Rating: 
Summary: Leaving Las Vegas
Review: Nicolas Cage stars as Ben, a desperate alcoholic who lost his wife, job and wanted to destruct himself with booze or you may say he decided to drink himself to death (quoted from the film). Elisabeth Shue stars as Sera, a prostitute. When Sera was on half of her way to work, she met Ben, Ben invited her to his home (motel). After Sera had washed her hair and wanted to start her job, Ben seemed not very interested (even though alchohol can be used as an aphrodisiac), he stopped her and told her she could drink all she wanted but had to stay, talk and listen to him. Sera felt empathy with Ben and the love story began with their understanding and acceptance for each other.Although Ben had found his angel (that's what Ben named Sera when he moved to Sera's home at the first time), he couldn't leave off his alcohol addiction and he told Sera that she couldn't stopped him from that. Even though Sera might have taken Ben to hospital for diagnosis and treatment etc., she didn't, the reason is that Ben's will is always her top priority. I'm amazed at Sera's altruistic mind and realized what true love is. Well finally Ben died because of alcoholism. The film applies a sentimental approach to protray this tangible love story. It's like a reflection of the modern society. And let's appreciate how the flow of the movie is managed by means of music and cinematography. The film is suitable for everyone, especially right now we're dealing with despair under the global economic recession. We have to believe, even though we're in low depth, we'll stay strong and fight for the bounce and recovery.
Rating: 
Summary: I get the point, but..
Review: I understand this movie is about "unconditional love". I also realize there are some great performances here - that's why I gave it two stars. But it is so depressing! It's O.K. for movies to be dark, somber, and even depressing if they have some kind of social statement to make. But what does this movie say? That if a loved one is engaging in self-destructive behaviour, you shouldn't try to get them help? That you can't love someone and still refuse to condone what they are doing? Sorry, they missed the boat on this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Leaving Las Vegas
Review: Nicolas Cage's character, as a drunkard who is on the verge of suicide, is so sad and pathetic, it's funny. Elizabeth Shue is a cutie. I see why so many people recommend it; it is good as ...!
Rating:
Summary: Best movie of 95 (runners up were BABE and APOLLO 13)
Review: One of the best and most original movies i've seen. Certainly Cage's performance is his best yet and he deservedly won the best actor oscar for it. But who really makes the film for me is Shue, she is perfectly cast and plays a great role. The soundtrack is very good and perfectly complements the visuals, which are outstanding. The dvd makes it even better with Vegas truly looking like Vegas. This is definetly the best i've seen this movie look and sound.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent film
Review: Hollywood cannot portray recovery from what ails Nicholas Cage in this film, for recovery is not a matter of images. The 1948 film The Lost Weekend was marred by the need for a happy ending, which is the imaging of redemption. We may contrast this film with 28 Days, a movie about "recovery" starring Sandra Bullock. Leaving Las Vegas, and 28 Days, have the same male-female polarity as A Civil Action (a 1997 film, starring John Travolta, about a failed environmental lawsuit) and Erin Brockovich; for Erin Brockovich, in order to provide a believable happy ending in a society in which the most recent Presidential election had to be decided by a quiet coup d'etat, had to individualize struggle, and make it into a game show. A Civil Action portrayed the truth of the plaintiff's bar as modal total loss, with occasional wins reversed on appeal making the news. This is a male-female polarity because both 28 Days and Erin Brockovich use a triumphalist-feminist narrative which images and personalizes evil in the form of men, and unrealistically portray women as able, courtesy of misunderstood, vernacular feminism, to get to the required happy ending. Their "win", however, is a zero-sum game. Brockovich claws her way to the top of a bogus revolution by dissing African-Americans and fat people (the latter in a snide plug for a Southern maker of near-inedible donuts that was probably connected with an IPO for Krispy Kreme that happened shortly after the film's release.) In the irredemiably lower-middle-class economy of 28 Days, Sandra's Aussie boyfriend has to personalize clueless evil. Leaving Las Vegas portrays in a mature way the consequences on relationships of the commodity system: for in the pressure of commodities as represented by Las Vegas causes relationships to use sado-masochistic mechanisms. In the Las Vegas portrayed, "winning" has become a floating signifier which is detached from any sense of desert (as in deserving to win, by making a contribution to a society which has disappeared from the ontology of the individual.) As a screenwriter, Cage portrays the plight of the real contributor to other people's success whose own success or failure is too unimportant from the standpoint of capital NOT to become a detached screen "credit" with no relation to reality. Cage decides to drink himself to death and Liz Shue invites herself along for the ride. No possible "happy ending" could be imaged for this plot because the ending would take outside of the system in which Cage is enmeshed.
