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Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
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Overview
Release Date:
27 October 1995 (USA) morePlot:
Ben Sanderson, an alcoholic Hollywood screenwriter who lost everything because of his drinking, arrives in Las Vegas to drink himself to death. There, he meets and forms an uneasy friendship and non-interference pact with prostitute Sera. full summary | add synopsisAwards:
Won Oscar. Another 25 wins & 17 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(18 articles)
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User Comments:
Leaving My Senses perhaps . . . but there's more here than meets the eye. moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Nicolas Cage | ... | Ben Sanderson | |
| Elisabeth Shue | ... | Sera | |
| Julian Sands | ... | Yuri | |
| Richard Lewis | ... | Peter | |
| Steven Weber | ... | Marc Nussbaum | |
| Kim Adams | ... | Sheila | |
| Emily Procter | ... | Debbie | |
| Stuart Regen | ... | Man at Bar | |
| Valeria Golino | ... | Terri | |
| Graham Beckel | ... | L.A. Bartender | |
| Al Henderson | ... | Man at Strip Bar | |
| Shashi Bhatia | ... | Hispanic Prostitute | |
| Carey Lowell | ... | Bank Teller | |
| Anne Lange | ... | Business Colleague | |
| Thomas Kopache | ... | Mr. Simpson |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated R for strong sexuality and language, violence and pervasive alcohol abuse.Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
111 minColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
DolbyCertification:
Philippines:R-18 | USA:R (certificate #33977) | Brazil:16 | Iceland:16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:R | Chile:18 | Denmark:16 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Mexico:C | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Peru:18 | Portugal:M/18 | Singapore:R21 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18Filming Locations:
Bally's Casino Resort - 3645 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA moreMOVIEmeter: 
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The movie that Ben and Sera are watching when they lie by the pool at the Desert Hotel is The Third Man (1949). moreGoofs:
Continuity: When supposed to be playing blackjack, Ben and Sera are sitting at a Caribbean Stud Poker table. moreQuotes:
Terri: Maybe you shouldn't drink so much.Ben Sanderson: Maybe I shouldn't breathe so much Terri. HIHI!
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Soundtrack:
My One and Only Love moreFAQ
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I've seen this film 5 or 6 times. It occurred to me on the last viewing that it could be the ultimate Touched by an Angel Ben's time in Las Vegas, that is. I believe author John O'Brien thought he was living through a hallucination in the final throes of his diseased life.
The possibility rises out of several conspicuous dynamics in the film.
First, that Ben's life was invested developing Hollywood drama prior to being dismissed by his boss, who will clearly miss his talent and personality in the office, a talent singularly broken by the ravages of alcoholism. He is good at inventing and developing "story". If his occupation had been Investment Banking or Teaching, I'd feel differently. But John O'Brien bore him with a Hollywood mind. That lit the flame for me.
That Ben repeatedly calls Sera his angel during his demise - as he enjoys the best of - and endures the worst of - Las Vegas living. It is possible that all of it is a hallucination during the final pathetic act of his life. The invention of Sera makes his passing bearable, doable, a possible goal for him.
That Sera endures the college team horrors, discuses her relationship with the off-camera therapist to whom she confesses her soul-deep love for Ben ... even the problems with her pimp and landlord constitute deep back story in the mind of a man with a talent for such invention, desperate to flesh out the reasons why this angel will escort him to the next world. In my last analysis, she is an angel divined in his fertile mind to embody all of the good people and events in his life (the wealth flashback memories, e.g.). Sera has come to take him out while steeling the love in his heart. She sees him for what he is, because that's what responsible angels do.
This is a work with metaphor far beyond the veneer of the surface dialog. It's a film demanding to be viewed more than once. Or perhaps, I'm just going nuts, have lost it and I'm hallucinating in my own right.
Either way, enjoy. 10 out of 10.