leaving las vegas ending explained

Cage's drunkenness is inspired in part by a performance he studied, Albert Finney's alcoholic consul in "Under the Volcano." Leaving Las Vegas is a 1995 American drama film written and directed by Mike Figgis and based on the semi-autobiographical 1990 novel of the same name by John O'Brien. That's why I did Mr. Jones, because I think manic-depression is a fascinating, sad, and amazing phenomenon. In "Leaving Las Vegas," a man loses his family and begins to drink himself to death. There are few memorably framed shots throughout the film. In his Academy Award acceptance speech, Cage said, I know its not hip to say it, but I just love acting, and I hope that therell be more encouragement for alternative movies where we can experiment and fast forward into the future of acting. That love he has for this art form is apparent in his dynamic approach to embodying a character as flawed and complicated as Ben Sanderson. Along the way, in Mike Figgis' movie adaptation of John O'Brien's. Privacy Policy. But for me it looks a bit sleazy, I dont gamble, and Id want to visit more culturally invigorating sections of America. They soon hit it off, with Sera taking to Bens gentle nature and easy charms. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Leaving Las Vegas". Her strained expression reveals that she knows Ben is drinking himself to death. I'm basically a nihilist and . Sera is a prostitute working for abusive Latvian pimp Yuri Butsov. The website's critical consensus reads, "Oscar-awarded Nicolas Cage finds humanity in his character as it bleeds away in this no frills, exhilaratingly dark portrait of destruction. Leaving Las Vegas is a 1995 American drama film written and directed by Mike Figgis, and based on the semi-autobiographical 1990 novel of the same name by John O'Brien. After the pair split, their lives take a sudden downturn in fortunes. MGM/UA reportedly spent less than $2 million marketing the film, which included TV spots and ads in industry publications. And thats Leaving Las Vegasan unflinching insight into depression. Always the outside-of-the-box thinker, Cage has, over the years, developed his own acting technique, which he calls Nouveau Shamanic. But also a strangely upbeat film. You'd think he'd get fired for coming to work drunk the first time. Oh, this movie is so sad! Ben resolves to move to Las Vegas and reinvent himself. Jacob Trussell is a writer based in New York City. Director Mike Figgis offers a sort of Natural Born Killers-lite to Leaving Las Vegas, with several woozy and disorienting shots meant to capture the chaos of Las Vegas. He moves from Hollywood to Las Vegas after he has failed to keep his family or his job in the movie industry as a direct result of his drinking. All of the sudden from out of frame, Cage's arm grabs Caruso's shoulder from behind and we see Cage emerge. Nic Cage is an odd beast. Sera is a prostitute working for abusive Latvian pimp Yuri Butsov. Sera receives a call from Ben, who is on his deathbed. I don't know if you've a boyfriend, or a girlfriend, but I thought maybe we could get some dinner. Again, surprising given its subject matter. Is he divorced? After losing his family and job, Ben Sanderson (Nicolas Cage) moves to Las Vegas to slowly drink himself to death. For Cage, the success opened the door to bigger projects. Everything is real to him, even if he often doesnt seem real to us. Sera begs Ben to see a doctor, which he refuses. From his characters physical unsteadiness, stumbling and shaky, to his sudden outbursts of emotion, I was seeing my own experiences on screen, and it was deeply unsettling. This bank scene is the moment that made me originally turn the film off, because it was too much of a painful reminder of what I had just been through. Shortly afterward, Sera is approached by three college students at the Excalibur Hotel and Casino. But in this explosive instance, Ben is clearly burning from agony within. Mike Figgis based Leaving Las Vegas on a 1990 autobiographical novel by John O'Brien, who died of suicide in April 1994, shortly after finding out his novel was being used as the basis for a film. Nicolas Cage and Elisabeth Shue are truly stunning in the 1995 film, Leaving Las Vegas, a powerful and tragic drama from director Mike Figgis (Internal affairs). The pimp is soon out of the picture, and "Leaving Las Vegas" becomes simply the story of two people. At first, the pair are happy but soon become frustrated with the other's behavior. Director Figgis filmed many scenes on the Las Vegas Strip. Leaving Las Vegas had a limited release on October 27, 1995. Leaving Las Vegas - Ending Scene. She sees Ben clearly, and decides to stick with him for the rest of the ride. Notice: Undefined offset: 6 in /var/www/html/wp-includes/shortcodes.php on line 683 Can someone please explain how he won an Oscar, Roger Ebert gave it 4 stars, and people giving it a 10/10 on IMDB? Yesterday, I was on the deck of my boat (at anchor), doing one of the never-ending maintenance chores that living on a boat entails, when Sweet Home Alabama (Lynyrd Skynyrd) started playing on the radio. Max and I would say it was like a death-bender movie in the vein of Leaving Las Vegas. Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. His wife has also left him, taking their son with her. On his second day in Las Vegas, Ben looks for Sera, introduces himself, and offers her $500 to come to his room for an hour. We really liked having you around, Mr. Simpson says as Cages eyes fill with terror and regret. And he would go into these amazing diatribes and I would put that in the movie. Nothing can reverse his belief that his life is not worth living, a conviction that extends the question: Was it even fair, then, for him to be with Sera? [11] Filming took place over 28 days.[12]. Thats why when I tried to watch Nicolas Cages performance in Leaving Las Vegas after my first year of sobriety, I just couldnt. A soundtrack album, consisting mainly of film score composed and performed by Mike Figgis, was released November 7, 1995. To be sure this project wasn't compromised, Figgis shot it as an independent film, using Super 16 cameras to "grab" Las Vegas locations. Nicolas Cage stars as a suicidal alcoholic in Los Angeles who, having lost his family and been recently fired, has decided to move to Las Vegas and drink himself to death. Based on the novel by John O'Brien, the film deftly explores the challenge of. Starring: Nicolas Cage, Elisabeth Shue. His depressive spiral has an edge of gallows humour to proceedings, as he doesnt show much outward emotion about whats happened. Professional Moron: 2012-2023. The three-time R&B vocal Grammy winner played the concerned cab driver. If it seems like hes in another world from the rest of the ensemble in movies like Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans or Face/Off, youd be right. It is sad not because of the tragic lives of its characters, but because of their goodness and their charity. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. Her ex-husband Jay Mohr is worth $6 million, his wealth comes from his comedy shows and movie appearances. Trapped in an abusive relationship with her manager Yuri (Julian Sands), she moves through life dissociated and disillusioned. He was the floppy-haired heartthrob of the 90s, but by 2018, Grant found ways to poke fun at the very fabric of actorly charm as Phoenix Buchanan. He also visited hospitalized career alcoholics. The factors that make this film depressing include seeing a once-successful man on a fast downward spiral, intent on killing himself. Until she meets Ben, that is. She chastises him and walks away. A version of "Lonely Teardrops" performed by Michael McDonald that features in the film is not included. For Leaving Las Vegas, his pre-shoot research involved binge drinking in Dublin. When Nicholas Cage is in the pool and in a couple of other scenes where he is wearing a shirt you can clearly see a tattoo on his back, but when filmed without a shirt the tattoo is gone. The one where EW follows up with the cast. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. One early morning, he drives drunkenly from his Los Angeles home down to the Las Vegas Strip; he nearly hits a woman, Sera, on the crosswalk. "Leaving Las Vegas" is one of the best films of the year, deserving many Academy Award nominations. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Ask Dr. Moron: How do I tell if Im pregnant?, Hot Cross Buns: One a Penny, Two a Penny Foodstuff. You can drink all you want. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. As a result, she tracks down Ben at his motel and they go for a meal. "[16] It also holds a score of 82 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 23 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". The actors may have been a little inebriated while filming the most infamous disasterpiece of 1993, but their off-screen bonding only helped make their on-screen relationship feel real. The film is adapted from the eponymous 1990 semi-autobiographical novel by American author John OBrien, who committed suicide in 1994. Its so frightening because Cages performance expertly captures the psychological temperament and physical disintegration of alcohol addiction. Mike Figgis, who wrote, directed, and composed the music for this movie, is a filmmaker attracted to the far shores of behavior. Leaving Las Vegas: Directed by Mike Figgis. You will not see two better performances this year. Available to host your next spooky public access show. It is a pure, grand gesture. The performance in "Leaving Las Vegas" earned Cage the Best Actor Oscar at the 68th Academy Awards in 1996 (Shue was nominated for Best Actress). He accepts and moves in, even if Ben is passed out unconscious on her doorstep when Sera arrives home. He cracks jokes, spouts Latin quotes about drinking, and tries to mold himself into the romanticized depiction of dependency that made writers like Charles Bukowski famous. The most painfully realistic moment of Cages performance is also one of the quietest in Leaving Las Vegas. At one point, after it is clear that Sera really cares for him, he tells her, "You can never, ever, ask me to stop drinking." However, her career never really took offa shame given the talent she showed in the film. Cage was grateful that he only had to be in the headspace of a suicidal character for less than a month. Cage won the Oscar for his heartbreaking performance, and Shue was nominated for her role as well (the film earned additional Academy Award nods for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay). Yet he manufactures desperately inane chatter, dropping famous names. O'Brien died from suicide after signing away the film rights to the novel.