Forgotten Robert De Niro And Morgan Freeman Comedy Is Massive Hit On Netflix
The 2013 comedy Last Vegas is a massive hit on Netflix. In its first week on the platform, the film, which stars Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline, and Mary Steenburgen, has already accumulated 7,200,000 hours viewed.
The data was compiled by Netflix, with views defined by dividing the total hours viewed by the total runtime. Values are then rounded to the nearest 100,000.
Last Vegas revolves around four friends in their late 60s and early 70s. Archie (Morgan Freeman), Sam (Kevin Kline), Paddy (Robert De Niro), and Billy (Michael Douglas) have been close since childhood, but their lives have taken different paths. Archie is living with his overprotective son after suffering a mild stroke, while Sam is retired and bored in Florida.
Last Vegas – starring Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline, and Michael Dougas – is a huge streaming hit on Netflix.
Paddy is a widower who remains deeply affected by his late wife’s death. When Billy, who is the last of the group to stay single, proposes to his 30-year-old girlfriend Lisa, he decides to celebrate by having a bachelor party in Las Vegas. He invites his three childhood friends to join him for the festivities, setting up the premise for Last Vegas.
Upon arriving in Las Vegas, the friends are immediately confronted with the city’s glitzy and fast-paced lifestyle, which is vastly different from the Las Vegas they remember from their youth. They check in to a luxurious hotel, where they meet the charming lounge singer Diana (Mary Steenburgen), who immediately captures their attention.
Each character in Last Vegas has their own personal subplot. Archie is encouraged by his friends to embrace life and seize opportunities despite his health condition. Sam tries to recapture his youth by flirting with women, Paddy struggles with his unresolved grief, and Billy contemplates the significance of his impending marriage.
Last Vegas is often called The Hangover for the elderly.
The central conflict arises when Lisa’s (Bre Blair) gang of friends arrives in Las Vegas, and tensions rise due to their disapproval of Billy’s older friends. Last Vegas sees the friends bond, resolve their personal issues, and find solace in their reunion. The story combines humor with themes of friendship, aging, and the importance of seizing the moment.
Last Vegas performed moderately well at the box office, earning $134 million worldwide on a budget of around $28 million. Critical reception was mixed with some praising the performances of the veteran cast of lead actors, the film’s humor, and heartfelt moments. Others found the plot to be formulaic and predictable.
Last Vegas currently holds a 46 percent critics rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. The site’s general consensus says the cast keeps things amiably watchable, but the film is mostly a mellower Hangover reworked for older folks.
The Hangover focuses on a group of young friends trying to piece together what happened during a wild night of debauchery in Las Vegas. But while The Hangover is known for its raunchy, over-the-top humor, Last Vegas leans towards a mix of comedy and sentimentality, with a focus on rekindling old friendships and dealing with the challenges of aging.
Last Vegas joins films like The Bucket List, Grumpy Old Men, Going in Style, and Wild Hogs in the niche of films about older men rediscovering their lives.
Over the years, there have been several films similar to Last Vegas, focusing on older characters finding new adventures in their later years. The Bucket List features Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman as terminally ill men who go on a road trip to complete their bucket lists. In Grumpy Old Men, Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau play elderly neighbors whose lives change when a woman moves next door.
Going in Style has a 1979 original and a 2017 remake, focusing on a group of elderly friends who turn to bank robbery when their pensions are canceled. The cast features George Burns, Art Carney, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, and Alan Arkin. Wild Hogs sees John Travolta, Tim Allen, Martin Lawrence, and William H. Macy as middle-aged friends who go on a motorcycle road trip.
These films combine humor, heartwarming moments, and life lessons for those who appreciate stories about older characters. Each film offers a unique take on aging and showcases the enduring human spirit, demonstrating that life’s adventures do not only belong to young people. The success of Last Vegas in its first week on Netflix indicates that people of all ages appreciate these stories.
