‘What Happens in Vegas’: Conditional love, short-lived honeymoon

(Published May 13, PDI-Entertainment)

By Oliver M. Pulumbarit
Contributor

A drunken wedding leads to a regrettable morning after, in the pretty average love-hate rom-com “What Happens in Vegas.” This time, what happens in Vegas doesn’t stay there, as it becomes painfully clear to two vacationing strangers who impulsively tie the knot after a night of non-stop partying. It’s exactly what its trailer promises; it pretty much encapsulates how predictably normal--and cloyingly cute--this movie is.

But it’s not without some good laughs. “What Happens in Vegas” executes its situational humor decently, from scenes that depict mini-gender battles to those that portray typical relationship blunders.

Don’t expect anything profound or clever, though, as it’s not a movie that doesn’t stray too far from the parameters of the conventional comedy or romance flick. It’s light, sometimes shallow, and doesn’t require much thinking from its viewers.

It’s quite simple and an easy watch: Cameron Diaz plays Joy, a competitive career woman who’s a doormat when it comes to her relationship with her unappreciative beau Mason (Jason Sudeikis). After the unavoidable breakup, she flies to Las Vegas for a change of scenery, and runs into Jack (Ashton Kutcher), a slacking and unfocused furniture-maker with problems of his own. They hit it off quick, but they don’t remember much from the night before. They freak out when they realize their mistake and their glaring incompatibility.

But after an argument, the newlyweds win millions of dollars, and the impromptu lovers-turned-enemies waste no time in fighting over it. Sentenced to “six months hard marriage” by a judge (Dennis Miller), who wanted them to feel and understand the consequences of their rash actions, Jack and Joy pretend to get along for the sake of their frozen money.

Of course, they scheme moronic plots to discredit each other, so the offended party will be awarded the entire cash prize. They spend most of their “honeymoon” creating devious plans, pulling them into each other’s oddly comforting worlds, in the process.

Kutcher’s part seems like a mellower extension of his “That ‘70s Show” character, while his devious pranks automatically remind you of his “Punk’d” TV show. He’s in his element, obviously, but he’s made to look like a likeable loser, someone who’d attract a similarly nutty and unsure person like Joy.

That pairing keeps this not-so-subtle comedy quite bearable; Diaz and Kutcher have charm and personality points easily covered. The dialogue is okay, but it’s not great, although there are a few laugh-out-loud moments. Some of those involve Jack and Joy’s best friends, played by Rob Corddry and Lake Bell, respectively.

It’s not shoddily done, but “What Happens in Vegas” doesn’t exceed its prefabricated design. The material is able to poke a little fun at how some take the opportunity to marry for granted, though. And while the film quickly drains its conditional love and material greed angles, it’s still a union of typical elements that doesn’t spiral out of control.