[4]. With Nicolas Cage, Elisabeth Shue, Julian Sands, Richard Lewis. [13], The film was a success at the box office, particularly considering its budget, grossing $49.8 million. MGM/UA reportedly spent less than $2 million marketing the film, which included TV spots and ads in industry publications. Since he was presumably still working out the kinks of this acting methodology when he was cast in Leaving Las Vegas, he bolstered his performance through extensive research on addiction encouraged by Figgis. Ben was a movie executive. A soundtrack album, consisting mainly of film score composed and performed by Mike Figgis, was released November 7, 1995. Julie Benz played Shues character, who in this version was bulimic. That he is an alcoholic and she works the streets are simply the turnings they have taken. "I'm not sure if I lost my family because of my drinking, or if I'm drinking because I lost my family," he muses. He was her redemption, and when it seems he scorns her gift, she punishes herself. For more information, please see our Sera visits Ben, and the two make love, and he dies shortly thereafter. Not because I dont remember the date I quit it was two weeks shy of the Twin Peaks: The Return premiere but because I literally cant remember it. She initially rejects their offer by stating that she only "dates" one at a time but eventually acquiesces when she is offered an increased price. 7 biggest mistakes in Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, The 20 biggest mistakes in The Wizard of Oz, 40 biggest mistakes in The Big Bang Theory, 6 Cool things you've never noticed in movies, The biggest mistakes in the Harry Potter movies, 25 mistakes you never noticed in great movies, 7 mistakes in Beetlejuice you never spotted, More questions & answers from Leaving Las Vegas. There, he meets and forms an uneasy friendship and non-interference pact with prostitute Sera. The film also received nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director. After limited release in the United States on October 27, 1995, Leaving Las Vegas was released nationwide on February 9, 1996, receiving strong praise from critics and audiences. camera in my face was liberating because it's much smaller, so you don't feel as intimidated by it. Mike Figgis brings his directorial eye to this very theme in his romantic tragedy Leaving Las Vegas (1995). "[20], Video cassettes and DVD of the film were distributed by MGM Home Entertainment. During the opening credits, a mans voiceover echoes against a black screen and foreshadows the self-destruction to come: Have you ever had the feeling that youre that close to losing your mind? An ironically upbeat score accompanies a montage of Ben Sanderson (Nicholas Cage) placing dozens of bottles of liquor into his shopping cart, an apt introduction to his alcoholism. His editorial work has been featured on the BBC, NPR, Rue Morgue Magazine, Film School Rejects, and One Perfect Shot. In the next scene glass is half full again and in the next one - FULL. When she enters their hotel room, the students change the deal and demand anal sex, which she refuses. He has a silver tongue thats been silenced by addiction; his words now nothing more than the pathetic rantings of a man on the cusp of throwing his life away. It is sad not because of the tragic lives of its characters, but because of their goodness and their charity. Contact me | Privacy policy | Join the mailing list | Links. "[9] Shue spent time interviewing several Las Vegas prostitutes. She is adamant that none of them is ever really allowed to know her. The two agree to not judge one another, but it doesn't take long for Sera to break their pact and try to put an end to Ben's suicidal bender, which prompts Ben to sabotage their relationship. And they're shouting, but it's quiet and they feel really stupid, because it's unnatural. Chosen answer: On the contrary, the social contacts at work typically tolerate, sympathize with, and even enable alcoholics and other substance abusers, because many of the other employees are also similarly (and secretly) engaged in addictive behavior of their own to varying degrees. Months after the show aired and before it was officially canceled a source told TV Guide that if Las Vegas failed to receive a sixth season pickup, Duhamel and Simms would appear in the background of the then-new NBC series Knight Rider, holding their newborn. Sera receives a call from Ben, who is on his deathbed. When she attempts to leave, they violently gang-rape her. 1 year ago Save It is with great sorrow that I've just read this news, including seeing the posted pictures. Through their bond, they humanize and uplift one another in a world that has all but turned its back to them. She replies in a little voice: "I know." A home port for those who are multi-genrelational (sic) in their writing, lifestyles and thinking. He loses his job, his family, and decides to commit suicide by alcohol consumption in Las Vegas. [13] As it