | |
| Kim Adams | ... | Sheila | |
| Emily Procter | ... | Debbie | |
| Stuart Regen | ... | Man at Bar | |
| Valeria Golino | ... | Terri | |
| Graham Beckel | ... | L.A. Bartender | |
| Albert Henderson | ... | Man at Strip Bar (as Al Henderson) | |
| Shashi Bhatia | ... | Hispanic Prostitute | |
| Carey Lowell | ... | Bank Teller | |
| Anne Lange | ... | Business Colleague | |
| Thomas Kopache | ... | Mr. Simpson |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
Leaving Las Vegas (France)
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MPAA:
Rated R for strong sexuality and language, violence and pervasive alcohol abuse.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
111 min
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Iceland:16 |
USA:R (certificate #33977) |
Philippines:R-18 |
Brazil:16 |
New Zealand:R18 |
Argentina:16 |
Australia:R |
Chile:18 |
Denmark:16 |
Finland:K-16 |
France:-12 |
Germany:16 |
Hong Kong:IIB |
Mexico:C |
Netherlands:16 |
Norway:15 |
Peru:18 |
Portugal:M/18 |
Singapore:R21 |
South Korea:18 |
Spain:18 |
Sweden:15 |
UK:18
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Director Cameo: [Mike Figgis]The gangster staring down Ben at the gas station outside of Las Vegas.
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Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible: Camera and several crew members reflected in the glass door when Sera leaves the casino, after spitting on the security guy.
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Quotes:
Ben Sanderson:
I'll tell you, right now... I'm in love with you. But, be that as it may, i am not here to force my twisted soul into your life.
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Leaving Las Vegas (#7.11)" (2007)
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FAQ
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Not unlike John Huston's Under The Volcano, Leaving Las Vegas borrows from Greek mythology, obliquely mirroring the tragedy and pathos of Orpheus' failed attempt to rescue his dead wife, Eurydice, from Hades. Mike Figgis obliges us with a helpful hint in the scene where Nicolas Cage gives Elizabeth Shue a present of earrings: Greek cameos.
As in the ancient tale, love challenges the inevitability of death, although, in the case of LLV, roles are upended and sometimes blurred, and Orphean references are either thinly disguised, or non-specific to the point of being thoroughly sublimated. Academic, to be sure, but completely acceptable as long as LLV can sustain itself and remain engaging. And it surely does, thanks to Figgis' intelligent script and direction, Cage's role as a down-and-out writer and his protracted self-destruction, and Shue's portrayal of a lonely hooker, lifting that old bromide beyond what could have been routine, to a level not seen since Jane Fonda's character in Klute. Excellent performances all around.
With all that said, this film is not for everyone (in particular those who only respond to gratuitous sex, car chases, and mindless pyrotechnics). The lurid depictions of despair, self-loathing, and violence could put off even the most hardened social worker. In my mind's eye, I could see psychiatrists amongst the theater audiences, furiously jotting down their observations. Understandable; the two principal characters are, in the common parlance, screwed up. One cannot cope with failure, so decides to opt out, while the other does cope, but only barely, existing along the ragged edges of what passes for society in Nevada Hell. These details, though, tend to outline and, indeed, strengthen the true heart of this film: Sacrifice and Unconditional Love.
If this film is not for everyone, then who is it for? Those with real life experience and the maturity gained thereby. Those with strong emotional constitutions. Anyone appreciative of impassioned performances. Freudians. Alcoholics, recovering and otherwise. Pimps. Priests. Classicists. Petty whiners in need of perspective. And, more than anyone else, couples who plan on breaking up. In sickness and in health, 'til death do us part. 9.5 out of 10.