With so many movies coming out these days featuring nothing
but the youngest of stars it's nice to see a movie come out with major actors
getting on in age taking the leading roles. It's even better when that movie is
not only well made but one of the funniest things to come out in quite some
time.
The Flatbush Four is a group of teens in the 50s who have
their own so called gang. The promise of being friends forever takes a turn for
the worse but we don't know why, except that years later as one gets married
the tale unfolds. Approaching 70, Billy (Michael Douglas) decides to wed the
girlfriend half his age. He calls his friends Archie (Morgan Freeman) and Sam
(Kevin Kline) and arranges them to meet him in Vegas to celebrate with a bachelor
party. He also charges them with contacting and bringing Paddy (Robert DeNiro),
his best friend who he hasn't spoken to in over a year.
Each member of the group has their own item to bring to the
table. Archie had a stroke the year before and his son won't let him do
anything resulting in his having to sneak out. Sam is living in a retirement
community with his wife and bored silly so his wife presents him with the gift
of a free pass while in Vegas to do whatever and come back the man she once
knew. And Paddy has become a recluse, still dealing with the death of his wife,
the love of his life and the only female welcomed into the group when they were
kids.
The foursome arrives in Vegas and immediately tempers flare
in the form of Paddy. It takes a while but eventually we learn that Billy
didn't make it to Paddy's wife's funeral, something he won't forgive Billy for
missing. While it still bothers him he eventually sets that aside to be part of
the bachelor party.
Things get started when the group discovers that the rooms
they had booked won't be ready for another year as the hotel is under
renovations. While there they hear a woman singing their old songs, Diana (Mary
Steenburgen), in the lounge. They're captivated and remember good times. Making
friends with Diana, she helps them find their way through Vegas to the hotel
where Billy is supposed to be getting married. While waiting for rooms, Archie
finds a way to make their weekend in Vegas more memorable (no I won't spoil
that for you).
Soon the group is staying in the penthouse and getting
involved in all sorts of major over the top events. They judge a bikini contest
poolside. They party at the exclusive club on top of the hotel (one of the
funniest scenes takes place there and involves Red Bull, vodka and Freeman).
During it all Billy begins to wonder if he's making the right decision while at
the same time attracted to Diana. The problem is so is Paddy.
But the focus of the film isn't the problems that these two
have even though they pop up periodically and are eventually settled before the
film ends. The movie is more about the camaraderie between the four men from
the time they were boys until now in their waning years. Friendship knows no
bounds nor does it recognize age. The love shared between these four characters
has served them well all this time and the trip to Vegas rekindles that love
before the finish.
Each of the four actors gets a chance to shine here in well
worn characters that are familiar to each. DeNiro gets the tough guy, Douglas
the charmer, Freeman the smooth mover and Kline the master of the witty retort.
There is no way to single one out as the best but that scene with Freeman and
the lines he has to deliver rapidly is fun to watch. The thing that makes this
movie so good is the combination of acting, laughs and story, something that
seems lacking in most movies today. Not only did I find myself invested in the
story of these four friends I was also pausing the movie every now and then
because I was laughing so hard.
LAST VEGAS is not a movie that you'll want to rent once.
It's one to add to your collection. I can already sense a bit of anticipation
in myself wanting to watch it again already. Not only that I want to see these
four friends reunited for another film. Let's hope that another bachelor party
is in the works for the Flatbush Four.
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