2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved, was less intimidating and made him less tense. It's in a select category of films along with Million Dollar Baby, Monster where I really respect the cinematic achievement, but I'll hopefully never have to watch again. (One could argue that the intention to have them show up on Knight Rider is closure enough. Off its $4 million budget, the film was a bit of a successit made almost $40 million in America. There's a scene where Caruso leaves the titty bar, and he gives an explanation to a random extra when question. We may have fonder memories of his wackier roles in movies like Vampires Kiss and Mandy, but if you want incontrovertible proof of his immense talent, look no further than Leaving Las Vegas. Ben was a movie executive. If it seems like hes in another world from the rest of the ensemble in movies like Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans or Face/Off, youd be right. Another icon disappears from The Strip. The pimp is soon out of the picture, and "Leaving Las Vegas" becomes simply the story of two people. When he was working on Leaving Las Vegas in 1995, however, his method was likely still in its infancy. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. It provides a gritty texture to the scenes, almost like its representing the drunken haze of Bens mind (good symbolism, eh?). Hes also been in some terrible films over the last decade. Their relationship is tragically asymmetrical: While Sera endures violence and abuse from customers to make money, Ben crashes for free on her sofa, drinking himself into a dreamy stupor. Nicolas Cage is So Good in 'Leaving Las Vegas' It's Scary [10][14][15] United Artists distributed the film in North America, while RCV Film Distribution and Atalanta Filmes handled the European release, and 21st Century Film Corporation distributed the film in Australia. feels like an aside. From classic literature like Tolstoys Anna Karenina to the Safdie brothers Uncut Gems, self-destruction has long been a common artistic trope. After one particularly rough bender where he downed a pint of hard liquor in one agonizing swallow, he goes to a bank to try and cash a check. Retrospective: In 'Leaving Las Vegas,' Love Doesn't Win At first, the pair are happy but soon become frustrated with the other's behavior. But the way he discusses Nouveau Shamanic today offers some insight into how he brought his terrifying drunk to life. Everything is real to him, even if he often doesnt seem real to us. Staff writer Isabella B. Cho can be reached at. Again, surprising given its subject matter. But he doesn't stop drinking. Leaving Las Vegas : r/movies - Reddit I encouraged them [Cage and Shue] to do their own research, which they wanted to do anyway, and then ultimately the three of us got together and just started talkingtalking about anything, not necessarily about the film or the script, about anything that came up. We really liked having you around, Mr. Simpson says as Cages eyes fill with terror and regret. He's also the author of 'The Binge Watcher's Guide to The Twilight Zone' (Riverdale Avenue Books). Interviewing Director Mike Figgis", "Cage Did Serious Research For Alcoholic Role", "Oscar Nominations Are Just One Surprise After Another", "How Nicolas Cage Gambled on 'Vegas' -- and Came Up Big", "Ebert & Scorsese: Best Films of the 1990s", "Leaving Las Vegas (1995) - All releases", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Leaving_Las_Vegas&oldid=1147514134, "Ben Pawns His Rolex/Sera Talks to Her Shrink" (dialogue), "Sera Talks to the Cab Driver" (dialogue), This page was last edited on 31 March 2023, at 13:12. We think this is the powerful force behind the film. To be this realistic takes a lot of guts and were pleased it worked out for him and this cult classic. Leaving Las Vegas Jump to Edit Summaries Ben Sanderson, a Hollywood screenwriter who lost everything because of his alcoholism, arrives in Las Vegas to drink himself to death. He sang Stormy Monday in the cab before he talked to Sera, but Figgis cut it for seeming too self-indulgent when it came timefor editing. In "Leaving Las Vegas," a man loses his family and . The late authors family informed him of the coincidence on set. The Oakland A's Say They're Leaving for Las Vegas - WSJ Thats because he creates an alternate reality for himself that is vivid and alive, helping him ground any of his off the wall quirks. Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is Copyright 2009-2022, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. As it won awards from multiple film critics organizations and earned four Academy Award nominations, the film's release was expanded and it ultimately opened nationwide on February 9, 1996. [1] On Rotten Tomatoes, the film received an approval rating of 91% based on 53 reviews, with an average rating of 7.6/10. He also watched four movies: The Lost Weekend, Days of Wine and Roses, Arthur, and Under the Volcano. Leaving Las Vegas Explained It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Leaving Las Vegas". Cage plays Ben, a man who has officially hit rock bottom and has gone to Vegas in . Related Topics: Leaving Las Vegas, Nicolas Cage, The Great Performances. Nicolas Cage and Elisabeth Shue are truly stunning in the 1995 film, Leaving Las Vegas, a powerful and tragic drama from director Mike Figgis (Internal affairs). Leaving 'Las Vegas': James Caan, Nikki Cox Fold, Molly Simms Antes Up With deliberate