won awards from multiple film critics organizations and earned four Academy Award nominations, the film's release was expanded and it ultimately opened nationwide on February 9, 1996. Even in that far-gone state, losing stretches of time while making excuses for why my consumption was normal, I still believed I had everything under control. Unless someone wants to start a Kickstarter campaign? Making a splash: A deep dive into the live-action. A lot of communication in the year before we made the film. Thats because he creates an alternate reality for himself that is vivid and alive, helping him ground any of his off the wall quirks. And era is ending. The plot doesnt make it clear if this is due to Bens drinking, or if them leaving has led to him drinking. It is never made clear. Follow me for a varied 2xTop Writer diet: true stories, humor, tech, AI, travel, geopolitics and small business tips as I write around the world on my old boat. You put them up against a couple of trucks, with it all happening around them, and their voices become great". With nothing left to live for, and a sizable severance check from his boss, he heads to Las Vegas to drink himself to death. Off its $4 million budget, the film was a bit of a successit made almost $40 million in America. For an alcoholic, Leaving Las Vegas is nothing short of a horror movie. Instead, they talk and develop a rapport; Sera invites Ben to move into her apartment. Acting is an art form, and behind every iconic character is an artist expressing themselves. Since a producer asked Figgis to take the added therapy scenes out, he wanted to make sure they were absolutely necessary. We learn a little about her, in closeups where she talks about her life to an invisible therapist. Four Earn 2023 Harvard Medals for Distinguished Service to the University, As Gay Ascends to Presidency, 61 Percent of Surveyed Faculty Say Theyre Satisfied With Her Election, Harvard School of Public Health Launches Mindfulness Center Through $25M Gift, Ex-Harvard Chemist Charles Lieber Spared Additional Prison Time, Will Serve 6 Months House Arrest, Hundreds of Harvard Affiliates Sign Open Letter for Increased Access to Mental Well-Being Support at HKS. Though 35 millimeter film was the norm for mainstream movies, 16 millimeter was a cheaper option, which was necessary because of Leaving Las Vegas's tiny $3.5 million budget. While Sera is working, Ben goes to a casino and returns with another prostitute. [2], On Rotten Tomatoes, the film received an approval rating of 91% based on 53 reviews, with an average rating of 7.7/10. Are they dead? [17], Roger Ebert from Chicago Sun-Times and Rick Groen from The Globe and Mail gave the film high marks. In his lucid moments between the mania, talking to Sera as he walks the Strip, you can tell he had the assertive charisma necessary to be a Hollywood player. For obvious reasons, bottle labels had to be changed or reversed. O'Brien died from suicide after signing away the film rights to the novel.[3]. Mike Figgis based Leaving Las Vegas on a 1990 autobiographical novel by John O'Brien, who died of suicide in April 1994, shortly after finding out his novel was being used as the basis for a film. But he doesn't stop drinking. Film acting is a learning experience about how to get over that, but I don't know that you ever really do. Cookie policy. Clearly inwardly distraught, he decides to abandon everything, head out to Las Vegas, and drink himself to death. That such a film gets made is a miracle: One can see how this material could have been softened and compromised, and that would have been wrong. [12] This caused him to film some scenes on the Las Vegas strip in one take to avoid the police, which Figgis said benefited production and the authenticity of the acting, remarking "I've always hated the convention of shooting on a street, and then having to stop the traffic, and then having to tell the actors, 'Well, there's meant to be traffic here, so you're going to have to shout.' Soon after his wife and son leave him, he gets fired from his job, leaving him destitute and adrift. He goes off to drink himself into steadiness, and then it seems he returns and makes obscene suggestions to the teller, but they all take place in his head. Later, Sera explains to her therapist that she accepted Ben for who he was and loved him. The movie is not really about alcoholism. We brush those objections aside, because they have nothing to do with the real subject of this movie, which is that we must pity one another, and be gentle. Months after the show aired and before it was officially canceled a source told TV Guide that if Las Vegas failed to receive a sixth season pickup, Duhamel and Simms would appear in the. Beneath their occupations are their souls. With nothing left to live for, and a sizable severance check from his boss, he heads to Las Vegas to drink himself to death. The films final image a flashback to Ben grinning at Sera during their first encounter on the streets of Vegas starkly juxtaposes the bleakness of the present. Most of her wealth comes from her roles in various movies and television series. A lot of conversations. Whilst doing so he bumps into Sera (Elisabeth Shue), a prostitute, who Ben asks back to his motel. She has