HONEYMOON IN VEGAS. Directed and written by Andrew Bergman; produced by Mike Lobell for Castle Rock. Starring Nicolas Cage, Sarah Jessica Parker and James Caan. Rated PG-13.
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Honeymoon in Vegas is better than the sum of its parts. But that's because not everything about the movie has a positive quality.
Some of the characters and scenes aren't as successful as others; and even some of the successful ones don't always work together really well. But overall, its wacky, yet still rather sweet, tone saves the day.
The wackiness is apparent from an outline of the story. In spite of a promise at his mother's deathbed never to marry, private eye Jack (Cage) finally decides to take the plunge with pretty schoolteacher Betsy (Parker). Rather than have a prosaic wedding in New York, they take off for Las Vegas, where gangster/gambler Tommy (Caan) spots Betsy, who is a double for his dear departed wife.
Still with me? Tommy sets Jack up in a poker game, naturally beats him badly and gives him a choice between paying up, losing vital parts of anatomy, or letting Tommy "borrow" Betsy for the weekend.
Thus "borrowed," Betsy is whisked to Kauai to be courted by Tommy, who would really rather not give her back Monday morning. Jack ends up chasing Betsy back and forth across the country, but, of course, true love winds up conquering all.
Cage can fully display his unmistakable talent for low-key but bizarre comedy here. Unfortunately, his costars don't always seem to be on the same wavelength. However, they're each well-played in their own way.
Parker is quite appealing, even though she doesn't have anything exciting to do until the end of the picture. Tommy, though, is a really interesting character. He's part romantic lead and part Sonny Corleone, and you're never quite sure which will surface at any given moment.
My favorite scenes in Honeymoon in Vegas involve Jack's wild pursuit of Tommy and Betsy, because he's so good at playing exhausted but determined. Plus, using a convention of Elvis impersonators in Las Vegas as a backdrop to the action was a truly inspired bit of writing.
A better movie would have made more of this craziness and less of an attempt at a normal relationship for Jack and Betsy. But for a pleasant little end-of-summer romp, Honeymoon in Vegas is adequate.
September 2, 1992