MovieChat Forums > Leaving Las Vegas (1996) Discussion > Hard to believe that Ben wasn't a smoker

Hard to believe that Ben wasn't a smoker

posted 10 years ago by Willie_B_Hardigan
2 replies | jump to latest

I don't remember if they had addressed this in the movie, but I find it a bit hard to believe that somebody like Ben didn't once light up a cigarette in this entire movie.

Typically, if somebody drinks as much as Ben did, they would have had a drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other, especially since this movie took place back in the 1990s when smoking was still commonplace.

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but I do remember Sera smoked a few times herself. Does anybody else agree?

[–] ckmsaxophone 10 years ago

Yeah, Sera smoked a few times in the movie. Ben even lit her cigarette once at dinner. Odd that he had a lighter when he apparently didn't smoke(?)

I've known a few alcoholics and literally all of them chain smoked. This is just a guess, but maybe since Ben was intent on drinking so much, he couldn't be bothered to smoke cigarettes (needed both hands to drink, IDK) or, since he tended to be so shaky, he had a difficult time holding something so light.

"I must express myself." - Delia Deetz

[–] dundee_joanne 10 years ago

He gives Sera a light from a packet pf matches. Because they are in a resturant at the time, I just assumed the matches would have been on their table to use. I also agree that I don't think Ben could be bothered with the whole smoking thing. He already calculated how much he could spend per day on alcohol without needing to worry about buying cigarettes too.