an abusive relationship with a pimp (Julian Sands), and we can guess that she probably also had an abusive father; it usually works out that way. From the music, the acting (Shue especially), the absence of any real story, the editing, it meanders, the characters lack any developmentI could go on. [10][14][15] United Artists distributed the film in North America, while RCV Film Distribution and Atalanta Filmes handled the European release, and 21st Century Film Corporation distributed the film in Australia. Its a sense of loss we see in Bens face when his boss fires him towards the beginning of the film. [22] The video cassettes were distributed on November 12, 1996 in two languages, English and Russian, while the DVD was distributed on January 1, 1998 in English for USA and Canada. There is a curious, effective scene in which he tries to get a check cashed, and his hands shake too much to sign his name. The man's name is Ben (Nicholas Cage). But as someone who had just survived the specter of addiction, my stomach was churning because Bens behavior felt all too real. Here he began with a novel by a man named John O'Brien, whose autobiographical sources can be guessed by the information that he killed himself two weeks after selling the book rights. . This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved, was less intimidating and made him less tense. He commences to nonsensically scream, Im like a prickly pear! before staggering, drunk, into their room. He also watched four movies: The Lost Weekend, Days of Wine and Roses, Arthur, and Under the Volcano. [5][11] He said "We didn't have any money, and we weren't pretending to be something we weren't. Nicholas Cage and Elizabeth Shue were so dedicated to the film that she interviewed several real Las Vegas prostitutes while he went on a drinking binge to experience what might happen to his cognition and speech patterns. In the year before I got sober, blackouts were an everyday thing. [6][7] Despite basing most of his screenplay on O'Brien's novel, Figgis spoke of a personal attachment with the novel, stating "Anything I would do would be because I had a sympathetic feeling towards it. He plans to drink his way into oblivion with the remaining money he . It is about great sad passion, of the sort celebrated in operas like "La Boheme." Your email address will not be published. It is also a sad, trembling portrait of the final stages of alcoholism. Welcome toThe Great Performances, a bi-weekly column exploring the art behind some of cinemas best roles. Am I missing something. Sera's really sad. Cage received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama and the Academy Award for Best Actor, while Shue was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama and the Academy Award for Best Actress. As the pair continue to hit it off, the audience begins to wonder if Ben will abandon his plans and commit to Sera. When she enters their hotel room, the students change the deal and demand anal sex, which she refuses. Bens ready wit and humanity are what make it memorable. Through a friend of his ex-wife, O'Brien got a gig writing Episode 37 of the animated series Rugrats, "Toys in the Attic", which premiered in 1992 under his only known pseudonym, Carroll Mine. If anything, Leaving Las Vegas is a public service announcement, warning about how slippery of a slope just one more can be. Oh, this movie is so sad! He calls her his "angel" fancifully, but there are moments when she literally seems to be an angel. Heres an unusual Oscar winner from 1995, with Nic Cage on career best form. MB: Imagine that nihilistic montage, extended out over the. Also, the setting is perfect. Unauthorised use or duplication of our content without permission is a no. What could possibly attract Sera, the prostitute, to this wounded man? And much like him I also convinced myself the only cure for that pain was at the bottom of another glass. Rot away in a room? It is the nonchalance with which Sera utters these words over the dinner table that make them so deeply disturbing. Ben Sanderson leaves his life in Los Angeles behind and heads for Vegas. In turn, Sera provides Ben the friendship he needs as he spirals into the clutches of alcoholism, depression, and existential despair. Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. Hed then film himself when drunk to get an understanding of the right body language, speech, and hand gestures. His consumption is elevated to an operatic level by Cage and director Mike Figgis, where you wouldnt be faulted for thinking it was a gross exaggeration of alcoholism. So, some substance abusers can lead lengthy careers within a company before the hammer falls. [10] He said "We didn't have any money, and we weren't pretending to be something we weren't. It's not a coincidence that some of the greatest artists have been manic-depressives. [26] The soundtrack also included three jazz standards performed by Sting and excerpts of dialogue from the film. One of the films most notable cinematic elements is sound. I wanted to give Ben a sort of crumbling elegance.. Usually, no action is taken until the addictive behavior starts affecting company income, insurance and morale.

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