This was a very, very, VERY depressing movie. I had to head straight to the bar after seeing this one.

In “Leaving Las Vegas,” Ben Sanderson, played by Nicholas Cage (Adaptation), is an alcoholic Hollywood screenwriter who has lost everything because of his drinking. SO, he in turn heads to Las Vegas with the intention of drinking himself to death.

There, he meets a unique prostitute named Sera, played by Elizabeth Shue (Hollow Man), and together they form an uneasy friendship-turned-romance after making a pact to not interfere in each other’s life choices.

Cage was awesome, which is why he won the Academy Award® that year (1996) for this work. Director Mike Figgis did a great job with Cage and keeping his performance in control and consistent. I would think a hopeless and self-destructive drunk is one of the toughest roles to put together and maintain over 21 days of principal photography.

The movie is incredibly slow, however, which is funny since Figgis shot it in 21 days. How can the production move so fast and yet the pace of the film move so slow? Regardless, Figgis nabbed a nomination for his direction as well that year. He lost to Mel Gibson for “Braveheart.”

Another downfall to the picture is, the writing is a little sketchy. Character motivations for Cage and Shue were unclear and under-developed, but the performances make up for it. It was evident Cage and Shue knew where they were coming from, but it was not so evident where that was to the audience due to the lack of material.

I did enjoy this movie, simply for the performances alone; however, it is so depressing, I can’t force myself to watch it again. So, my advice is, do not watch this picture alone. Invite someone over to drink with you while watching the DVD. THEN, it may be more worth it.

Benn - Where's the Humanity?