Las Vegas Weekly : - Saint John of Las Vegas

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Saint John of Las Vegas

Josh Bell

Thu, Jun 11, 2009 (1:34 a.m.)

Steve Buscemi is John in Saint John of Las Vegas.

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Within the first two minutes of Hue Rhodes’ Saint John of Las Vegas, the writer-director demonstrates a poor understanding of the town that’s ostensibly the focus of his film. Steve Buscemi’s John, an insurance claims investigator and recovering gambling addict, walks into a Vegas convenience store and … buys a bunch of lottery tickets. Even some cursory research into Vegas would reveal that we don’t have a state lottery here, but that lack of info is indicative of the relative lethargy of Rhodes’ debut feature.

Saint John of Las Vegas

Steve Buscemi, Romany Malco, Sarah Silverman.; Directed by Hue Rhodes.; Complete coverage of CineVegas 2009
Beyond the Weekly: Saint John of Las Vegas; IMDb: Saint John of Las Vegas

The good news is that this movie isn’t really about Vegas, so the factual slip isn’t fatal. This is mostly a movie about the trip to Vegas, which John takes from Albuquerque with his mysterious, possibly sinister co-worker Virgil (Malco) to investigate a claim. Along the way, he must face his demons and learn to embrace life in the form of a disturbingly perky co-worker (Silverman) who’s smitten with him. Unfortunately, the promised quirkiness is muted and dull, and the stakes seem much lower than they ought to. Buscemi is appealingly odd as usual, and the cinematography by Giles Nuttgens looks lovely, but the story sputters when it should soar.

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5 Comments So Far

I could not agree more. Being born and raised in Vegas, the film really bothered me....especially the whole lottery theme. I kept waiting for something in the film to remind me of this city, but it never came. It might as well have been "Saint John of Any American City That Actually Has a Lottery."

Although the performances were decent, I kept hoping for more, especially when there would be good moments and I would hold out on the hope that it would turn around and surprise me, but it didn't. It's sad when the best part of a film is its' cast bowing at the end.

Posted by: fullofcomedy on 6/11/09 at 12:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)

This is a master piece, the characters in this movie are very interesting and amusing. Like a good golf course, you remember certain holes, no one will forget many of the scenes and the performances in this movie, Steve Buscemi's "Lap Dance", his appreciation for snack cakes and Sarah Silverman. She will make you smile and laugh every time she comes on the camera. This will be a huge hit, worth taking a road trip with them. Doesn't everyone dunk their twinkies in redbull?

Posted by: roadtrip on 6/12/09 at 4:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Let's admit it. The movie that stands as the archetype for all other Las Vegas movies is: 3000 Miles to Graceland

Posted by: cheapcharlie on 6/14/09 at 7:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Hmm. The movie starts in Albuquerque, NM. New Mexico has a State Lottery and scratch-off games. Buscemi's character is such a pitiful loser, he is gambling his gas money on his way to his dead-end insurance adjuster job, in Albuquerque - on scratch-off tickets! Buscemi later embarks on a roadtrip to Las Vegas, NV - a town he has fled in his past because of his gambling addiction. Thus he descends into the depths of hell - his own private hell, one ring/scene towards Vegas at a time.

Posted by: masterjet on 7/29/09 at 12:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)