The Plot:

Four childhood friends take a break from their daily lives after 60 years of friendship to throw an unlikely bachelor party in Las Vegas for the last among them to finally settle down. Determinedly they set out to prove that senior citizens can be just as wildly irresponsible and adventurous as the young party goers that inevitably surround them.

The Good:

Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Kevin Kline and Morgan Freeman are four astonishing actors who still have considerable screen presence, despite perhaps passing their performing peak. Gathered together for the first time they pool their considerable collective charisma to make material more watchable than it has any real right to be.

Michael Douglas is a world weary ladies’ man, Kevin Kline is a wry pensioner, De Niro is a charmingly cantankerous sour puss and Morgan Freeman is a wise-cracking geriatric fire-cracker. Giving the film unlikely credit, it’s actually perhaps the perfect example of art imitating life.

Mary Steenburgen adds some welcome feminine charm as the easy going Jazz singer who helps keep the misbehaving gang out of too much trouble. Her presence and the resulting love triangle at least add variety by interrupting proceedings with some actual emotions and plot.

The Bad:

As entirely expected, the film boasts a largely uninspired collection of regrettably clichéd jokes about old age. It’s an easy comedic target and the film unashamedly hits it over and over again, with mostly disappointing results. Lazy references to Viagra, early bed times and a complete ignorance of modern culture and technology fail to offer many genuine laughs.

The film offers a half-hearted attempt at adding some poignant subtext about love, friendship and the actual challenges of growing old. However, those occasional moments of melancholy and melodrama sit a little uncomfortably amongst the endless attempt at cheap laughs.

The Ugly Truth:

Last Vegas manages the occasional laugh but mostly falls flat. It’s only really watchable for its unlikely collection of star power. Morgan Freeman possibly steals the show slightly among an aging A-list cast clearly working hard to make something worthwhile out of a fairly forgettable situation.