resolve, he burns the remnants of his life and heads for Las Vegas to end it all in one final binge. In turn, Sera provides Ben the friendship he needs as he spirals into the clutches of alcoholism, depression, and existential despair. Cage recounted that he found the use of 16mm liberating as an actor stating in a 1995 interview with Roger Ebert: Figgis had problems because permits were not issued for some street scenes. So, some substance abusers can lead lengthy careers within a company before the hammer falls. Leaving Las Vegas : r/movies - Reddit She has an abusive relationship with a pimp (Julian Sands), and we can guess that she probably also had an abusive father; it usually works out that way. While Sera is working, Ben goes to a casino and returns with another prostitute. Sera begs Ben to see a doctor, which he refuses. Cage may have a reputation for unusual actorly choices and erratic tics, but his methodology is perfectly suited for fully embodying the grotesque presence of a man slowly, purposefully killing himself. Last Vegas (2013) - Ending Scene - YouTube In his Academy Award acceptance speech, Cage said, I know its not hip to say it, but I just love acting, and I hope that therell be more encouragement for alternative movies where we can experiment and fast forward into the future of acting. That love he has for this art form is apparent in his dynamic approach to embodying a character as flawed and complicated as Ben Sanderson. The actor may hate Joe Goldberg, but we still cant get enough of the psychosexy sociopath Badgley brings to life in the stalker-centric rom-dram. The team said it has an agreement to acquire land for a new stadium in Las Vegas and plans to leave Oakland as soon as the end of the 2024 season By Lindsey Adler April 20, 2023 2:50 pm ET Leaving Las Vegas is a 1995 American drama film written and directed by Mike Figgis and based on the semi-autobiographical 1990 novel of the same name by John O'Brien. At one point, after it is clear that Sera really cares for him, he tells her, "You can never, ever, ask me to stop drinking." The low-budget film is a challenging work, dealing with addiction, depression, and death. Even when his drunken antics make him lecherous and pathetic, most of the time hes likeable. Chosen answer: On the contrary, the social contacts at work typically tolerate, sympathize with, and even enable alcoholics and other substance abusers, because many of the other employees are also similarly (and secretly) engaged in addictive behavior of their own to varying degrees. However, her career never really took offa shame given the talent she showed in the film. Your email address will not be published. And dont expect many views eitherafter all, youre off course, of course. Privacy Policy. But as someone who had just survived the specter of addiction, my stomach was churning because Bens behavior felt all too real. 'Palm Springs' Movie Ending, Explained by the Filmmakers - Vulture Elisabeth Shues performance is also excellent. Pluto TV - Leaving Las Vegas In the next shot Ben is pouring alcohol to an EMPTY glass filling it in 1/3 approx. If acting is just professional pretending, Cage plainly chooses to take that one step beyond. Heres an unusual Oscar winner from 1995, with Nic Cage on career best form. The movie is not really about alcoholism. And that's the end of the season. For some reason or another, Richard Wagners Parsifal came out of Cages heartand mouthwhile shooting a gambling scene. Also, the setting is perfect. As a result, she tracks down Ben at his motel and they go for a meal. When Billy, the group's sworn bachelor, finally proposes to his thirty-something (of course) girlfriend, the four head to Las Vegas with a plan to stop acting their age and relive their glory. As those two hit it off, Sera invites Ben to live in her flat. His consumption is elevated to an operatic level by Cage and director Mike Figgis, where you wouldnt be faulted for thinking it was a gross exaggeration of alcoholism. Is he divorced? Cages tormented physicality in this moment is one that any addict will recognize: hes already going through withdrawals. He would go on a bender and pass out, curled up in my trailer in a fetal position. Mike Figgis composed the jazz instrumentals and provided the trumpet and keyboards himself. Ben eventually goes as far as to be intimate with a woman from a casino in Seras own bed a momentous betrayal. The factors that make this film depressing include seeing a once-successful man on a fast downward spiral, intent on killing himself. He also visited hospitalised alcoholics to understand their stories. When he lets her down badly, toward the end of the movie, she goes out and does something that no hooker should do - gets herself into a motel room with a crowd of drunken college boys - and we see how she needed Ben because she desperately needed to do something good for somebody. She chastises him and walks away. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Ask Dr. Moron: How do I tell if Im pregnant?, Hot Cross Buns: One a Penny, Two a Penny Foodstuff. Leaving Las Vegas is a 1995 American drama film written and directed by Mike Figgis, and based on the semi-autobiographical 1990 novel of the same name by John O'Brien. Bens ready wit and humanity are what make it memorable. I explained my view, that Cage's character Ben Sanderson saw life for what it was and decided to end it in a way that appealed to him (my take on his perspective).