Lame idea, charming leads
&#34;What Happens in Vegas,&#34; the comedy starring Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher, is a story built on a ludicrous premise and laden with romantic comedy clichés, sparkly dental work, and frenetic acting. It's the kind of movie that makes you wonder, &#34;What could they have been thinking?”<br /><br />Commodities trader Joy McNally (Diaz) has just been dumped by her boyfriend. Jack Fuller (Kutcher) has just been fired from his job by his own father (Treat Williams). Hooking up with their respective best friends, Tipper (Lake Bell) and Hater (Rob Corddry), Joy and Jack head for Las Vegas to put their troubles on the back burner and cut loose. Joy and Jack meet each other, hit it off, get falling-down drunk, and wake up the next morning to discover they've been married. Now sober, they both realize they made a terrible mistake and agree to dissolve the marriage.<br /><br />All changes, however, when Jack puts Joy's quarter into a slot machine and wins its $3 million jackpot. They argue over whose money it is until Jack reminds Joy that, because they're married, the money belongs to both of them. They go to court to argue ownership of the money and have a divorce granted, but the judge (Dennis Miller) orders them to stay married for six months.<br /><br />If you're wondering, &#34;Why don't they just split the dough and go their separate ways?&#34; you have far more common sense than the script writers. When a movie is based on so flimsy a premise, it's very hard to get on board for the ride, especially when there is enough ineptness for three bad movies here.<br /><br />The viewer knows not only precisely how the film will wind up, but how the journey will progress. There are few surprises, no twists, just the interminable waiting for the movie to end.<br /><br />Diaz has been effective in other comedies, most notably &#34;Something About Mary.&#34; She has a bright, sunny personality that can make her character shine when the material is first class. With lesser material, she tries hard, overacts in the hope of punching up lame gags, and is strident. Her Joy is never believable, and we never accept for a nanosecond that she has the brains to be a top stock trader.<br /><br />Kutcher, who rose to fame on the TV sitcom &#34;That 70's Show&#34; playing a lovable dim bulb, is going down the path of career suicide by accepting role after similar role in substandard, dumb comedies like this one. He has the makings of a long career in film. He's good looking, has that hard-to-define star quality, and is likable. But he has failed to branch out into more diverse parts, even after showing some real acting chops in &#34;The Butterfly Effect&#34; a few years ago. His Jack is standard sitcom issue. We see he's a screw-up at the company his dad runs, but never understand why. He drinks a lot, but this is played solely for comic effect. If the movie is about the quest to find one's true self, it never addresses why the principals are lost in the first place.<br /><br />The secondary characters Tipper and Hater, who have an ongoing love/hate relationship, are on hand for additional laughs, yet their repartee seems more mean-spirited and sour than funny. Their timing is way off, and neither knows when to underplay a line or let the camera create a punchline. They're hampered by weak material, never given an extended scene of their own, and relegated to limp one-liners. Ms. Bell and Mr. Corddry should watch a few Astaire-Rogers films to see how to alternate attraction and repulsion comically. They were masters at it.<br /><br />&#34;What Happens in Vegas&#34; is rated PG-13 for some crude language and scenes of irresponsible drinking.
The movie title "What Happens in Vegas (Widescreen Edition)," available on Movies & TV, has received an average rating of 4.7 from 5421 reviewers. 
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This title falls under the categories of Movies & TV, Featured Categories, DVD and Comedy. 
The additional details include the following in key-value format :
 {"Genre": "Comedy", "Format": "Multiple Formats, AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen", "Contributor": "Ashton Kutcher, Jason Sudeikis, Rob Corddry, Michelle Krusiec, Tom Vaughan, Treat Williams, Deirdre O'Connell, Zach Galifianakis, Dennis Farina, Lake Bell, Cameron DiazAshton Kutcher, Jason Sudeikis, Rob Corddry, Michelle Krusiec, Tom Vaughan, Treat Williams, Deirdre O'Connell, Zach Galifianakis, Dennis Farina, Lake Bell, Cameron Diaz   See more", "Language": "English", "Runtime": "1 hour and 39 minutes"}

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