What Happens in Vegas

What Happens in Vegas arrives as a comedy directed by Tom Vaughan, and its first strength is a clear sense of purpose. Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher give What Happens in Vegas a recognisable human centre before the larger mechanics take over. The central situation in What Happens in Vegas comes into focus without a long explanation: A man and a woman are compelled, for legal reasons, to live life as a couple for a limited period of time. Across its 1h 39m running time, Tom Vaughan keeps What Happens in Vegas more promising in concept than persuasive in execution.

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What Happens in Vegas benefits from Tom Vaughan being more promising in concept than persuasive in execution about what each sequence needs to accomplish. Instead of making every beat equally loud, Tom Vaughan lets What Happens in Vegas create contrast between pressure and release. Committed work cannot fully overcome the structural weakness throughout What Happens in Vegas, with the strongest decisions feeling connected to character rather than display. It is still fair to say that What Happens in Vegas suffers because relationships remain too thin for later consequences to carry weight, but the problem remains contained.

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The central idea running through What Happens in Vegas concerns embarrassment, status and the gap between confidence and reality. Cameron Diaz gives that idea a human scale, allowing What Happens in Vegas to remain accessible even when its world becomes larger. By returning to a difficult choice, What Happens in Vegas turns theme into a source of pressure rather than a message waiting to be delivered. The handling by Tom Vaughan lets What Happens in Vegas leave a little interpretive room, which gives its better scenes an afterlife.

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What keeps What Happens in Vegas emotionally readable is Cameron Diaz, whose choices establish a consistent point of view. In scenes with Ashton Kutcher, What Happens in Vegas gains tension from two performers refusing to produce the same kind of energy. Rob Corddry contributes a separate rhythm to What Happens in Vegas and helps the supporting material feel less purely functional. The direction by Tom Vaughan gives the cast of What Happens in Vegas room to connect the quieter beats with the larger ones.

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What Happens in Vegas is most involving when the screenplay allows the central character to complicate what initially appears to be a story about an important relationship. That shift gives Cameron Diaz a more specific problem to carry through What Happens in Vegas. Working from material credited to Dana Fox, What Happens in Vegas reveals a difficult choice at a measured pace instead of rushing toward its largest turn. The later pressure around the wider conflict shows why What Happens in Vegas benefits whenever cause and consequence remain visibly connected.

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Visually, What Happens in Vegas is most persuasive when well judged reactions guides attention without becoming an attraction separate from the drama. Twentieth Century Fox supports What Happens in Vegas with well judged reactions, giving individual scenes a shared design logic. The United States production character of What Happens in Vegas is clearest in its use of performer rhythm to make place feel consequential. Even during its busiest moments, What Happens in Vegas benefits from an edit and sound mix that protect the immediate emotional line.

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What Happens in Vegas ends as a difficult recommendation despite several capable contributions, especially for comedy fans who respond to personality and timing. What remains from What Happens in Vegas is the relationship between Cameron Diaz, well judged reactions and Tom Vaughan's control of mood. The weakness that relationships remain too thin for later consequences to carry weight narrows the impact of What Happens in Vegas without cancelling its better work. On balance, What Happens in Vegas gives its intended viewers a distinctive experience rather than a completely anonymous piece of content.