JIM reviews film "ST. JOHN OF LAS VEGAS"

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St. John Of Las Vegas

MY Rating: 6 of 10 stars (based on an advance screening of the 85-minute film).

There’s NOT much “Sin” in the “City” (or in the Country, for that matter)…

I can sum up this movie in three words: NOTHING much “happens”… For those of you eager for more details, here they are:

… Compulsive gamblers can find far wiser places to live than Las Vegas. But, that describes John (Steve Buscemi) & where he used to live. After a period of especially bad luck, he decides to try living a more normal life, and leaves Vegas for Albuquerque, New Mexico— still gambling via loads of LOTTERY tickets bought at convenience stores as he drives around…

… Thinking it could be helpful to have a reasonably “stable” job, he takes one in an auto insurance company— & isn’t very successful at avoiding the regular temptations of constantly-available LOTTO tickets around town…

… At one point, Steve’s boss, Mr. Townsend (Peter Dinklage), asks him to join Virgil (Romany Malco) — his main fraud-exposer — in investigating an expected “ripoff” accident claim concerning a 1970 Buick Wildcat in the Vegas area…

… Steve is NOT eager to go back to Sin City, because of dual temptations: the omnipresent gambling opportunities there, & the fear of leaving (& possibly losing) a new romance he has in ‘Querque with a nutty colleague in his office named Jill (Sarah Silverman)…

… As fate (& Indie features) would have it, Steve & Romany meet a bunch of “eccentric” characters as they do their investigating, including the suspected fraudster herself, stripper “Tasty D Lite” (Emmanuelle Chriqui), who’s confined to a wheelchair…

… Romany is in tight control of the purse-strings on the trip, & very “tight” with those strings as Steve tries to get “per-diem” payments. It seems sort of “odd” that Romany wants inexperienced STEVE to be the “lead” at doing the “grunt” work in their research…

… Some of the other “unusual” people they meet include a militaristic guy named Ned (Tim Blake Nelson) who likes going around NAKED at a fiery “gate” in the desert, a Ranger in a park (Jesse Garcia), and a “hot” guy playing a “Human TORCH” in a carnival (John Cho)…

… Romany’s supposed to be the “lead” in the car crash research, but Steve finally starts becoming “self-confident” (and/or “disgusted”) & takes the lead in the matter…

… But questions keep arising, such as: WHY is Romany having Steve be the “principal” in their work, & is “blackmail” involved?… Why does Sarah keep eagerly contacting Steve by phone?… What’s the “point” of the numerous so-called “DREAM” sequences with Steve?…

… Sadly, there ISN’T much “point” in most of this film (despite a “twist” near the end): It often comes across mostly as a quirky acting “EXERCISE”, an “easy” way to make some “quick” money. I can’t really call it a “comedy”, because it ISN’T really “funny” (tho it has some very mild comedic “elements” such as the “Flame Lord” played by Cho)… The “drama” is weak & “convoluted”, at best…

… It’s not that it’s “horrible”: the actors are decent & seem to be having some “FUN” with what they’re doing (probably more than you will WATCHING them, I’m afraid)… I think it’d be a “stretch” to describe this film as a parable about how even “losers” MIGHT get “lucky” in life: the writing is so feeble & the “plot” so inherently THIN, I just had to wonder “WHY” it was made…

… Afterwards, my overall feeling was simply a resigned “Oh, well…”

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