Rating: 
Summary: Leaving this Movie
Review: Once in awhile a film comes along that is well made, but vile in concept and execution. "Leaving Las Vegas" is such a movie. While it is hard to argue that the performances of stars Nicholas Cage and Elizabeth Shue are not first rate, unfortunately they serve a plot which is misogynistic, exceddingly unpleasent and utterly pointless. Don't get me wrong, there have been some excellent movies that have portrayed destruction through drugs and alcohol. "Less Than Zero" and "The Boost" are two examples that immediately come to mind. But "Leaving Las Vegas" not only glamorizes Cage's self-determined destruction through alcohol, but manages to thoroughly degrade Shue's character at the same time. There is one scene for example , in which Shue is gang raped in a hotel room, that is completely gratutitous. It doesn't advance the plot and seems to serve no purpose other than showing the filmaker's contempt for her character. The relationship between the two of them has some tender moments, but ultimately come to no apparent point. Going to the movies ought to be an enjoyable experience, or failing that, it at least ought to be enlightening. "Leaving Las Vegas" is neither. It is a degrading peep show of a movie.
Rating:
Summary: Spiral of Depression
Review: Jazz man Mike Figgis' grim drama documents a romantic triangle of sorts involving prostitute Sera (Elisabeth Shue), failed Hollywood screenwriter Ben (Oscar-winner Nicolas Cage), and the constant flow of booze which he loves more dearly than life itself. Arriving in Las Vegas with the intention of drinking himself to death, Ben meets Sera, and they gradually begin falling for one another. From the outset, however, Ben warns Sera that no matter what, she can never ask him to quit drinking, a condition to which she grudgingly agrees. A darkly comic tragedy, Leaving Las Vegas charts the brief romantic convergence of two desperately needy people who together find a brief flicker of happiness
Rating: 
Summary: Two stars for Cage and one for Shue, but.......
Review: this is an EXTREMELY depressing movie to watch. I have rarely felt so down after watching a movie as I did after this one. It has a lot to commend in its performances but the story is not that interesting. It comes down to a man wanting to drink himself to death and succeeding. Shue is just along for the ride. The performances are good but the movie is dark and depressing.
Rating:
Summary: Entangled lives of two people with no reason to live
Review: Deeply touching story of two people at dead ends in their lives; one's a prostitute who demeans herself nightly to survive on the cold, hard Las Vegas streets, and another is a deeply depressed alcoholic who moves to Las Vegas with the intention of drinking himself to death. Their encounter with each other leads to unlikely romance because, while both search for meaning, another reason to live, they are willing to accept each other for who they are, regardless of how self-destructive both have become. A simply stunning emotional performance by Nicolas Cage, who earned a well-deserved Oscar.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best movies ever made
Review: Out of all the movies I have seen, this one is probably my favorite. It is not a Hollywood formula movie, no automatic happy ending. The acting is great (look at the difference between Elizabeth Shue's acting here and in The Hollow Man, it's like night and day, she is horrible in the Hollow Man but great in Las Vegas, the Hollywood phoney effect I call it). Some of the critics say it to depressing, let me tell you life is not Arnold whats his name hanging out of Jet airplanes in the middle of the city. This movie is real life and it is refreshing to see such a great movie get made and why didn't this movie win the Academy Award?
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